Easy DIY Silhouette on PowerPoint- for Mother’s Day

Are you looking for a Quick and Easy Mother’s Day gift idea in addition to the personalized mothers day gifts and everything else you’ve already got sorted for Sunday? How about a silhouette WITHOUT the projector? I wish that I would have figured this one out years ago! Using the projector is very time-consuming, but not if you do it like this. This is a very simple tutorial on making silhouettes on Microsoft PowerPoint. I am so excited to share this tutorial with you. After this tutorial, I hope you will find using powerpoint fun! Just follow these simple steps. I did try to include as much detail as possible, but once you make your first one, you will see how easy and quick this is.

1. Take the picture.

I used an iPad to take student pictures. First, I took pictures inside, but it created a shadow effects in the background. This picture was taken outside against a contrasting background. If the background blends in to the students hair, skin or clothes, you will have trouble removing the background correctly. It will take part of the child’s blended parts away.

2. Upload the pictures to your computer.

Connect your device to to the computer or upload them via Dropbox.

3. Drag the child’s photo into a PowerPoint document.

I used the horizontal orientation so that I can add two students on one page.

4. Remove the background.

Click on the picture to select it. Click on the FORMAT PICTURE tab. Then, click on the REMOVE BACKGROUND icon. That will automatically convert the background to purple and put a box around the child. Make sure to drag the box to make it bigger or smaller, if you notice that any parts are missing. Things to look for are the shape of the nose, mouth, eye lashes and forehead because these are the parts that might blend in to the background. If nothing is missing, click outside the photo so that the background is removed.

This is what the photo looks like as soon as you click out of the photo. The background is totally removed!

5. Convert the photo into a black image.

To convert the color photo into a silhouette, you need to right-click on the photo to select it. This is the pop-up box that you will see. Click on the FORMAT PICTURE option.

You will get this pop-up box. You simply move the BRIGHTNESS slider all the way to the left. This will make your image BLACK!

6. Crop your silhouette or leave it as is.

If you prefer a close-up of the head, crop your picture. Do this by going back to the FORMAT PICTURE tab and select the CROP option. Then, just drag the corners to select the part of the photo that you want.

7. Resize your photo.

I added a clear 5 by 7 rectangle shape behind the photo. This is very helpful when resizing the silhouette and for cutting the picture out for a 5 by 7 frame.

8. You’re done!

Do the same for another photo on the same page. You see the 5 by 7 inch frame around each photo? This makes it much easier to cut.

This might seem like a long process, but it’s not. I just gave you the little details to make it easier for those who might be new to PowerPoint. It’s so simple. You can take all the pictures at school and take them home to finish them on the computer. You can print on card stock for durability, but it is not necessary if you plan to put them in cheap picture frames.

Pin it for later!

Enjoy!

Comments

  1. Wow!!!!! Thank you so so so much Lidia. You are such a blessing!! I cannot wait to try this!