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Powerpoint MCQs

Mcqs on powerpoint.

Solve Powerpoint Multiple-Choice Questions to prepare better for GATE. Learn more about Powerpoint and Powerpoint MCQs by checking notes, mock tests, and previous years’ question papers. Gauge the pattern of MCQs on Powerpoint by solving the ones that we have compiled below for your practice:

Powerpoint Multiple-Choice Questions

1. In MS PowerPoint presentations, the designs regulate the layout and formatting for the slide. These are commonly known as:

a. Blueprints

b. Placeholders

c. Templates

d. Design Plates

Answer: (c) Templates

2. The Handout Master consists of placeholders for all of these except the:

b. slide number

Answer: (a) title

3. Which of these PowerPoint features would allow any user to create a given simple presentation quicker?

a. Animations

b. Chart Wizard

c. Transition Wizard

d. AutoContent Wizard

Answer: (d) AutoContent Wizard

4. The File that consists of readymade styles that we can easily use for our presentation is known as:

a. Pre formatting

b. Template

d. AutoStyle

Answer: (b) Template

5. What is the max Zoom percentage in MS PowerPoint?

Answer: (a) 400%

6. A PowerPoint design template is stored in any file with __________ extensions.

Answer: (a) .pot

7. Which of these options in PowerPoint would allow us to carry any set of slides from a given computer to another one?

a. Web and Go

b. Pack and Go

c. Save and Go

Answer: (b) Pack and Go

8. Which of these is a type of sound file?

a. DAT files

b. LOG files

c. DRV files

d. WAV files

Answer: (d) WAV files

9. In the current presentation, if we want to insert a new slide, we can choose which of these?

a. Ctrl + F

b. Ctrl + O

c. Ctrl + M

d. Ctrl + N

Answer: (c) Ctrl + M

10. Which of these terms do we use when an image in a clip art changes the direction that it was originally facing?

Answer: (b) Rotate

11. Which of these refers to the PowerPoint view used for displaying only the text (title and bullets)?

a. Slide sorter show

b. Slide view

c. Outline view

d. Notes page view

Answer: (c) Outline view

12. Which toolbar provides various options in different master views?

a. Standard toolbar

b. Formatting toolbar

c. Drawing toolbar

d. Common tasks toolbar

Answer: (d) Common tasks toolbar

13. We can find any and every command on the:

a. Menu bar

b. Standard toolbar

c. Formatting toolbar

d. Drawing toolbar

Answer: (a) Menu bar

14. Which of these features should one use when we want to type in the text box for notes?

b. Slide shows

d. Slide master

Answer: (c) Zoom

15. Which of these is the page setup orientation by default of the slides in PowerPoint?

a. Landscape

b. Portrait

c. Vertical

d. None of the above

Answer: (a) Landscape

16. From which of these menus can we access a Text Box, Picture, Chart etc.?

Answer: (b) Insert

17. Which of these font effects is NOT available in the PowerPoint Font dialogue box?

b. Underline

c. Strikethrough

Answer: (c) Strikethrough

18. Which of these sections does a slide layout NOT have?

b. Animations

Answer: (b) Animations

19. What do we use if we want to add texts in a given slide?

a. Comment Box

b. Text Layer

c. Note Box

d. Text Box

Answer: (d) Text Box

20. Which types of templates provides all the users with a design concept, colour scheme, and fonts for presentation?

Answer: (d) Design

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Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > How to Format Presentation Slides

How to Format Presentation Slides

Learn how to give your presentation slides a facelift so they captivate your audience.

Why is Presentation Design and Formatting Important?

A well-designed presentation can help you connect with your audience and gets your message across in an easily digestible manner. Great presentation design can impart a positive first impression and is more likely to draw in and engage an audience.

Pretend you’re attending a presentation and instead of formatted PowerPoint slides, each one is plain white with a lot of dark text that’s hard to read. And even though the background and text colors are the same, none of the text is lined up and multiple fonts are used. There are no transitions or title pages that help to differentiate between topics being discussed and you’re presented with slide after slide of confusing, jumbled text.

Tell your story with captivating presentations

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

Formatting slides in your presentation is what enhances the look of the slides and transforms them into something that complements the content and resonates with the audience.

What Else Should a Good Presentation Include?

While formatted slides can help to connect with the audience, a good presentation should also include:

• Well-written, concise content that clearly explains the problem that you’re trying to solve and the unique solution you’ve come up with.
• A great hook or emotionally compelling introduction.
• Visuals that support your message and aren’t too busy.

