PowerPoint Tutorial: Master Your Presentations

Converting Presentations into Videos in PowerPoint 2013

Posted on June 22, 2016July 22, 2024 by Rick E

Converting PowerPoint presentations into videos is a great way to give your speech extra engaging power. Since most people are wired to watching videos, turning your deck into another multimedia format can make your audience completely consume your content.

One of the greatest perks of exporting a presentation as a movie is that you can play videos on both mobile phones and PCs. Presentation files, on the other hand, require Microsoft PowerPoint when viewing or editing a file.

Here’s a quick tutorial on exporting your presentation into a video with PowerPoint 2013:

1. Open the PowerPoint presentation that you want to turn into a video.

2. In the upper-left corner of the screen, click on File.

3. In the File menu, click on Export.

4. Choose Create a Video.

5. The Create a Video dialog box will appear, showing two drop-down lists and a time length box.

6. The first drop-down menu, labeled Presentation Quality, gives you three different quality options for your exported video.

The three Presentation Quality options are:

a. Presentation Quality

This has the largest file size, resulting in the highest quality. If you want an HD-quality video with high-end animation, we recommend choosing this one. Your video will be exported at a resolution of 1920px x 1080px.

b. Internet Quality

This will result in a medium-sized video, with a moderate quality. Your video will be exported at a resolution of 1280px x 720px.

c. Low Quality

This will give you the smallest file size, but also the lowest quality. Your video will be exported at a resolution of 852px by 480px.

The second drop-down box allows you to record timings and narrations for each slide. You can even record your own voice for your presentation’s narration.

It contains the following options:

a. Don’t Use Recorded Timings and Narrations

Choose this if you want each slide to stay onscreen for the same amount of time. The default time is 5 seconds.

If you want to change how long each slide will appear, you can adjust the number of seconds in the option labeled Seconds spent on each slide.

Click on the up arrow to increase it per second or click on the down arrow to decrease it. Otherwise, just click inside the text box and type how many seconds you want each slide to stay onscreen.

Take note that this option will remove any and all narrations you’ve recorded for this deck.

b. Use Recorded Timings and Narrations

Choose Record Timings and Narrations if you’d like to record narrations or set each slide to stay onscreen for different amounts of time.

7. Once you’re done with these settings, click the Create Video.

PowerPoint will start converting your presentation into a video file.

8. When it’s done, the Save As window will appear.

9. In the File name text box, type the name of your converted video.

10. When you’re done, click Save.

That’s it! Enjoy your PowerPoint video file!

Uploading your PowerPoint file as a video ensures an audience by allowing you and other people to share and watch the video in an instant. Try this video conversion trick to make your work – and your life – easier!

Reference

“How to Save or Convert a PowerPoint Presentation to a Video.” How-To-Geek. n.d. www.howtogeek.com/214947/how-to-save-or-convert-a-powerpoint-presentation-to-a-video

Recover Your Unsaved File in PowerPoint 2013

Posted on June 8, 2016July 22, 2024 by Rick E

Unsaved work can happen for a number of reasons. It can happen when there’s a power failure or a system crash, or for whatever reason, maybe you just forgot to hit “Save.”

Don’t worry. Recovering an unsaved file is possible in PowerPoint. In fact, there’s more than one way to recover it. These features are enabled by default, so you’re guaranteed to get your file back.

Be warned that it’s generally not recommended to change these settings because you’ll never know when you need to save unsaved work again.

This guide will point you to where an unsaved file usually goes and what to do to recover it.

Unsaved Files

For owners of Microsoft Office 2010 and higher, recovering an unsaved file is made even easier. However, for users that have the older version of Microsoft Office, refer to this link.

This tutorial will be using PowerPoint 2013, meaning we can access the option also known as AutoRecover.

1. Go to the ribbon and click on File.

2. In the second column that displays Recent Presentations, scroll down to the bottom and you’ll see a button that reads Recover Unsaved Presentations.

The files in this folder are only stored temporarily, so save your recovered file properly once you find it. Temporary files are deleted automatically from the system. Do not rely on recovery methods to save your work.

3. A dialog box labelled “Open” will appear which will contain your unsaved file.

Click on the address bar as highlighted in the image. This will show the filepath, displaying the exact location of your file.

