PowerPoint for Macs:
Building Image Intensive Presentations
Version:
PowerPoint 2004 for Mac
Julia Simic
University of Oregon VRC
2006
Goals:
• Set slide format and color schemes
• Insert and edit images
• Insert text boxes
• Create simple graphics: arrows, lines, circles
• Re-order images in a slide
• Re-order slides
• Save a presentation for classroom use
• Reformat a presentation for student review
• Compress the images in a presentation
• Give your presentation
Workspaces
Slide Pane
Slide Index
Notes Pane
The Formatting Palette
Access the Formatting Palette by
clicking on the Formatting Palette
button on the main toolbar:
All of the tools on the Formatting
Palette can also be accessed from
the menus and most from the main
toolbar, too!
The Formatting Palette will change
depending on what kind of object
is selected. These three
sub-palettes will always be visible.
Tabs
Formatting the presentation
Images look best on dark gray or black backgrounds that
don’t compete with colors in the pictures. Text needs to stand
out from the background, but keep in mind that should a student
wish to print out the presentation for study, white text will
disappear. Giving yourself the freedom to place pictures and
text where you want them will help you think beyond the
two-image comparison paradigm.
Recommendations:
• Black backgrounds
• Bright colored texts
• Blank or title-only slide templates
Format the layout, background and text
Change the Slide Layout to blank
Choose Custom Scheme to pick
your colors
Choose the Background
and Text and lines
elements and change
their colors.
Click Apply to All
Add a New Slide
Choose a slide layout.
New blank slide
New slide with title bar at top
• A blank slide will appear in the Slide Pane.
• A new slide icon will also appear next in sequence
in the Slide Index.
Inserting Images
• Use fairly large images to being with--you can always size
them down, but you cannot make them bigger.
600 pixels on the long side minimum!
• Use jpg images whenever possible--other image formats
can be unwieldy
Click the Insert Picture from File
button and browse for your image
The picture will automatically be
centered in the slide
Editing Images
Click on an image to get its “handles.” Moving the corner
handles will resize the image while keeping its aspect ratio.
Moving the side handles will deform the image.
Corner handle
Side handle
Move the image around the slide by clicking and dragging
within the picture
Cropping and tweaking
Click on the crop tool. Use the handles
to reframe the image.
• Use the Adjust tool to balance
the color of the image.
• Use the Brightness and Contrast
to further adjust the image
• Make sure the image you want
to edit is selected (the
handles are showing)
Insert a Text Box
Click on the Text Box tool. Then click on your slide. A box
will appear with a cursor in it. Just start typing.
Move and resize the text box just like
you would an image, using the handles
that appear around the perimeter.
Formatting text
Highlight the text in the text box
Use the Font sub-palette
to format your text
Use the other tools to further
format the text
Hyperlinks
Add clickable text, or make an image a hyperlink by
selecting the object and using the Hyperlink sub-palette.
Choose URL… to enable connection
to a web page
Adding Lines and Arrows
Click on the line or arrow tool. In the slide,
click and drag a line. When you release
the mouse, a line or arrow will appear with
handles at both ends.
• Edit the length by clicking and dragging
the handles.
• Move by grabbing the line or arrow in the
middle and dragging.
Edit the size and color using the
Colors, Weights, and Fills sub-palette
Adding Circles
Choose the Donut shape. Click and drag
a circle.
Adjust the thickness of the circle by clicking and
dragging the yellow handle on the inside of the
donut.
Change the color by
changing the Fill Color AND
the Line Color
Re-order Images
If you have multiple images overlapping on a slide and
wish to change the order in which they appear, choose
the Layering tool
Click on the image you want on
top and choose Bring to Front
Re-ordering slides
Click and drag the slide icons in
the Slide Index into any position
OR
Use the Slide Sorter View to click and drag
the slides into place
Saving Presentations for Classroom Use
Choose Save As… from the file menu
Click the Options… button
Change the dpi to 96
and save the presentation
These settings will remain as you left them the
next time you open PowerPoint.
Reformat a Presentation for Student Review
Assume that your students don’t know
how to reformat the presentation
themselves.
Change the background color to white,
and Apply to All.
Your bright colored text
should still be readable
Remember not to overwrite
your original presentation!
Rename the review version!
Save disk space with image compression (optional)
Choose File > Save As…
Remember not to overwrite your
original presentation!
Rename the compressed version!
Click the Options… button
Depending on the quality
of the images you used,
compression may save
significant space.
Choose 72 dpi (screen resolution)
Compress graphics files to
High or Medium quality
The next time you open PowerPoint, these settings will be in
place. Reset them to 96dpi and no compression!
Give your Presentation
Enter into Slide Show mode by using the Slide Show menu
or clicking the Screen button below the Slide Index
Move forward by:
• Clicking the mouse
• Space bar
• Page Down
• Right arrow
• Down arrow
Move back by:
• Delete
• Page Up
• Left Arrow
• Up Arrow
Exit the presentation by pressing Esc
Good things about PowerPoint
• Versions exist for both PC and Mac
• Presentations are platform neutral
• Relatively small file size
Bad things about PowerPoint
• Mac and PC versions differ significantly
• Re-encodes images