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Page 171 of PowerPoint tutorials, presentation essentials, personality interviews, and PowerPoint news.
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Author: Geetesh Bajaj
Product/Version: PowerPoint
June 18, 2014
In PowerPoint, you are provided with an extensive array of built-in shapes that help you create great looking graphics for your slides. PowerPoint shapes can be manipulated by dragging their diamond handles and also by combining them -- but at times, you may not achieve the exact appearance you want. For instance, you might want a little curve in your shape edges rather than conventional straight lines. PowerPoint does allow you to tweak and make the shape on your slide look more organic than geometric curved lines, as explained in the following steps.
Learn how to create curved shapes in PowerPoint 2011.
June 17, 2014
In this issue, we first bring you a new series of Countdown Timers. Thereafter Carmen Simon returns to feature in an exclusive conversation on Remembering Slides. We also bring you a review of ShapeChef, one of the coolest PowerPoint add-ins we have worked with. And we explore the new PowerPoint Online interface on OneDrive. PowerPoint 2013 users can learn about applying colors and line styles to table borders. We also explore the Touch Mode options, even within non-Touch devices. And learn how you can capture screenshots by using PowerPoint 2013. PowerPoint 2011 for Mac users can learn about recoloring picture backgrounds.
Read Indezine's PowerPoint and Presenting News.
June 17, 2014
OneDrive (previously known as SkyDrive) is a great way to share your presentations online while you are still working on the slides. When you are collaborating on a presentation with someone else, you want to give and receive feedback without actually editing the slides themselves. To do that, you can use the Comments option that works differently in the OneDrive version of PowerPoint compared to the desktop versions.
Learn how to use commenting within the PowerPoint Web App on OneDrive.
June 16, 2014
Table borders in PowerPoint are usually thin, possessing just 1pt. weight (thickness) -- that's not as thin as a human hair, but still quite thin. Most of the times you may not need to change that value since you can clearly see the border, and it is not too eye-catching. However, if you want to change the weight of table borders, it can be done in the same way as you would change their color or line style attributes. Your table borders can be of any weight starting from a miniscule 0.25 pt. to a haughty 6pt., and no higher. Even 6 pt. is very thick for a table border, so be careful just to make sure that your table borders don't look too blocky or distracting.
Learn how to set line weight (thickness) for table borders in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows.
June 16, 2014
Since many people use PowerPoint for training programs, you will find some slides populated with screenshots of various computer program interfaces. Typically, these screenshots are captured in another program and then inserted into PowerPoint slide like any other regular picture. This task is now made even easier with the introduction of the Screenshot option in PowerPoint 2010 that allows you to quickly and easily add a screenshot on your slide, being within PowerPoint.
Explore the Screenshot option within PowerPoint 2010.
June 13, 2014
By its very nature, PowerPoint is an application that takes content of different types and arranges them all together coherently within a slide. Such content often includes text, pictures, charts, multimedia, and other types. Additionally, since many people use PowerPoint for training programs -- you will find many slides that contain screenshots of computer program interfaces. Typically, you capture these screenshots in another program and then insert that screenshot like a regular picture within PowerPoint 2013. This task is made even more easy as now you can quickly and easily add a screenshot from within PowerPoint without even leaving the program you are working in.
Explore the Screenshot option within PowerPoint 2013.
June 12, 2014
ShapeChef is a PowerPoint add-in that enables you to collect and organize PowerPoint assets (shapes, pictures, tables, charts, etc). For example, you can arrange your favorite graphics into separate categories and sub-categories. You can also use the instant search feature within ShapeChef to find shapes quickly. Additionally, ShapeChef allows to store assets online "in the cloud", which can be thereafter accessed from any computer. Also, you can invite multiple users to join your libraries, and control their permission options. Also, ShapeChef gives you access to several ready-to-use collections of icons and symbols.