Copy and paste the filepath to Windows Explorer: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles

Don’t forget to replace <username> with yours when copying the filepath from this article:

You can retrieve an unsaved presentation using this method with ease.

Interrupted Changes

This next method is suitable when your changes were interrupted and you wish to restore the changes you made in your work.

1. Go to the ribbon and click on File> Options.

2. A dialog box called “PowerPoint Options” will appear. Go to Save and see if the boxes are checked ☑ in the highlighted image. If yes, then you may proceed to the next step.

These options need to be present to restore your file’s unsaved changes. You won’t be able to recover your file’s previous state when these aren’t checked.

3. Copy the filepath located in the box beside AutoRecover file location. The file can be directly accessed by pasting the filepath in Windows Explorer.

Since this tutorial uses PowerPoint 2013 and runs on Windows 8, the filepath looks like this:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles

This filepath will lead you directly to your file. Save this as a separate PowerPoint file and pick up the changes from where you left off.

A Few More Pointers

Avoid relying too much on the recovery functions to save your work because they’re only hosted temporarily in their respective folders. If you leave them there, you’ll never be able to retrieve them after a certain period of time has passed. Always remember to save your files outside of these temporary file folders.

You also don’t want to risk damaging or corrupting your presentation save-states by changing the save settings in PowerPoint. It can be tempting to tweak the settings, but only advanced users should make these changes. In fact, changing these settings is highly discouraged because file recovery is placed there by default for good measure.

Save yourself from any potential headaches in the future and save your files properly.

Reference

“Recovery of MS PowerPoint Content from Temp Files.” office–recovery.com. www.office-recovery.com/powerpoint.asp

How to Add Narration to PowerPoint 2013

Posted on May 11, 2016July 22, 2024 by Rick E

Every opportunity needs to be maximized to make a sale. This includes sending a presentation file to clients outside the conference room.

Sound effects and music aren’t the only audio files you can add to your deck. By adding a narration to your PowerPoint 2013 and synchronizing your voice with your slides, you can make it feel like you’re right there discussing your idea. This connects with your audience further since you explicitly tell the story instead of them reading the deck by themselves.

To provide a comprehensive deck that’s easy to understand, add a narration as the final touch to your self-running presentation.

We’ll cover the steps on how you can lay out the narration for your deck. First, make sure that you have a microphone available so that you’ll be able to record yourself.

Set Up for Recording

With a microphone ready, open up PowerPoint 2013 and load up your prepared presentation.

1. Go to the Slide Show tab at the ribbon. In the Set Up group, click on the Record Slide Show dropdown menu.

2. Two options will appear: Start Recording from Beginning and Start Recording from Current Slide.

3. By clicking either of these selections, a dialog box named Record Slide Show will appear with recording options.

4. Tick the box that says Slide and Animations Timing if you want to control slide timings with your recording further. We’ll need to check the Narrations, Ink and Laser Pointer box so we can directly record on each slide.

Checking this box also means that you can use the ink and laser pointer tools as well for your recording if your version of PowerPoint supports it and if these tools are connected.

5. You can start recording at once by pressing the Record Slide Show icon. Alternatively, you can choose to record on a different slide by clicking the Record Slide Show dropdown menu and selecting Start Recording from Beginning or Start Recording from Current Slide.

The Recording Menu

Your slide show will play in full screen as recording begins. On the upper left corner of the screen, you’ll see the small Recording menu.

Drag it around the screen if you prefer it be elsewhere. You can make the menu smaller, but you won’t be able to make it stretch bigger.

There are three buttons: the straight arrow is the Next button, the pause icon is Pause Recording, and the curved arrow is Repeat. There are also two sets of timers.

The timer in the middle displays the recording length of the current slide while the timer in the right displays the total recording time of your narration. Let’s take a look at three buttons you need to use here:

1. Next

Clicking this automatically records the audio for the next slide in your presentation. Alternately, simply clicking on the slide will stop and save your current recording. This lets you begin a new one in the next slide.

2. Pause

You can pause and come back where you left off in your current recording using this button. Instead of redoing your entire narration, you just need to refer back to your notes and continue recording.

Just exit your current recording session, manually select the slide and re-record it later with the Start Recording from Current Slide option. This can be found in the Record Slide Show dropdown menu in the Slide Show tab.

