why the powerpoint is used for a presentation

Why PowerPoint Is Important? (The Benefits Explained)

Presentations can be a great way to share ideas and information, but they can also be overwhelming and dull if not done correctly.

Fortunately, PowerPoint offers a number of features to help you create compelling presentations that can engage your audience and effectively deliver even the most complex concepts.

In this article, we will explore the basics of PowerPoint and why it is important, as well as the many benefits it can offer.

By the end of this article, you will be well-equipped to create and deliver powerful and engaging presentations with PowerPoint.

Table of Contents

Short Answer

Powerpoint is an important tool for presenting information in a visual and organized manner.

It allows people to present complex information in an easy to understand and engaging way.

Powerpoint is an invaluable tool for anyone looking to present their ideas effectively.

The Basics of PowerPoint

PowerPoint is an important tool for businesses, as it can help to create professional-looking presentations.

It also has features such as the ability to embed audio and video, as well as the ability to animate objects.

PowerPoint also has a number of features that make it easier to organize and deliver complex concepts in an understandable manner.

For instance, it offers a variety of slide layouts to help users structure their presentations in an organized way.

In addition, PowerPoint supports the use of templates and themes, which can help to give presentations a more professional look.

This makes it easier for businesses to collaborate on projects and ensure that all stakeholders have access to the same information.

Finally, PowerPoint offers a number of features that can help to improve presentations, such as the ability to add notes and comments, as well as the ability to insert charts and graphs.

The Benefits of Using PowerPoint

PowerPoint is an incredibly useful tool for businesses, as it provides a range of benefits when it comes to creating presentations.

This makes it easier to create a visually appealing presentation, which can help to engage audiences and make it easier to retain information.

This means that it is easy to break down complex topics into more manageable chunks, making it easier for audiences to understand the concepts being presented.

Additionally, PowerPoint’s features make it easier to create compelling visuals that can help to keep viewers engaged.

Presenters can easily create presentations with PowerPoint’s templates and features, allowing them to quickly and efficiently create presentations that are both informative and visually appealing.

This saves businesses time and money, as they dont have to spend time and resources on creating presentations from scratch.

This makes it a great tool for businesses that need to create presentations for different types of events.

With its easy-to-use features, businesses can quickly and easily create visually appealing presentations that are both informative and visually appealing, helping to engage audiences and make it easier to retain information.

How PowerPoint Helps Improve Presentations

PowerPoint is an essential tool for businesses, as it helps to make presentations more effective and engaging.

It makes it easy to create professional-looking slides with text, graphics, animations, and other visuals.

PowerPoint also helps to organize complex concepts and deliver them in an understandable manner.

Moreover, the wide range of features that PowerPoint offers makes it easier to create presentations that are both visually appealing and easy to understand.

This is especially useful for businesses that need to make changes to their presentations on a regular basis.

With its easy-to-use sharing options, businesses can easily share their presentations with other people, whether they are in the same office or halfway across the globe.

This helps to ensure that everyone involved in the presentation is able to access it and understand it.

Its features make it easy to create professional-looking slides, organize complex concepts, and quickly and easily update presentations.

PowerPoint is an incredibly powerful visual tool that can help businesses craft compelling presentations.

This not only helps to engage the audience, but also helps viewers to better understand and retain the information.

Furthermore, users have the ability to add animation and transitions to their visuals, making them more dynamic and engaging.

Organizing and Delivering Complex Concepts

Its powerful features make it easy to create visually appealing slides with text, graphics, and animations.

This makes it easier for audiences to understand and retain information more effectively.

You can also use different colors and fonts to highlight important information or to draw attention to specific points.

Additionally, PowerPoint provides tools to help you keep your presentations organized, such as a built-in outline feature and the ability to add notes to slides.

This makes it easy for businesses to collaborate and share ideas with colleagues and clients.

Making the Most of PowerPoint’s Features

One of PowerPoint’s most useful features is its ability to create effective visuals that can engage audiences and help them to retain information better.

By using transitions, animations, and other effects, the presenter can create captivating visuals that will help to keep their audience engaged.

PowerPoint also offers a range of tools for organizing and formatting presentations.

Finally, PowerPoint also includes a range of tools for sharing and collaborating on presentations.

In short, PowerPoint is an incredibly powerful tool for creating engaging and informative presentations.

Creating Compelling Presentations with PowerPoint

PowerPoint is an incredibly powerful presentation tool that can help businesses create compelling presentations that engage their audiences and effectively communicate complex concepts.

By combining text, graphics, animations, and other visuals, PowerPoint enables users to easily create attractive presentations that are both informative and visually appealing.

The ability to add multiple slides and easily rearrange them allows users to structure their presentation in a logical order that is easy to follow.

This can include video clips, audio clips, images and other visuals.

By combining text, graphics, animations, and multimedia content, businesses can make use of its powerful features to create engaging presentations that are both informative and visually appealing.

Final Thoughts

By taking advantage of its many features, businesses can make use of PowerPoint to create compelling presentations that can help them to reach their goals.

Recent Posts

11 Advantages of Using Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

If you suddenly find yourself in a position where you have to present information to other people, you might wonder what software is the best to use to deliver a professional presentation. There are different options to choose from and you just don’t know what to use.

The biggest advantage of using PowerPoint is that PPT files are the most commonly used and widely accepted file formats. PowerPoint is easy to use, cost-effective and boasts a huge online community for support. You also get access to thousands of templates to make your presentation look good.

But, there are several other advantages of using Microsoft PowerPoint for your presentations too. In this article, I’ll some of the most effective benefits of using Microsoft PowerPoint for presentation design!

Note – If you are on the fence but interested in getting PowerPoint, check out this limited-time deal to get Office 365 1-year subscription for the lowest price on Amazon!

1.   Most Widely Accepted File Format

Microsoft PowerPoint is a widely accepted file format where slides are used to convey information. It is a standard component of the Microsoft Office Suite and is compatible with Google Slides, Keynote, and other open-source presentation software.

According to some research results regarding the popularity and use of presentation software, it is estimated that PowerPoint is currently installed on more than a billion computers worldwide ! It is believed that there might be about 30 million PowerPoint presentations created every day.

The advantage of using such a popular and widely used software program is that it is most probably a familiar program for the person you share a presentation with.

2.   Wide Variety of File Export Options

A great advantage offered by PowerPoint is that you can export the whole presentation, or parts of it, in a variety of formats. PowerPoint presentations can also be made available on many different devices, and you can always control what content you want to display.

As you don’t have to send a presentation necessarily in .ppt or .pptx format, the receiver doesn’t require PowerPoint or PowerPoint Viewer to open the presentation.

You can export in PDF format and your layout and design will not be altered. The presentation’s slides can also be saved and exported in .png or .jpg format.

If needed, a presentation can also be exported to a video and saved in Mp4 format. If gifs form part of your presentation, they can be saved and exported as Animated GIFs . 

You always have the print option to export your presentation or parts of the presentation to Word. When you’ve exported it to Word the content can be edited before printing it.

Whichever way of exporting you decide on, you can export the presentation either as a whole or only some of the slides.  And it can be sent as an attachment with an email or you can use the Cloud to facilitate the saving and exporting processes of the presentation.

3.   Provides huge Flexibility in Design & Creativity

PowerPoint provides huge flexibility in design and creativity. You can, for instance, use its visual hierarchy features when you create your slides. With this feature, you assure that the right elements and content catch the eye.

Other features include the merging of shapes, the creation of layers, and the creative use of color. You also get an eyedropper tool in PowerPoint that allows you to use any color from your screen in your presentation!

With the Design Ideas feature , you can create the content of a slide and PowerPoint will offer you a variety of design choices to make it better.

The design features PowerPoint offers can in many aspects be compared to advanced design software solutions like Adobe InDesign. You don’t need separate software to design your slides – PowerPoint provides you with built-in features.

4.   Allows you to Use Creative Templates

The designs of your presentations are what catch the eye and help you to convey your message to your audience. PowerPoint’s creative templates spare you the time of designing your own templates.

However, if you are a good designer yourself, PowerPoint allows you to create your own templates if you want to.

Note – Check out some of the most popular PowerPoint templates on the internet!

When using PowerPoint’s creative templates feature, it automatically generates design ideas to choose from. You get virtually unlimited options because this feature matches the content you are creating to professionally designed layouts in the background.

This template creation feature is a great advantage for users without any design background. It lets you design presentations that look professional even if you don’t have a design background.

5.   Functionality to Use Both Online and Offline

PowerPoint offers you the option to work either online or offline. When you’re using PowerPoint online you can create and share basic presentations directly in your browser. 

But it must be remembered that web-based PowerPoint doesn’t have all the features that you’ll have access to with desktop PowerPoint.  For “normal” presentations the online web version is good enough and you can present your slide show from anywhere where you have internet access.

To utilize all the features of PowerPoint you have to install the software on your desktop device.

PowerPoint offers you the freedom to work online or offline whichever mode suits you the best for a specific presentation. Many PowerPoint users work with both modes – depending on what they are creating and for what purpose.

6.   Allows easy Collaboration and Sharing with other Team Members

PowerPoint is an ideal tool to share and collaborate with team members when you are creating a presentation as a team. You have various options.

You can independently create a presentation and then send it to team members for comments or editing. Or you can work simultaneously on the same presentation with others via web-based PowerPoint or by saving your desktop-created presentation in the Cloud.

7.   Option to Add a vast Variety of Multimedia

PowerPoint provides you with tools to make any presentation more interesting by using multi-media. When using PowerPoint you can in the same presentation have

• text with the option to install additional fonts ,
• videos and video snippets,
• background music,
• a narrator’s voice explaining the visual material on the screen,
• graphics to illustrate tendencies,
• tables to compare information, and more.

And you don’t need separate tools to create interesting presentations – everything is built-in into PowerPoint. You can either just add the various types of files to the presentation or you can add the formats as such into the presentation.   

8.   Suitable for Beginners and Advanced Users alike

The versatility of PowerPoint ensures that on the one hand, presentation creators with advanced design skills are not disappointed with the design tools and possibilities offered by PowerPoint and on the other hand, beginners and people without any designing background can create professional-looking presentations.

 This is one of the most important advantages of PowerPoint – anyone can use it successfully.

9.   Cost is relatively Inexpensive

PowerPoint is normally part of the Microsoft Office package and is included in the Microsoft Office one-off price or subscription. But if you are not a Microsoft Office user, you can purchase PowerPoint from the Microsoft Store at a reasonable price of about $160.

Note – Check out this limited-time deal to get Office 365 1-year subscription for as little as about $60 on Amazon!

Once you’ve purchased PowerPoint you can use it without extra charges to create presentations and to present them for non-commercial purposes. However, there are licensing and relatively small annual fees involved if you use the PowerPoint presentations commercially. 

10. Suitable for Teaching

A PowerPoint presentation in the class is an effective way to reinforce content that has to be retained.

With features like the possibility to record your voice to accompany the PowerPoint slides, it is also easy to convert the presentations that have been used in the class into videos to post online. The students can then review the work done in the class at home.  T

his method works effectively for academic lessons and training sessions.

PowerPoint presentations online can also sometimes be the only way to teach and train students. During the Covid pandemic, for instance, classes are sometimes not possible and online sessions are the only way to keep on teaching.

A large percentage of these online sessions have started as PowerPoint presentations.  

11. Huge Online Community and Microsoft Support for Troubleshooting Issues

Microsoft offers 24/7 support for PowerPoint users and there are literally hundreds of articles online available on how to troubleshoot issues. The huge online community of PowerPoint users is also actively involved on websites like Quora to help fellow users to get solutions for their issues.

Credit to benzoix (on Freepik) for the featured image of this article (further edited)

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What is PowerPoint Presentation with Features & Examples?

PowerPoint is a presentation software developed by Microsoft, which allows users to create, edit, and deliver visually engaging slideshows, whether you're a student, professional, or simply curious, explore the power of Microsoft PowerPoint and learn how you can create impactful presentations effortlessly.

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According to Glassdoor , a PowerPoint designer's average salary in the UK is about £37,811 annually. Who knew there was big money in presentations alone? In this blog, you will learn What PowerPoint is, its key features, its benefits, and how to use it, as well as learn some tips for creating effective presentations. 

Table of contents      

1) What is PowerPoint?   

2) Understanding the PowerPoint interface   

3) Key features of PowerPoint  

4) How to use PowerPoint to create a presentation?  

5) Benefits of PowerPoint   

6) Tips for creating effective PowerPoint Presentations  

7) Alternatives to PowerPoint    

What is PowerPoint?  

PowerPoint is an essential multifunctional tool for making presentations which had been created by MS. As a part of the Microsoft Office Suite, it offers a toolbox to organise the presentation by using different tools and features to make it visually pleasant and attractive. MS PowerPoint gives the opportunity for the text, graphics, multimedia objects, and animation elements to be combined in one place to allow the users to present information in a more effective way.  

Evolution of PowerPoint  

In the course of time, PowerPoint has become a very functional tool to produce high-quality presentations Moreover, a secure system would be established to manage risks of data leakage or theft. First released in 1987 for Apple computers, it defies to the competition with its easy Graphical User Interface (GUIGUI)) and its large range of functions. With every new release, MS PowerPoint offered new functionality and boasted significant improvements, staying the wonder of the world of presentations.

Understanding the PowerPoint interface  

 The PowerPoint Program provides the presenter with an easy-to-use interface for designing and updating the presentation. It is important to master its main functions in order to conduct operations using this software with a level of proficiency.Here's a breakdown of the MS PowerPoint interface:   

1) Ribbon: The Ribbon is located at the top of the MS PowerPoint window and has several tabs which include Home, Insert, Design, Transitions, etc.

2) Slides pane: Slide pane which is positioned to the far left of the window, is the PowerPoint window. You will see there a collection of your slides examples (thumbnails) which enables you to adjust and customize them with greater ease. The floating pane of the editor lets you not only add, delete, duplicate, but also hide slides from there.

3)   Notes pane : The Notes pane is located below the Slides pane. It provides space for adding speaker notes or additional information related to each slide.    

4)  Slide area : The Slide area occupies the central part of the PowerPoint window. It displays the selected slide, where you can add and arrange content such as text, images, charts, and multimedia elements .    

5)  Task panes : Task panes are additional panels on the PowerPoint window's right side. They offer various functionalities such as formatting options, slide layouts, animations, etc. Task panes can be opened or closed based on your specific needs.   

Understanding the MS PowerPoint interface will help you navigate the software effectively and make the most of its features. Whether you are creating slides, adding content, or applying formatting, having a good grasp of the interface ensures a smooth and productive experience .  

Key Features of PowerPoint  

When it comes to creating captivating and professional presentations, MS PowerPoint stands out as versatile and feature-rich software. Its array of tools and functionalities enables users to bring their imagination and ideas to life. Moreover, it also helps engage their audience effectively .    

From slide templates to multimedia integration, there are various Features of PowerPoint ; let's discuss some of them below.

1) Slide Templates : PowerPoint provides a collection of pre-designed templates that make it easy to create visually appealing slides.   

2)  Slide Master : The Slide Master feature allows users to define the overall layout, font styles, and colour scheme for the entire presentation .   

3)  Animations and transitions : PowerPoint offers various animation effects and slide transitions to add visual interest and captivate the audience .   

4)  Multimedia integration : Users can embed images, videos, and audio files directly into their presentations, enhancing the overall impact .   