Most importantly, a good presentation should be efficient and engage with the audience. And that engagement can be found in the content as well as how the slides are formatted.

Tips for Creating & Formatting Presentation Slides

Before you start creating your PowerPoint presentation, make sure that your content is solid. Making an outline can help you keep information organized, clear, and concise before you put it into a presentation. The outline can also help you break down what information is shared on each slide to keep things from being overcrowded or wordy. Take a minute to consider your audience and the best ways to connect with them and present what you’re trying to share.

Once your content is finalized, you can get to work on creating and formatting your presentation slides.

How to Make a Slide

A PowerPoint presentation is sometimes known as a deck and is composed of different slides. When you’re putting your own deck together, you’ll certainly need to add slides and format them in different ways.

In order to make a new slide appear in your presentation, first select the slide that you’d like your new slide to follow. Then click Home and choose New Slide . From there, you can choose your desired layout , and start inputting content. The layout options in PowerPoint are great for keeping your text lined up and consistent through the deck. You can also rearrange, duplicate, and delete slides as necessary.

Formatting Your Presentation Slides

Once you’ve created your content or slides, it’s time to consider design and formatting. This is where you make choices about themes, templates, color schemes, and fonts.

If you don’t feel confident about your design abilities, you might want to try applying a template . This customizable option offers a variety of artistic skins that can give your deck a professional polish. There is even a range of downloadable templates available from Microsoft to suit any kind of presentation.

Don’t feel like you must use a template, though. Many users may prefer to use or create a theme to visually tie together their presentations. PowerPoint provides a variety of themes which include color schemes, backgrounds, fonts, and placeholder slides. In the Design tab, you can choose a theme that appeals to you or matches with your content. You can even try different color variations within the theme by selecting Variants . Each variant has built in options for colors, fonts, and background colors and styles that can help you format your slides and create a cohesive look throughout the deck.

There are a few things to keep in mind if you decide to eschew the suggestions made by PowerPoint:

• Consider the colors you’re using. There are definitely a few color combinations you should avoid .
• Choose fonts that are easy to read and make sure that your text isn’t too small to be read across a large room. You’ll also want to remember to keep the text on your slides relatively sparse, with no more than three bullet points per slide.

Using Visual Aids in Your Presentation

One way to break up the monotony of an all-text presentation is to use visual aids like charts, graphs, static images, gifs, and movies.

As with all other aspects of your deck, ensure that your visuals are easy to see and understand, and aren’t too wordy. Imagine trying to read a line graph with lots of muddy colors and small text from across a conference room. The goal of a visual aid is to make the presentation you’re giving more compelling and the information you’re sharing easier to understand.

Here are a few tips for adding visuals to your presentation:

• Make sure the images you use are of high quality and that they fit in your deck. They shouldn’t be distorted or pixelated, as this will distract from the content.
• All charts should be very easy to read and understand. If someone can’t immediately glean what information is presented, you may be trying to fit too much into a single chart.
• Don’t use more than one chart per slide unless it’s necessary. Keep it simple.
• If you’re including a brand or logo in your deck, make sure you’re adhering to that brand’s style guide .

A great way to get design ideas for slides in your presentation us to use the Designer feature in PowerPoint. It automatically generates design ideas for you to choose from based on the content of your slide. Designer detects when you’re using pictures, charts, and tables and gives you suggestions for arranging them on your slides in a cohesive layout that’s easy on the eyes. Designer can also help to format your lists and timelines into easy-to-read graphics and suggests relevant graphics to pair with keywords that it finds within your content.

Create a PowerPoint deck that stands out and resonates with your audience by formatting it in a professional manner. And don’t forget to prep for your presentation !

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6.3: Formatting Microsoft PowerPoint Slides- Layout and Design Principles

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Format the layout of each slide
• Understand best practices in design principles

It’s time to transform the five slides from My Life in a Snapshot by manipulating the layout and adding options. Formatting the layout of each slide in Microsoft PowerPoint is the process of adding, subtracting, and/or adjusting the arrangement of elements such as text, images, and shapes on a slide. You may want to format the layout of a slide in PowerPoint to make it more visually appealing and effective for your audience. PowerPoint includes many options for altering the layout of the slide. The slide layout can be changed by using the tool on the Home tab in the Slides command group . From the Home tab, select Layout tab from the Slides command group. Here, you will see a listing and image of the layout options.