3. Repeat

Retake your entire recording for a slide by clicking on this. The Repeat button does not play back your audio but deletes your previous recording so that you can input a new one. After recording, the slide show will close and return to the Normal View of your presentation.

A sound icon will appear on the lower right corner of every slide where you’ve recorded your audio. Preview your recorded narration by clicking these to show the playback settings. The icon won’t be visible during slide show mode.

Bring Your Slides to Life

For the moments where you can’t be physically there to give your presentation, you won’t have the chance to answer inquires and clarify information. A narration is crucial to create a comprehensive and interactive presentation.

A narrated deck is even more important especially when you’re uploading it online, where you won’t be around to explain things. Once your deck has been uploaded, you may not always be able to go back and make changes, so don’t miss out on your last chance to make sure that your presentation gets its message across.

References

“Record Your Slide Show in PowerPoint.” Office Support. n.d. www.support.office.com/en-us/article/Record-your-slide-show-in-PowerPoint-9d136e4a-9717-49ad-876e-77aeca9c17eb
“Using the PowerPoint Workspace.” Office Support. n.d. www.support.office.com/en-US/article/Using-the-PowerPoint-workspace-8C6700CF-67C6-4275-A86B-AA87D31C9724

We’re in Strong Defense of PowerPoint and So Should You

Posted on May 2, 2016July 22, 2024 by Rick E

Let’s put a lid on Death by PowerPoint once and for all.

One program can’t be responsible for the millions of boring presentations being delivered out there, yet the blame always goes to PowerPoint. Learning a craft takes a lot of time and dedication. The lack of time invested in learning the program and designing visual content are the roadblocks that most users can’t overcome in order to create a deck.

It’s too often that people blame PowerPoint for poor presentations, but the program can only make do with what the user puts into it. After all, it’s still only a visual aid. The rest of the presentation’s development rests on your shoulders.

Plan Out and Plot Your Points

The power to do anything with PowerPoint might be what puts off people from the program. Everyone starts with an empty slide, which can understandably be intimidating to stare at and fill with text. Avoid the pressure it places on you by preparing your outline now and creating a PowerPoint later.

Research your topic first. You’ll be ending up with a lot of information. Narrow it all down and create an outline next to trim down data that’s not supporting your message. Facilitate the flow of information for your audience by providing a structure and outlining your ideas before creating a deck.

Familiarize Yourself with PowerPoint

Lack of technical PowerPoint know-how will make it difficult for you to embody your vision on the slide. Familiarize yourself with the basic functions of the program and empower yourself with creation.

Invest time in learning PowerPoint. Look up a tutorial in a search engine, and the results are right there for your convenience. However, here’s another problem: design isn’t something we can come up with on the fly.

Your brand identity depends on your chosen design. The color scheme you pick determines the character of your brand, so pick one that best suits your needs. For example, blue is often seen as a professional color. Try to give it a bit of contrast by pairing it with orange and balance these colors by deciding which color you want to give more prominence.

Learning both the program and design is a multidisciplinary task that you can’t rush yourself into.

Practice, Practice, Practice

PowerPoint can be your ally or your enemy, but you can always count on yourself first.

Invest in your own abilities and hone your speaking skills. Record yourself and point out areas in your speech that gave you trouble and make sure to get it right on the next take. Keep doing so until you can get your entire pitch right in one take. Practice your delivery so that you know your pitch like the back of your hand.

You’re the center of the presentation, and PowerPoint is just there to aid you. Don’t pour all your effort and resources on your deck. Make sure to spend the same amount on yourself.

PowerPoint, Your Partner for the Perfect Pitch

As with most things in life, you can only get out what you put in when it comes to PowerPoint. Resist the temptation to cram your entire research in a few slides. Structure your slides in a way that will make it easier for your audience to follow what you’re saying.

Miscommunication down the line can be avoided if we make the effort to learn the language that machines speak: they wait for us to input a command, then they execute it.

In defense of PowerPoint, it has clear limitations. For one, it can’t customize your pitch according to your vision. You have to provide the input that the program can work with.

Maximize its potential before dismissing the capabilities of this presentation tool. Ask a team of experts to help you get the most out of your pitch.

