Getting Powerpoint Figures into EPS for Latex
This is a somewhat clumsy but effective process for getting figures
drawn in powerpoint into Latex. It has the desirable feature that
it maintains vector graphics (a drawing) as vector graphics, rather
than converting them to an image (bitmap). This makes the file
smaller and makes the figure look better. Another good option is
to copy and paste the figure from powerpoint into a better vector
graphics program such as Adobe Illustrator that can output .eps
files. Mayura Draw is another option. But those sometimes
result in some changes to the style of some objects or text, whereas
the method below doesn't require expensive software, and it's a little
better at preserving the look and style of everything.
0) Create a one-page .ppt file with your figure on that page.
1) Not necessary but probably a good idea: Make your figure fill
the page in ppt.
2) Print to file, with a postscript printer selected.
3) Edit the .prn file in a text editor:
a) Strip the garbage at the beginning so it starts with
%!PS
b) There is a line near the beginning that says
%Pages (At End)
4) Open the edited .prn file in GSview. Use the PS to EPS
function (file menu?) to create an eps file, with an automatically
created bounding box. Be sure to include .eps in the file name
you save it to.
5) Optional: open the .eps file in GSview to be sure it looks OK and
has the bounding box in the right place.
6) Add it to your latex document with something like
\includegraphics[width=3in,keepaspectratio,clip]{filename.eps}
Height is calculated automatically if you specify width and
keepaspectratio. Clip will make sure nothing outside the bounding
box collides with anything else on your page. If the figure comes
out rotated 90 degrees, use this:
\includegraphics[angle=270,width=3in,keepaspectratio,clip]{figures/powersupplyplot.eps}
The order of the arguments matters, since the operations are done in
the order listed.