We have used three types of layouts in My Life in a Snapshot . Here are some commonly used slide layouts:

• Title Slide : This layout includes a title and subtitle and is typically used for the first slide of a presentation .
• Title and Content: This layout includes a title, subtitle, and one or two content boxes that you can use for text or media. This layout is typically used to give an overview of the presentation and the main topics to be covered.
• Comparison: This layout includes two content boxes, which can be used to present different types of information, such as text and images, or to compare and contrast two pieces of information.
• Section Header: This layout is used to create a slide that can be used as a header for a section of a presentation. It typically includes a title and subtitle, with a distinctive design.
• Content with Caption: This layout includes a content box and a caption box, which can be used to present a single image or other media and provide additional information about it.

These common PowerPoint slide layouts can help you create a clear and effective presentation structure. You can add, remove, or customize placeholders as you need, as well as use combinations of these layouts to create a unique, personalized presentation. PowerPoint also offers a variety of built-in slide layouts that you can use to create different types of slides.

Formatting Layout

When you design your slide layouts, arranging text boxes and other objects becomes key in making sure they are positioned in an effective manner. In this section, we will review the Alignment Guides option within the View tab and discuss the numerous built-in layout designs that PowerPoint can offer.

Alignment Guides

As stated previously, getting things to look exactly how you want them to appear next to each other is crucial to maximizing the design power of PowerPoint. But it can be difficult to align objects with other objects on a single slide, or objects with text, using only your mouse. Under the View tab, you will find a helpful alignment tool that you can access by checking the Guides box. When this box is checked, there will be two dashed lines on the presentation slide, one centered vertically and the other centered horizontally.

When you hover your mouse over one of these lines while holding down the Ctrl key, the cursor turns into a double line with arrows. Drag the line to where you want one guideline to be and let go of the mouse. When you do this, another line is created.

Hold down the Option key, not the Ctrl key, to turn your cursor into a double line with arrows.

You can continue to add guidelines anywhere on your slide to insert and align objects, text boxes, photos, and so forth. (In the section on Adding Visuals and Features to Microsoft PowerPoint Slides, we will cover inserting objects and images.) See Figure 6.23 for a visual example of what the guides look like after adding them to a slide. (If you see that the Guides box is checked but no lines are apparent, just uncheck it and check it again. That will usually bring the guides back into view.)

Link to Learning

Not every presentation has to be delivered by a person. There are many reasons why creating a self-running presentation is valuable. Many companies will design a presentation that can be left unattended in a booth or kiosk, at a trade show or convention, or saved as a video and sent to a client list. A self-running presentation can also help address time-related constraints. Read Microsoft’s steps for creating a self-running slideshow in PowerPoint to learn more.

Design Principles

In this section, you will learn about some basic design principles that are best practices for designing your own slides or choosing a theme for your presentation. You’ll find out how to use proximity, alignment, repetition, contrast, and white space to make your design elements stand out.

In photography, proximity refers to nearness —the distance between the camera and the subject being photographed. In the context of PowerPoint , it refers to the distance between the audience and the subject matter being presented. You can control the relative proximity within a PowerPoint slide. In photography, proximity can affect the composition of the photograph by changing the relative sizes of the elements in the frame. For example, if the camera is positioned close to a small subject, the subject may appear larger in the frame; if the camera is positioned farther away, the subject may appear smaller. The proximity of the camera to the subject can also influence the overall look of the photograph. A photograph taken from a close distance may have a more intimate or detailed appearance, while one taken from farther away may have a more distant or expansive look.

Proximity is an important consideration in designing PowerPoint layouts because it can affect the composition, perspective, and overall look of each slide. In Figure 6.24, you can see two different sizes of the budget sheet. The first one is effective for an overall view of what the document looks like. The second one is more effective if you want the audience to be able to read it. If so, it’s preferable to zoom in as close as possible to that content.

Aligning objects or text on a page adds organization and creates a sense of cohesion, making your content in general more usable. When alignment exists on a slide, the human eye knows where to focus, and the slide is more comfortable to view. In PowerPoint, alignment is the way that text, images, and other elements are positioned on a slide. Proper alignment is important because it helps to create a cohesive, professional-looking presentation. When elements on a slide are aligned, they are more visually balanced, which can make the slide look more organized and appealing to the audience. Properly aligned elements can help guide the viewer’s eye and create a natural flow from one element to the next, making the presentation easier to follow and understand. In addition to the Guides checkbox that we reviewed in the section on Formatting Layout , there are also checkboxes for Rulers and Gridlines. Ticking these boxes will show additional lines on the slide that will help you align your slide elements.