Reference

Kaptereve, Alexei. “Death by PowerPoint.” SlideShare, July 31, 2007. www.slideshare.net/thecroaker/death-by-powerpoint

Choosing the Right Template for Your Presentation Type

Posted on April 18, 2016July 24, 2024 by Rick E

Your PowerPoint is your presentation visual aid. That’s why it should reflect your character as an organization or individual, from the deck’s content all the way down to the design. However, some presenters tend to overlook this aspect of PowerPoint and craft a deck that doesn’t match the message they want to convey.

If you want slides that will win your audience over, it’s best to have customized PowerPoint templates created specifically for your brand. However, if you’re pressed for time and budget, using templates with premade layouts can still do the trick, but that doesn’t mean choosing a generic design, though.

Choose the right PowerPoint template for your pitch by keeping three things in mind:

Make It Memorable

Compared to less strict occasions, presenting in a formal setup may call for a particular design. You’ll want to draw attention to your deck without being too loud or overly embellished. Experiment with various color schemes that will fit the essence of your pitch.

A combination of warm colors can attract your viewers’ gaze. On the other hand, cool colors will put them at ease. Although using these colors can evoke certain emotions in the viewer, the best way to get the audience to associate your brand with your deck is to use your company colors in your slides.

Select a template that already has your brand’s colors in it. If you can’t find one that exactly fits, you can change template colors without affecting the overall layout. PowerPoint provides an option under the Design tab that lets you do just that.

For Office 2013 users, simply click Colors under Variants group. A dropdown of various color combinations will appear. Change the template’s hues by clicking on the color scheme you want.

Engage the Audience

The success of your pitch lies in your audience’s response. Choose a template that resonates with your prospects to generate positive reactions. For example, most people want a deck with prominent visuals instead of blocks of text. In that case, you’ll be inputting more pictures and visual representations of data. Refrain from using templates that have elements such as frames and pre-installed illustrations. These graphics can clutter up your slide and distract your audience from your main point.

Leaving room for white space, or the absence of visible objects on your slide, relaxes the eyes and lets it focus on important points on your deck. Opt for cleaner slides you can overlap with big and bold images. If you’re planning to use images throughout your presentation, it’s best to do away with pre-installed graphics.

But if you’ve selected a template with illustrations and only want to remove them on a specific slide, take them out by going back to the Design tab.

Under Customize, click Format Background.

Select Hide background graphics to hide any pre-installed elements on the current slide.

Account for the Venue

Where your presentation is held can affect people’s perception of your pitch. Survey the area before the actual date of your presentation to get a good feel of what type of deck would suit the setting.

Consider things like lighting and the size of the place you’re presenting in. Your goal is to deliver your message in a readable and comprehensible deck. A template that’s already too bright in an open area may lose its visibility to any audience members sitting in the far back.

Conversely, a place where you can dim the lights gives you more leeway on saturating your template. Check that your slide elements are distinguished from their background. After all, contrast factors in greatly when it comes to readability. A slide with well-contrasted objects is visible from afar compared to slides with objects that are hardly distinct from one another. Use dark text on a light background, or vice versa, to highlight the slide object.

In Conclusion: Templates Can Work, If Used Well

A good template is the first step to a great deck design. Bright colors will grab attention, while subtler ones will relax the eyes. Avoid templates with distracting designs that will steal attention away from your key points. Choose a readable template that has high contrast to make your deck more viewer-friendly.

PowerPoint templates aren’t just a matter of playful design. Given the right template, you can interest and attract new clients. Make your pitch memorable with a deck that reflects your brand and fits the occasion.

References

Sibley, Amanda. “19 Reasons You Should Include Visual Content in Your Marketing [Data].” Hubspot. August 6, 2012. blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33423/19-Reasons-You-Should-Include-Visual-Content-in-Your-Marketing-Data.aspx#sm.0001frknxr3k3dlkqq22lsqtd9h7a
“PowerPoint 2013: Modifying Themes.” GCFLearnFree.org. www.gcflearnfree.org/powerpoint2013/29

Featured Image: “Choice” by zhouxuan12345678 on flickr.com
www.flickr.com/photos/53921113@N02/5453214046

View Notes During Your Presentation for PowerPoint 2013

Posted on April 1, 2016July 22, 2024 by Rick E

Speaker notes, or “notes” for short, are every presenter’s guide when presenting in front of a crowd. These scripts are often used so that presenters can avoid getting mental blocks while speaking onstage because adding notes to your deck helps you recall important points from your pitch.

