Images disappear leaving icon of 3 squares and dots

[raypaden]

I just did a Google search "Images missing in Impress presentation" and came to an older discussion that is NOT at all helpful. It says the problem was fixed in AOO 4.1.1. Well it wasn't. And I am now using AOO 4.1.5.

This problem is getting impossible and I need a fix for it. Let me describe it as best as I can.

I am building slide set including images that I copy and paste to a slide. They are NOT links!!! They are generally JPEGs.
Then for some strange reason, the slides in the preview pane (I am not sure what it's called... its on the left) in Normal mode or Notes mode becomes blurry or is completely gone in the preview pane.
If I delete the image and do undo (alt e u) then it appears normal. I have to do this every couple minutes on several slides in my deck.
Sometimes, when I go to the slide in Normal view, there will be an icon with 3 squares and 3 dots and when I click on it nothing happens. The image is gone?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!

I have several slides sets that I have maintained for several years and some perfect image I found several years ago mysteriously disappears!?!?!?!
Finding a replacement is sometimes difficult and always time consuming.

I have recently begun saving my slide sets in ppt format and working with them in ppt to avoid this problem. I HATE PPT!!!! But it does not delete these images.

This problem isn't new.
When I do Google searches for this problem, I find lots of complaints about it but I have not yet found a solution.
And if someone tells me its a stale link in my presentation I will scream
It is an image that has been copied and pasted. Its there and then suddenly without warning it goes away leaving this icon with 3 squares and 3 dots in the upper LH corner of the slide.

Is there a solution to this, or is just Impress simply fubar'd?
This is almost a show stopper. I have been putting up with this for several years now.
Can somebody please give me a fool proof, simply method for resolving this problem.

Please pardon me if I sound impatient, but I update AOO constantly and the problem persists. Yes, my patience is wearing thin.

[Zizi64]

I am building slide set including images that I copy and paste to a slide. They are NOT links!!! They are generally JPEGs.
Then for some strange reason, the slides in the preview pane (I am not sure what it's called... its on the left) in Normal mode or Notes mode becomes blurry or is completely gone in the preview pane.
If I delete the image and do undo (alt e u) then it appears normal. I have to do this every couple minutes on several slides in my deck.
Sometimes, when I go to the slide in Normal view, there will be an icon with 3 squares and 3 dots and when I click on it nothing happens. The image is gone?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!

- Which file type are you using for the Impress file?
- Which file type images are you using?
- Have you embedded or linked the images into the document?
- Have you optimized the pictures before you use them in an Impress file?

- Can you upload an ODF type sample Impress document with small sized pictures (because the file size limit is 128 KiB). Or do you can share the problematic file on a free file sharing service?

[John_Ha]

See [Tutorial] Some useful hints on using images for a discussion on how best to handle images in Writer. It applies to Impress too although it appears that Impress saves a pasted JPG as a JPG and not as a PNG.

Pasting 1.6 MB JPG files into Impress works fine for me suggesting a problem with your installation. Try resetting the profile.

See [Tutorial] Differences between Writer and MS Word files for why you should always work in and save [Writer] files as .odt. It applies to Impress too.

Are you working with a ppt file which was created with MS Word? Do a test by going File > New > Presentation ..., and inserting images. Does it now work OK? If so, it is because the ppt file is corrupted.

You could try to resurrect the ppt file by creating a new, empty presentation and Insert > File ... Now bring in the ppt file and save it as a .odp. Does that fix it?

Without seeing a file which exhibits the problem everything is guesswork.

[raypaden]

Here are answers to a few questions...

- Which file type are you using for the Impress file?
*.odp
- Which file type images are you using?
* I do copy-n-paste from various places
- Have you embedded or linked the images into the document?
* No
- Have you optimized the pictures before you use them in an Impress file?
* No
All I do is copy and paste, then and crop or adjust images as needed

Regarding the updload, I do not seem to have the problem with small images.

I did read through the tutorial where it says never do a copy-n-paste. Hmmm... that is news to me. So I just took several of my post problematic images in the slide set I am currently working on, saved them as a picture (click on the image, select save as picture where they are saved as png) then copied them back to relevant slide via Insert -> Picture -> From File

Let me see what happens.

Many, many thanks,
Ray

[RoryOF]

I don't know if this will help you or not (and I acknowledge John_Ha's expertise in this area, as he has investigated it thoroughly): when I need to insert images in an OO document, be it a Writer or an Impress document, in /Tools /Options /Load-Save : General I turn off "Always create backup copy" and Save Autorecovery information" as my experience was that these (probably the Autorecovery setting) were causing the problem.

Because I have disabled these features when using pictures, I make regular backups (timed/dated) and save my data as my work proceeds. I also try not to have long editing sessions, restarting OO every 30 minutes or so when using images.