Repetition is the use of similar or identical elements, such as colors, fonts, or design elements, across multiple slides in a presentation. In a slideshow, repetition—especially when similar elements are repeated across multiple slides—can make the presentation feel more polished and professional and make it easy for the audience to follow and understand. Repetition also promotes a consistent look and feel for the presentation. Repetition of important elements such as headings or key points can establish a visual hierarchy that guides the viewer’s eye and makes your presentation easier to follow.

Repetition of visual elements is a good way of reinforcing the key points you want to establish with the audience because they know where to look. In this way, repetition makes the main message of your presentation more memorable and connected for the audience.

In presentations, contrast refers to the use of different elements, such as colors, fonts, and other design elements, to focus attention and create visual interest. You may want to use contrasting colors, such as complementary colors or light and dark shades, or contrasting fonts, such as a bold or decorative font for headings and a simple font for body text. Using contrast helps create a hierarchy and makes your presentation easier to follow.

Using contrasting design elements, such as different shapes or patterns, can help to add visual interest and break up the slide into distinct sections. Overall, contrast is a useful tool in presentations because it can help to draw attention, create visual interest, and make the presentation more effective and engaging for the audience. Notice how in the new title slide of My Life in a Snapshot (Figure 6.21), the title is in large font, the subtitle is in small font, and the colors used are off-white, red, and black. The different font sizes and colors contrast with one another and create an engaging, yet professional, appearance.

White Space

The last design element to consider within this section is white space . White space, also known as negative space, is the unoccupied areas of a slide that are not filled with text or other content. By leaving enough white space around text and other elements, you can make the content easier to read and understand. White space can be used to create visual interest by creating balance and separating different elements on the slide. By surrounding a key point or element with white space, you can draw attention to it and make it stand out. Additionally, using white space consistently throughout a presentation can help to create a cohesive look and feel. It is an important element of slide design and can be used in a variety of ways to enhance the readability, visual appeal, and effectiveness of a presentation. Filling your slides with text or images will make them look too busy and hard for your audience to read. Using the Designer tool to suggest different layouts can help add white space and sustain interest throughout the presentation with aesthetically pleasing slides.

Another principle that underlies all the design principles reviewed in this section is known as the rule of thirds . This is a basic principle of photography and design that suggests that an image can be divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines. It is essentially a tic-tac-toe game board!

Real-World Application - Applying the Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds theory suggests that if you place the important elements of the image along these lines, or at their intersections, your photo or design will be more balanced and will have more visual interest. By placing the main subject of your photo or design along one of the lines or at an intersection, you can create a sense of tension and dynamism that draws the viewer’s eye into the image. Additionally, using the rule of thirds can help you avoid placing the subject of your image dead center every time, which can make for a static and uninteresting composition.

Although the rule of thirds is not a hard-and-fast rule, it is a useful guideline that can help you create more visually appealing and dynamic compositions in your slide creations and layouts. Figure 6.25 provides an example of a grid created according to the rule of thirds.

There are other composition models you can use, as well. The point is that in design, composition is the basis of it all. You want a well-composed layout and placement of text and images, aligned so that the eye moves easily about the slide.

Presentation designs regulate the formatting and layout for the slide and are commonly called

Correct option is b. templates.

Removal of hydrogen and formation of ATP are commonly called as

Slide Layouts in PowerPoint – Everything You Need to Know!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

If you want to make great presentations, and you are not a design wizard, slide layouts can come in really handy! It is a great place to start designing your presentation. If you are beginning your journey with PowerPoint, you may wonder, what is slide layout in PowerPoint?

Slide Layouts in PowerPoint are pre-created slide designs that allow you to quickly and easily add text, headings, images, tables, etc. By default, PowerPoint provides 9 slide layouts (including a blank slide). PowerPoint also allows you to easily add, edit and delete slide layouts.

So, where can you find these slide layouts? How do you format them? Well, in this article, I will share with you all the basic details that you need to know in order to get started with using and understanding the slide layouts in PowerPoint!

So, let’s get started!

1. What is a Slide Layout in PowerPoint? 

A slide on PowerPoint can contain several elements including text, shapes, tables, images, headers, footers. In fact, there may be more than one same type of element present on a single slide. When you start creating a presentation, you are basically using some of these elements to share an inspiring story or an important piece of information.

