Reducing Large File Sizes for Blackboard
Large files on Blackboard can cause problems for instructors trying to view them and for students trying to upload them. Here are a few suggestions for ways to reduce file sizes as you prepare to submit materials on Blackboard.
File Size and Download Time
The file size of your document has an effect on the download time. For example, someone with dial-up would need over 12 minutes to download a 5MB PowerPoint presentation from Blackboard, while someone with a cable modem would need 2 minutes, and someone using a computer on campus might need only 26 seconds.
Recommended File Size
Concordia does not have any official restrictions on file size for uploading to Blackboard. However, huge files (for example 200mb PowerPoint files) have caused problems for students in the past. A handy calculator for estimating the download time for different file sizes can be found at: http://goo.gl/cW7fJG. Simply enter the size of your document and see how long it will take to download at various speeds.
Text Compression Tips
Saving as PDF (portable document format) can save documents with more advanced formatting, like tables and charts, preserving the document exactly as you created it, but they can be very large. There are free online services for compressing PDF files (http://smallpdf.com/compress-pdf), or you can use applications such as Adobe Acrobat Pro.
PowerPoint Compression Tips
It is important to keep the size of your PowerPoint presentations down. Here are some tips to reduce the size of your PowerPoint presentations.
1. Do a “Save As.” Go to File > Save As, give your file another name and click Save. Your new file will be smaller.
2. Don’t Save as PowerPoint 95 or PowerPoint 97-2003. Make sure your current version of PowerPoint is saving as “Presentation,” not any type with PowerPoint 95 in the name--these older versions do not support compressed images.
3. Don’t Allow “Fast Saves.” To turn this off, go to Tools > Options and click the Save tab. Clear the Allow fast saves check box and click OK. After you’ve turned off the Fast Save, save your presentation again using a new name.
4. Convert to PDF. Saving your PowerPoint as PDF will reduce the size of the presentation significantly, but will not include any builds, animation, or transitions.
5. Optimize Your Images. The best way to reduce the size of images in PowerPoint is to optimize them. Instructions can be found here: https://goo.gl/MihVXt
Narration and PowerPoint
If you plan to include narration in your presentation, you should use a program to optimize it for online viewing, such as iSpring or Camtasia.
Audio
If you upload audio files to Blackboard, make sure they are in a high-quality, compressed format like MP3. Software for recording and converting the files to MP3 include: Audacity, GarageBand, iTunes, and APowerSoft.
Video
Although Blackboard accepts common video formats, we recommend that you do not upload videos whether compressed or not. The recommended method is to first upload your videos a file storage service such as Google Drive or Dropbox and then share a link to them in Blackboard.
Scanning
If you are scanning a document to upload to Blackboard, make sure you review the compression options in your scanning application. Scanned documents are really images, and images always take longer to load than text. Scan at 150 DPI and scan documents or images in black and white rather than in color when possible.