Forum Discussion
Why does Storyline change my font size when I import a ppt deck?
I've been fighting with Storyline for the better part of the afternoon trying to get the font size I need. I imported a ppt file and the fonts were exactly as I needed them, but after the import Storyline decided to change the size and even though it's telling me (after I make the font bigger) that it is the size I want... it's not at all when I look at the Preview version. It's barely big enough to read. What can I do to fix this issue? Thanks!
Hello, Everyone! ✨
I'm happy to share that we have released a new update for Storyline 360 (3.81.31200.0).
In this update, we have implemented a fix for:
- Storyline 360 didn't always preserve text formatting when using custom slide layouts or importing PowerPoint slide masters.
As a first step, I recommend updating Storyline 360 to the latest version. Here's how:
If you have any questions, please let us know in this thread or privately in a support case.
Have a great day!
25 Replies
Hi Will,
Powerpoint measures in inches depending on your Windows regional settings, and I don't believe there is a way to change that within the Powerpoint setting. With Storyline we have it set to pixels knowing that's a bit easier for folks looking to compare that with their image size, screen resolutions, etc. Glad you were able to find a conversion method - there's a bunch of calculators too where you could enter that info in!
Has anyone made any progress with this issue? I created a ppt with all the appropriate fonts, sizes, colors, ect. and was hoping it would import to storyline as it, but alas all the font sizes changed upon import. It was mentioned that updates will be posted here, but that was 3 years ago!
Hello Michael!
There is a list of elements that aren't compatible between Presenter and PowerPoint and vice versa, but fonts and colors aren't included in that list.
Can you share the PowerPoint with us to better understand what might be getting in the way? You can attach it to this discussion or upload it privately in a support case.
I too would like to know if there has been any progress or updates on this issue because I am currently experiencing this same frustrating thing. I am working locally with PowerPoint and Articulate. I am using a standard font. Both the PP and SL are widescreen in size (16:9). When I import my slides to Storyline, all the fonts shrink. I have to manually fix the fonts on each slide because Master slide edits don't help. Thanks very much.
Johnna, did you try changing the size of the Storyline Slide Size before importing your PowerPoint? Try changing it to 1280x720 or 960x540. Go to Design > Side Size Setup in Storyline.
Hi Will. Thank you for reply. Yes, I have done that. I even changed my default size to 16:9 so that each time I start a new project, it will be set on the widescreen. I have tried changing the master slide fonts. I can't seem to get it to work unless I change the fonts on each slide manually.
Hey Johnna,
If your PowerPoint presentation is set at the standard Widescreen (13.3333 x 7.5 inches), then you'll need to set Storyline to 16:9, choose a custom slide size and set Storyline to 1280x720 (as Will points out above). Then import the PowerPoint slide into SL.
The font sizes should then match. Another potential issue is the dpi on your machine. That can also throw things off. A dpi of 96 is what I'm assuming in the above settings.
Mike
Thanks Mike - I was having the same issue and changing SL to 1280x720 worked! Eureka!
This is a problem we run into often. But we can't change to another screen size in SL because we have to use 1920x1080. Just very frustrating. One thing that would help is having the font size that is set up in the slide master apply to the text that is imported.
In our current project, we are importing slides from ppt (which have been set to the font and size we want in the ppt slide master) and then apply a layout in Storyline. The text moves to the correct position, and the font style is correct, but now the sizes are off (in our case, they're larger). I don't understand why the size isn't adjusted when the layout is applied.
Hi Sandy,
Sorry to hear that you ran into this issue.
I did a test on my end by creating a simple PowerPoint presentation which I then imported to a Storyline 360 project file, and I can confirm that I was able to observe the same behavior that you did where the font size from the layout did not get applied.
I opened a support case for you so we can get you in touch with a support engineer who will be able to take a closer look at the issue. Someone will be reaching out shortly!
I've found a little math that helps with the conversion. PPT wide screen is 1280*720 or 921,600 pixels. I have my storyline default set to 1600*900 or 1,440,000 pixels. (This allows for the project to almost fill a standard computer screen and still show the player.
So for my ratio I need 921,600/1,440,00 = 0.64
So if I take my original font size and divide by 0.64, I get roughly my converted font size (just a touch smaller). After tweaking I found a 0.60 ratio to be closest.
To take it up a notch, without having to constantly do math, I created a spread sheet to reference to do the math for me with the A column being the original font size and the B column being the converted.
Cell A2 became 10 for the first font, then I dragged down to auto fill the cells up to 60.
Cell B2 had the formula =A2/0.6 - Then drag this down to autofill as well, and voila, converted font sizes.
TL:DR: Basically, play around with one font size till it matches, find the ratio and let spreadsheets convert the rest for you.
Hi David,
Thanks for sharing this nifty trick to facilitate font size conversion! I'm sure other community members will find it helpful.
Have a great day ahead!
Hello, Everyone! ✨
I'm happy to share that we have released a new update for Storyline 360 (3.81.31200.0).
In this update, we have implemented a fix for:
- Storyline 360 didn't always preserve text formatting when using custom slide layouts or importing PowerPoint slide masters.
As a first step, I recommend updating Storyline 360 to the latest version. Here's how:
If you have any questions, please let us know in this thread or privately in a support case.
Have a great day!