If you have existing notes in your slides and you only need to check them, just click on File, then click on Open to view your PowerPoint presentation.

In this post, we’ll cover how to view your script and take advantage of one of Microsoft PowerPoint’s most useful features: Notes.

Show Speaker Notes

1. Click on the Slide Show tab.

2. Go to the Monitors group and check the Use Presenter View checkbox. This lets you read your notes on your laptop without affecting the slides being projected onscreen.

Before using this option, double check if the laptop or computer that you’re using allows you to project using two or more monitors. If PowerPoint can recognize your projector or your second monitor, just check the Use Presenter View box and hit the F5 key to start your Slide Show.

View and Add Notes

Here’s how to make notes appear while editing your slides.

1. Click on the View tab on the ribbon.

2. Under the Show group, click on the Notes icon.

3. The notes section will appear underneath the slide area and will now be visible for all of your slides. It will contain the text “Click to add notes.”

4. Clicking on the area will remove this text and allow you start typing.

An easier way to make notes show up is by going to the Status bar at the bottom of your screen and clicking on the Notes button, next to Comments. Clicking on it will expand or collapse the Notes area.

View Your Slide and Notes in One Page

1. Click on the View tab in the ribbon.

2. Under the Presentation Views group, select Notes Page.

The slide page’s orientation will now be in portrait mode. Each page will display the slide number on the bottom right corner. Simply scroll up or down to move to the next slide.

The Notes Page will have two areas: your visible slide area above and an expanded view of the Notes page below. This type of view is helpful if you’re going to hand out copies of your presentation and need more space to append your notes.

Watch this video tutorial and learn how to view notes in PowerPoint 2013

https://slidegenius.wistia.com/medias/z60pt60s1t

Now you know how to view notes from your PowerPoint!

PowerPoint notes are convenient, especially for presenters who find it difficult to speak without scripts. Make your message memorable and more accessible by maximizing PowerPoint’s Notes Pages. With the help of PowerPoint’s overlooked yet important feature, you can convey your message professionally without forgetting significant points.

To help you deliver an error-free PowerPoint presentation, SlideGenius experts can assist you and offer you a free quote!

References

Bajaj, Geetesh. “Status Bar in PowerPoint 2013.” Indezine. May 31, 2013. www.indezine.com/products/powerpoint/learn/interface/status-bar-ppt2013.html
Thornton, Billy M. “ITIP: Using PowerPoint’s Presentation Option: Use Presenter View.” Colorado State University. www.biz.colostate.edu/mti/tips/pages/ITIPUsingPowerPointsPresentationOptionUsePresenterView.aspx
“View Your Speaker Notes Privately, While Delivering a Presentation on Multiple Monitors.” Microsoft Office. n.d. www.support.office.com/en-nz/article/View-your-speaker-notes-privately-while-delivering-a-presentation-on-multiple-monitors-321c0948-4ada-4d50-872f-41f279ae6ef6

3 Cropping Options to Use in PowerPoint 2013

Posted on January 28, 2016July 22, 2024 by Rick E

This tutorial is also applicable to Microsoft PowerPoint 2016.

Previously, we’ve looked at some of PowerPoint’s uses, such as hiding slides, looping backgrounds, and outlining fonts. Today, let’s learn how to crop images into a shape and edit them perfectly all inside your PowerPoint. Here are three cropping options to start with:

A. Crop a Picture

PowerPoint 2013’s cropping tool can help you trim the edges of an inserted picture. This will let you focus on an important segment you want to highlight.

1. Double click on the picture you want to crop in your PowerPoint file. This will bring up Picture Tools above the Format tab.

2. Click on the Crop icon at the far right, under the Size group.

SlideGenius Tip:
You can also right click on the picture to crop it. A smaller menu with two large icons will float above the context menu. Then, click on the Crop icon beside the Style option.

3. Typically, you will see four corners and one on each side with cropping handles. Drag the crop handles inward and outward to adjust your image’s crop area.

4. To change the position of the image inside the indicated crop area, click and drag the picture around until you’re happy with the results.