5)   Collaboration tools : MS PowerPoint allows multiple users to work on a presentation simultaneously, making it ideal for team projects and remote collaboration .   

6) Presenter View : The Presenter View feature gives presenters access to speaker notes, a timer, and a preview of upcoming slides, enabling a seamless presentation experience .   

These features collectively contribute to PowerPoint's versatility and make it a powerful tool for developing engaging and impactful presentations.  

Take your Microsoft Office skills to the next level – sign up for our Power Apps and Power Automate Training ! 

How to use PowerPoint to create a presentation?   

Creating a presentation in PowerPoint is a straightforward process. Whether it's simple animations or explainer videos learning H ow to use PowerPoint is an extremely valuable skill. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create a presentation:   

1)  Launch PowerPoint and choose a template or start with a blank slide. 

2)  Add slides by clicking "New Slide" or using the shortcut key (Ctrl + M). 

3) Customise slide content by entering text and inserting visuals.  

4)  Rearrange slides for a logical flow by dragging them in the slide navigation pane.  

5)  Apply slide transitions for visual effects in the "Transitions" tab.  

6)  Add animations to objects in the "Animations" tab.  

7)  Preview your presentation by clicking "Slide Show".   

8)  Save your presentation and choose a format (.pptx or .pdf).  

9)  Share your presentation via email, cloud storage, or collaboration tools.   

By following these steps, you can create a well-structured and visually appealing presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint. Remember to keep your content concise, use engaging visuals, and practice your presentation skills to deliver an impactful presentation .   

Unlock your full potential and optimise your productivity with our comprehensive Microsoft Office 365 Masterclass . Sign up now!  

Benefits of PowerPoint   

PowerPoint is a very popular presentation software and for a good reason. It offers numerous benefits for users, from easy collaboration to ease of use. These are some of the key benefits of PowerPoint.

1) Visual appeal : Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to create visually appealing presentations with its wide range of design tools and features. You can use templates, themes, and customisable layouts to make your slides visually engaging and professional .   

2)  Easy to use : PowerPoint has a user-friendly interface, making it accessible to users of all levels. The intuitive tools and straightforward navigation make it easy to create, edit, and deliver presentations efficiently .   

3)   Flexibility : PowerPoint provides flexibility in terms of content creation. You can include various types of content, such as text, images, charts, graphs, videos, and audio files, to enhance your message and engage your audience effectively.   

4)   Organisation and structure : PowerPoint offers features to help you organise and structure your content. You can create multiple slides, use slide masters for consistent formatting, and arrange the sequence of slides to create a logical flow .   

5)  Presenter tools : PowerPoint includes built-in presenter tools that aid in delivering presentations smoothly. You can use presenter view to see your notes and upcoming slides while your audience sees only the presentation. Additionally, features like slide transitions and animations add visual interest and help you control the flow of information .   

6)  Collaboration and sharing : PowerPoint allows for easy collaboration and sharing of presentations. Several users can simultaneously work on the same presentation, making it convenient for team projects. You can also share your presentations via email, cloud storage, or online platforms, ensuring easy access for viewers .   

7)   Integration with other tools : PowerPoint can seamlessly integrate with other Microsoft Office applications, such as Word and Excel. You can import data and charts from Excel or copy and paste content between different Office applications, saving time and effort .  

8)   Presenter-audience interaction : PowerPoint provides features that facilitate interaction between the presenter and the audience. You can include interactive elements like hyperlinks, buttons, and quizzes to engage your audience and make your presentations more dynamic.   

9)   Portable and accessible : PowerPoint presentations can be saved in various formats, such as .pptx or .pdf, making them easily accessible on different devices. This portability allows you to deliver presentations on laptops, tablets, or even projectors without compatibility issues .   

10)  Time and effort savings : PowerPoint simplifies the process of creating presentations, saving you time and effort. The pre-designed templates, slide layouts, and formatting options enable you to create professional-looking presentations efficiently .   

Tips for Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations   

PowerPoint presentations can be powerful tools for communicating information and engaging an audience. Consider the following PowerPoint Tips to create effective presentations .

1) Simplicity is key : Keep your slides clean and uncluttered. Use concise bullet points and simple visuals to convey your message effectively .   

2)  Visuals matter : Incorporate relevant, high-quality visuals such as images, charts, and diagrams to enhance understanding and engagement .   

3)  Limit text : Avoid overwhelming your audience with excessive text on slides. Use brief phrases or keywords to communicate key points .   

4)  Choose legible fonts : Opt for clear and readable fonts that are easy to read, even from a distance. Maintain consistency in font styles throughout your presentation .   

5)  Consistent design : Maintain a consistent design theme, including colours, fonts, and layout, to create a visually appealing and professional presentation.   

6)  Emphasise important points : Use visual hierarchy techniques, such as font size, colour, and formatting, to draw attention to essential information .   

7)  Use transitions and animations sparingly : Incorporate slide transitions and animations thoughtfully, focusing on enhancing content and transitions without distracting the audience .   

8)  S lide notes for guidance : Utilise the slide notes feature to include additional details, explanations, or reminders for a well-prepared and confident presentation.   

9)  Practice and time yourself : Rehearse your presentation to ensure smooth delivery and stay within the allocated time. Practice helps you refine your content and delivery.   

10)  Engage the audience : Encourage audience participation through interactive elements, questions, or discussions to foster engagement and make your presentation more memorable.   

By implementing these tips, you can create effective MS PowerPoint presentations that capture attention, communicate information clearly, and engage your audience effectively.  

Alternatives to PowerPoint  

Most of you are used to using PowerPoint for your presentation needs since it was the first option available to us through our academics. However, if you wish to check out alternative options to Powerpoint know if they work better for you, here are ten options that is worth a short: 

5) Slidebean

6) Zoho Show 

7) Google Slide 

9) Beautiful.ai

10) Microsoft Sway

Conclusion     

This blog walked you through What is PowerPoint and how it can aid you in curating compelling visual representations of the message you wish to get across. We discussed it features and the process of how you can create presentations on PowerPoint. Now take what you know and run with it explore your options with your templates and building new ones, let your creativity take its course. 

Learn how to create customised slide shows in MS PowerPoint with our Microsoft PowerPoint MO300 Training .  

Frequently Asked Questions

Well, making a presentation can be tricky business. Here are some of the common mistakes people make:

1) Adding too much text! The presentation needs to have brief and simple points you elaborate on in person. 

2) Bad colour schemes for template and font colour. Sometimes the clash of colour may make the text illegible. 

3) Too many elements! Crowding of elements may lose your audience’s attention.   

Yes, you most definitely can! You can use PowerPoint online with a Microsoft Office 360 plug in that allows you to use all Microsoft applications on your browser. 

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Presentation Training Institute

A division of bold new directions training, the benefits of using powerpoint in presentations.

You are probably familiar with the phrase “death by PowerPoint†and may have even experienced it yourself. After all, most of us have sat through a presentation where the speaker bored us to death by reading directly from a cheesy slideshow. However, the fact is, when used appropriately, PowerPoint can be an effective tool for communicating your message. 

Microsoft PowerPoint is the most popular presentation tool used by teachers, professionals, and students worldwide. It offers a wide range of features and capabilities that make it easier to convey information and engage audiences. Here we will take a look at some of the benefits of using PowerPoint to craft engaging presentations. 

1. Visual Appeal

Research has shown that 65% of people are visual learners, meaning they need to see information in order to retain it. PowerPoint allows presenters to translate facts, data, and information into visual images that make it easier for the audience to understand. Furthermore, presenters can create visually appealing presentations with a variety of design templates, themes, and multimedia elements that help engage audiences and captivate their interest. 

2. Organization and Structure

Delivering a presentation in front of an audience can be nerve wracking and it’s easy for speakers to lose their place and get off track. PowerPoint provides a structured framework for the presenter to outline their content in a logical and organized manner. A well-designed slide deck can serve as a guide for presenters so they don’t have to worry about forgetting any of their main points. 

3. Audience Engagement

PowerPoint allows presenters to engage their audience through interactive elements such as quizzes, polls, and hyperlinks. These features encourage audience participation and make the presentation more dynamic and memorable. 

4. Explain Complex Information

PowerPoint makes it easier for the presenter to explain complex concepts through easily digestible visuals. For example, charts, graphs, and infographics act as visual representations of complex information. This helps avoid confusion and clarifies information in a way that audiences can easily understand. 

5. Boosts Presenter Confidence

Most people dislike public speaking so it can be helpful to have a PowerPoint as a guide for the presentation. This makes the presenter feel more relaxed and at ease knowing that they don’t have to worry about getting off track or forgetting their material.

Encyclopedia

Writing with artificial intelligence, effective use of powerpoint in professional & technical presentations.

• CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 by Anna Lee

Regardless whether you are an engineer or a writer, a professional or a student, a business person or a scientist, you will be expected to communicate effectively with your supervisors, colleagues, clients, and the public. For most, that communication includes at least an occasional formal presentation.

Formal presentations in the workplace usually take one of three forms:

• Informational
• Instructional

Informational presentations are useful for reporting on research or giving a project update. Persuasive presentations can be used to make pitches to clients or supervisors. Instructional presentations, or “how-to” presentations, are formatted to teach, explain, or train.

In technical presentations, like most other genres of technical communication, good visual information design is essential. Visual aids are useful for increasing audience understanding of both the subject and the organization of a presentation.

Presenters should remember they have an array of options for visual aids from live demonstrations to interactive activities to old fashioned white boards; however, presentation software is the most commonly used option. Among the presentation software choices, PowerPoint is widely available and widely used in the workplace and in educational settings. Other software like Presi or Google Slides are becoming more popular and present may of the same opportunities and challenges that PowerPoint does.

PowerPoint can be a very effective tool for students and professionals if it is used appropriately for the purposes of a technical presentation. Unfortunately, effective use of this tool is not as intuitive as one would think considering its prevalence. To more effectively use PowerPoint often requires unlearning many of the common techniques displayed in the typical college class or even in the workplace.

Pitfalls of PowerPoint

Unfortunately, PowerPoint is controversial. Most students have experienced an ineffective PowerPoint presentation. In fact, a 2015 article on the website The Conversation claims PowerPoint “makes students more stupid and professors more boring” (Sorensen). Although this author and others make good points on the ineffectiveness of PowerPoint, others (Horvath & Lodge, 2015) contend that a tool is only as effective as the person using it. PowerPoint does not make students stupid and professors boring; rather, poor use of this tool makes for ineffective presentations and can lead to laziness in both the audience and the presenter.

One issue with PowerPoint is the preset templates and layouts Microsoft provides. These can guide a novice user to make inappropriate design choices that affect usability. For example, reversed text on a dark background can be challenging for audiences to read. Bullet points do not take advantage of the program’s visual potential. Purely decorative designs can distract from functional visuals and text.

Many of the problems with PowerPoint presentations are the result of a tool that is readily accessible being used by individuals untrained in rhetorical and visual design. Fortunately, students of technical communication can implement a change of strategy and follow a few guidelines to use PowerPoint more effectively.

Rethinking Bullet Points

The key to improving your use of PowerPoint as a presentation tool for technical or professional communication is to rethink the usual layout of presentations you have seen. Most poorly constructed PowerPoints have far too much text, usually in the form of bullet points covering, albeit in shortened form, everything the speaker is going to share. Your purpose should not be a mystery to your audience, but the audience cannot both read and listen to what you are saying at the same time. Rather you should treat your slides as true visual aids that primarily use something other than text to support your points.

Every substantive slide should present a visual that illustrates or supports the point you are making orally rather than summarizing or reiterating that point in text form. In other words, instead of the typical topic and bullet point slide layout, a more effective strategy for PowerPoint presentations slides can be to offer a claim and a visual support in the form of a photo, graph, illustration, chart, etc. (Alley & Neeley, 2005; Markel, 2009).

Sample slide with claim/visual support layout

This claim/support strategy accompanied by various orientation features creates a presentation that is free from visual noise, complimentary to the oral presentation, and easy for the audience to follow. Creating a PowerPoint presentation of this type requires significantly more thought and effort than a traditional summarizing bullet point format, but the payoff is worth the time spent.

Designing a Claim/Support Style Presentation

Although no one size fits all prescription exists for building an effective PowerPoint slide set for a professional or technical presentation, students can use the following steps and stratagems to guide their process.

1. Plan your presentation before making your slide set.

Rather than sitting down at the computer and opening PowerPoint to begin preparing for a presentation, you should start with your topic—the information you need share, the points you need to make, or the process you wish to teach—and determine what types of visual aids will best support your purpose. PowerPoint may not be the right fit for every purpose. If it is the best tool to employ, remember that the slide set is notyour presentation in and of itself but rather a way to visually support your claims and guide your audience through the organization of your presentation.

Follow the same process you would for any piece of academic or professional writing. Research your subject, narrow your scope to fit the constraints of the assignment, analyze your audience, and draft your presentation around your main points. Once you have a strong, organized case to make in support of your purpose, you can begin creating the visuals that will most effectively enhance your claims.

2. Design your template.

When you are ready to build your slide set, first prepare a slide template. This step will save you time formatting each slide and create consistency. Although PowerPoint provides many predesigned themes, avoid them. Creating your own template will give you more control and help you avoid some of the poor design choices represented in many of the preset templates. Using the “Master Slide” feature is a good way to design once and apply your choices throughout your presentation.

When designing a slide template for the body slides of your presentation, keep in mind these suggestions:

• Opt for a white (or very light) background. Although, many presentation slide sets use a dark background with light text, a more audience friendly choice is a light background and dark text. This combination is universally easier to read especially on a screen. Another benefit of a white background is that you can use a wider variety of image files and types without dealing with the white boxes that often appear in JPEG image files.
• Prefer a san serif font. As is true for reading on computer screens, san serif fonts are also easier to read on the large screens of PowerPoint slides. This is not to say that all serif fonts are unacceptable but rather a good rule of thumb is to prefer a san serif font.
• Include an orienting footer. Be sure to design a footer on your slides that includes the title (or abbreviated title) of your presentation, the date of the presentation, and particularly the slide number. This information is helpful for you in archiving the slide set or changing it for future presentations, but it is especially helpful in orienting the audience. It is much easier to ask a specific question at the end of a presentation if one can refer to specific slide number rather than trying to describe the visual after a single viewing.
• Avoid visual “noise.” In Presentation Zen, Reynolds explains the principle of signal-to-noise ratio and the effects of cluttering a slide with too much visual information that is unrelated to a point being made. He says, “There is simply a limit to a person’s ability to process new information efficiently and effectively” (2012, p. 134). In other words, avoid unnecessary design elements and visuals on slide in a technical presentation. This means eliminating meaningless clip art, images, or even an organizational logo on every slide in order to focus the audience’s attention on the visual that supports your claim. In most cases, less is truly more on a slide.

3. Create your orienting slides.

In addition to acting a visual aid to support the claims of presentation, the purpose of a slide set is also to help the audience understand the organization and follow the speaker’s thoughts more coherently. Many slide sets miss this opportunity. First, be sure to create a title slide that introduces your presentation and you to the audience. Next, slide sets, even for short presentations, should include an outline. The audience wants to know where a talk is going and when they can anticipate its conclusion. Your point in making a technical presentation should not be a mystery; tell the audience what you are about and show them in the form of an outline slide. Revisit this slide to reorient you audience in the middle of the presentation or even before each major point in a long presentation.

