Extract and reuse icons and illustrations from image-based slides
A few icons or one illustration from an image-based slide may be useful in your next presentation. Once you have a Full-element PPTX, you can copy those separate objects into another PowerPoint file and add new text. For this example, we copied three icons and a tablet illustration from a product delivery slide into a new two-slide presentation. The image above shows its first slide.
The selection screenshot shows the actual conversion of the AI-generated source artwork. We copied its pictures in PowerPoint, wrote new headings and captions, and set light and dark backgrounds for the new slides. Download the two finished slides at the end to try moving the pictures yourself. The examples use Chinese text.
Separate your slide image into reusable PPT objects
Choose the objects you need from the original slide
The product delivery slide has five stages, with target, bar, and circular-arrow icons along the bottom. Our new project kickoff slide puts the three icons on the right and the tablet illustration on the left. We left the original stage numbers, card backgrounds, and paragraphs in the source file.
Use PowerPoint's Selection Pane to select a target object, move it slightly, and undo the move. Check what belongs to the selection. In this result, each small icon is a separate object. The tablet, pen, and white stand belong to one picture, so selecting that object copies the whole illustration.
If you still have a PNG/JPG or a single full-slide picture, convert it with Full-element mode first. The image-to-PPT element separation guide covers uploading and conversion. This article starts with the downloaded PPTX and focuses on copying its objects into another presentation.
Copy the three icons into another PowerPoint file
Open the destination presentation and prepare a slide with a blank layout. Then return to the converted file. These steps use PowerPoint for Windows.
- Select the target icon and press Ctrl+C. Switch to the destination file, click an empty area of the slide, and press Ctrl+V. Make sure you are working on the slide rather than typing inside a text box.
- Repeat for the bar and circular-arrow icons. You can hold Ctrl to select several objects, keeping the white cards behind them out of the selection.
- Keep the aspect ratio while resizing each icon, then place it above its heading. Our new slide uses headings meaning "Confirm goals," "Set milestones," and "Collect feedback." We added these as new text boxes in the destination file.
- Position one icon first, then match the others by visible size and spacing. Transparent margins can differ, so compare the artwork itself as well as its selection box.
The pale blue-gray slide at the top of this article is the saved and reopened result. Its three icons and their captions remain separate objects. You can change a heading or move one icon. To move an icon together with its caption, select both objects and group them.
Copy objects from the slide canvas. Copying from the thumbnail list brings over the entire slide. Pasting several objects as a single picture also combines the icons and text. If the selection covers more than you intended, undo the paste and select the required objects again.
Use the illustration on a different background
We also used the tablet on the second slide, titled "Design review." New text sits on the left, the tablet sits on the right, and the page has a dark blue background. The transparent area around the illustration reveals the new background. The original cards, arrows, and page background stayed in the source file.
The tablet's white stand came with it. The stand is part of the picture and moves with the tablet. If your new design needs the tablet alone, edit that picture separately or choose another asset.
After changing the background, zoom in on the pen tip, tablet outline, and stand. Look for pale fringes or unwanted shadows. A dark background can make them easier to see. Judge their appearance at presentation size before changing the background, reducing the picture's size, or cleaning up its edges.
Keep small icons close to their original display size where possible. Copying preserves the existing picture content, while the source resolution still limits how far you can enlarge it. If your template needs icons in another color, replace the pictures. Set caption colors directly in their text boxes.
Decide whether labels should travel with the picture
An illustration may have separate numbers, arrows, or explanatory text around it. Select those objects together when you want the whole explanation. To reuse only the artwork, leave the old labels behind. In our example, we copied the tablet picture and three icons, then wrote all the new headings in the destination file.
Grouping keeps an icon and its caption together while you position them. If a caption wraps differently or uses an unsuitable font after copying, select its text box within the group or ungroup it to make changes. Keeping text boxes separate from the image makes later wording changes easier.
For a new logo or product photo on the original slide, follow the picture replacement guide. For changes to the whole page, see the slide layout guide.
Download the two slides and keep editing
The example contains a pale project kickoff slide and a dark design review slide, with Chinese text. We saved the PPTX, closed it, reopened it, and exported the images shown here. The three icons, tablet illustration, and new text remain separately selectable.
Download the two-slide reuse example (PPTX)
For your own presentation, copy one icon into the destination template first. Check it against the new background and at its intended size, then bring over the other objects. Before sharing, save and reopen the file to review text, fonts, and positions. The PowerPoint editability checklist covers the broader checks.