SlideGenius Tip:
Make sure to fill up the entire crop area so your image won’t have a transparent gap.

5. When you’re done, click outside the gray area to apply the changes and exit crop mode. You can also press the Escape (Esc) key on your keyboard.

Before you move ahead with the other methods, it’s important to note that the image area outside the cropped image isn’t automatically deleted. This means it’s still viewable when dragged around during crop mode, so you’ll need to delete the trimmings manually.

1. Double click on the picture you want to crop in your PowerPoint file. This will bring up Picture Tools above the Format tab.

2. Go to the Adjust area located on the left of the screen and click on Compress Pictures. A dialog box will appear named Compress Pictures.

3. Select the box that says Delete cropped areas of pictures to trim the image.

4. Check the box that says Apply only to this picture so only the current image will be affected.

5. Click OK.

B. Crop to Shape

PowerPoint also allows you to crop a picture into a specific shape without affecting your original image.

1. Double click on the picture you want to crop in your PowerPoint file. This will bring up Picture Tools above the Format tab.

2. Click on the arrow below the Crop icon.

3. In the Crop drop down menu, choose Crop to Shape. A drop down gallery will appear.

4. Click on your desired shape from any of the various categories.

C. Crop to a Common Aspect Ratio

This lets you crop a picture with an exact measurement and fit it into a predefined space.

1. Double click on the picture you want to crop to an aspect ratio. This will bring up Picture Tools above the Format tab.

2. Click on the arrow below the Crop icon.

3. Go to Aspect Ratio.

4. Lastly, choose any of the Square, Portrait, or Landscape ratios.

Here’s a quick video tutorial on how to crop images in PowerPoint 2013:

https://slidegenius.wistia.com/medias/js3hhgkali

Now You Know How to Crop an Image!

Personalize your images with PowerPoint’s versatile cropping options and choose the best look for your presentation slides!

References

“Crop a Picture or Place It in a Shape.” Office Support. n.d. www.support.office.com
“Crop Pictures in PowerPoint 2013.” Indezine. n.d. www.indezine.com

Sound Slides: A PowerPoint Tutorial on Music and Sound Effects

Posted on March 5, 2015July 22, 2024 by Rick E

Your presentation audience makes use of their visual and auditory senses the most during your pitch.

Because we often emphasize the importance of visuals in PowerPoint design, it’s time we consider audio, especially if you’re planning to share your presentation online.

Sometimes, it’s not enough to enhance your PowerPoint deck with eye-catching pictures and illustrations. There are moments when you need to add another dimension to your presentation design. A careful mix of visuals and audio can really add life to your slides and take your presentation further.

Add life and sound to your slides in three easy steps:

Step 1: Insert audio file

For the purpose of this tutorial, we’ll be using PowerPoint 2010.

Get started by looking for the Media group under the Insert tab.

From there, choose the Audio icon and select what type of audio file you’d like to insert into your PowerPoint presentation. You can choose an audio file that’s saved in your computer, record your own, or use a file from the Clip Art gallery.

If you’re going to use something that you already have saved or that you downloaded from the Internet, make sure the file is compatible with PowerPoint. They have to be in any of the following formats:

Windows Media Audio (.wma)
Windows Audio (.wav)
MP3 (.mp3)

Step 2: Preview selected audio file

After successfully inserting your chosen audio file, you will see a sound icon appear on the slide you’re currently working on. When you select it, a toolbar will appear. This is where you can press Play to preview your audio.

Always check to see if the music or sound effects you’ve chosen are working properly. If the audio skips or lags, you might want to use a file with a smaller size.

Step 3: Select playback option

Lastly, choose a play back option for your audio file. After selecting the sound icon, go to the Playback tab under Audio Tools. Among the following options, choose the one that’s most applicable to how you envision your PowerPoint deck.

Automatically – The audio file will start to play as soon as you reach the current slide
On Click – Play the audio on demand by clicking the icon
Play Across Slides – The audio file will play throughout the entire PowerPoint deck
Loop Until Stopped – The file will play loop unless you move on to a new slide

You can also opt to hide the sound icon if you don’t want it cluttering the look of your slide. After you’ve selected the playback option that suits your presentation, tick the box for Hide During Show that’s under Audio Options.

