Resizing, Exporting, and Uploading PDFs and Photos Workshop

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PDFs

Purpose of PDFs

PDF is an abbreviation that stands for Portable Document Format. It's a versatile file format created by Adobe that gives people an easy, reliable way to present and exchange documents - regardless of the software, hardware, or operating systems being used by anyone who views the document. PDFs are suitable for sharing content like newsletters, presentations, forms, or spreadsheets. 

Get Acrobat Pro

We recommended that you use Acrobat Pro for working with PDFs because the software provides more editing and compression capabilities that the free version doesn’t offer.
Please visit UMSL's Information Technology Services for help installing Acrobat Pro on your computer.

 

Step-by-Step: Exporting PDFs from Word, Powerpoint, Excel, and Google Docs

 

  1. Word
    1. Click the File tab.
    2. Select Save As.
    3. Choose the location where you want to save your PDF.
    4. In the Save as type drop-down menu, select PDF (*.pdf).
    5. Click Save.

  2. PowerPoint
    1. Click the File tab.
    2. Select Export.
    3. Choose the location where you want to save your PDF.
    4. In the File Format drop-down menu, select PDF (*.pdf).
    5. Click Export.

  3. Excel
    1. Open the spreadsheet you want to export.
    2. Click on the "File" menu.
    3. Select "Download as" and then choose "PDF document (.pdf).
    4. Choose a location to save the PDF file.
    5. Click on the "Save" button.

 

  1. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
    1. Open the file you want to export.
    2. Click on the "File" menu.
    3. Select "Print."
    4. In the "Print" dialog box, click on the "Destination" drop-down menu.
    5. Select "Save as PDF."
    6. Choose a location to save the PDF file.
    7. Click on the "Save" button.

 

Preparing PDFs

 

File Size

When uploading a PDF to cascade, it’s important to reduce the file size to under 1mb for a couple of reasons:

 

Database Storage: UMLS’s Cascade account has a limited database storage space. If all of the UMSL staff that use Cascade (over 250 users) have access to unlimited file size upload, we may run out of storage space.

Upload/Download Speed: Smaller size will decrease the time needed for both uploading and downloading. Also users visiting your site might appreciate not having to download a huge PDF.

 

Optimize PDF

Choose the right compression level. The higher the compression level, the smaller the file size, but the image quality may suffer. (available is Acrobat Pro).

 

Remove unnecessary elements:

If your PDF contains large images, you can reduce their size or remove them altogether. You can also remove any unnecessary text, forms, or annotations.

More info on compressing a PDFs.

 

File Size Still Too Large? Contact Web Team:

If you still can't compress your PDF to under 1 mb, contact Jeff or a web team member.

 

PDF Accessibility

About

People with disabilities can have visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive impairments. Each type of impairment requires different adaptations to web content, including linked documents. A document is accessible when it meets technical criteria and can be used by people with disabilities.

Sign up for our Accessibility workshop in December 2024 to learn more.

When To Use PDFs

Whenever possible, present your information on webpages instead of in PDFs or other file types. Webpages are more accessible for people who use assistive technology and are easier to view on different devices. PDFs and other file types can make it harder for visitors to access your content.

Do Not Scan Documents for PDFs

Screen readers cannot read scanned documents.

 

 

 (Upload to Cascade Demonstration)

 

Photos


File Size

Photos should be under 250kb in file size, this will reduce database storage, upload and download times for fast page loading times.

 

Dimensions

Photos are either static or responsive and we use a combination of both.

Static photos

Have a fixed pixel size and they maintain their original dimensions regardless of the screen size or device they're displayed on.

Responsive photos

Have dynamic sizing, they automatically adjust their size and aspect ratio to fit the available space on any device or screen. We’ll use pixels to set the image size in the photo editing software, but we’ll use a percentage (1 - 100%) in Cascade to set the dynamic size.

Banners Images

1250 W x 375 H

Profile Image

400 W x 500 H

Slide Show Images

800 W x 450 H

All Other Photos

1 - 100% or use img-responsive class in styles

 

 Screen shot of img-responsive

File Formats

JPG

Used for photos with no transparency

PNG

Used for photos with transparency

 

Step-By-Step: How to change image size, file size, and export in Windows

 

Windows


1. Open Paint program and start a new file.

2. Add two new blank layers.
3. Change Canvas size as needed. File > Image Size and type new Width and Height in pixels. (Banners: 1250 W x 375 H, Profile: 400 W x 500 H, Slide Show: 800 W x 450 H).

4.. Click the File and Import to Canvas > From File and select image from your hard drive.
5. Click and drag corner anchor points to adjust size until visually correct.

5. Click Save As and choose .JPG or .PNG

6. Check the size of the export: If image is bigger than 200kb, do the following steps:
Open the image in the Photos app.

Click the three dots in the top right corner, and then select "Resize".

Move the size slider to the left to decrease size.

Click "Save resized copy" to save the resized image


 

Final Steps

(Upload Photo Process Demonstration)

Make Images Accessible

Alt text is required for all images

Keep it brief and descriptive

Provide a clear alternative to the image content. This is essential for users relying on screen readers or experiencing image loading issues. Avoid redundant phrases like "Image of..." or similar unnecessary wording.

Use meaningful file names for your images.

This provides more context for users and improves search engine optimization. It also helps you stay organized.

 

Misc. Photo Requirements

Color Contrasts

particularly when using a banner image with a caption. If the lower-left quadrant of the image is white, the caption will not be legible for all.

No Watermarks on Stock Images

Photo Release Rights

If you're adding your own photos of yourself, students and staff, please make sure everyone has signed the photo release form.

No Photos of Students Wearing Other College Logos

 

PRACTICE
Download Powerpoint file, export and compress pDF

Presentation Slide Powerpoint

Adobe Compressor Site

 
Compress and RESIZING A Photo

 

Turn the image below into a banner image...

Download the image by clicking and dragging it to your desktop or right click on image and "Save As".

practice image