[Zizi64]

- Which file type images are you using?
* I do copy-n-paste from various places

- Have you optimized the pictures before you use them in an Impress file?
* No

It is not a right answer. Always optimize the pictures, before you link it or embed it into a document. And use the regular way (the menu item) to insert it from a file: Insert - ... Picture...

[Zizi64]

- Have you embedded or linked the images into the document?
* No

You MUST choose one of the two existing options: Embedding OR Linking. There is not other ways.

[raypaden]

Sorry, I misunderstood your question (-1 on my quiz )
They are embedded.

[raypaden]

I already have "Always create backup copy" disabled.
I just disabled "Save AutoRecovery information every"

Do these settings just apply to a specific document, or do they apply to every document.

Note that I Impress for engineering diagrams all the time (its far superior to PPT) and I never have this problem with diagrams. I only have the problem when I embed images.

Incidentally, after saving selected images as picture and re-embedding them does not stop the problem of images in the preview pane to the left from being blurry or blank. But they have not disappeared... yet.

Many, many thanks!

[Zizi64]

Incidentally, after saving selected images as picture and re-embedding them does not stop the problem of images in the preview pane to the left from being blurry or blank. But they have not disappeared... yet.

Please upload/share a problematic sample .odp file with some embedded pictures. (Note: the file size limit for attachments is 128 KiB in this forum. Share the larger files on a free file sharing service, like the google drive.)

[John_Ha]

I already have "Always create backup copy" disabled.
I just disabled "Save AutoRecovery information every"

Do these settings just apply to a specific document, or do they apply to every document.

To every document you then open.

[raypaden]

Hmmm, there is a note at the end of the last post that says...
- Remember: Always save your Writer files as .odt files.
I assume you mean .odp since I am using Impress.

[robleyd]

Always save your Writer files as .odt, Calc files as .ods, Impress files as .odp. Or more generally, use the Open Document Format type appropriate to the Apache OpenOffice application you are using.

[John_Ha]

Hmmm, there is a note at the end of the last post that says...
- Remember: Always save your Writer files as .odt files.
I assume you mean .odp since I am using Impress.

It's my footer.

See [Tutorial] Differences between Writer and MS Word files for why you should always work in and save Writer files as .odt.

[minx]

Suddenly while working on the LibreOffice Draw, the embedded images were replaced with a outline and 3 dots.

I am on windows 10

[raypaden]

I still have the problem. I used to just copy-n-paste into the presentation and somebody recommended saving the image and then use Insert -> Picture -> From File. That seemed to decrease the problem, but recently I installed a security patch that fubar'd my system and I had to have it re-imaged with the latest version of windoze (my IT dept will not support Linux on our laptops :-< ) and the problem has gotten worse.

I absolutely do not like PPT, but I have started saving my presentations in PPT format as a backup (it does not have this problem) so that I can quickly restore the images that get clobbered with this problem.

[RoryOF]

The latest LibreOffice is claimed to have completely revised the internal handling of images, in an attempt to cure this problem. I still use OpenOffice and find that unchecking /Tools/Options/OpenOffice/ Load-Save/General : "Always create backup copy" and "Save Autorecovery information every..." greatly reduces the risk of such image loss. However, it is now the User's responsibility to make frequent (and differently named - timed/dated?) backup copies.

[John_Ha]

There is a known problem in AOO (and previously LO) where images get lost. LO has recently improved its image handling routines so try LO 6.1 or later.

See a fuller discussion at 150 slides with photos--possible?

I used to just copy-n-paste into the presentation ...

See [Tutorial] Some useful hints on using images for a discussion on how best to handle images and why you should not paste photos into AOO or LO.

Showing that a problem has been solved helps others searching so, if your problem is now solved, please view your first post in this thread and click the Edit button (top right in the post) and add [Solved] in front of the subject.

[raypaden]

Sorry, it was never completely resolved. It had gotten better for awhile by inserting them as a picture, but after re-imaging my laptop and installing latest AOO (i.e., 4.1.6) and Windoze 10 release, it has gotten worse.

The problem is not solved.

[Zizi64]

It had gotten better for awhile by inserting them as a picture, but after re-imaging my laptop and installing latest AOO (i.e., 4.1.6) and Windoze 10 release, it has gotten worse.

I can guess only the most possible reason: the pictures was Linked but not Embedded in your files.

Use embedded pictures with a well optimized images and by the usage the menu item:
AOO 4.1.5: Insert - Picture - From file (uncheck the "Link" option on the dialog box).
LO 6.1.5: Insert - Image (uncheck the "Link" option on the dialog box).

[John_Ha]

The problem is not solved.

Read my post immediately above yours and the thread to which it points.