NXPowerlite

NXPowerlite Update – v10

NXPowerLite is one of those PowerPoint add-ins the TLC Creative Services design team relies on and uses continuously (no paid endorsement, this truly is software we use!).

If you are not familiar, NXPoweriLte from Neuxpower, is a file compression add-in. We use NXPowerLite  for PowerPoint, but it also handles Word, Excel, PDF, and JPG images.

I have a custom set of optimize profiles. We have the same set of profiles on all of the TLC Creative team so we are literally doing the same thing. In version 10 of NXPowerlite, there is an improved set of default profiles that should make the compression options easier and better when used right-out-of-the box. Note: currently v10 is only available for Windows OS. It can be run as a standalone app (drag and drop PPTX files onto the app), or activated from within PowerPoint and it will optimize the file that is currently open.

The big improvement I am most excited about is NXPowerLite now being better and overcoming issues that stop a file from being compressed. e.g. the compression process fails. It still does not identify the issue (generally an image in a file format that errors out), but there is a host of really good online info and a direct integration with 7-zip to open the PowerPoint file and deal with the problem image directly. I think many “power-users” will find this a faster process to what they were already doing (we have 7-zip installed on all computers here at TLC Creative and all of the design team has been trained on how to open a .pptx file, locate the problem file, edit and replace).

Lots of other improvements too. One that I am excited to see – because it has created problems many times for me – is maintaining the EXIF orientation data in compressed images. This should eliminate a conflict where a cropped image is compressed and then displays in the wrong orientation and squeezed into the image container size after running NXPowerLite.

More details on the v10 updates can be read about on the Neuxpower website here. The NXPowerLite product page, including download of free trial to test, is here.

-Troy @ TLC

By |2023-07-28T11:02:26-07:00August 3rd, 2023|Software/Add-Ins|

WeCompress – NXPowerlite’s Online Version

The guys at Neuxpower recently invited us to beta test a new online compression tool called WeCompress. We found using this online tool is simple, easy and provides impressive results on par with the desktop version of NXPowerlite (review of NXPowerlite here). And the good news is, wecompress is now publicly available for use!

Overall we found WeCompress an impressive online tool – and it is FREE to use! While our tests below show it is not as robust as the NXPowerlite desktop app, it provides a great option for everyone trapped in a corporate world of “we do not allow add-ins or utility apps to be installed.” 

Our first test was optimizing this high-res .jpg image. WeCompress reduced the file size by 4MB and maintained image quality (for use on a 1920×1080 monitor).

To use, go to WeCompress and just drag and drop your file to get started.

The upload and download time is dependent on your internet connection, but the actual compression/processing time was on par with the desktop NXPowerlite processing (eg. fast).

WeCompress has a clean online app design and it’s easy to use. But it does lack a few things in comparison to the desktop NXPowerlite app. The biggest difference is the ability to customize settings. For example, TLC Creative’s standard compression is custom settings optimized for 1920×1080 HD display. Other areas custom compression settings are important to us are when working on 4-6-8K output files (although the desktop version is currently limited to a 3480x2160px resolution base).

For comparison, here is our 10 slide sample deck which we optimized with WeCompress, NXPowerlite’s default compression setting, and our “TLC” custom NXPowerlite compression settings.

The original file, with purposefully oversize images, is 14.9 MB.

Running the file through WeCompress adjusted the file to a helpful 642 KB (and maintained good image quality, but a bit lower than we really want).

NXPowerlite (Windows v7.1.5) using its default PRINT compression gave us a 4.68 MB file (and image quality we approved of).

Optimizing with our “TLC” custom compression setting (1920×1080, JPG quality 9) gave us a 3.39 MB file (and image quality we approved of).

We then tested with another test file. We optimized a 10 slide PowerPoint file with close up, detailed high res images. Using NXPowerlite with our TLC HD compression settings, the file went from 16.8MB to 3.76MB, with image detail quality that met our standards.  

Uploading the same file to WeCompress reduced the file a lot – down to 674 KB! But image quality was below our standards (Note: compressing same file with NXPowerlite’s SCREEN default was comparable, creating a 1.15 MB file – a default setting we never use).

