PowerPoint Animation Tip

Animations in PowerPoint can get your point across, when not overdone.  With PowerPoint 2007, it is easy to add sound to an animation and now users have the ability to edit the volume of the particular sound.

Once an object has been added, select it and click on the "Custom Animation" button in the "Animation" group on the "Animations" tab.

Select an animation from the "Add Effect" button and make any settings needed for the specific animation.

Once added, simply double-click on the animation in the "Custom Animation" wizard on the right side of the screen.

This window allows users to add sound and set some other specific settings.

Click on the "Sounds" drop down to select a sound.  Once the sound has been selected, simply click on the "speaker" icon to the right of the drop down.  Edit the volume by clicking the slider up or down.

Once set, click on the "OK" button to save the changes and return to the PowerPoint presentation.

PowerPoint Subliminal Messages

Used in the right circumstances, subliminal messages can be humorous. With PowerPoint, it is very easy to create subliminal messages during a presentation.

Read more...

PowerPoint Master Slides

PowerPoint has the option for "Headers and Footers" much like Word and Excel.  However, it is very limited.

To create Headers and Footers that are not limited, use Master Slides.

To do so, follow these steps:

PowerPoint 2003 (and older):

Click View | Master and choose which Masters you wish to apply your changes.

Once in the Master, you may add whatever you wish to appear on every slide.  For example, you may wish to add a Logo in the background and you may wish to add a Header and/or Footer.  Just remember that everything you place on the Master Slide will appear on every slide.

Once you've made your changes or additions, remember to click on View and go back to "Normal".  This will ensure you are no longer working in the Master Slides.

PowerPoint 2007:

Click on the "View" Ribbon and choose the Master Slide you wish to apply your changes.

As with 2003, make any changes and additions you wish and they will appear on every slide.  However, there is a small difference in 2007:  you can make changes to each layout style within the Master Slides.

Now, your PowerPoint presentations can and will look very professional.  It's that simple!

PowerPoint Presentation Shortcuts

Most people know how to scroll through a PowerPoint Presentation using the Mouse to move Forward from Screen to Screen. However, when it comes to other things, most people tend to get stuck.

Here are some very easy Keyboard Shortcuts that will help you move through your presentation like a Pro!

Press N: Moves you to the next slide.
Press P: Moves you to the previous slide.
Enter the slide number, press ENTER: Moves you to that specific slide.
Press ESC: Cancels a slide show.
Press B: Blanks your presentation with a black screen. Press B again to return.
Press W: Blanks your presentation with a white screen. Press W again to return.
Press SHIFT+F10: Displays the shortcut menu.

Edit a PowerPoint Show

Have you ever received a .PPS file and wanted to change it or open it directly in PowerPoint?

You can do this a few different ways, but one fast way is to Right-Click on the File Name (MySlideShow.pps for example) and choose "Rename".

Rename the file with .PPT (MySlideShow.ppt) as the file extension, replacing the .PPS.

Now, when you double-click the file, it will open using PowerPoint and you may edit the file from there.

Use PowerPoint to Create a Photo Presentation

Everyone has probably received an e-mail (or a thousand) of a PowerPoint Slideshow Presentation showing off Beautiful Pictures, right?!

Well, you can do this very easily by following these steps:

With PowerPoint open, click on Insert Picture Photo Album (in PowerPoint 2007, choose "Photo Album" from the Insert Tab).

In the dialog box that opens, you will choose your photos by clicking on the "File/Disk" button.

Browse to locate your pictures (it will help to have these organized into a folder prior to opening PowerPoint).

Insert the photos and choose the Layout, Frame, and Template styles.

Once you are ready, click on "Create".

You have now created the Slideshow!

However, not all people will have PowerPoint, so if you plan on sending the Photo Presentation via e-mail, you may want to "Save As" a ".pps" file type. This format will open using any Internet Browser.

PowerPoint Object Alignment

You can easily align objects to the left, right, or center.

To do this, follow these steps:

Select your objects by clicking each one while holding the Shift Key.

Click the Draw button. It's located near the bottom-left of your screen.

Select Align or Distribute.

OR Click the Option of your preference, such as Left Align, Right Align etc.

The object(s) will be automatically aligned.