However, the aesthetics of the slide are determined by how well you lay out these elements on the slide. If you have fairly good design skills, you will easily be able to create an aesthetically pleasing slide! For the rest of us, slide layouts are the way to go!

In Microsoft PowerPoint, a “Slide Layout” refers to the way certain elements (such as text box, image, table, etc) are arranged on the slide. A slide layout is a pre-designed slide format with placeholders that allow you to add text, images, and other elements quickly to the slide.

Using slide layout and master slides, you can also control the color scheme of the presentation, type of fonts, effects, background, headers, footers, and other aspects of presentation design.

This functionality in PowerPoint that allows various pre-created designs to be added to a presentation is often leveraged by corporations. Organizations often create templates and not only control the way presentations look and feel, but also save time for their employees by providing them with various slide design options out of the box!

Pre-set slide layouts are amazing as they allow you to create or use PowerPoint presentation templates. These are pre-designed slide bundles that not only look great on a presentation even when used by a non-designer but also save time for the user of these templates.

For this article, I will be using one of the presentation templates from Envato Elements . With Envato Elements, you get access to thousands of presentation designs with unlimited downloads so you never run out of options again. Plus, you get free previews so you know exactly what you’re getting before buying! It is also very affordable.

2. Where is the Slide Layout in PowerPoint? 

To get quick access to the different layouts of your PowerPoint presentation, click on the ‘Layout’ button in the ‘Slides’ section of the ‘Home’ tab . By clicking on the ‘Layout’ button you will see the various slide layouts present in your presentation.

How to Access Slide Layouts in PowerPoint?

To get complete access to all the Slide Layouts in your PowerPoint so that you can edit them, you have to go to the ‘Master Views’ section under the ‘View’ tab. The whole process is described in the steps mentioned below.

Step-1: Go to the ‘View’ Tab

The first step is to go to the ‘View’ tab which is the second to last tab in the ribbon of your PowerPoint.

Step-2: Go to the ‘Slide Master’ view

In the next step, all you have to do is click on the ‘Slide Master’ view option in the ‘Master Views’ section which is located in the ‘Views’ tab.

By clicking on the ‘Slide Master’ viewing option, you will be taken to the Slide Layout view of the PowerPoint presentation.

Related Article – Slide View Options in PowerPoint! [A Complete Guide!]

Here, you will notice that the menu options change. Furthermore, you now have access to the different shape, image and text placeholders present on the slide. You will be able to move these placeholders and get complete access to the slide layout.

3. How to Change the Slide Layout in PowerPoint? 

You can change the Slide Layout of a slide in your PowerPoint presentation by using the Quick access ‘Layout’ option in the ‘Home’ tab of the ribbon. The process is described in 2 easy steps below.

Step-1: Select the Slide first

At first, you have to go to the slide you want to change the layout of and then click on the ‘Layout’ button in the ‘Slides’ section of the ‘Home’ tab. This will open a drop-down menu of all the slide layouts in your presentation.

Step-2: Click on Layout and Select a Different Layout

After clicking on the ‘Layout’ button, from the drop-down menu, simply select the layout that you want the slide to change into and the layout of that slide will be changed instantly.

4. How to Apply Slide Layout to All Slides? 

Applying slide layout to all slides could mean a couple of things –

• You want to make a change that applies to all slide layouts OR
• You want a specific slide layout to be applied to all slides.

Whatever the case may be, we shall understand both in greater detail below –

4.1 How to Make a Change that Applies to All Slide Layouts

There are certain changes that you sometimes need to apply to all slides. For instance, adding a slide number, adding a company disclaimer, or a company logo.

To apply a change to all slide layout, you will have to edit the ‘Master Slide’ .

You will first need to access the “ Master Slides ” using the “ Slide Master View “. To do that, simply click on “ View “, then click on “ Slide Master “. (as described in the previous sections)

It is the first slide in the ‘Slide Master’ view option which you can find, as discussed earlier, in the ‘Views’ tab.

By applying a change to the ‘Master Slide’ the change will be added to all the other slides in the presentation as well. After going to the ‘Slide Master’ views, follow the simple steps described below.

In the following example, I’m going to add a “Star” (that shall act as a logo) to the top-right corner of the master slide.

Step-1: Apply the change in the ‘Master Slide’ layout.