Sample of an outline slide

Another orientation feature that you should consider adding is borrowed from pedagogical theory: the advance organizer . A good presentation should help audience members connect new information to previous knowledge and understand why the information is important to them. This is also the purpose of an advance organizer.

Simply put, the advance organizer in slide set is a slide (or several) dedicated to visually introducing background or introductory material so the audience is prepared to accept the claims of the presentation. An advance organizer may take many different forms depending upon the type and purpose of a presentation. One example is visual “list” of supplies needed to perform a task you are teaching. Another might be a definition of a subject or an image of a finished product that the presentation aims to demonstrate the process of creating. Accompanied by the speaker’s oral explanation or even audience interaction, these slides help orient the audience and prepare them to receive the bulk of the material more effectively.

Sample of an advance organizer slide

4. Lay out your organization.

With a template created and orienting slides in place, you can now deal with the body content of the presentation. Follow the same form you would in presenting information effectively and persuasively in any medium by including the following elements: an introduction, several points (or claims), a conclusion, and a call for questions. The audience is familiar with receiving information in this way and will become confused or fail to recall your purpose if you do not sum up your points in a conclusion, for example.

Another organizational feature on the body slides that can become a missed opportunity is the headers. Many presentation slides employ single word or phrase headers. Research shows (Alley & Neeley, 2005) that this may not be the most effective format to persuade or teach. Alley & Neeley and others (Markel, 2009) advocate for the use of sentence case headers on body slides that make a strong, clear claim in a complete thought. Punctuating and capitalizing them as sentences is also recommended.

Sample of a slide using a sentence case header

Switching to sentence headers can be a challenge for students at first—even the student examples provided below do not fully follow this advice— because it is different from what most of us have experienced. However, using it can be effective when bullet points are eliminated in place of a visual support on each slide.

5. Add your visuals.

The final step, and arguably the most difficult, is adding visuals to the slides to support the your claims. Determining visuals that are effective in emphasizing the points, simple enough to comprehend, within the designer’s ability to create, or available to use without copyright infringement is quite a challenge. The following tips can help you begin to design visually based PowerPoint slides:

• Consider your options. Although challenging to think through whether an idea can be represented graphically, you have many possibilities available that work well in PowerPoint. Good options for visuals include graphs or charts for presenting data, tables for displaying lists (an alternative to bullet points), photographs or screen shots for showing steps in a process, illustrations or line drawings for simplifying complex images or showing internal workings, and PowerPoint SmartArt graphics for demonstrating relationships and processes. These are only a few of the choices available and a few potential uses for each. Once you have an idea of the type of visual to use, you will need to create or find it.
• Create your own visual. It is always best to create a visual yourself—if you have the programs and skills to do it—because it gives you complete control of the visual and avoids copyright issues. Although some programs for creating visuals are expensive or require specialized skills, others are readily available and easy to use. Consider screenshots, for example. These are simple to create and excellent for demonstrating a digital process. Likewise, most students can take their own photographs at a quality acceptable for presentations. Graphs are easy to make in Word or Excel and transfer into PowerPoint.
• Use the drawing tools in the presentation software. PowerPoint supplies easy to use tools, such as SmartArt, for creating visuals. You will find these tools intuitive to use, but you must be careful to select diagrams or graphs that accurately match the concept you are attempting to represent. Markel correctly notes, “Microsoft has always done a better job creating drawing tools than explaining how to choose the appropriate one” (2009, p. 126). You must also be careful to avoid design features on these graphics that make them difficult to read and understand. For example, a three-dimensional pie chart can be not only hard to read on the screen but also misleading, particularly if you use color inappropriately. Again, less is usually more; basic designs and simple color schemes are best.
• Find an existing visual. Sometimes you will not be readily capable of creating your own visual, and will need to find one somewhere else. If you work for an organization, check with the marketing department for photographs and logo files. (They can also supply you branded fonts and colors and perhaps even predesigned company slide templates.) Subject matter experts within your organization may be able to provide technical diagrams, line drawings, cross sections, etc. As a student, you can glean from the Internet helpful images of this kind, but should use them for educational purposes only. Be careful to credit borrowed images, and do not use images without permission for anything intended for a professional setting or for which you or anyone else will gain a profit.

Pulling It All Together

Shifting your thinking about the purpose and design of presentation slides and using the processes and tips provided is not rocket science, but pulling everything together will require careful thought and planning. The following examples show many of the elements discussed here in action. These are presentations created by real undergraduate students. They are not perfect cases, but they offer creative, real-life solutions to the same challenges you will face in implementing this new style of PowerPoint construction.

Powerpoint sample #1

Powerpoint sample #2

In addition to the strategy discussed in this article, students creating formal presentations using presentation software should study principles of good visual design. Also, study of graphic design tools for creating visual images would benefit students who need to present technical information frequently. This article certainly does not encompass everything you need to know about using PowerPoint effectively, but implementing the strategies advocated should dramatically improve your presentations.

Alley, M., & Neeley, K. A. (November 2005). Rethinking the design of presentation slides: A case for sentence headlines and visual evidence. Technical Communication, 4(52), 417-426.

Horvath, J. C., & Lodge, J. M. (2015, June 26). It’s not PowerPoint’s fault, you’re just using it wrong. Retrieved February 5, 2016, from https://theconversation.com/its-not-powerpoints-fault-youre-just-using-it-wrong-43783

Markel, M. (May 2009). Exploiting verbal–visual synergy in presentation slides. Technical Communication, 56(2), 122-131.

Reynolds, G. (2012). Presentation Zen: Simple ideas on presentation design and delivery. Berkeley, CA: New Riders Pub.

Sorensen, B. M. (2015, April 29). Let’s ban PowerPoint in lectures – it makes students more stupid and professors more boring. Retrieved February 5, 2016, from https://theconversation.com/lets-ban-powerpoint-in-lectures-it-makes-students-more-stupid-and-professors-more-boring-36183.

Brevity – Say More with Less

Clarity (in Speech and Writing)

Coherence – How to Achieve Coherence in Writing

Flow – How to Create Flow in Writing

Inclusivity – Inclusive Language

The Elements of Style – The DNA of Powerful Writing

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What Are Benefits of PowerPoint? A Comprehensive Guide

PowerPoint, a presentation software developed by Microsoft, offers a multitude of benefits for individuals and businesses alike. By following this quick overview, you’ll gain an understanding of how to utilize PowerPoint effectively and what to expect from its range of functionalities.

After completing the action of learning PowerPoint, you will be able to create visually appealing presentations that can enhance communication, engage audiences, and support your points with visual aids. You’ll also be able to customize your slides to reflect your brand or personal style.

Introduction

PowerPoint has become synonymous with presentations. Whether in a classroom, a boardroom, or at a conference, PowerPoint slides are the go-to for anyone needing to present information in a structured, engaging manner. So, why is this software so widely used and important?

For starters, PowerPoint allows users to compile and organize their thoughts in a way that’s visually appealing and easy to follow. It caters to various learning styles – from those who benefit from auditory explanations to visual learners who need graphs, charts, and images to understand a concept fully.

Not only is PowerPoint an excellent tool for education and business, but it’s also accessible. With a relatively low learning curve, almost anyone can pick it up and start crafting presentations. Its relevance spans across different sectors and age groups, making it a universally valuable skill to learn.

The step by step tutorial section will include PowerPoint in the title.

This section will guide you through the basic steps of creating a PowerPoint presentation from scratch.

Step 1: Open PowerPoint and select a theme.

Choose a theme that aligns with the purpose of your presentation.

Selecting a theme is the first step in creating a PowerPoint presentation. Microsoft offers a wide variety of built-in themes that you can choose from, each with its own unique design, color scheme, and font style. This ensures consistency and visual appeal throughout your presentation. You can also create a custom theme if you have specific branding or design requirements.

Step 2: Add new slides and content.

Create and populate your slides with text, images, and other media.

After selecting your theme, the next step is to add new slides. You can insert text boxes to add titles, bullet points, and detailed content. PowerPoint also allows you to include images, videos, and other multimedia elements to enrich your presentation and make it more engaging for your audience.

Step 3: Customize your slides.

Adjust the layout, colors, and fonts to suit your needs.

Customizing your slides is where you can really make your presentation stand out. You can move elements around, change the background color, and select fonts that reflect the tone of your message. PowerPoint provides tools for aligning objects, editing images, and applying various artistic effects to your content.

Step 4: Include transitions and animations.

Add visual effects to your slides and elements to make your presentation dynamic.

Transitions and animations can help your presentation flow smoothly from one slide to the next or emphasize important points. PowerPoint offers a range of effect options, from subtle fades to more elaborate movements. However, it’s important to use these judiciously to avoid distracting from the content itself.

Step 5: Rehearse and present.

Practice your presentation and prepare for the live show.

The final step is to rehearse your presentation using PowerPoint’s rehearsal features. You can time your slides, add speaker notes, and even record your presentation to review it later. When you’re ready, you can present live from your computer, or share your presentation with others through various platforms.

Additional Information

When using PowerPoint, one major tip is to focus on your message and use the software to enhance it, not overshadow it. Remember, your slides are there to support you, not the other way around. You should also consider the accessibility of your content—use high-contrast colors and large fonts to ensure everyone in your audience can easily read your slides.

Furthermore, bear in mind that PowerPoint presentations are not just for live audiences. They can be converted into video formats, shared online, or even printed as handouts, making your content versatile and reusable.

• Open PowerPoint and select a theme.
• Add new slides and content.
• Customize your slides.
• Include transitions and animations.
• Rehearse and present.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is powerpoint mainly used for.

PowerPoint is primarily used for creating and delivering presentations for educational, business, and personal purposes.

Can PowerPoint presentations be shared online?

Yes, PowerPoint presentations can be shared online through email, cloud services, or by converting them into video formats.

Is PowerPoint suitable for professional use?

Absolutely, PowerPoint is widely used in professional settings for meetings, conferences, and other business-related events.

Can you collaborate with others on a PowerPoint presentation?

Yes, PowerPoint offers collaborative features allowing multiple users to work on a presentation simultaneously.

Are there alternatives to PowerPoint?

There are several alternatives to PowerPoint, including Google Slides and Apple Keynote, each with their own unique features.

In conclusion, PowerPoint is a powerful tool that offers numerous benefits for creating and delivering presentations. Its ability to enhance visual impact, promote structure, and increase audience engagement makes it an essential skill for anyone looking to present information effectively.

While there are some drawbacks to be aware of, such as the potential for technical issues and the learning curve involved, the pros of using PowerPoint far outweigh the cons. With practice and creativity, PowerPoint can become an indispensable part of your communication toolkit.

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

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What Are The Benefits of PowerPoint When Choosing A Presentation Platform

Table of contents.

PowerPoint is the most popular software for building presentations. It can be found as a part of Microsoft’s Office Suite and is often used for personal, business, and educational purposes . It would be fair to say that PowerPoint has dominated the presentation landscape for decades.

89% Of people still use PowerPoint presentations over competitor services. Presentation Panda

But why is this the case? As pres entation experts for over a decade , why is most of the work we do, done in Microsoft PowerPoint over Prezi, Google Slides, Canva and others? Read on as we explore, from first-hand experience, the reasons PowerPoint is our go-to platform.

So, What Are The Benefits Of PowerPoint Presentations?

1) it's a highly collaborative solution.

PowerPoint is super collaborative. Gone are the days when you have to huddle around one computer, one person working on your slides at a time. PowerPoint allows multiple people to access, edit and comment on a presentation, at the same time, on the same slides! All your team needs it access to the file and you’re golden.

2) Design Flexibility To Wow Audiences

You have full control over the appearance of your presentation design. PowerPoint offers the freedom and flexibility to create dynamic, engaging slides that capture your audiences attention. Feel free to take a look at some of the PowerPoint design ideas we suggest.

Missing that visual kick your PowerPoint desperately needs? Check out our PowerPoint presentation design portfolio.

3) You Can Work From Virtually Anywhere

The past couple of years have changed the working dynamic of many industries. Hybrid models are the new norm and with that, there is a demand for digital tools that have versatility. PowerPoint can be saved to the cloud and accessed from wherever you are. As long as you have a user license, you can work on your presentation virtually anywhere.

4) Export PowerPoint Slides In Different Formats

You aren’t limited to just .pptx. PowerPoint presentations can be exported in various formats. Looking to save space, export it as a .pdf and send it through email. Want to send individual slides? gif, .tif, .png or .jpg, among others have you covered. You can even export videos within PowerPoints as mp4 or windows media player. What we’re saying here is that there’s flexibility for all situations with PowerPoint Presentations.

5) Compatibility With Other Microsoft Office Programs

Considering they are all part of the same suite, you’re able to quickly and easily enrich your presentation with tables from word and charts from excel. We can create templates for you that can easily be modified for presentations to come.

6) It's Accessible For All Users And Purposes

Companies typically have the Microsoft office suite already loaded and licensed on their computers, so you’re already half way there. In addition, educational facilities acquire office so students and teachers can connect quickly and easily.

In addition, you’ll be able to be inclusive of a wider audience with presentation accessibility features . You can create presentations that capture your audience’s focus by catering to those who may have visual, hearing or any other impairments.

7) PPT Presentations Save Time

Hiring professional PowerPoint design services can save time. All one has to do is brief the agency with basic content, and the custom presentation is designed to good effect.

This frees up time for company personnel to focus on other tasks at hand. The design agency will take care of visuals, smooth animations, relevant charts, custom fonts, and color schemes.

Delivering World Class Presentation Design

The drawbacks of using a powerpoint presentation, technological issues are always a factor.

You can plan and rehearse your pitch as much as you want, if your HDMI, VGA or any other input device craps out, you’re in trouble. In addition, you’ll want to make sure the system you are planning to present on has access to the fonts and files within the deck. This can be said of all presentation platforms, but it’s important to note.

Presenters Rely Too Much On Their Slides

Presenters can have a tendency to lean on their slides a little too much. It doesn’t matter if you have a presentation that leaves a greater visual impact if you don’t know what you’re presenting! The ease of use builds confidence and a false sense of security. The story is what ultimately captivates your audience, the visual and audio cues are to bring the story to life.

Customization Can Be A Curse

Having a wealth of options at your disposal is disorientating and can often lead you astray. You start to dilute the point of the presentation in trying to get too creative. You start to ask:

• What Fonts Should I Use?
• I've seen so many image heavy presentations, is mine image heavy?
• Does This Slide Need A Video? Should It Be Interactive?

We know you want to dazzle your audience and give them information, but leave a little mystery for the delivery. Also, we recommend hiring a presentation design professional , it really does take this headache away.

So, What Are Our Final Thoughts On The Benefits of PowerPoint?

If we were building a presentation for you, we would recommend PowerPoint. It’s ease of use, flexibility and compatibility make it our presentation software of choice, every time. It’s viewed in the industry as the evergreen presentation leader and Microsoft PowerPoint has established itself a synonym for presentation software.

That being said, other presentation platforms shouldn’t be overlooked. Canva and Google slides are gaining traction. Either way, we are experts in all presentation platforms and create outstanding presentations, everytime!

Are You In Need Of A Custom Presentation? We Can Help

Now it’s about you! Are you in need of a fresh, engaging presentation that captures your audiences attention? Whether you need a clean up, a re-design or a completely custom build we have you covered. You can find our presentation packages and pricing options here . Want to speak to a geek, click the button below.

