Make sure that your photograph directly relates to the material on that particular slide. Pitches that are filled with bells and whistles but little relevant content won't score big points. Use photographs sparingly for maximum impact.

Never use a poor quality or damaged photo in your presentation. Even the best retouching software can't make up for a bad photograph. Hire a professional photographer to take product shots against a neutral or dark background. The same goes for outdoor or location shots. And never try to reproduce a photograph from a magazine or a book. A great photo is worth the expense. Remember, you're trying to make a great impression!

Once you have a great photograph it's time to make a great scan. Hewlett-Packard, UMAX, Epson, and Microtek, among others, make reliable desktop scanners that are suitable for presentation work. Most of these manufacturers include scanning software, but you can also use image editing programs like Adobe PhotoShop, Corel PhotoPaint, or Inset Systems Hijaak to scan your images. Scanning directly into an image editing program allows you to add effects or retouch your images directly. With included scanning software, you'll have to scan the image and save it before porting it to your image editing software.

Regardless of which approach you choose, adjust the brightness and contrast, saturation, and resolution before you scan. Experiment with your scans to produce the best combination of resolution and contrast. Consider whether you'll have the lights on or off during your presentation, how much disk space your presentation requires, or even the capabilities of your projection device.

You can also use your scanning software to crop, rotate, or add effects to your photo. Pre-cropping the photo by scanning a pre-defined area can save space on your hard drive and provide special emphasis to a particular area of your photo.

Once the image is reliably scanned, save it in an easily transportable file format such as .EPS, .PCX, or .TIF. These are the most common, but you might also consider .GIF, .JPG, or .BMP file formats.

If you need to retouch an image that was previously scanned, or a photo that needs minor corrections, use an image editing package to make your changes. You can also use these packages to add various effects, such as diffuse, blur, or sharpen.

Use this list as a quick reference for adding great photographs to your presentation:

• Always use a good photograph taken against a dark or neutral background.
• Always use the original photograph, not one reproduced from a magazine or a book.
• Never use a poor quality or damaged photograph.
• Always adjust the scan for your presentation.
• Use a scanning software package to "pre-crop" images.
• Add effects with image editing software.
• Make sure to use a good quality scanner from a reliable manufacturer.

Keep these tips in mind and you'll knock your audiences for a loop with crisp clear photographs that present you and your company in the best light!