To apply slide layout to all the slides, make the change that you want to have on the ‘Master Slide’ . In this case I have added a star on the top right corner of the Slide.

Step-2: Send the applied changes to the background

To keep the change, you have made on the background of every slide as a layout, ‘Right click’ on the objects and click on the ‘Send to back’ option from the drop-down menu.

That way, the object will be applied to the background of all the slides and the texts will be visible on top of the logo or the element added.

4.2 How to Apply Specific Slide Layout to All Slides?

If you want to apply a particular slide layout to all slides, follow the below mentioned steps –

Step 1 – Select All Slides

The first step is to select all the slides. To do that, first click on any one slide. Then, press the “ Ctrl+A ” (Cmd+A for Mac) key combination on your keyboard to select all slides.

Step 2 – Change the Slide Layout

The next step is simply choosing the layout that you want to apply to all slides. To do that, first click on “Home”. Then, click on “Layouts” and choose a layout from the array of slide layouts presented by PowerPoint.

As soon as you select a slide layout, PowerPoint will apply it to all slides.

5. What is the Default PowerPoint Slide Layout? 

The default PowerPoint Slide Layout is the style of layout that the Microsoft PowerPoint software provides you out-of-the-box when you open a new PowerPoint file.

The default layout consists of 9 styles of slides which are:

• Title Slide
• Title and Content
• Section Header
• Two Content
• Tittle Only
• Content with Caption
• Picture with Caption

6. How to Edit Slide Layout in PowerPoint? 

To edit a slide Layout, you have to use the ‘Slide Master’ view as discussed earlier in the article and follow the simple steps given below.

Step-1: Go to the layout you want to change in the ‘Master Slides’ view

The first step is to go to the ‘Slide Master’ view in the ‘View’ tab and click on the Layout that you want to edit.

Step-2: Make the preferred edits to the layout

Now, all you have to do is make the preferred edits in the selected layout. After making the edits, the element of the layout will be changed accordingly in the ‘Layout’ option in the ‘Slides’ section of the ‘Home’ tab and all the slides that are using that layout.

Related Article – How to Edit Background Graphics Using Slide Master in PowerPoint!

7. How to Create a New Slide Layout in PowerPoint? 

To create a new slide layout in PowerPoint, go to the ‘Slide Master’ view in the ‘Views’ tab in the ribbon and follow the 2 easy steps described below.

Step-1: Click on the position where you want to add the new slide layout

At first you have to click on the position where you want to add the new slide layout in the ‘Slide Navigation’ bar.

Step-2: ‘Insert Layout’ button at the ‘Edit Master’ section.

After you have clicked on the position where you want to add the new slide layout, all you have to do is click on the ‘Insert layout’ button located in the ‘Edit Master’ section of the ‘Slide Master’ view.

7b. How to Insert a Blank Slide Layout in PowerPoint? 

To insert a blank slide layout in PowerPoint, add a new layout and follow the simple steps given below.

Step-1: Select all the elements in the new slide layout

After inserting a new slide layout, select all the elements that are on the slide layout. You can do that by holding the ‘Left’ mouse button at one corner of the slide and dragging the selector cursor over all the elements of the slide.

Alternatively, you can also ‘left click’ on the elements one by one while holding the ‘Ctrl’ button on your keyboard or click on one of the elements in the slide layout and press the ‘ Ctrl + A ’ buttons on the keyboard of your computer.

Step-2: Delete the elements or object present on the slide

Finally, delete all the elements that you have selected on the new slide layout. You can do that by clicking on the ‘Backspace’ button or the ‘Delete’ button on the keyboard of your computer while keeping all the elements of the new slide layout selected. That way, the new slide layout will be blank.

Step-3: Rename the Slide Layout and Exit Slide Master

The last step is to rename the slide master so that you can easily identify the newly created slide layout in the layout menu. Once that’s done, simply click on “ Close Master View ” to exit the slide master.

8. How Many Types of Slide Layouts are There in PowerPoint?

In PowerPoint, there are 16 different types of slide layouts that you can apply to your presentation. All 16 of these layouts are divided into 4 categories. The categories and types of slide layouts is listed below.