Author:  Content Team

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• Presentations

What Is Microsoft PowerPoint? +How to Start Using It For Presentations (Now)

Microsoft PowerPoint is a professional tool for making presentations that's been around for decades. It's got a number of features that make it a powerful presentation tool. 

In this tutorial, you'll learn about Microsoft PowerPoint's origins and the best version of PowerPoint that fits your needs. You'll also discover tutorial resources to start learning how to use its deep toolset. 

We also won't leave you confused on how to make a top-notch presentation with PowerPoint. We've all sat through a boring PowerPoint presentation. It's important to use it the right way, as a visual aid that complement your ideas. 

Guide to Making Great Presentations (Free eBook Download)

Before you read on, be sure to grab our free eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It'll help you master the presentation process, from: initial idea, through to writing, design, and delivering with impact.

What Is PowerPoint & What Is It Used For?

Microsoft PowerPoint is the most popular presentation software. You'll find it everywhere from Fortune 500 boardrooms to college classrooms. PowerPoint is a part of Microsoft Office, which also includes apps like Excel and Microsoft Word. 

PowerPoint started as a Mac-only app in 1987 and was quickly acquired by Microsoft to help bolster the Office software package. It quickly gained a foothold in the work world as an easy way to put together a slide deck with supporting points.

Make no mistake: PowerPoint is the market leader, but its widespread usage is more than simply habit. Competitors like Apple's Keynote and Google's Slides have improved to challenge PowerPoint, but Microsoft has responded with updates of its own to maintain its leadership.

PowerPoint's popularity is largely driven by its ease of use. Most of its features simply involve dragging and dropping content boxes and filling them with your own information. However, PowerPoint also has plenty of deeper features under the hood. I'm yet to find a feature I need missing from the app.

The Many Types of PowerPoint PPT Presentations Can You Make

What is PowerPoint? You might know it as the presentation tool that your professors or business colleagues use to show their information. But the reality is that PowerPoint is used to build all kinds of presentations. Let's look at examples that run the gamut.

One common Microsoft PowerPoint presentation type that you might want to build in PowerPoint is a  pitch deck,  a special presentation that many startups and entrepreneurs use to garner support. Jump to the link below to learn how to start using PowerPoint for pitch decks.

Another common Microsoft PowerPoint presentation type is a slideshow. These could span many types of content, but if you're planning a presentation for your big day , the example below is worth checking out. Thanks to smooth transitions and animations, it's an ideal choice.

Finally, another important example of a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation is to explain complex concepts. That's made much easier thanks to  infographics,  the sweet spot between showing information and using graphics to do so. Use the example below to get inspiration.

To see even more types of graphic presentations that you can build in PowerPoint, check out the links below:

What is PowerPoint? As you've seen in the examples above, it can really be used to build any type of sequenced slides. 

If you want to learn PowerPoint, we also have some of the best resources. Keep reading to find out more.

How Can I Learn PowerPoint? (& Get a Quick Start)

The Tuts+ Business section has an abundance of  Microsoft PowerPoint tutorial resources  that'll help you build your skills and get comfortable using this popular presentation app. 

Dive into our PowerPoint beginner tutorials series and our quick-start PowerPoint videos . Get started using PowerPoint quickly: 

Or, check out some of my favorite beginner tutorials to start learning more about PowerPoint's powerful set of presentation tools:

What PowerPoint Version Should You Use?

Microsoft's business model has changed significantly in recent years. Instead of buying the latest version of Microsoft Office, they now heavily promote Office 365 .   This is basically a subscription to use all of the Office apps, including PowerPoint.

The advantage of Office 365 is that you'll always have the most up-to-date version of the entire suite of apps. In fact, Microsoft is constantly updating its Office apps and the Office 365 version even includes features that you won't find in the perpetual license version.

For Home users, there are really three unique packages to choose from:

• Office 365 Home . If you're purchasing Office for your household, this package is a great choice. It includes five licenses that you can use on your account and is perfect for families.
• Office 365 Personal . This is the least expensive version of Office and includes just one license to use. 
• Office Home & Student 2016 . This is most similar to the traditional "buy and own" model of Microsoft Office. You'll pay a one-time feel for Office and have it to use indefinitely but won't be able to access upgrades as Microsoft releases them.

Office 365 subscriptions also include 1 TB (terabyte) of storage space in OneDrive, Microsoft's cloud storage app. Going with an Office 365 subscription is the least expensive way to get access to PowerPoint.

One other key advantage of Office 365 is that it enables additional features on the mobile apps for iOS and Android. You can view and edit   documents for free without a subscription, but Office 365 unlocks the full power of the mobile apps.

However, if you're a casual user of Office and don't need to stay up-to-date, the "Home & Student 2016" can be a worthwhile option. The value comes down to comparing how long you think you'll keep the version versus the monthly costs of Office 365.

What Is PowerPoint Online?

Another option is PowerPoint Online , the totally free version of PowerPoint that you can use inside a web browser. If you've used Google Drive's productivity apps like Docs or Sheets, this is Microsoft's answer.

PowerPoint Online is free to use regardless of the option you choose to license PowerPoint. As long as you make a Microsoft account, you can use PowerPoint Online to build and view presentations.

Hit this link to check out PowerPoint Online. Even if you use the desktop version of PowerPoint, the Online counterpart represents an easy way to get to your files from any web browser.

For Microsoft, PowerPoint Online signals a big shift. It's the first time that you can access the majority of PowerPoint's features at no cost at all. The company's focus seems to be to hook people into using the product, versus selling one-time licenses to users.

What Are MS PowerPoint PPT Templates?

PowerPoint Templates (frequently also called "themes") are the quickest way to add style to your Microsoft PowerPoint presentation and one of the reasons that PowerPoint is so popular.

We're not all graphic designers. And even if you're a talented artist, you likely don't have time to illustrate everything from scratch when you're preparing to present. You should be focusing on the content and message that your audience will hear.

The easiest way to add a design to your slide is to use a template, which you'll find on PowerPoint's ribbon on the  Design  tab. Click on one of the template thumbnails to apply it to your presentation.

These are just Microsoft's built-in options, however. With the help of premium templates, you can build your best Microsoft PowerPoint presentation yet. On Envato Elements , you can source thousands of MS PPT templates.

When you start with a premium template from Elements, you've got most of the hard work already complete. Talented graphic designers contribute MS PPT templates that already have all of the placeholders you need. Just update them with your content specifics and you'll have a great Microsoft PowerPoint presentation in no time!

The best way to learn PowerPoint is really to skip the learning curve altogether by using templates. If you're wondering what is Microsoft PowerPoint when it's done properly, premium templates give you a perfect example.

Using Professional PowerPoint PPT Templates

Microsoft's built-in themes are a good enough start, but there are far better alternatives available to use. You can use premium presentation themes that are available through  Envato Elements  and  GraphicRiver   to supplant the built-in themes. 

Elements is a subscription service that allows you to download and use unlimited PowerPoint templates and creative assets—a powerful offer. GraphicRiver is another option that allows you to per pay template.

Discover more great  Microsoft PowerPoint template designs from these sites in this curated selection of the best: 

The themes that you'll find on Elements and GraphicRiver are heads and shoulders above Microsoft's built-in options. These are ready for professional presentations at any level. 

Above all, themes from these sites include  ideas for your slides.  Many times, I know what the slide should contain, but need ideas for how to show the content.

Take, for example, the Yooga PowerPoint theme . Yooga comes with over 150 slide design ideas, as well as a variety of color schemes. Buy it once and use it repeatedly for all of your presentations; there's enough variety for it to be used in many cases.

One note about these custom themes: they don't always appear in PowerPoint's ribbon the way that Microsoft's templates do. They are often packaged as standalone PPTX files that you can open and re-work for your own presentations. 

Start Working With Pro PowerPoint PPT Templates Today

Learn all about how to make great presentations quickly with professional PowerPoint templates: 

Why Do Many People Dislike PowerPoint? (Does PowerPoint Suck?)

A number of people decry PowerPoint as a bad tool. Some of that reputation is on the mark, because I think we've all sat through many boring presentations in which the presenter reads directly from the slides.

However, this is also an unfair reputation because PowerPoint can be an excellent aid. Like most tools, it all comes down to how you use it.

Most PowerPoint presentations go south because the presenter uses the slide as a  replacement  for giving a presentation. The key is that slides should support and reiterate your talking points, rather than serve as a crutch.

Here are some of my most important tips to avoid during your PowerPoint-driven presentation:

• Don't read directly from your slides. PowerPoint slides should have key points that summarize your talking points.
• Don't put too many objects on each slide. This will confuse or distract your audience from your message.
• Don't overdo it with animations, either! You can make objects fly on and off slides, but it'll distract from your message.
• Don't speak for too long. No matter how good your slides look, an audience will eventually tune out.
• Don't  bury the lede. Reveal the key idea early and spend the rest of the presentation supporting it, instead of making your audience sit through a long talk and find the conclusion at the end.

Discover more helpful PowerPoint presentation tips: 

How Can You Build Visual Presentations Quickly in PowerPoint?

Your audience is sure to expect a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation loaded with visual elements. Slides that are overburdened with text and too many details will lose the audience's attention. The solution is to create more visual presentations that feature eye-catching graphics and imagery.

Let's look at three key elements of building a visual presentation: 

1. How to Use Graphics in Microsoft PowerPoint

SmartArt is one of my favorite PowerPoint features, mainly because I'm not a graphic designer. But even for those who are experienced with Photoshop or Illustrator, the SmartArt feature deserves a look.

Basically, SmartArt is the best of both worlds between charts and images. They've got the professionally polished look of a designed graphic, but maintain the flexibility of a chart. You can add or remove points at any time.

Another option that I've already mentioned above is using an  infographic  to explain detailed ideas. SmartArt allows you to build some infographics but check out the tutorial below for more advanced options.

Check out the tutorials below to learn more about using SmartArt to build a variety of graphics, such as timelines, pyramids, hierarchies, and cycles.

2. How to Use Images Effectively in PowerPoint

Imagery can make or break a presentation. That's why it's so important to source great photos when you're building a PowerPoint so that the images match the tone and content of your presentation concept.

If you checked out Envato Elements earlier in this tutorial, you might be surprised to learn that it features far more than just PowerPoint templates. In fact, your subscription gives you more than 700,00 stock photos at no additional cost.

Most of the premium templates that you'll find on Envato Elements include easy-to-update image placeholders. Download a template, pair a few stock photos from Elements, and you'll quickly have your best Microsoft PowerPoint presentation yet.

For a complete guide to working with images in PowerPoint, check out the link below:

3. How to Work With Slides in PowerPoint

Slides are the individual units that build up a PowerPoint presentation. Learning how to work with them holistically is key to building a great PowerPoint presentation.

Each slide should serve a purpose of its own, with a new aspect of your idea on each slide. This helps you keep a good flow in your presentation, as advancing each slide will bring to light a new angle of your perspective.

Read the tutorial below to learn how to build slide decks and use each slide to its full potential:

How Does PowerPoint Make Giving Presentations Easier?

Contrary to popular belief, PowerPoint is much more than a tool to develop presentations. It's also your best friend when you're giving the presentation. 

Instead of scrambling to prepare note cards or printed versions of your slides to reference, PowerPoint keeps all of those essentials nearby.

Presenter View is one of the most powerful features for sharing your PowerPoint presentation. Imagine having all of the most important tools on your screen.

Oftentimes, you'll have two displays while you're giving a presentation: your own laptop or tablet screen, and the screen that you're presenting on. While your audience will see the finished presentation, you'll have your own Presenter View where you can see your notes and upcoming slides.

For a complete tutorial on Presenter View , check out the link below:

How to Use Advanced MS PowerPoint Tools

PowerPoint does a good job balancing between user-friendly and full of features. It's easy to start using, but you might be surprised by some of the more advanced features that it includes. Let's look at a few advanced features.

1. Link PowerPoint and Excel

If you're a numbers person, I'll bet that you love Microsoft Excel. But it's just as likely that your audience would appreciate a more condensed version of your data in presentation format.

That's why the linkage between PowerPoint and Excel is so powerful. In fact, when used properly, your PowerPoint presentation can automatically refresh with the latest data in your Excel spreadsheet. Jump to the tutorial below to start using this feature.

2. Use PowerPoint in a Browser

As mentioned earlier in this tutorial, PowerPoint has a fully-featured browser version that's a fairly new addition to the Microsoft family. Saving your presentation to the cloud and using it in a web browser helps you collaborate with others.

Both of the tutorials below can help you start using PowerPoint Online. Whether you're looking to save your presentations safely or share them with others, these two tutorials will help you advance beyond PowerPoint's desktop apps.

3. Customize Slide Layouts

Think of slide layouts as a blueprint for the overall slide design. When you choose a layout, PowerPoint populates the slide with pre-built elements that are ready to fill in. 

Advanced PowerPoint users customize slide layouts so that they can be re-used over and over. This is how the best presenters save time in developing their presentations. Read the tutorial below to customize your slide layouts.

These advanced features can really make you a professional presenter. Make sure to try them out, and pretty soon you'll be teaching your peers what Microsoft PowerPoint is used for.

Recap & Learn More About Making Great PowerPoint Presentations 

In this tutorial, I shared some of my favorite reasons that I use Microsoft PowerPoint. Whether it's the sheer familiarity or the polish of over 30 years of development, PowerPoint won't be going anywhere soon.

Learn more in our  PowerPoint beginner tutorials series  or our  quick-start PowerPoint videos . You can also get our free eBook now: 

Need Help? Grab Our Making Great Presentations eBook (Free)

You can find more information in our  eBook on making great presentations . Download this PDF eBook now for FREE with your subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter. 

It'll help you master the presentation process, from: initial creative ideas, through to writing, design, and delivering with impact.

Do you use PowerPoint, or one of its competitors? I'm always interested to find out why, so feel free to do so in the comments section below.

This tutorial has been updated to include new information—with special assistance from  Andrew Childress.

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5 reasons why PowerPoint is so popular

PowerPoint still the most popular presentation software tool

29 million over 16s in the UK have, at some stage, created a presentation. Whether it was on the topic of class divides in George Orwell’s Animal Farm that they read at school, a complex client pitch at a leading law firm or anything in between. This accounts for more than half of the UK population. So it’s no surprise that there’s high demand for good quality presentation software and training.

And the most popular presentation tool of all is… you guessed it - PowerPoint. Acuity Training’s recent survey found that 37% of Brits have used PowerPoint at some stage, making it by far the most popular presentation software package available.

But what are the benefits of Microsoft PowerPoint? Why is it so popular? And will it soon be replaced by the likes of Google Slides, Microsoft Sway, Visme and Keynote? Let’s get into it.

Ben Richardson is the owner and director of Acuity Training.

Compatibility

One of the biggest reasons why PowerPoint became and has remained so popular over the years is thanks to its seamless compatibility with a vast array of devices and operating systems . PowerPoint presentations can be created, accessed and edited on both Windows and Apple products. They can also be easily shared and on various devices and platforms without losing their formatting or functionality. Users can transfer their presentations to smartphones , tablets , and even web browsers , enabling them to deliver their presentations anytime, anywhere.

