In a nutshell, there are a few basics:

• Bitmap images are made of pixels.  When you resize them up the pixels get larger which degrades the image quality.
• Vector images use calculations to draw the images.  They scale well and remain crisp.
• GIF format handles simple colors well and can be transparent.
• JPG is good for lots of colors, but offers no transparency.
• PNG combines the best of GIF and JPG – good colors and transparency.  I usually use PNG.

Click here to view the tutorial.

Wikipedia has a good article on graphic formats.  You can also learn more at the Rapid E-Learning Blog on the Rapid E-Learning 101 series.

In all of the moaning and groaning about PowerPoint, the critics often overlook that PowerPoint is a versatile and powerful application.  I regularly use it to build rapid elearning courses which you can learn about via the Rapid E-Learning Blog.

I also use it to build many of my graphics.  In fact, I build most of my graphics inside of PowerPoint because of it’s so easy to use.  It’s actually quite an effective tool for building graphics. 

A great way for me to learn and practice the PowerPoint features is by building my own illustrations and graphics.  As a routine, I like to review Adobe Illustrator tutorials and see what I can replicate using PowerPoint.

Here’s a tutorial on using PowerPoint to create an envelope icon.  I covered this in more detail in the blog post on building graphics in PowerPoint like a pro.

Click here to view the tutorial.

Here are a couple of more relevant tutorials:

• Create folders
• Create overhead people
• Create overhead office

As you can see, using PowerPoint to build vector graphics or other images can be quite effective.  And it doesn’t take that long to do it.  It’s just a matter of learning to use the tools that you have in PowerPoint.

In fact, I’d challenge you to learn more about PowerPoint’s powerful features by tackling a few of these vector graphic tutorials.  You might never need the envelope icon, but you’ll always have the new skills you learn in PowerPoint.