Aside from WeCompress’ limitations, the two tools have similar compression speeds and results. But WeCompress is FREE and does not require any install permissions. Neuxpower’s NXPowerlite has been the TLC Creative Services go-to compression solution for several years and we definitely recommend booking their new WeCompress online option to add to your toolbox.

Troy @ TLC

By |2017-10-13T11:46:21-07:00October 26th, 2017|Software/Add-Ins|

NXPowerlite Asking Users for Feedback

Currently the dev team at Neuxpower are soliciting user input as they prepare the specs for v8. I sent in my suggestions a few weeks ago and had a great note from them about a number of my thoughts are already in the specs, and  few that will be included (yay!). Everyone that is familiar with NXPowerlite should take advantage of this open request for feedback!

Click here for the Neuxpower NXPowerlite survey.

Troy @ TLC

 

By |2017-08-01T10:50:16-07:00August 2nd, 2017|Software/Add-Ins, The PowerPoint® Blog|

NXPowerlite Black Friday 50% Off Deal

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TLC Creative Services has been a long-time user of NXPowerlite to quickly optimize presentation files to manageable sizes – without losing image quality (see this post on the TLC’s custom NXPowerlite settings). Microsoft’s internal image compression has improved a lot over the past few generations of PowerPoint, but I still find 3rd party tools do a better job. No sponsorship here, just letting everyone know that the NXPowerlite Black Friday sale is a good deal to take advantage of if you do not have an add-in to optimize presentation files.

NXPowerlite Black Friday

The Windows Desktop version is regulary $50. Purchase Friday, November 25th at 50% off. $25 is a great value and a smart addition to any designer’s toolbox. Go here for the Neupower sale page.

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-Troy @ TLC

By |2016-11-29T15:12:23-07:00November 23rd, 2016|Software/Add-Ins|

NXPowerLite PowerPoint Add-in

PowerPoint file size too big? Sometimes that’s okay if it has embedded videos, or just has a lot of slides. But if your 11 slide presentation has no videos and is 30+ MB, it is time for some file optimization. PowerPoint has built in tools to optimize images and multimedia – and they continue to improve. But for image optimization, I prefer to use one of the 3rd party add-in options, the NXPowerLite PowerPoint Add-in.

For TLC Creative Services, we have NXPowerlite installed on all computers and use as needed. As stated on their site, what this add-in does is, “Shrink Your Files.” I’ve put together a quick explanation of how we use this at TLC.

NXPowerLite

In this example, we’ve added a HiRes image to a PowerPoint Presentation. Our simple 10 slide presentation is a 29.1 MB file.

NXPowerLite PowerPoint Add-in-1

The images within the presentation are 15MB, because they are far larger than HD projection, most are “print” quality resolution. By using the NXPowerLite PowerPoint Add-in, we can optimize these images in order to reduce file size.

NXPowerLite PowerPoint Add-in-2

Step 1: Save your presentation.

Step 2: Go to the ADD-INS tab > OPTIMIZE WITH NXPOWERLITE

NXPowerLite PowerPoint Add-in-3

Step 3: Select YES at this pop up dialog (unless you do not want to save over this file because you did not do Step 1 yet, then cancel, save the presentation and come back to this step when you can select YES).

nxpowerlite-4

Step 4: Custom the NXPowerLite SETTINGS.

NXPowerLite PowerPoint Add-in-5

Step 5: This should be a one-time process as NXPowerlite will remember your custom settings.

  • JPEG quality =9 on all three options
  • Resize Images For Display At = 1920×1080 on all three options
  • delete Cropped Areas in Pictures = NOT checked
  • Flatten Embedded Objects = NOT checked
  • Click OK to save these settings and close the Settings dialog box

NXPowerLite PowerPoint Add-in-6

File Naming

Before we Optimize the file click on the File Naming tab. Here you can customized the text prior to Optimizing the file.