Ease of use

PowerPoint's user-friendly interface makes it exceptionally easy to use, catering to both technical and non-technical users alike. The software's intuitive design and features give users the freedom to craft professional-looking presentations effortlessly. One of PowerPoint's standout characteristics is its drag-and-drop functionality. Users can simply select elements such as text boxes, images, shapes, and multimedia files and easily position them on slides with a simple click and drag. This eliminates the need for complex coding or advanced technical skills, allowing users to focus on content creation rather than technical intricacies. Its pre-designed layouts and templates do all of the hard work for you, allowing you to create professional looking decks with ease.

Visual messaging capabilities

Gone are the days of stuffed slides filled with bullet pointed lists or large chunks of text. When used well, PowerPoint’s SmartArt graphics are your best friend when it comes to creating appealing diagrams and flowcharts to make content that’s slick and easy to understand. While the built-in spell check and grammar correction features help with readability and cohesion. Research has consistently found that the human brain processes and understands visual information more efficiently and effectively compared to text alone, so PowerPoint’s visual capabilities are likely to play a significant role in enhancing retention of information in presentations.

Collaboration

PowerPoint's real-time co-authoring feature has transformed the way teams collaborate when making presentations. It allows multiple users to work on the same presentation simultaneously, regardless of their physical location. Users can add comments, make edit suggestions, and chat with one another on the slides themselves, making teamwork and collaboration a breeze. This is now more important than ever, with so many remote and hybrid workers needing to work together on projects with as little distribution as possible.

Professional spheres

In today’s professional landscape, PowerPoint experience and/or qualifications tend to be a prerequisite in a multitude of industries. From marketing to finance, education to healthcare, and beyond, proficiency in the software allows you to quickly and easily use any new company’s existing templates and layouts and to work effectively within their teams, whilst also adhering to brand guidelines.

There’s little question as to why PowerPoint is the most popular presentation software in the UK. And its position as one of the best presentation software tools is very well-deserved. Other presentation tools such as Google Slides and Visme have gained traction in recent years, and do have growing user bases. But time and time again, PowerPoint remains the go-to for so many of us, and it’s no surprise given its rich set of features, user-friendly interface, and reputable presence across many industries.

PowerPoint’s latest features

So what’s new in PowerPoint? Here are some of my favorite new features.

Power BI Features 

In March this year, Microsoft launched a new PowerPoint add-in that enables seamless integration with Power BI reports. With this update, users can effortlessly incorporate individual visuals into their reports, leveraging the Smart Insights tool to enhance the informational value of presentations. This has reportedly had a major impact on productivity amongst users, helping them to make their presentations more informative and engaging in far less time.

Agenda Wizard

One of PowerPoint’s latest features is Agenda Wizard. This allows you to quickly and easily generate agendas or numbered content table slides, as well as synchronizing any updates and changes to these with just the click of a button. You can also save these format layouts to reuse in the future, or choose from a range of pre-existing options.

What’s in store for the future of PowerPoint?

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it's planning on bringing AI to PowerPoint via a new "Copilot" feature. This should enable users to use natural language to instruct PowerPoint to create full presentations on a topic of their choosing. They’ve said this feature will even be able to use other documents as a reference for information and inspiration, much like tools such as ChatGPT and AI art generators.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there have been some initial concerns about the role of AI in content creation. But Microsoft has emphasised that the Copilot feature has been specifically designed to collaborate with users, as opposed to replacing them. It’ll be fascinating to see how these features continue to complement our communication and content creation efforts going forward into 2024 and beyond, and to discover just what the future holds for presentation software tools as we know them.

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Ben Richardson is the owner and director of Acuity Training, which provides corporate IT application (Microsoft, Adobe, AutoCAD) training across the UK both online and in person.

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PowerPoint 101: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

Are you struggling with PowerPoint? You need a quick design in PowerPoint but don't know where to start? Don't worry, you have nothing to be ashamed of.

In this article, we're going to refresh the most important PowerPoint basics so you can take advantage of this Microsoft software and create high-impact presentations at any time!

Millions of users worldwide use Microsoft 365 services , making PowerPoint the presentation design software with the highest market share. And with good reason! PowerPoint's features stand out for its usability and originality . We can tell you that PowerPoint is pretty intuitive software, and it's a great option to choose when working with presentations on a daily basis. So, are you ready for a quick PowerPoint 101 class?

Let ' s see what you ' re going to learn today with this PowerPoint Guide :

What is PowerPoint?

What are the best uses of powerpoint, powerpoint basics: what are the components of powerpoint workspace, mastering powerpoint: what are the main features of powerpoint, what are powerpoint templates and where to find them, time to practice how to make a presentation in powerpoint.

Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation design software that is part of Microsoft 365 . This software allows you to design presentations by combining text, images, graphics, video, and animation on slides in a simple and intuitive way.

Over time, PowerPoint has evolved and improved its accessibility to users. For this reason, it has been adapted to the main operating systems and modalities:

• PowerPoint Online

Additionally, you can use Word and Excel in this online version. That way, you'll be able to make real-time changes in the cloud without fearing losing your files. Sounds great, right?

PowerPoint has a versatile range of uses. Here's a list of the different tasks you can complete with this presentation design software:

• Business presentations or Pitch decks.
• Marketing, Sales and HR plans.
• Project briefs and timelines.
• Inductions to new employees.
• Seminars and educational classes.
• Professional portfolio of photos or designs.
• Presentations of a research summary.
• Presentations for special occasions.

These are just a few examples of the multiple possibilities this Microsoft software offers. Your imagination is the only limit!

Stay tuned as we continue with this PowerPoint 101 Guide...

In order to deeply understand this presentation design software, you need to recognize its main components. Now it's time to learn about the PowerPoint basics!

A quick note before going any further: when opening PowerPoint, some of the commands in the ribbons will look grayish and won't be highlighted when you hover the mouse over them.

This happens since some commands need to be selected in order to function. For example, if you want to change the color of a text, you first need to select it.

That being said, let's start with this Guide for PowerPoint beginners:

PowerPoint Main Window

The first aspect to learn is PowerPoint Main Window. To facilitate the explanation, we've organized its main elements with numbers from 1 to 10:

Based on that, the main components of PowerPoint window are the following:

1. Quick Access Toolbar: allows you to customize commands to have them at hand. You only have to select it and go to "More commands."

2. Title Bar: shows you the name of your file and other "Suggested options" like Slide Master View . These options will vary depending on the use you give to the commands.

3. File Tab: you will see the Home Menu (PowerPoint backstage) by selecting it. There, you can create a new presentation, save it, print it, export it, and many other options.

4. The Ribbon: it's where PowerPoint tabs and tools are. These tools can also be called "commands" or “features.”

5. More Button or Down Arrow: these arrows allow you to view more tools or layout options in PowerPoint.

6. Slides Pane: shows your slides in thumbnail size. By right-clicking, you can access additional options for customizing each slide. Perfect for PowerPoint beginners!

7. Slide: PowerPoint's blank canvas and the frame to be seen when presenting the file.

8. Placeholders: they are dotted boxes that will store your content.

9. Status Bar: allows you to view the slide number, grammatical errors, speaker notes, and the comments on your file.

10. Zoom: allows you to enlarge or minimize your PowerPoint workspace. The range goes from 10 to 400%.

PowerPoint Tabs

The PowerPoint tabs are the control desk of your presentation . Since PowerPoint's features are too many, they're organized in tabs.

You can come and go between tabs as you need. Once you click on a tab, it will open its ribbon, and there, you'll be able to see all the tools related to that particular category.

This PowerPoint tutorial for beginners will give you an overview of all PowerPoint tabs . Pay attention to the following list:

• Transitions Tab
• Animations Tab
• Slide Show Tab
• Recording Tab

1. Home Tab

The Home tab is the most common tab of PowerPoint. This is the tab you'll probably use the most if you're designing a presentation deck from scratch.

It allows you to add new slides and change the text characteristics : font, size, boldness, underlining, alignment, etc. If you've ever used Microsoft Word, these features will be familiar to you.

Also, you will find commands to edit the characteristics of the geometric shapes you insert. This includes: fill color, line color, sharpe effects, among others.

2. Insert Tab

The Insert tab is exactly what its name says it is. In this ribbon, you'll find all the options concerning adding a new element to your PowerPoint presentation .

You can insert a picture, some geometric shapes, icons, WordArt graphics, among others. We can tell you that this tab is really helpful for PowerPoint beginners!

For example, if you have a lot of data in PowerPoint , you could add a chart or diagram to show your information in a more visual way. Also, you can embed videos or music into PowerPoint really easily.

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: To be able to write text on your slides, you need a text box. So, if you're designing your presentation from scratch, remember to go first to the Insert tab and add a text box to start writing.

3. Design Tab

If you are one of those people who enjoy choosing the design of a PowerPoint presentation, this tab will be your favorite.

The Design tab offers a wide range of premade designs , allowing you to get more polished slides. Even better, if you explore its ribbon, you can adjust the color palette and change the overall style of your PowerPoint deck.

The PowerPoint interface, as this basic PowerPoint Tutorial, is really intuitive. We believe that you won't have any problem with this tab!

4. Transitions Tab

Using transitions in PowerPoint is a dynamic way to move from one slide to the next during a presentation. This feature is PowerPoint's stamp, so don ' t miss it!

Some PowerPoint transitions are really classic, like wiping the old slide to present the new one. Others are somewhat over the top, like the “Vortex” or the “Airplane” effect.

If you click on each kind of transition, you'll see a preview on how it would look when presenting. Really cool, right?

5. Animations Tab

In case you want to add special effects for certain elements in your slides , the Animations tab in PowerPoint will interest you.

Like the Transitions tab, you will find various animation effects in this ribbon. It's a matter of trying and choosing the best one according to your needs!

6. Slide Show Tab

As its name says, the Slide Show tab is about presenting your slides . We really like that it gives you several options to show up your presentation!

Considering that you're a PowerPoint beginner, you're not likely to use the Slide Show tab very much.

But if you're curious about this command, you must read our article: How to Make a PowerPoint Slideshow that Runs Automatically?

7. Review Tab

The Review tab is not often used by PowerPoint beginners either.

However, if your job is related to writing or if you work at an international company, this tool can be extremely useful!

With this tab, you can check the slide's spelling, translate the text in real-time, and add comments to your slides . This last function can be helpful to give feedback to a colleague.

8. View Tab

This View tab allows you to change the view of your PowerPoint slides and make handouts from them, among other things.

As you can see, the majority of its commands are really specific. So you won't have any issues while designing, test and see!

In this section, our favorite command for PowerPoint beginners is Slide Master . Explore more about this tool in our guide!

9. Recording Tab

In the last versions of this design presentation software, PowerPoint added the Recording tab. As its name says, it allows you to record all your presentation slides .

This ribbon has advanced commands, so the most common action for a PowerPoint beginner is to take a screenshot or record the screen sequentially .

10. Help Tab

Finally, there is the Help tab. If you have any problem or question concerning how to use PowerPoint, you may go here to look for a solution.

In the latest versions, Windows has added a “Show Training” option. You can click this command to practice the PowerPoint basics since it will download training templates.

As a beginner in PowerPoint, you must recognize the objective of each PowerPoint tab to be able to master the software . But, in order to conduct an outstanding presentation deck, you also need to dominate its most important features. Let's see some of them in the next section!

If you feel ready to delve deeper into PowerPoint's tools, this section is for you.

As you may know , 24Slides specializes in creating outstanding presentations for any Design Project . So, we asked one of our experts about her favorite PowerPoint features, and we want to share them all with you!

Carmen Navarrete , Graphic Designer at 24Slides, highlighted the following features that will make your presentations stand out from the crowd:

PowerPoint Feature #1: Crop to Shape

This first PowerPoint feature is simple but effective!

Let's see how to use it:

• First, choose an image you want to cut and insert it into your workspace.
• Once inserted, select it with the mouse.
• Go to the "Picture Format" tab.
• Press the arrow of the "Crop" button (right side of the screen).
• Select "Crop to Shape."
• Choose your favorite shape and customize your PowerPoint presentation!

PowerPoint Feature #2: Merge Shapes

If you don't like any figure enough, you can create one from scratch!

This is possible thanks to the "Merge Shapes" option. Follow these steps to unleash your creativity:

• First choose an image you want to cut.
• Check the list of PowerPoint shapes (Insert tab > Shapes).
• Choose two or three figures you want to merge (they can be the same figure).
• Select the figures you are going to merge (see the image).
• Once selected, go to the "Shape Format" tab.
• Press the "Merge Shapes" option and the type of merge you want (test and choose!).

• A new figure will appear, and you must fill it with the image from the first step.
• Stay on the Shape Format tab and go to "Shape Fill" (button in the middle of the ribbon).
• Select "Picture Fill" and browse for your image.
• Select the image to fill your new figure, and that's it!

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: When your merged figure is ready, paste the image to the background of your slide to achieve a better result. This way, you can use your image as a canvas and see if both elements fit well.

PowerPoint Feature #3: Insert Icons

This PowerPoint feature is quite easy to follow for PowerPoint beginners!

Just follow these steps:

• Go to the Insert tab.
• Select the "Icons" option.
• A Microsoft 365 library will open, where you can search for the required icon.
• Now, you must insert it into your presentation and adapt it to your design.
• If you have an active Microsoft 365 subscription, you'll have access to a larger number of icons in PowerPoint.

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: If you want to learn more about icons in PowerPoint, read our article on How to Use Icons to Make Amazing PowerPoint Presentations .

PowerPoint Feature #4: Insert SmartArt

PowerPoint's SmartArt is one of the most popular and accessible tools to dominate while learning about PowerPoint basics.

To use it in your slide deck, you must:

• Select SmartArt.
• See all SmartArt categories and choose your favorite based on your needs.
• Add the text you have prepared and adapt it to your presentation.

We want to give you some ideas to master this SmartArt tool in PowerPoint: you can make timelines , flowcharts , and even a Venn diagram in just a few seconds. Try and see!

PowerPoint Feature #5: Remove Background

If you don't know how to use Photoshop and want to remove the background from an image, in this PowerPoint 101 Guide, we show you how:

• First choose the image you want to remove the background from.
• Insert the image in the PowerPoint workspace.
• Select the image and go to the "Picture Format" tab.
• Select "Remove Background" (first option on the left).
• You can keep and remove parts of the image with the first two tools of the ribbon (see image).
• Keep in mind that all the sections highlighted in purple will be deleted.

• We recommend zooming in to keep or remove parts of the image with more detail.
• Once you're done, press the "Keep Changes" button.
• Finally, adapt the new image to your PowerPoint presentation.

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: Choose a high-contrast photo or image for best results. In other words, the outline of the person or object you want to cut out must have clear edges and cannot blend with the image's background color.

PowerPoint Feature #6: Add Speaker Notes

The latest PowerPoint feature is a command you can use to prepare your speech before presenting to an audience.

Learning how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint is simple:

• Select the slide that needs some notes.
• Usually, there is a footer below the slide, but if not, you will have to activate it.
• Go to the View tab and select "Notes."
• The Speaker Notes section will appear, and you can add whatever you want!

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: In case you want to practice your entire presentation and have a lot of notes, go to the View tab and select "Notes Page" (fourth command). You'll be able to see all your Speaker Notes faster!

PowerPoint Feature #7: PowerPoint Translator

If you've ever wondered how to translate your PowerPoint Slides, we'll explain the step by step here:

• Go to the Review tab.
• Select the text you want to translate.
• Press the “Translate” button.
• A panel will open on the right side of the screen.
• Choose the language you need and you'll see the translation in real-time.
• If you press Insert, the text will change to the new translation!