• Title and Text
• Title and 2 Column Text
• Blank 
• Content 
• Title, Text, and Content
• Title and Text over Content
• Title and Content over Text
• Title, Text, and ClipArt
• Title, Text, and Chart
• Title, Text, and Media Clip
• Title and Table
• Title and Diagram or Organization Chart
• Title and Chart

More PowerPoint Related Topics

• How to Use a Presentation Clicker to Deliver Presentations Effectively!
• How to Crop a Picture in PowerPoint? [Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial!]
• How to Give a Presentation on Zoom? A Helpful Resource!
• How to Convert a PowerPoint to PDF? [A Simple Guide!]
• PowerPoint vs Google Slides: Which is Better? [ULTIMATE Test!]
• How to Change Bullet Style in PowerPoint? A Complete Guide

Credit to psh.vector (on Freepik) for the Featured Image of this Article

Formatting Your PowerPoint Presentation Using Slide Masters and Layouts

Paul is a GIS professor at Vancouver Island U, has a PhD from U of British Columbia, and has taught stats and programming for 15 years.

Table of Contents

Themes and slide masters, applying a layout, working with masters, modify an existing layout, add a new layout, lesson summary, learning outcomes.

PowerPoint uses two approaches to control the appearance of slides in a presentation:

• Themes control the colors, fonts, effects and background style of all the slides in a presentation. Most themes include variants that are identical in terms of general design but provide different options for colors and fonts.
• Slide masters control the layout, master style and static slide elements of specific types of slides.

This lesson will look more closely at the use of slide masters.

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• 0:02 Themes & Slide Masters
• 0:36 Applying a Layout
• 1:44 Working with Masters
• 2:57 Modifying A Layout
• 3:54 New Layouts
• 4:55 Lesson Summary

Let's start with a presentation that already has a basic design applied to it. Each slide follows a particular layout. There is a layout for a title slide, one for a slide with a title and content, one for content with a caption, etc.

Each layout specifies which elements are located on a slide, where they are located and how large they are. You can change the layout of each slide to re-arrange the content into something more appropriate.

Select the Home ribbon. With a particular slide selected, click on Layout , and select the type of layout you want to apply. For example, let's change the layout of the current slide to Title and Content (please see video at 01:22). Notice how the same text and image are used, but they are moved to a different location and are changed in size.

The same layouts are available when creating a new slide. When you create a new slide and then add content, you can still go back and change your mind about the type of layout you want to use.

Using layouts makes it possible to use a consistent style for your presentation. But where do these layouts come from, and how can you create your own layout? Time to work with slide masters.

Let's continue with the same presentation. Select the View ribbon, and click on Slide Master . This brings up the slide master for your presentation that controls the look of your entire presentation. When you look at the slide master, you no longer see the content of your presentation, only the general design.

By default, there is one slide master that controls the general design of the presentation, including colors, fonts, effects and backgrounds. There are a series of different slide layouts that control the placement and size of different elements for each type of layout.

For example, here is the title slide layout:

When you hover over the thumbnail of this layout, you can see which slides in your current presentation use this particular layout. You can scroll down to see all the possible layouts that are part of this master, even if they are not used in the current presentation.

You can also make changes to an existing layout in the slide master. In this example, let's change the title slide:

Click on the thumbnail of the title slide so it appears in the main slide window.

Instead of having the text right-aligned, let's make it left-aligned. Click inside the text box for the title. Select the Home ribbon, and use the left-align tool. Repeat this for the subtitle. Return to the slide master tools by selecting the Slide Master ribbon at the top. Once you have made your changes to the master, you need to close the master view to return to the presentation.

When you check your presentation, you will see that the layout change has been applied to your title slide. If you insert a new title slide, it will also have this new layout since it is created from your slide master.

In addition to modifying an existing layout, you can also create a new layout. Select the View ribbon at the top, and click on Slide Master . From the slide master tools, select Insert Layout to create your own custom layout. You can modify the basic layout by adding placeholders for certain elements.

Click on Insert Placeholder , and select the type of element you want. You can now draw the size and shape of the element on the layout. You can add placeholders, modify them or remove them. Let's move the title of this layout to the bottom and the image to the top. Once you are satisfied with your layout, return to the slide master tools, and close the master view to return to your presentation. Now when you insert a new slide or apply a layout to an existing slide, you can use your new custom layout.

Slide masters control the look and feel of your entire presentation, including colors, fonts and the organization of elements on each slide. Each slide master contains a number of layouts for different types of slides. You can use layouts to create new slides or apply them to existing slides. You can modify the layouts in a slide master to add custom layouts.

