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I'd like to know the correct word for converting PowerPoint presentation slides into a PowerPoint slideshow which consists of images of the original slides (so that the contents does not shift when presenting on a different computer). Please help me to find the word describing such a transformation.

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I'm afraid that naming things is off topic for this site. Please read the faq for more information. – Matt Эллен Oct 9 '12 at 12:40
@Matt: Thank you for the link. May I then edit the question so that it does not mention the program but just asks for the correct word? – utapyngo Oct 9 '12 at 12:50
Yes, if you reword your question to ask for a word for a process, rather than a name for a product, that would probably be acceptable. – Matt Эллен Oct 9 '12 at 12:54
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@utapyngo You can also try the User Experience SE. – Zairja Oct 9 '12 at 12:58
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I think that a word for converting a PP slideshow into a non-PP slideshow is OT/too localised to be of use to anybody else. – coleopterist Oct 9 '12 at 15:09
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closed as off topic by Matt Эллен, tchrist, coleopterist, Mr. Shiny and New 安宇, Daniel δ Oct 11 '12 at 13:17

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3 Answers

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In the context of your question about a process of converting a slide deck to images made of pixels and creating a new slide deck from the converted images, it is correct to say that you are rasterizing or ripping the deck.

Rasterize and rip both mean “convert line art to a rasterized (pixelized) image”. That is, the image is recreated using pixels to approximate the original line art. A rasterized image is suitable for sending to a display device (such as a printer or monitor) or saving in a raster-format file (such as TIFF, PNG, or JPEG).

Rasterize means “[take] an image described in a vector graphics format (shapes) and [convert] it into a raster image ([rows of] pixels or dots) for output on a video display or printer, or for storage in a bitmap file format”. (Wikipedia)

The verb rip is related to rasterize but less well known. It is mainly used in the art and publishing world when the line art is in PostScript format. Rip derives from an acronym, RIP, short for “Raster Image Processor”, meaning a special-purpose system used for printing PostScript: a RIP converts PostScript to a raster image. The verb rip originally meant “to process PostScript to a raster image using a RIP”, but has come to be used more loosely for rasterization of other line art formats.

Rasterize’s parent word, raster, from the Latin rastrum, “rake”, (OEtmD), was originally a German electronics term meaning a series of rows “raked” out by a cathode ray tube’s electron beam. It is related to rastrum, a five-pointed pen resembling a rake and used to draw musical staff lines.

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From a technical perspective, this is incorrect and would lead to more confusion, resulting in the same explanation given in the original question. – horatio Oct 9 '12 at 21:04
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@horatio As someone who does graphic design professionally I stand by my answer and respectfully ask you to support your comment with references. – MετάEd Oct 10 '12 at 0:44
Thanks. Would not "rasterize" mean that the result is a raster file such as TIFF, PNG, or JPEG? Because the result is still a presentation in PPT/PPS format. I also thought that rip was used for sounds only. – utapyngo Oct 10 '12 at 4:00
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I've been a graphic designer for more than 20 years. As you well know, a PPT file is only a PPT file on the disk, and is rasterized the moment it is rendered to the screen. The term is far too generic and frankly, unresponsive to the question as asked. Anyone who knows what rasterizing means will have to ask what the desired result is, and the OP is left to explain all over again. – horatio Oct 10 '12 at 14:13
@utapyngo I have added more information about the words. Hope this is helpful. – MετάEd Oct 10 '12 at 16:32
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I would just say "converting the slides to images*. I don't think there's anything more specific to the process than "converting".

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Converting to images is only the first stage of the process. The result of it is a set of images, not a single presentation or slidshow file. – utapyngo Oct 10 '12 at 3:54
I would probably say "convert into a series of still images" or "export to image files" or something. It's not elegant, but I don't think there's one specific word. – Gulliver Oct 10 '12 at 8:09
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Without the desired end result you cannot get a good answer.

A software package is implicit in "slide show" (and so is "I don't do PDF because I lose the transitions"). As it stands, export to X or convert to X are your best options, but you will need to decide on what X is.

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