1) File Naming Tab

2) You can add custom text that will be added to your Original file name

3) The custom name will be added AFTER your file name

4) The custom name will be added BEFORE your file name

NXPowerLite PowerPoint Add-in-12

 

Here’s an example of the Outputted files

1) Backup of the original File name with the Custom Text BEFORE

2) Backup of the original File name with the Custom Text AFTER

3) Optimized file gets outputted with Original File Name

nxpowerlite-11

 

Back in the NXPowerLite dialogue, confirm the presentation is selected and click OPTIMIZE.

NXPowerLite PowerPoint Add-in-7

When NXPowerlite is finished, it displays the original and the optimized file size. In your project folder will be both the original (name now appended) and the new optimized version.

NXPowerLite PowerPoint Add-in-8

Looking at the new optimized file, all of the images have been adjusted to HD (1920×1080 display resolution) and are approximately 6 MB (with no visible quality loss for the slide show)!

NXPowerLite PowerPoint Add-in-9

From the entire TLC team, thank you to the NXPowerLite PowerPoint add-in for making our jobs a bit easier and quicker!

 

– Troy @ TLC

 

By |2016-08-10T08:00:49-07:00June 29th, 2016|PowerPoint, Resource/Misc, Software/Add-Ins|

NXPowerLite – version 3.5 now available!

I have been a long time user of NXPowerlite, a great presentation optimization application. Just recieved notice that they have released version 3.5!

What is great about this version is that it is compatible with Microsofts new Open XML formats (ie. Office 2007’s .pptx, .docx, etc.). It has better Outlook integration, is a free upgrade for v3 users and is even available in Chinese! Read about all the features and download a full function trial from their website here.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-11-17T13:39:32-07:00January 21st, 2008|Software/Add-Ins|

NXPowerlite Soon for Office 2007

Over the past few days I have been testing a beta version of the next NXPowerlite. Tommy over at Neuxpower Solutions contacted me at a perfect time, as I have been working exclusively in PPT 2007 for two large projects and have plenty of test subjects.

NXPowerlite is compression software for PowerPoint, Word and Excel files. I have been using this software for at least 3 years, so it has a proven track record with me. Version 3.5.1(beta) works with the new .xml format of Office 2007 files (ie. pptx, docx, etc.). The results have been great. One file produced an error, but they are still working out the kinks of embedded objects. The rest of my files did as promised – they got small, without visible quality loss. As example:

File 1: lots of large images and several charts created within Powerpoint. Original 20.8MB, after compression (at the ‘excellent’ level) 12MB.

File 2: LOTS of large images. Original 146MB, after compression 44MB!

When I hear the new product is available I will let you know. In the mean time, you can get the details about NXPowerlite here.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-11-17T16:25:39-07:00September 12th, 2007|Software/Add-Ins|

NXPowerlite 2.3 Released


The NXPowerLite guys over in the UK have been hard at work. There is a new update this excellent (and recommended) PowerPoint compression application. For me the install went smooth and in expirimenting with the new features I am even more impressed.
– Batch processing is great. Select 2,3,50 presentations and it will optimize them all in one step!
– The explanation for .jpg compression has been improved and it should eliminate a lot of questions.
– But the feature I like most is that you can keep the original file date/time.

Download the latest from the NXPowerlite website here (a full function trial is offered as well).

-Troy @ TLC

By |2016-11-17T14:06:18-07:00July 16th, 2006|Software/Add-Ins|

NXPowerlite 2.2 Released

Today, NXPowerlite has released version 2.2 of their excellent PowerPoint presentation compression software. Some of the new offerings include:
– Speed and interface enhancements
– If attaching a presentation to an email message with Outlook it can be compressed without opening anything additional
– Now supported in 6 languages (Spanish and Japanese added)

Read all the info here.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T11:32:57-07:00March 20th, 2006|Software/Add-Ins|

NXPowerlite 2.1

NXPowerLite has released version 2.1 of their PowerPoint optimizing program. I have spoken with the guys at NXPowerLite for the past few years and earlier this year I tested version 2.0. On that version I noted that almost my entire wishlist had been incorporated! Most notable is support for .png with transparency images. Now v2.1 overcomes CMYK problems and a few other fixes.

I highly recomend it as a solution for oversized presentation files. Get it here.

Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T11:15:18-07:00January 8th, 2006|Software/Add-Ins|
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