June 12, 2014
It's true that picture backgrounds add value to your presentations. Yet, one of the worst things that you can do to your PowerPoint presentation is to add a busy, multi-colored slide background. However, you get to see such bad presentations every now and then. When people do so, they compromise the subtlety and contrast of any content on their slides.
Learn how to recolor picture backgrounds in PowerPoint 2011.
June 12, 2014
The borders for tables that you create within PowerPoint are thin lines by default. You can change the weight of these borders to make them thicker -- but even before you do so, there are certain prerequisites to take care of. First of all, if you have applied any of the Table Styles, then some borders may have been set to be invisible. So, you need to set them to be visible first since there's no sense in thickening an invisible border. Once table borders are visible, you can make changes to their appearance -- you can change their color, line style, or thickness.
Learn how to set line style for table borders in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows.
June 11, 2014
We are happy to announce a second bunch of Countdown Timer slides. After the success of our first Countdown Timer series, here's another set that contains longer countdowns (10 minutes each). This entire kit contains 5 different styles of Countdown Timers. Each slide has animated objects that already contrast with the slide background. Just copy and paste the slides in your presentation - and the slide objects will inherit the color schemes of the presentation you paste into!
Get these countdown timers now!
June 11, 2014
Although PowerPoint has always been a desktop program, Microsoft has made impressive strides in porting the entire program to function as a web based program -- and even more amazing is the fact that PowerPoint Online on OneDrive (previously known as SkyDrive) is completely free for anyone to use. Here's a quick walkthrough of the PowerPoint Online interface. Do note that to a large extent, the PowerPoint Online interface mimics the PowerPoint desktop interface. However, there are some differences as well, as you will understand better from this tutorial.
Explore the PowerPoint Online interface on OneDrive.
June 10, 2014
In this issue, we first look at Public Domain pictures, and how they are different that pictures you can use as part of the Creative Commons license. PowerPoint 2013 users can learn this about tables: erasing table borders and toggling their visibility. You will also learn about a few exotic shapes, such as drawing with cookie cutters, and creating CD/DVDs and shopping bags!
Read Indezine's PowerPoint and Presenting News.
June 10, 2014
Look closely at the interface within PowerPoint 2013, particularly the Customize Quick Access Toolbar drop-down menu, and you'll find the Touch/Mouse Mode command. This essentially is a toggle button that alternates between touch and mouse modes. Touch mode is the default mode when using PowerPoint on a touch device such as the Microsoft Surface or other tablets, and lets you use the program even without a mouse. And Mouse mode is the default mode for PowerPoint 2013 when working on a non-touch enabled desktop or laptop. The larger question though is why you can toggle to the Touch mode in a non-touch device. If you are using PowerPoint on a desktop, why you need the Touch mode?
Explore the Touch / Mouse mode in PowerPoint 2013.
June 9, 2014
Dr. Carmen Simon's presentations and workshops help business professionals to use communication and presentation skills to increase revenue, train or motivate others, and overall to stand out from too much sameness in the industry. A published author, Dr. Simon is frequently invited as a keynote speaker at various conferences. She is co-founder of Rexi Media, a company that helps business professionals from all fields improve their presentation skills, by using brain science. In this conversation, Carmen discusses how you can create more memorable slides.
June 9, 2014
Table borders in PowerPoint sport the default color from the Theme applied to the presentation. However, you can override and change this color as required. Not only you can set the table border color for the new tables before they are drawn, but also you can change the color of existing table borders. Follow these steps to learn more.
Learn how to set color for table borders in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows.
June 6, 2014
Do you want to use PowerPoint to create a graphic of a CD -- of course a CD looks a lot like a DVD or Blu-Ray disc as well! In this tutorial, you will learn how a slide program like PowerPoint can be used as a very capable drawing program. And creating a CD in PowerPoint 2013 is indeed a cakewalk!
Learn how to use default shapes in PowerPoint 2013 to draw a CD or DVD.
You May Also Like: Learn PowerPoint 2013 for Windows: Apply Gradient Fills to Plot Area of Charts | Forget Color Theory (Guest Post)
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