How to mask images to crop to shape in PowerPoint

08.26.21  •  #PowerPointTips #Image #Crop

Contents

Want to add some variety to your PowerPoint presentation? Then you’ve come to the right place! Just putting images into a presentation – anyone can do that! If you, however, want to show them in an appealing design, then you should watch our new video! In this week's PowerPoint tip we give you a step by step guide on how to crop pictures into a specific shape!

Video

Simple shapes

  1. Add the image you would like to crop and select it.
  2. Go to the Format tab.
  3. At the very right, you’ll find the Crop tool. Select the arrow below, to open the dropdown menu.
  4. Go to Crop to Shape.
  5. Select the preferred shape e.g. oval.
  6. Now you can adjust it, depending on the shape.
  7. If you want to change the aspect ratio or the zoom of your picture, select it once more and go to the Format tab again.


  8. This time select the Crop function directly.
  9. Now you can adjust the image as you please.
  10. Additional effects can be added, ike frames, reflections, shadows or glow effects. You can choose between Picture Border or Picture Effects to adjust your image.

More shape types

Other forms are of course also possible. Simply select a suitable one in Crop to shape!



Among the most used are:

Advanced shapes

  1. For example, if you have created a shape yourself for your PowerPoint presentation and you want your picture to have this shape, you must first insert a picture. Next, you need to insert any shape. You can either use PowerPoint's pictograms (these can be found in the "Insert" tab in the "Illustrations" group) or you can use any SVG. You have to place this over your picture and now you have to mark the picture as well as the shape and click on convert to shape.
    convert image
  2. Now go to the "Shape Format" tab. Click on "Merge Shapes" and choose "Intersect". Your image is now cropped to your custom shape.
    crop image

About the author

Philipp Angerer

Philipp is a creative supporter at SlideLizard in marketing and design. There he uses his imagination and provides creative freshness, also in blog articles.



Top blog articles
More posts

How to use the morph transition in PowerPoint

Elegant Architecture - Free PowerPoint Template

LIZ AI Produktbild
LIZ AI - Autopilot for PowerPoint

Your existing systems. Automatically orchestrated and centrally connected.

LIZ AI connects directly with your enterprise systems and automatically turns data into presentations. Content is intelligently generated, updated, and visualised directly in PowerPoint. Presentations are created in the background, stay up to date at all times, and automatically match your corporate design - without manual effort.

Learn more about LIZ AI

The Glossary for Presentations & AI

Listening

Listening is a very important part of communication. To be good in communication you need to be a good listener. That doesn't mean just hearing what the other person is saying. But you need to listen active, engage your mind and intently focus on what your talking partner is saying.

Learn more

Recall Questions

Recall questions ask participants to retrieve and state information they have previously learned or been told. They test memory and knowledge retention rather than understanding or analysis. In training sessions and educational presentations, recall questions at the end of a segment can reinforce key points and check how much the audience has absorbed. While they don't assess deeper comprehension, they are an efficient tool for checking baseline knowledge and reinforcing core facts.

Learn more

Closed Questions

Closed questions are questions that can be answered with a limited set of responses — most commonly a simple 'yes' or 'no', or a selection from predefined options. They are used to gather specific, factual information quickly and efficiently. In presentations and training settings, closed questions are useful for gauging audience understanding, confirming agreement, or running quick polls. While efficient, they offer little depth and should be balanced with open-ended questions when richer feedback or discussion is needed.

Learn more

Written Communication

Written communication is the transmission of information through written text — including emails, reports, proposals, presentations, messages, and documentation. Unlike spoken communication, written messages persist over time and can be reviewed, shared, and referenced repeatedly. Effective written communication requires clarity, appropriate structure, careful word choice, and an understanding of the reader's needs and context. In business settings, it is one of the primary channels for formal decisions, instructions, and record-keeping.

Learn more

Be the first to know!

The latest SlideLizard news, articles, and resources,
sent straight to your inbox.

- or follow us on -