It’s easy to take a simple PowerPoint presentation and turn it into an experience that the audience won’t soon forget. This PowerPoint tutorial is perfect for anyone looking to make sure their presentations are a little bit better than before.

Sprinkle a few sound effects to add impact to your presentation. For online presentations, use these steps to integrate a voice over to your slides. Contact our PowerPoint experts to learn how else you can improve your PowerPoint designs and presentation outcomes.

References

“Add and Play Sounds in a Presentation.” Office Support. Accessed March 5, 2015.
“Visual Simplicity Is Captivating in Presentations.” SlideGenius, Inc. September 30, 2014.Accessed March 5, 2015.

Featured Image: picjumbo

4 Easy Tips to Manage Your PowerPoint File Size

Posted on February 20, 2015July 24, 2024 by Rick E

Following all the best PowerPoint practices, you were able to incorporate interesting visuals and make use of minimal but creative animation.

You’re confident that it looks great, and you’re sure that your slides will definitely enhance the message you want to deliver. After some final adjustments, you’re ready to share your PowerPoint file online, transfer it to another device, or run a test drive.

And then your laptop starts to lag. The program starts to crash.

If you’re sharing the presentation online, you’re met with an upload that’s expected to run for hours. The culprit? A PowerPoint file that is too large.

For a seamless presentation experience, shrink your PowerPoint file to a manageable size.

Lucky for you, there are 4 simple ways to fix PowerPoint 2010 file size issues. Take note of the following tips and find the most applicable solution to your dilemma:

Convert PowerPoint file to PDF

You can convert your PowerPoint file to a PDF if you’re planning to share your slides via SlideShare or email when the actual presentation is over.

This will strip your presentation of any animation and transition effects, so make necessary tweaks to your PowerPoint first.

After that, all you have to do is head to the File tab and click Save As. From there, choose PDF under Save as type.

Skip ‘Compatibility Mode’

If you’re planning to simply hook up your laptop to the projector in the venue, you don’t need to save your PowerPoint file in compatibility mode.

Keep your file saved in the latest version of PowerPoint by making sure the file extension is .pptx. Head to the folder where your PowerPoint file is stored, right click, then choose Properties.

Compress high-resolution pictures

Using pictures with incredibly high resolutions will definitely have an effect on the size of your PowerPoint file. You may want to use clear and crisp images, but you don’t have to opt for anything that’s too large.

Renowned presentation trainer, Ellen Finklestein, writes about reducing image sizes on her blog. Finklestein explains the necessity to do this because images can sometimes make your files bulkier.

Edit and re-size the pictures that have resolutions that might be way too large.

If you don’t want to sacrifice your PowerPoint design, compress all the images in your deck. Simply select any image in your PowerPoint file and head to the Pictures Tools Format tab.

Click on Compress Pictures under the Adjust group. When the dialogue box appears, choose from the different target output options.

Avoid embedding fonts if you can

As we’ve discussed before, customized and unique fonts can help enhance your PowerPoint designs. However, they can also be a contributing factor to why your PowerPoint file size is too large. Try to minimize your use of unique fonts as much as you can.

To avoid embedding too much data into your PowerPoint file, you can limit your use of unique fonts for headers or section breaks. Head to the File tab and click on Options. Go to Save and check to see the options enabled under Preserve fidelity when sharing this presentation. When you embed fonts to your PowerPoint file, make sure you always choose the first option.

You don’t have to sacrifice great presentation design to make sure your PowerPoint file is kept at a manageable size. Ease the presentation process and use these methods to make sure your PowerPoint file isn’t unnecessarily too large. For more PowerPoint design insights, click here and browse through our blog!

References

Finkelstein, Ellen. “Reduce the Size of Your Presentation Files.” PowerPoint Tips Blog. November 22, 2000. Accessed February 20, 2015.
“PowerPoint Quick Tips: Designing for SlideShare.” SlideGenius, Inc. January 20, 2015. Accessed February 20, 2015.
“The Top 10 Best PowerPoint Design Practices.” SlideGenius, Inc. November 18, 2014. Accessed February 20, 2015.
“Where to Find Unique Images for Your Presentation Design.” SlideGenius Inc. December 18, 2014. Accessed February 20, 2015.