PowerPoint Feature #8: Screen Recording

The process of recording your screen in PowerPoint is straightforward and intuitive. Let's see:

• Go to the “Record” or “Recording” tab.
• Press the "Record Slide Show" button or the “From Beginning” button (depending on your PPT version).
• A new window will open.
• Select the red record button and start recording!
• When you're done, select “Export.”
• By default, the video will be 1080p. If you want to lower the video quality, go to "Customize export."
• Name the video, save it to a folder and that's it!

As you may have noticed, this software has endless PowerPoint design options for beginners. We encourage you to try and test each functionality!

However, we're clear that PowerPoint has different features, so it can be hard to know where to start. That's why understanding PowerPoint basics is crucial if you truly want to master this software!

Our PowerPoint 101 Guide continues; stay tuned to discover more great stuff about this Microsoft software. Keep reading!

A PowerPoint template is a pre-made design that you can use for your own means, and that will save you a lot of time!

Templates in PowerPoint are a great resource for designing since all the structure is already done, and you only have to update the content . We can tell you they're the perfect resource for PowerPoint beginners!

They can be incredibly specific. For example, there are templates for a SWOT analysis or a complete Marketing report. Otherwise, templates can also be very general, with several slides with a similar design.

If you struggle with the artistic part of designing presentations, downloading PowerPoint templates will be a life changer!

How to download PowerPoint templates for free?

If you didn't know, 24Slides has an extensive repository of PowerPoint templates. But how to obtain them? It's really simple:

• First, create an account on our Free Templates Website with the button “Register” (that way, you can download everything without problems!).
• Think about the graphics you need and the ideal structure for your presentation deck (you can also change the color palette later!).
• Download it in PowerPoint format (if you prefer it in Google Slides format, you'll also find this type in our repository).
• Edit and change everything you need for your PowerPoint presentation!

24Slides Designers specialize in business and corporate PowerPoints, but you'll also find other types of templates on our website: Data templates, Timelines, Roadmaps, Matrixes, Diagrams, and more.

Keep in mind that a well-designed PowerPoint deck helps you communicate stronger messages to your audience . Don't waste this opportunity to make your presentation shine!

If you want to learn more about how to master PowerPoint, do not miss the last section. We'll show you some PowerPoint basics from the software itself!

A PowerPoint 101 Guide wouldn't be that useful with no examples. So, if you enjoy the step-by-step guides, this section is for you.

Below, we'll show you how to make a simple PowerPoint presentation. But first, here are some tips to be more efficient in the process:

• Be clear about what type of presentation you're going to create (is it corporate, playful, or more creative?).
• Make a draft with the most important information you need to add and, thus, generate a good structure in your presentation .
• Get inspired by examples on the internet , but adapt them to your needs and audience.
• If you will create a business presentation, keep in mind your brand identity .
• Make sure your PowerPoint works , you may need to update to the latest version or pay for the subscription.

Step 1: Make a draft to structure your presentation

As we said before, writing a draft or script of your content will be vital to start on the right foot as a PowerPoint beginner.

This advice is so important that we choose it as the first step to learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation. Remember: Planning is key!

Regarding the process of planning, we share some good practices:

• If your presentation will be very long , write down all subtitles and content in a Word document. This will help you organize your ideas and give a correct sequence to your narrative. In addition to avoiding redundancies in the message you want to communicate.
• If your presentation will use many visual resources , we recommend choosing high-quality images. This will help you have a starting graphic base. Some good free image repositories are Freepick , Unsplash , and Adobe Stock .
• If your presentation is based on data , have all your results summarized or your most relevant conclusions at hand. The idea of making a PowerPoint presentation is to show your information in the simplest way possible for your audience.

Step 2: Create a new document in PowerPoint

Once you check that all the functions are working fine with the software, please open it and go to the File tab. If you've ever used Word or Excel, you'll probably find this Home Menu familiar.

In short, this is the main page of PowerPoint, where you can create a new presentation or open an older one. Let's see:

In order to follow this part of our PowerPoint Tutorial correctly, take into consideration the following points:

• On the lower side of the screen, you'll find your recently opened PowerPoint files. This option is great for saving some time.
• If you don't find the presentation you're looking for, click on the “Open” option at the left bar and find older files.
• Don't forget to save your presentation with a relatable name so you won't lose sight of it!

Step 3: Choose the perfect design for your presentation

With your information ready in a draft, it's time to choose the design of your PowerPoint slide deck. You must imagine that the available design options are endless!

For practical reasons, you have three options regarding the design:

• Start a design from scratch (very difficult for a PowerPoint beginner).
• Choose an established PowerPoint design or layout.
• Download a PowerPoint template and modify some details.

Don't worry if you don't know how to continue! In this PowerPoint 101 class, we're going to explain step by step the second option:

How do you set a default design in PowerPoint?

• First, go to the Design tab.
• Open the list of options by clicking on the third arrow.
• Choose the design you like the most for your PowerPoint presentation.

If you want to explore more PowerPoint designs, there is a way to research online. For that, you only need to:

• Go to the File tab (first tab, next to the Home tab).
• Select "More themes" (see image).

• Use the search engine and write the keyword you want (it can be related to your business or it can be a color).
• Check the list of PowerPoint themes and choose your favorite.
• Wait a few minutes while it loads and keep designing in PowerPoint!

How do you change the layout of one slide in PowerPoint?

In this PowerPoint 101 Guide, you will also learn how to configure the layout of each slide.

Keep in mind that to have a high-impact presentation, you must adapt your slides' design to the type of content you'll add. And using layouts is perfect for this purpose.

To change the layout type in PowerPoint, follow these steps:

• Right-click on the slide you want to change.
• Select the "Layout" option.
• You will find more than ten layout models.
• Choose the one that best suits your content.
• Repeat these steps for each slide (if you wish or require).

How do you customize your slides in PowerPoint?

The design process in this PowerPoint 101 Guide doesn't stop there.

You also can customize your presentation's color palette , font style, background format , and graphics effects .

Just go to:

• Design tab > Variants.
• Select Colors, Fonts, Effects or Background Styles (as you need).
• If you're inspired and want to create your own background in PowerPoint, select Background Styles > Format Background.
• Finally, custom your slides as you want!

Step 4: Add all your information to your presentation

Now, it's time to add all your information to your slides. If your script is long, take your time to copy each part of it.

In this PowerPoint Tutorial, we're going to show how our design is going so far. We design at your side!

Step 5: Add transitions or animations to your presentation

The stamp of PowerPoint is its transitions and animations! Naturally, our PowerPoint 101 has considered these essential commands.

If you want to add them to your presentation and make your speech more fluid, follow these steps:

• Go to the tabs section of PowerPoint.
• Select "Transitions" or "Animations" and try your favorite effects.
• Remember that if you select Transitions, these will modify the entire slide, while Animations can be added to each element individually.

When choosing one Animation, you can eliminate it if you aren't 100% convinced. You only need to:

• Select the Animation number that appears on the corner.
• Press the "Delete" or "Backspace" button on your keyboard.
• Choose another Animation in PowerPoint if you want!

This “PowerPoint for dummies” is full of tips and tricks! So here is one more: Don't overuse transitions or animations in PowerPoint ; they can make your presentation slower and unprofessional . Use this tool in a subtle way!

Step 6: Refine the final details

As always, every final product must be reviewed. Especially if you're learning the PowerPoint fundamentals with us.

We recommend reviewing each slide of your PowerPoint presentation one final time. In this process, you will be able to:

• Add icons if your presentation requires it.
• Change any image or illustration if they don't convince you.
• Change transitions or animations.
• Customize your presentation's color palette .
• Proofread your slides' text or add more information.
• Add speaker notes to your presentation.

Step 7: Slideshow your presentation

When your presentation is finished, it's essential to know how to make a PowerPoint slideshow. This way, you can see your slides from the exact same perspective your audience will see them.

To slideshow your presentation in PowerPoint, follow these simple steps for PowerPoint beginners:

• Position yourself on your first slide.
• Go to the bottom right of the software.
• Select the "Slide Show" button (see image).
• Have a look of your presentation by clicking on each slide or pressing the right arrow on your keyboard.
• To go out from the Slide Show mode, you have to press the ESC key.

Now you can present your slides like an expert!

When you master this presentation design software, you'll be able to create amazing things in PowerPoint : infographics, diagrams, charts, pitch decks, business cards, calendars, you name it!

This was our PowerPoint Guide for beginners. We hope that our compilation today will be useful for conducting more professional presentations in the future and, why not, achieve all your goals!

Don't forget to share this PowerPoint 101 Guide with your co-workers or whoever you want!

Want to boost your beginner PowerPoint skills? Check out this content:

• How to Work with Multiple Images in PowerPoint
• How to Add a Timer to Your Powerpoint Presentations
• PowerPoint Charts, Graphs, & Tables Made Easy | Tips & Tricks
• How To Use PowerPoint Design Ideas - All Questions Answered!
• 36 Fun Icebreakers for Your Next Presentation
• The Cost of PowerPoint Presentations: Discover the hidden expenses you might overlook!

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• PowerPoint is the most popular presentation software, but Google Slides and Apple Keynote are popular, too.

Microsoft PowerPoint creates slideshows suitable for projectors or big-screen TVs. Usually, a presenter speaks to the audience and uses the PowerPoint presentation to hold the listeners' attention and add visual information. However, some presentations are created and recorded to provide a digital-only experience. This article addresses PowerPoint 2019 and 2016, PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2016, and PowerPoint Online.

PowerPoint presentations output to photo albums—complete with music or narrations—shareable on CDs, DVDs, or flash drives. The software supports charts, images, and org charts. Make your presentation into a web page for emailing purposes or as a promotion displayed on your company's website.

It is easy to customize presentations with your company logo and dazzle your audience by using one of the many design templates that come with the program. Many more free add-ins and templates are available online from Microsoft and other websites. In addition to an on-screen slideshow, PowerPoint features printing options that allow the presenter to provide handouts and outlines for the audience and notes pages for the speaker to refer to during the presentation.

PowerPoint is part of the Microsoft Office package and is also available as:

• A standalone program for Windows computers and Macs
• Part of a Microsoft 365 subscription
• PowerPoint Online
• PowerPoint apps for Android and iOS mobile devices

PowerPoint comes with many templates that set the tone of a presentation—from casual to formal to off-the-wall.

Select a template and replace the placeholder text and images with your own to customize the presentation. Add additional slides in the same template format as you need them and add text, images, and graphics. As you learn, add special effects, transitions between slides, music, charts, and animations —all these features are built into the software—to enrich the experience for the audience.

A group can use PowerPoint to collaborate on a presentation.

In this case, the presentation is saved online on Microsoft OneDrive , OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint. Send your collaborators or co-workers a link to the PowerPoint file and assign them either viewing or editing permissions when you're ready to share. Comments on the presentation are visible to all the collaborators.

If you use the free PowerPoint Online, work and collaborate using your favorite desktop browser. You and your team can work on the same presentation at the same time from anywhere. You need a Microsoft account.

PowerPoint is by far the most popular  presentation software program available. Approximately 30 million presentations are created daily in the software. Although it has several competitors, they lack the familiarity and global reach of PowerPoint. Apple's Keynote software is similar, and ships free on all Macs, but it has only a small share of the presentation software user base.

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A step-by-step guide to captivating PowerPoint presentation design

november 20, 2023

by Corporate PowerPoint Girl

Do you often find yourself stuck with a lackluster PowerPoint presentation, desperately seeking ways to make it more engaging and visually appealing? If your boss has ever told you to "please fix" a presentation and you didn't know where to start, you're not alone. In this article, we'll walk you through a straightforward method to transform your PowerPoint slides into a visually captivating masterpiece. 

Let's dive right in! 

Clean up your slides 

The first step in this journey to presentation excellence is all about decluttering your slides and elevating their impact. Say goodbye to those uninspiring bullet points that often dominate presentations. Instead, focus on what truly matters – the key call-out numbers. By increasing the font size of these numbers, you ensure they take center stage, immediately drawing your audience's attention. 

To make those numbers pop, consider breaking the text after the numbers into the next line and adding a touch of color. The contrast created by pairing a dark color with a lighter shade, like dark teal and light teal or burnt orange with peach, can work wonders. This simple adjustment makes your data more engaging , enhancing the overall impact of your presentation. 

Add dimension with boxes 

Now, let's introduce an element of depth and organization to your slides. By adding boxes, you'll create a visually pleasing structure that guides your audience through the content. In the "Insert" menu, select "Table" and opt for a one-by-one table. Change the table color to a light gray shade, elongate it, and position it neatly to the left of your text. 

To improve readability and aesthetics, increase the spacing between text phrases. A small adjustment in the before spacing setting (setting it to 48) significantly enhances the visual appeal of your slides. 

Insert circles 

To further enhance the visual appeal and engagement of your slides, let's introduce circles. In the Insert menu, navigate to Shapes and choose the circle. Adjust the circle's height and width to 1.2, ensuring it complements your content seamlessly. Match the circle's shape fill color with the corresponding text color for a harmonious look. 

Avoid using colored outlines for the circles, as they may distract from the overall aesthetic. This simple addition of circles adds an element of visual interest to your presentation, making it more captivating. 

Choose icons 

Now, it's time for a touch of creativity. Selecting icons to complement your text can elevate the clarity and appeal of your slides. In the "Insert" menu, you can search for relevant keywords to find the perfect icon from PowerPoint's extensive library . 

For instance, if your text discusses investment portfolio yield, search for "growth" and choose an upward arrow growth icon. These icons add an extra layer of visual appeal and clarity to your content, making it more engaging and informative. 

Final touches 

To wrap up the transformation process, we come to the final touches that give your presentation a polished, professional finish. Align your icons with their corresponding circles and change the shape fill color to white. This simple adjustment creates a crisp, cohesive look that ties everything together seamlessly. 

In conclusion, by following these steps, you've embarked on a journey to enhance your PowerPoint presentation . These initial steps are just the beginning of your exploration into the world of design elements and styles that can cater to your specific presentation needs. The key to a stunning PowerPoint presentation lies in the details. By following these steps, you can turn a lackluster set of slides into a visually engaging and dynamic presentation that will captivate your audience. So, the next time your boss says, "Please fix," you'll know exactly where to start. Happy presenting! 

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Microsoft PowerPoint is an easy program to use and a powerful tool for giving a presentation. Whether your presentation needs a visual kick, tools for collaboration, easy access or the ability to share information beyond the initial meeting, PowerPoint is a good option. It can even help reduce speaking anxiety by drawing eyes away from the speaker and towards a screen. Just do not expect this technology to substitute for sound and dynamic speaking skills.

Visual Impact

Making your presentation more interesting through the use of multimedia can help to improve the audience's focus. PowerPoint allows you to use images, audio and video to have a greater visual impact. These visual and audio cues may also help a presenter be more improvisational and interactive with the audience. However, try not to overly rely on these sources as your message might get lost in the clutter.

Collaboration

PowerPoint allows you to work with other people in a collaborative manner. This is especially useful in office settings where teamwork is key. Multiple people can collaborate on and contribute to a presentation. By going to the "Review" tab at the top of the program and clicking the "New Comment" button, you can leave notes and reposition them on the screen for other team members to view. Comments can be an especially beneficial tool for clarification.

