Blackboard - File Too Large to Upload

**If you have reached this page, it means you have tried to upload a file (usually a video) that is too large for Blackboard. Please continue on in this article for next steps.**

Overview

Blackboard has a file upload limit of 100 megabytes (MB's). Files larger than this limit cannot be uploaded directly into the system.

Commonly asked questions are:

• My PowerPoint file size is too large. 
• My video file size is too large/How do I submit a video for an assignment?

PowerPoint files can be compressed, or converted into videos. Videos should be uploaded to Kaltura prior to assignment submission, then the Kaltura video can be added to an assignment or discussion submission. 

My PowerPoint File is too large

If you're PowerPoint is larger then 100 MB's, there are a few steps to try.

Compress pictures in your presentation

The following steps are taken from Microsoft's article here.

1. Select a picture in your document. The Picture Format tab appears.
2. On the Picture Format tab, in the Adjust group, select Compress Pictures.
3. Under Compression options, do any of the following:
   1. Make sure that Apply only to this picture is not selected so that the changes you make here will apply to all pictures in the document.
   2. Select Delete cropped areas of pictures. This option removes the cropped picture data but note that if you delete the cropped picture data, you won't be able to restore it.
   3. Under Resolution, select Use default resolution.

Turn your Presentation into a video and Upload to Kaltura

The following steps are taken from Microsoft's article here.

1. On the File menu, select Save to ensure all your recent work has been saved in PowerPoint presentation format (.pptx).
2. Select File > Export > Create a Video. (Or, on the Recording tab of the ribbon, select Export to Video.)
3. In the first drop-down box under the Create a Video heading, select the video quality you want, which pertains to the resolution of the finished video. 
4. The second drop-down box under the Create a Video heading tells whether your presentation includes narration and timings. (You may switch this setting if you like.)
   1. If you haven't recorded timed narration, by default the value is Don't Use Recorded Timings and Narrations.
   2. The default time spent on each slide is 5 seconds. You can change that timing in the Seconds to spend on each slide box. To the right of the box, select the up arrow to increase the duration, or select the down arrow to decrease the duration.
   3. If you have recorded a timed narration, by default the value is Use Recorded Timings and Narrations.
5. Select Create Video.
6. In the File name box, enter a file name for the video, browse for the folder that will contain this file, and then select Save.
7. In the Save as type box, choose MPEG-4 Video.
8. Click Export.
9. Move onto the steps below for uploading to Kaltura.

How do I submit a video for an assignment?

Video submissions must be uploaded into Blackboard using Kaltura, the university's video platform. Please click this link for step-by-step instructions: How to Submit a Video For An Assignment or Discussion Board (Kaltura)