Copying images into Photoshop from MS Office files

I’m a new Photoshop user working with Photoshop CS & Windows XP.
Part of my job is creating proposals that use images. Often I don’t have access to an image file for an image I want to use. My only access to the image is as an object in a MS Office file like Word or PowerPoint. I’ve had reasonable success using the following process, but lately I’ve had some problems.

First I scale the images in the Office app to 100% (not sure if this is necessary). Then I copy the image to the clipboard. In Photoshop I use the File>New command to create a new empty image file. I’m under the impression that Photoshop checks the contents of my clipboard and the New dialog presents me with image size settings based on the image on my clipboard. I generally accept these settings, and paste the copied image into the new image file.

My current problem is that the quality of many of the images pasted into Photoshop seem seriously degraded when compared to the original. The best way to describe it is as if the pasted image has pixels that form some sort of grid on parts or all of the image. Interestingly I’m having a similar problem using Photoshop Elements on my home computer. With Elements, the pasted image is more likely to be blotchy, as if Photoshop was displaying it with a limited number of colors. I only have this problem when copying and pasting from Office apps, not when copying and pasting from an image file in Photoshop. I didn’t used to have this problem, and I’m wondering if I unwisely changed a Photoshop setting that’s causing the problem. I suppose I could print and scan from the Office app to create an actual image file, but this would be very time consuming. I’m hoping someone understands what I’m talking about, and has some helpful suggestions. Thanks.

Bob

I’m a new Photoshop user working with Photoshop CS & Windows XP.
Part of my job is creating proposals that use images. Often I don’t have access to an image file for an image I want to use. My only access to the image is as an object in a MS Office file like Word or PowerPoint. I’ve

reasonable success using the following process, but lately I’ve had some problems.

First I scale the images in the Office app to 100% (not sure if this is necessary). Then I copy the image to the clipboard. In Photoshop I use

File>New command to create a new empty image file. I’m under the

that Photoshop checks the contents of my clipboard and the New dialog presents me with image size settings based on the image on my clipboard.

generally accept these settings, and paste the copied image into the new image file.

My current problem is that the quality of many of the images pasted into Photoshop seem seriously degraded when compared to the original. The best way to describe it is as if the pasted image has pixels that form some

of grid on parts or all of the image. Interestingly I’m having a similar problem using Photoshop Elements on my home computer. With Elements, the pasted image is more likely to be blotchy, as if Photoshop was displaying

with a limited number of colors. I only have this problem when copying

pasting from Office apps, not when copying and pasting from an image file

Photoshop. I didn’t used to have this problem, and I’m wondering if I unwisely changed a Photoshop setting that’s causing the problem. I

could print and scan from the Office app to create an actual image file,

this would be very time consuming. I’m hoping someone understands what

talking about, and has some helpful suggestions. Thanks.
Bob

If you have a program which works with vectors (e.g. I just tried it with the free beta of Acrylic from Microsoft) then you can open the .wmf clipart file and export it as a bitmap (you get to choose the size) which Photoshop will be happy with. (The eps export option didn’t work quite right when I tried it.)

Andrew

"Bob" wrote in
news:UKLBe.10807$:

I’m a new Photoshop user working with Photoshop CS & Windows XP.
Part of my job is creating proposals that use images. Often I don’t have access to an image file for an image I want to use. My only access to the image is as an object in a MS Office file like Word or PowerPoint. I’ve had reasonable success using the following process, but lately I’ve had some problems.

First I scale the images in the Office app to 100% (not sure if this is necessary). Then I copy the image to the clipboard. In Photoshop I use the File>New command to create a new empty image file. I’m under the impression that Photoshop checks the contents of my clipboard and the New dialog presents me with image size settings based on the image on my clipboard. I generally accept these settings, and paste the copied image into the new image file.

My current problem is that the quality of many of the images pasted into Photoshop seem seriously degraded when compared to the original. The best way to describe it is as if the pasted image has pixels that form some sort of grid on parts or all of the image. Interestingly I’m having a similar problem using Photoshop Elements on my home computer. With Elements, the pasted image is more likely to be blotchy, as if Photoshop was displaying it with a limited number of colors. I only have this problem when copying and pasting from Office apps, not when copying and pasting from an image file in Photoshop. I didn’t used to have this problem, and I’m wondering if I unwisely changed a Photoshop setting that’s causing the problem. I suppose I could print and scan from the Office app to create an actual image file, but this would be very time consuming. I’m hoping someone understands what I’m talking about, and has some helpful suggestions. Thanks.

Bob

I have been on this merry-go-round. The problem is that there is a significant change in the way Word handles images to how PS deals with them which results in ugly images.

The easy answer is to use screen capture, display the image in Word at 100% then hit the ‘PRINT SCREEN’ key. then just do as you did pasting it into PS. The only draw back is that you have to join large images together by extending the canvass size, using to layer then mergeing them. The quality remains as high as the original.

—
f=Ma well, nearly…

"Bob" wrote in message

I’m a new Photoshop user working with Photoshop CS & Windows XP.
Part of my job is creating proposals that use images. Often I don’t have access to an image file for an image I want to use. My only access to the image is as an object in a MS Office file like Word or PowerPoint. I’ve

had

reasonable success using the following process, but lately I’ve had some problems.

First I scale the images in the Office app to 100% (not sure if this is necessary). Then I copy the image to the clipboard. In Photoshop I use

the

File>New command to create a new empty image file. I’m under the

impression

that Photoshop checks the contents of my clipboard and the New dialog presents me with image size settings based on the image on my clipboard.

I

generally accept these settings, and paste the copied image into the new image file.

My current problem is that the quality of many of the images pasted into Photoshop seem seriously degraded when compared to the original. The best way to describe it is as if the pasted image has pixels that form some

sort

of grid on parts or all of the image. Interestingly I’m having a similar problem using Photoshop Elements on my home computer. With Elements, the pasted image is more likely to be blotchy, as if Photoshop was displaying

it

with a limited number of colors. I only have this problem when copying

and

pasting from Office apps, not when copying and pasting from an image file

in

Photoshop. I didn’t used to have this problem, and I’m wondering if I unwisely changed a Photoshop setting that’s causing the problem. I

suppose I

could print and scan from the Office app to create an actual image file,

but

this would be very time consuming. I’m hoping someone understands what

I’m

talking about, and has some helpful suggestions. Thanks.
Bob

All of the Micro$loth Orifice programs do many ‘not nice’ things to images.
You should view an image in Micro$crew Wurd as being"in its final resting place" if at all possible, and obtain a fresh, clean, new copy of the original wherever possible.

The best solution is to avoid them (the Micro$loth Orifice programs) as much as possible. Otherwise, try the suggestions made by ‘Kingdom.’