Content Sharing

Share your PowerPoint presentation with the world. Did someone miss your presentation? Have them view it online at a time that is convenient for them. You can upload your presentation to websites such as YouTube with everything featured in your work including all of the slides, commentary and transitions. All you have to do is go to "File," "Save and Send" and "Create a Video." The file will be saved in WMV format, which is capable of playback on Windows Media Player and can be uploaded to most video sites.

Flexibility

PowerPoint can be used in a number of different effective ways to communicate with your audience. Slides are completely customizable to fit your needs. Depending on your approach, you may want to have a presentation that is text-heavy, image-heavy or some combination of both. Text-heavy presentations are generally good if you are giving a lecture to a group within your company and want them to take notes. Image-heavy presentations can help to make your presentation more conversational in style since there only visual cues. Combining the two approaches gives listeners the benefits of both visual aids and notes.

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Author and blogger Kyle W. Bell has been writing since 2003. His work appears on Game Freaks 365 and Smashwords. Bell has a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a certificate in paralegal studies from Indiana University South Bend.

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Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > PowerPoint Tips: Make The Most of Your Presentation

PowerPoint Tips: Make The Most of Your Presentation

Got a presentation coming up but you’re not that familiar with PowerPoint ? We can help you get started with some easy PowerPoint tips and tricks that’ll help you create an impactful presentation , no matter what the occasion.

Our PowerPoint for beginners tips will show you how to:

• Make an outline.
• Choose a theme.
• Find a font.
• Use visuals.
• Not use too much text.
• Limit your color.
• Use a free online “speaker coach”.

Tell your story with captivating presentations

Powerpoint empowers you to develop well-designed content across all your devices

Outline your presentation before you start. Don’t spend time making unnecessary slides for your presentation. Create an outline before you start. Not only will this make it easier to put the content on the slides, but it will also let you know how many slides you need to make. Rather than winging it and making slides as you go, use your outline to make your slides efficient and organized . Working without an outline can sometimes lead to jumbled slides with more information than you need.

Choose a theme and template. Not everybody is a graphic designer, so coming up with the perfect slide theme and template can seem hard. Thanks to PowerPoint templates, it isn’t. Find a free online template that gives you the design, layout, color scheme, and aesthetic you want. Be sure to choose something that fits what you’re talking about (e.g. Don’t use a whimsical theme with bright colors and butterflies if you’re presenting a serious topic.)

Find the right font . Knowing which font to use for your presentation isn’t always easy. When it comes to the basics of selecting the best font, follow best-practice recommendations that say an easy-to-read sans-serif font is preferred. Fonts like Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, and others like it make for simple fonts that are easy to read. Although, there are some serif fonts that still look great on PowerPoint and are easy to read on high-resolution screens. When you’re building out the format of your slides, a great way to distinguish the title section from the body text is by using a different font for each or bolding your title font.

Use visuals . Words on a page aren’t nearly as engaging as visuals. Keep your audience’s attention during your presentation by using visuals like graphics, animations, photos, and videos. PowerPoint makes it easy to insert clipart, tables, graphs, and much more by using the features built into the program. You can also include gifs and YouTube videos to up the ante on your presentation.

While it’s great to use fun gifs or YouTube videos to enhance your presentation, don’t go crazy. Eventually, your audience will get tired of looking at a five-second loop on a gif as you speak, and videos don’t always have the impact you want. Videos can be distracting to your audience because they change the pace of your presentation, so it’s a good idea to limit the number of videos you include.

Tip: If you’re going to lay words over a picture, use a colored box with the opacity down around 50% to create more contrast between the image and the words.

Limit your text. Your audience doesn’t want to read; they want to listen to you. Don’t fill your slides with long sentences and complex phrasing. Instead, include only the most important points of what you want to say. The PowerPoint 6×6 rule suggests limiting your slides to six lines with a maximum of six words per line. Following this rule makes for slides that include only the most important points while avoiding information overload. Using bullet points is a great way to stick to the 6×6 rule.

Go easy on the colors. Be careful of the colors you use when making a PowerPoint presentation. Too many bright colors can be hard on the eyes and reduce the contrast between the letters, making them hard to read. It’s generally a good idea to use a black or white font with a color that makes the font pop against the background. Black on white is always easy to read, and white looks great against most solid colors. If you’re not sure how a specific font color looks against a background, sit back in your chair, and try to read it. If it’s hard to read with the font and background you have, it’s a good idea to change one or both.

Use a free online “speaker coach”. Rehearsing in front of a mirror is good, but using free speaker coaching software is even better. Do you say “um” a lot? Are you talking too fast? Did you use a culturally insensitive term? A free digital “coach” with built-in AI will catch all that stuff and more.It’s the best way to assess your strengths and weaknesses and identify areas of growth.

These PowerPoint tips are enough to get you started on your presentation. Soon, you’ll be creating and presenting a beautiful deck.

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6 ways to improve your microsoft word formatting, microsoft office apps provide a new path for hackers, quick links, what are animations, what are transitions, things to note before you begin, how to add, amend, and remove an animation, how to add, amend, and remove a transition, using the morph transition.

PowerPoint's animations and transitions can help you grab your audience's attention, present information in bite-sized chunks, and—when used sparingly—deliver a more professional presentation. In this article, we'll run through the nuts and bolts of these useful PowerPoint tools.

Animations are effects you can add to your slides' text, pictures, shapes, graphics, tables, and other elements. There are four different types of animations:

• Entrance animations—These are the effects you can add to make an object appear on your slide in different ways.
• Emphasis animations—You can add an emphasis animation to an object already visible on your slide, such as changing its size or color.
• Exit animations—The opposite to entrance animations, exit animations make objects disappear from your slide through different effects.
• Motion paths animations —You can make an element on your slide move to a different place, with your audience seeing this movement from where it started to where it ends up.

You can use more than one animation on a single object. For example, you can apply an entrance animation to some text, followed by an emphasis animation.

A transition effect dictates how your presentation progresses from one slide to the next, and you can choose from three different levels of complexity:

• Subtle—These are the most basic types of transitions in PowerPoint, aiding speed and slickness as you jump from one slide to the next.
• Exciting—You can make your transitions more visually entertaining.
• Dynamic—A dynamic transition applies to all parts of a slide, except for the background, giving the illusion that the content is rolling through on a single page.

Only one transition effect can be added to each slide, and it's important that you apply the transition to the slide that will be visible once the transition is complete. For example, if you have two slides and want to create a transition effect as you move from slide 1 to slide 2, you will need to apply the transition to slide 2.

Before you add animation and transition effects to your PowerPoint presentation, bear in mind the following tips:

• Don't add too many animations and transitions . Overusing these features can distract your audiences in ways you didn't intend to, and they can also look tacky and unprofessional. Ask yourself, "Does this make my presentation better?" If the answer is no, don't add it.
• Another issue with using too many animations and transitions is that it could significantly slow down your PowerPoint file's processing speed , as it adds volume to your file size.
• Keep things professional in the right contexts. For example, if you're presenting a formal business plan, you don't want to add funky transitions that take ten seconds to complete. Try sticking to slick effects that last less than a second.
• Use the same transition effect for each slide and, if you can, the same animation for each item.

It's a widely shared opinion that Microsoft 365's desktop apps offer more flexibility and functionality than their web-based counterparts. However, the exact opposite can be said for adding animations, which is significantly easier to do on PowerPoint for the web than via the subscription-only app. So, to create the animations for screenshots in this section, we have used PowerPoint online, rather than the desktop app, and we recommend that you do the same.

Before you add any animations, click "Animation Pane" in the Animations tab on the ribbon. This will open a pane on the right side of your window, which will make seeing and managing your animations much easier.

Now, select the item you want to animate. If you want several items on a slide to animate in the same way at the same time, hold Ctrl while clicking them all. Then, click the down arrow in the Animations tab, and choose the appropriate effect.

You will then see an animation card in the Animation Pane for the effect you just added. Here, you can change the animation type, how it is activated (whether via a click, with the previous animation, or after the previous animation), and the duration and delay.

If you have more than one animation on a slide and want to reorder them, click and drag the six dots next to the relevant animation card upwards or downwards.

Finally, to remove an animation, click the trash icon on the appropriate animation card.

You can also animate paragraphs of text within a text box. To do so, select the relevant text, and follow the same process.

Whether you're using PowerPoint's desktop app or the online version of the program, adding transitions involves a very similar process.

First, select the slide you want to transition to (for example, you'll select slide 2 if you want to create a transition from slide 1 to slide 2) in the slide thumbnail pane, and then click the "Transitions" tab on the ribbon.

To see more transitions, click the down arrow on the right-hand side of the Transition To This Slide group.

Clicking any of the transition effects on display will do two things—first, it will show you a preview of what that transition will look like, and second, it will apply that transition to that slide.

You can then amend the options (such as the direction of the transition) and timing of the transition using the settings on the right side of the Transitions tab. This is where you can also add a sound effect to the transition, or decide whether the transition effect occurs when you click your mouse or automatically after a given length of time.

If you want to apply the same transition effect and options to all slides, click "Apply To All" in the Timing group of the Transition tab when you have finished setting up your transition's parameters. You can then select individual slides to make further adjustments if needed.

To remove a transition, select the slide in the slide thumbnail pane, and click "None" in the Transitions tab.

PowerPoint's Morph is a transition effect that recognizes differences between the same items on two slides, and smoothly transitions between them when you proceed from one slide to the next. For example, you might have an image on slide 1, and the same image in a different position on slide 2. The morph transition gives your audience the impression that you're still on the same slide, but the objects are merely moving and resizing.

This is different to the motion path animation, which you can set for different items and activate at different times on your slide. The morph transition, however, moves all items together as you move from one slide to the next, saving you from having to apply motion path animations to individual objects. Any objects on the first slide but not the second will simply fade away during the morph transition. Similarly, any new items on the second slide will appear gradually.

In this example, we have a title and an image on slide 1, and the same objects on slide 2 but in different places and different sizes. We created this scenario by copying and pasting the whole of slide 1, and then changing the text and image on slide 2. However, you can also create a blank slide, and then copy and paste the different elements you want to morph.

Then, we need to select slide 2, and click "Morph" in the Transitions tab on the ribbon.

Then, press F5 to see your presentation, and witness the smooth morph transition from one slide to the next. You can also use this transition effect to zoom into an image or fade an image into the background. Just ensure that you copy and paste from one slide to the next before you create the transition, so that PowerPoint recognizes them as the same.

If animations and transitions are new to you, check out these other tips that you should also know before you design your next presentation.

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13+ Different Uses for PowerPoint (more than just presentations)

Last updated on July 13th, 2024

Microsoft’s PowerPoint, a component of the Office Suite, is a commercial application widely adopted by diverse sectors, including religious, corporate, and educational entities, for delivering visual presentations. By utilizing animations, graphics, and text, this software enables users to create dynamic and informative slides, typically projected on screens for various educational, training, or business presentations. Moreover, with some creativity, users can embed macros, tables, charts, and multimedia elements like videos, audio clips, and images.

Using animation, graphics, and text, this Presentation software package allows the user to make informational and dynamic slides. Further, the slides are displayed on projection screens for educational, training, or business Presentations. With a bit of creativity, you can also create macros, tables, and charts and insert videos, audio, and images as well.

The flexibility of PowerPoint extends beyond professional contexts; it can be an effective tool for both work and play. Your usage is limited only by your imagination. So, what is PowerPoint used for? Here are some diverse applications and more than 10 uses of PowerPoint in education, business and in real-life presentations.

1. Using PowerPoint to Create Tutorials

In training or educational settings, PowerPoint can facilitate the creation of worksheets, tutorials and training programs . For example, an elementary vocabulary worksheet could feature clip art images of various objects for students to label. Tutorials can be printed and distributed to individual students, enhancing their learning experience.

2. Using PowerPoint to Create a Digital Portfolio

Artists or designers aiming to compile a polished electronic portfolio can utilize PowerPoint to display their work. Each slide can contain multiple graphics and visual images, forming a comprehensive showcase of their talent. The added benefit? This electronic portfolio can be easily sent via email or published online using platforms like Behance, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, or SlideOnline if the portfolio is a PowerPoint presentation.

3. Animating with PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a resourceful tool for designing unique and captivating animations. It allows the addition of music, sound, and effects, thereby enriching the animation experience. You can animate elements from the clip art library or your own drawings. For additional resources, consider downloading a good animation background for PowerPoint from any subscription-based service like PresenterMedia .

4. PowerPoint as a Photo Slideshow

PowerPoint can help you create a personalized photo slideshow or digital album for various purposes. Whether it’s a touching tribute to a family member or a fun presentation of a newly wed couple’s childhood photos at their wedding reception, the possibilities are endless.

You can read more articles on Organizing a Presentation .

5. Using PowerPoint for Digital Storytelling

PowerPoint can be an effective tool to craft digital narratives or storybooks, using a combination of text, images, sound effects, and narration to tell a story. This can be particularly engaging in educational settings, but also in marketing and advertising.

6. Using PowerPoint for Making Interactive Quizzes

With its hyperlink functionality, PowerPoint can be used to create interactive quizzes or games. This can be a great tool for teachers in a classroom setting, or for trainers in a corporate environment to assess understanding and engagement.

7. Using PowerPoint to Make Infographics

PowerPoint’s graphic design capabilities allow you to create visually engaging infographics . You can use shapes, icons, charts, and text to represent data or information in an easy-to-understand format.

8. Using PowerPoint for Project Planning

You can use PowerPoint to create project timelines or Gantt charts. This can be a simple but effective tool for project management, allowing everyone on the team to visualize key dates and tasks. Alternatively, there is a huge collection of timeline templates for PowerPoint that you can use, if you don’t want to create a timeline from scratch.

9. Creating Brochures and Flyers in PowerPoint

With the right layout and design, PowerPoint can be used to create professional-looking brochures and flyers. This is a cost-effective alternative for small businesses and organizations that may not have access to more expensive design software.

10. Using PowerPoint for Video Creation

PowerPoint’s animation features and ability to save presentations as videos make it possible to create simple animations or explainer videos. This use of PowerPoint can be useful for product demonstrations, online tutorials, or marketing campaigns. You can also upload the finished videos to online video platforms like YouTube or Vimeo.

11. Interactive Maps in PowerPoint

You can create interactive maps in PowerPoint that allow users to click on different regions for more information. This can be used for educational purposes or for presenting region-specific data in a business context.

12. Using PowerPoint to Make Flashcards

PowerPoint slides can serve as digital flashcards for self-study or review. This can be particularly useful for students, or for anyone preparing for a test or presentation.

13. Using PowerPoint as a Resume Builder

Traditional word-processing software may limit your ability to visually distinguish your resume. However, PowerPoint provides greater flexibility for designing a eye-catching, informative, and unique resume. You can use PowerPoint to make a visually appealing resume . It enables you to play with colors, shapes, text formats, and visuals to create an outstanding document that can set you apart from the competition. Check some of the best resume templates in PowerPoint here .

Conclusions

When we started analyzing this article, we wanted to list 10 uses of PowerPoint. However, after presenting these 13 different uses of PowerPoint for presentations we understood that only thirteen reasons for using PowerPoint fall short. So, what is PowerPoint used for? There are virtually much more uses of PowerPoint hence the list started to increase.