Featured Image: Andrew Malone via Flickr

PowerPoint Advice for Confused Mac Users

Posted on February 18, 2015July 22, 2024 by Rick E

The experience of Mac and PC users with PowerPoint don’t largely differ. PowerPoint 2011 remains robust and flexible regardless of which operating system you favor.

The most loyal to Mac might need some time to transition from Keynote, but it’s not an impossible task. In fact, the only PowerPoint advice you really need to keep in mind is to remain patient as you learn to use a new tool for creating presentations.

Still, if you find your new environment a little confusing, all you really need is someone to push you on the right direction. For today’s blog, that’s exactly what we’ll try to do.

The best PowerPoint advice is learning to use the ribbon

The ribbon is where you’ll find all the commands you need to complete certain tasks on PowerPoint.

It’s at the very top of your screen, divided by several tabs. Each of these tabs categorizes hundreds of commands to make your presentation building a lot easier. Whether you want to edit pictures, add a text box, or incorporate animation, the ribbon is key to navigating around PowerPoint.

powerpoint advice-using the ribbon — (Image from Microsoft.com)

Once you learn how to use the ribbon, you can try out some of these useful tricks that we’ve written about in the past:

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Following the tips detailed in these links, you’ll be able to create PowerPoint designs that are both creative and memorable for your audience. It really won’t matter whether you’re using PowerPoint on a Mac or a PC. There are, however, times when using PowerPoint for Mac can prove to be more advantageous.

If you need presentations on-the-go, you can easily sync your finished PowerPoint file to other Apple devices. All you have to do is click on File, choose Send To from the different options, and click on iPhoto.

Here’s a video from Microsoft Office detailing the steps:

Learning to navigate around PowerPoint doesn’t have to be hard. If you’re a Mac user who’s feeling a bit confused, just take time to familiarize yourself with the new environment. Scour the Internet to find useful tips that can be helpful to your transition. OfficeforMacHelp.com offers tips to help you learn the basics.

If your presentation needs to be finished quickly and you don’t have the luxury of time, don’t hesitate to contact us to consult with our presentation experts.

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References

“Familiarize Yourself with the Ribbon.” Office Support. Accessed February 18, 2015.
Share PowerPoint slides with iPhoto. Office for Mac. Accessed February 18, 2015.

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Featured Image: picjumbo.com

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a. Presentation Quality

b. Internet Quality

c. Low Quality

a. Don’t Use Recorded Timings and Narrations

b. Use Recorded Timings and Narrations

That’s it! Enjoy your PowerPoint video file!

Reference

Unsaved Files

Interrupted Changes

A Few More Pointers

Reference

Set Up for Recording

The Recording Menu

Bring Your Slides to Life

References

Plan Out and Plot Your Points

Familiarize Yourself with PowerPoint

Practice, Practice, Practice

PowerPoint, Your Partner for the Perfect Pitch

Reference

Make It Memorable

Engage the Audience

Account for the Venue

In Conclusion: Templates Can Work, If Used Well

References

Show Speaker Notes

View and Add Notes

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-19572 size-full" src="https://www.slidegenius.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/View-and-Add-Notes-5.jpg" alt="PowerPoint 2013 Tutorial: Notes area" width="800" height="400" />View Your Slide and Notes in One Page

Watch this video tutorial and learn how to view notes in PowerPoint 2013

Now you know how to view notes from your PowerPoint!

References

A. Crop a Picture

B. Crop to Shape

C. Crop to a Common Aspect Ratio

Here’s a quick video tutorial on how to crop images in PowerPoint 2013:

Now You Know How to Crop an Image!

References

Step 1: Insert audio file

Step 2: Preview selected audio file

Step 3: Select playback option

Sprinkle a few sound effects to add impact to your presentation. For online presentations, use these steps to integrate a voice over to your slides. Contact our PowerPoint experts to learn how else you can improve your PowerPoint designs and presentation outcomes.

References

Convert PowerPoint file to PDF

Skip ‘Compatibility Mode’

Compress high-resolution pictures

Avoid embedding fonts if you can

References

The best PowerPoint advice is learning to use the ribbon

We redesign PowerPoint presentations.

Get your free quote now.

Get hundreds of PowerPoint slides for free.

Sign up for your free account today.

References

View Your Slide and Notes in One Page