The applications listed above merely scratch the surface of PowerPoint’s capabilities. Online research can reveal more intriguing uses for Microsoft PowerPoint, allowing you to create a presentation that capitalizes on your experience and skills. You might discover other uses of PowerPoint in educational presentations, educational games, or professional presentations crafted to secure a significant business deal. Alternatively, you can check out some of the PowerPoint topics & ideas for presentations or other some ways to use PowerPoint other than presentation.

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Free PowerPoint Project Charter Templates

By Lulu Richter | August 3, 2024

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We’ve compiled the top project charter templates for PowerPoint to help you outline your project goals, timelines, and stakeholder details efficiently.

Included in this article, you’ll find the following:

• Advanced project charter template
• Agile Scrum project charter template
• Six Sigma charter template
• Committee project charter template
• Project kickoff meeting charter template

PowerPoint Basic Project Charter Template

Download the Blank Basic Project Charter Template for PowerPoint

Download the Sample Basic Project Charter Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  Use this basic team charter slide template when you need a straightforward, easy-to-understand framework for defining team roles, responsibilities, and objectives and don’t require extensive customization.

Notable Template Features:  With or without sample data, this template stands out, thanks to its clear, concise sections that facilitate quick comprehension and implementation, making it ideal for new teams or projects focusing on simplicity and efficiency.

For additional project charter templates and guidelines, check out our comprehensive collection of  project charter templates and guidelines . 

Advanced PowerPoint Project Charter Template

Download the Blank Advanced Project Charter Template for PowerPoint

Download the Sample Advanced Project Charter Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  Use this advanced PowerPoint project charter template for complex projects that require detailed planning and clear communication across multiple teams or departments to ensure thorough documentation and structured processes.

Notable Template Features:  This template with or without sample data is distinguished by its comprehensive sections covering all aspects of project management, from risk assessment to change management. This makes it ideal for intricate projects that have high stakes and multiple stakeholders.

If you’re looking for a detailed form to create your project charter, visit this  project charter form template for a ready-to-use option. 

PowerPoint Agile Scrum Project Charter Template

Download the Blank Agile Scrum Project Charter Template for PowerPoint

Download the Sample Agile Scrum Project Charter Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  Deploy this PowerPoint Agile Scrum project charter template when your project requires a flexible, iterative approach to manage user-centric tasks and stories. With this template you can ensure continuous delivery of valuable features.

Notable Template Features:  This template with or without sample data excels due to its detailed breakdown of user activities, tasks, and stories, along with prioritization and journey stages. The template is ideal for Agile teams focused on delivering high-impact user experiences in incremental releases.

PowerPoint Six Sigma Charter Template

Download the Blank Six Sigma Charter Template for PowerPoint

Download the Sample Six Sigma Charter Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  Employ this PowerPoint Six Sigma team charter template for projects that require rigorous process improvement-methodologies that aim to enhance performance and eliminate defects.

Notable Template Features:  With or without sample data, this template’s strength lies in its detailed focus on Six Sigma methodologies, including DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, and control) phases and critical-to-quality metrics. The template is ideal for teams committed to data-driven, systematic problem-solving and process optimization. 

PowerPoint Committee Project Charter Template

Download the Committee Project Charter Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  Utilize this template when you are organizing a committee to tackle specific issues or achieve defined goals. The committee project charter template ensures a structured approach to governance and project execution.

Notable Template Features:  This template offers comprehensive coverage of governance structure and resource allocation, so it’s ideal for committees that need clear decision-making processes and well-defined roles to drive their initiatives successfully.

Understanding the essential components of a project charter is crucial — learn more about the  key elements of a project charter to ensure you include all necessary details.

PowerPoint Project Kickoff Meeting Charter Template

Download the Project Kickoff Meeting Charter Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  This project kickoff meeting charter template can ensure a well-structured and effective kickoff meeting, laying a solid foundation for your project’s execution.

Notable Template Features:  This template shines with its detailed agenda overview and comprehensive project scope and timeline sections, making it ideal for aligning the team and stakeholders on objectives, roles, and milestones right from the start.

Need help drafting your project charter? Follow this step-by-step guide on  how to write a project charter for expert tips and best practices.

PowerPoint IT Project Charter Template

Download the IT Project Charter Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  Opt for this information technology (IT) project charter template to address IT-specific challenges and solutions for projects that require clear articulation of technical goals and thorough planning.

Notable Template Features:  This template excels with its detailed budget overview and quality assurance measures, making it ideal for IT projects that demand meticulous resource planning, risk management, and adherence to technical standards.

PowerPoint Kaizen Project Charter Template

Download the Kaizen Project Charter Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  Use this Kaizen project charter template for continuous improvement projects that focus on enhancing efficiency and quality through incremental changes and active team involvement.

Notable Template Features:  This template is particularly effective with its thorough current state analysis and detailed implementation plan, which make it ideal for projects that require systematic identification of inefficiencies and structured strategies for improvement. 

PowerPoint Team Charter Canvas Template

Download the Team Charter Canvas Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  Apply this team charter canvas template when forming a new team or redefining an existing team’s structure and goals to ensure clarity in roles, values, and objectives to enhance team cohesion and effectiveness.

Notable Template Features:  This template is particularly effective due to its comprehensive coverage of team dynamics and individual roles, as well as a detailed RACI matrix. All of this makes it ideal for teams needing a clear understanding of responsibilities and strong alignment with project goals.

PowerPoint Lean Project Charter Template

Download the Lean Project Charter Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  Use this Lean project charter template for projects focused on enhancing efficiency and reducing waste, aligning with Lean principles to achieve streamlined processes and optimal resource utilization.

Notable Template Features:  This template emphasizes Lean methodologies and risk management strategies, making it ideal for projects that require rigorous process improvements and effective stakeholder engagement to drive successful outcomes.

PowerPoint Construction Project Charter Template

Download the Construction Project Charter Template for PowerPoint

When to Use This Template:  Use this construction project charter template for organizing and managing complex construction projects, and ensure that all key aspects of the project, from scope to stakeholder involvement, are clearly defined and communicated.

Notable Template Features:  This template is particularly effective due to its detailed budget breakdown and phased timeline, making it ideal for construction projects that require meticulous planning, resource allocation, and risk management to ensure successful completion. 

Get the Most Out of Your Project Charter with Smartsheet for Project Management

Empower your people to go above and beyond with a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change. 

The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. 

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time.  Try Smartsheet for free, today.

Discover why over 90% of Fortune 100 companies trust Smartsheet to get work done.

How to Embed a Video in PowerPoint and Elevate Your Slides

Senior Marketing Manager at Loom

Have you ever sat through a dull PowerPoint presentation that left you struggling to keep your eyes open? Static slides crammed with text and bullet points aren’t enough to captivate your audience. 

You can turn a monotonous presentation into an engaging one by embedding videos into your slide deck. Not only do they attract attention, videos also create stronger feelings of connection between viewers and presenters.

Learn how to embed a video in PowerPoint and hold your audience’s attention during your presentation. Plus, get ideas for alternative ways to engage your audience, like using video creation tools to add visual demonstrations and explanations to your slide deck.

How to embed a video in PowerPoint

Ready to spice up your presentation? Let’s look at how to embed a video file saved to your laptop and how to embed an online video in your slides using the online version of Microsoft PowerPoint. 

Embed videos from your laptop

If your video is saved to your computer, embedding it in PowerPoint only takes a few steps:

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation and click on the slide where you’d like to embed your video, then click “Insert” to open a new toolbar at the top of the window.

2. With the Insert tab open, tap the arrow beside “Video”, and then select “This Device” or “Video on My PC.”

3. A new window will open. Search your computer for the video file you want to embed, tap the file name, and then choose “Insert.”

4. You can now drag and resize your video thumbnail to position it on your slide. You can also select your video thumbnail and open the Video toolbar to use the built-in PowerPoint video trimmer and add video captions.

Embed an online video

Have PowerPoint for Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2021, or PowerPoint 2019? Then you can embed an online video from YouTube and similar sites into a presentation slide. Here’s how to do it:

1. Find the video you want to embed and copy the video URL. On YouTube, you can do this by tapping the Share button below the video and then tapping the blue “Copy” link in the new window that pops up. You can also choose to copy the video embed code that appears when you tap the Embed option.

2. Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the slide where you want to embed the video. Then tap “Insert” to find the video embed options.

3. In the Insert toolbar, choose “Video > Online Video.” This should open a new window where you can paste the video link.

4. Paste your video link in the highlighted dialog box. PowerPoint should load a thumbnail preview of the video—if it doesn’t, double-check that you’ve copied the correct link. Tap “Insert” to embed your video.

5. You can now drag and resize your video thumbnail to position it on your slide. 

Embedding a video link allows you to view and play the video from the hosting website. But keep in mind you won’t be able to apply PowerPoint playback features like fade, bookmark, and trim. You’ll also need an internet connection to play the embedded video.

How to ensure your embedded video plays during your presentation

The best way to make sure you don’t run into any hiccups during your presentation is to test out your embedded video beforehand:

1. Follow the tutorial to embed your video into your PowerPoint presentation. 

2. Select the slide where your video is embedded and tap the video thumbnail to play it. This is also a good time to test controls such as pause, fast forward, and rewind.

3. Next, tap the “Present” button in the top-right corner of the PowerPoint window to open a full-screen version of your presentation and click through your slides until you get to your embedded video.

4. Depending on your video playback settings, your video should either play automatically or when you click. If it’s not set to play automatically, click to make sure it plays properly.

How to automatically play embedded PowerPoint videos

If you’re using the PowerPoint app, you can change the video playback settings so your video automatically plays or only plays when you click it.

1. Select the embedded video thumbnail on your PowerPoint slide. This should open a Video Tools toolbar at the top of the window.

2. Tap the “Playback” tab and then tap the drop-down menu next to “Start.”

3. Choose how you want PowerPoint to play your video:

In Click Sequence: This is the default setting when you’re using the PowerPoint app. It plays your video anytime you click on the slide to advance to the next step.

Automatically: This plays the video automatically. If you include animations on the same slide, this setting completes any animations you’ve set to play first and then plays your video.

When Clicked On: This is the default setting when you’re using the PowerPoint browser app. It requires you to click on the video thumbnail to play it.

Note that if you use the browser version of PowerPoint, you won’t have any playback options and your video will only play when you click on it.

Pros and cons of embedding a video link versus a file

Should you embed a link to an online video or upload your video file? Take a look at these pros and cons to decide the best approach for your situation: 

Embedding a web video link

You don’t have to worry about video or audio file compatibility.

No storage space is required to save the video on your device.

You must have an internet connection to play the video.

You can’t use PowerPoint’s built-in video trimmer or add captions.

Embedding a video file

You don’t need internet access to play the video.

You can further edit the video using PowerPoint’s built-in tools.

An embedded file increases your PowerPoint presentation file size.

You need to ensure you use the right video and audio file formats.

How to troubleshoot common video embedding issues

Having trouble embedding your video or getting it to play? Here are some common PowerPoint video issues and how to solve them.

Issue: PowerPoint can’t insert a video

1. Double-check that you’ve grabbed the full link for the video you want to embed, including “https://” at the beginning of the link.

2. Check that you’re using a version of PowerPoint that supports video embedding . PowerPoint for Android, PowerPoint for iOS, and PowerPoint Mobile for Windows, as well as some PowerPoint versions for Mac, don’t let you insert videos and play them.

3. If your version of PowerPoint supports video embeds, check if there are any updates available for it, then download and install them.

Issue: My YouTube video won’t play

If your embedded YouTube video won’t play, you can try copying and pasting the embed code instead of the video link. To do this:

1. Find the YouTube video you want to embed and tap the “Share” button.

2. A new pop-up window should appear. When it does, choose “Embed” from the options.

3. Copy the entire embed code.

4. Open PowerPoint and select the “Insert” toolbar, then tap the down arrow next to “Video” and choose “Online Video.” A new window should appear.

5. Paste the embed code and select “Insert.” Click the video thumbnail to see if your video plays correctly.

Issue: PowerPoint says I need Internet Explorer to play my video link

If you’re embedding an online video link, PowerPoint requires Internet Explorer to play the video. 

Wait, wasn’t Internet Explorer retired in 2021 ? Yes, but don’t worry, there’s a workaround. Here’s how to turn on Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge and fix your video link playback issues:

1. Open Microsoft Edge and type “edge://settings/defaultbrowser” into the address bar, then hit “Enter.”

2. Toggle on the option to “Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer.”

3. Restart Microsoft Edge and PowerPoint, then try to play your video again.

Issue: PowerPoint won’t embed my video file

If you’re trying to embed a video file from your device into PowerPoint and running into issues, the problem could be the video format. PowerPoint supports the following video file formats :

.asf and .avi

.mp4, .m4v, and .mov

.mpg and .mpeg

.avi and .vfw

.mp4 and .mpg4 as well as .mpg, .mpeg, .mpe, .m75, and .m15

.m4v, .m2v, and .ts

.mov and .qt

While it supports a number of video formats, you’ll likely get the best performance if you use PowerPoint’s recommended format of .mp4.

Upgrade your presentation with a Loom video

Trying to embed a video in your slide deck but the site you’re using isn’t supported by PowerPoint—or the file doesn’t load correctly? Record a Loom video while you present your PowerPoint presentation instead.

Loom video presentations give you the freedom to present any content you want. As long as you can share it on your screen, Loom records it alongside your webcam and audio to create memorable explanations, pitch decks , and training videos .

In addition to being able to personalize your slideshow, your teammates can view your Loom recording at any time. Plus, time-stamped comment and emoji reaction features give them a chance to respond to your video. So go ahead, ditch the slide deck, cancel that meeting, and create a captivating presentation with Loom’s screen recorder.

Aug 1, 2024

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Jeong Lee works in Marketing at Loom.

Impressive AI Powerpoint Builder

By: Stephen Toback

Gamma is a tool that leverages AI to help you create presentations, documents or websites. I got quite a bit of use out of their free credits to do some testing. I found their process easy and the content, both text AND images to be remarkably accurate. They also give you the ability to use AI to change photos or text after you create your document. Having a web search for images (which gave you the ability to only search images per a specific license, was pretty great. You could also generate AI images from within the app with a selection of various image engines (some were restricted to their paid subscription). At the end, you can export their content and continue editing in Powerpoint or export as a PDF.

I found the process to be pretty simple with a good selection of variables both in prompt and option choices.

I’m not sure what model they are using for AI text generation but I seemed to get a better result when I pasted in text made with ChatGPT 4o. This example uses their generation which was still good.

From that prompt, it generated an outline. The trial version limits you to 10 slides but I believe you can do up to 30 with the paid version.

Next step is to pick a theme.

There were options even in the free version to select your own fonts and create custom themes as well as add your own logo. The logo placement is limited to the bottom left corner, but I’ve already requested a feature request to be able to place it anywhere on the page.

That’s it. Here’s a link to the slides .

I wasn’t a fan of the default placement of the images as “fit” in large areas but the image selection was suprisingly good. Specifically how it picked the Karsh Center when talking about alumni. There are ways you can “fill” the image and change the “focus” which I thought was cool. Again, at anytime you can export to Powerpoint but I found you lose the ability to edit the images – they get cropped however they are in the app.

Overall, this was very impressive compared to my experience using ChatGPT to create Visual Basic scripts to create Powerpoints or using Co-Pilot 365 to create slide decks. The image searching (and ability to search for different images in the interface) was pretty extraordinary. I’d also add that their support is incredibly responsive.

This software has not been cleared to use at Duke so feel free to test, but do not use it for any protected information.

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