Following this lesson, you should be able to:

• Describe what you can do in PowerPoint using slide masters
• Explain how to use layouts to create new slides
• Modify the layouts in a slide master

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• Presentations

How to Make Great PPT Slide Layouts in Microsoft PowerPoint

• Bahasa Indonesia

PowerPoint  is an industry standard for creating presentations for good reason: it's got enough tools to easily create professional presentations using good PowerPoint layouts. 

PowerPoint tools help create presentations without having to reinvent the wheel with each presentation you make. Tools like themes, animations, and slide layout  PowerPoint speed up the process of building presentations.

In this tutorial, I'll teach you to use and create  PowerPoint layouts.  You can think of a slide layout as a one-click starting point for making your presentation.

What Is a PowerPoint Slide Layout ?

Let's look at a definition of a slide layout, PowerPoint specifically, and what makes them so useful:

PowerPoint layouts are the combination and arrangement of objects on a slide. You can choose a layout in a PowerPoint presentation and start adding your own content to build out a slide.

PowerPoint themes include multiple slide layouts. In the screenshot below, you see a variety of slide layouts to choose from that are included with the Simplicity PowerPoint theme , available on GraphicRiver. 

A slide layout in a PowerPoint presentation can be as simple as a title, centered on a slide. A slide layout in PowerPoint can also contain complex combinations of text boxes, images, and graphics. Use a number of slide layouts for variety in your PowerPoint presentations.

5 Popular Types of PowerPoint Slide Layouts

In this section, I'm going to sample from PowerPoint slide layouts on Envato Elements. Elements is an all-you-can-download service that includes thousands of custom PowerPoint templates—each of which includes custom layouts.

Here are five PowerPoint layouts that you'll see in many custom templates from Envato Elements. Let's check them out and think about how you might use them. I'll show you the templates that include the best PowerPoint layouts you can use in your next presentation.

1. The Timeline Layout in PowerPoint Presentation

A timeline layout is the perfect example of a PowerPoint layout that isn't built-in. Many premium templates include timelines as a custom PowerPoint layout option.

Timelines can be used to tell stories and link events together in chronological order. It's one of the best ways to chain together events and tell a cohesive story.

2. The "Colorful Content" Slide

Minimalism and simple slides are all the rage in 2024. But throwing in the occasional bright, colorful slide can help break the rhythm and make a key slide really stand out.

In the example above, you can see a slide layout in PowerPoint that's common to many modern presentation templates. A simple combination of blocks that serve as the backdrop to your content is the perfect example of a PowerPoint layout you won't find built into the app.

3. The Device Mockup Layout

Want to see something in a real-world setting? A device mockup layout in a PowerPoint presentation may be the perfect way to show off an app or service. 

These can take many forms, but the example above is a prime one. Combining a device mockup with supporting points can bring an app or service to life.

4. The "Chart and Facts" Layout

Charts and graphs can usually stand on their own, but it helps when you put them side-by-side with key talking points. That's why a "chart and facts" PowerPoint custom layout is one of my favorite way to accomplish both on the same slide.

5. The "People Grid" Layout

There are  so many  presentations that benefit from showing your team. That could include business-centric presentations or a class presentation that shows everyone who contributed.

There are many PowerPoint layouts to do this, but the example above is one that's common to many templates: a simple combination of shapes and image placeholders that show off the contributors. 

How to Quickly Make Slide Layouts in PowerPoint (Watch & Learn)

In this screencast, I'll teach you how to choose from different layouts in PowerPoint. Then, you'll learn how to create your very own slide layouts. This helps you save and re-use your most common slide designs.

Read on for written, illustrated instructions for mastering PowerPoint slide layouts.

How to Change PowerPoint Layouts

To change your PowerPoint layout, make sure that you're working on the  Home  tab on PowerPoint's ribbon.

Choose the  Layout  dropdown. PowerPoint shows a menu with thumbnails for each of the different layouts packaged with the theme:

To change a layout, simply click on one of those thumbnails to apply a selected layout. The slide view in the main workspace will change to the selected PowerPoint layout.

When you choose a new slide layout, PowerPoint will put  placeholders  on a slide, empty boxes where you can insert your own content. Based on the slide layout, the placeholder might expect you to insert header text, bullet points, images, video, and more.

Each slide layout for PPT is different. They might include placeholders for images, text boxes for your content, or even video boxes. Slide layouts also can include background colors or images specific to each slide.

Think of a slide layout in PowerPoint as a blueprint for a slide. Different blueprints help you build different styles of slides. Specific slides might skip image placeholders or use all text, so choose the layout that helps you present your content efficiently.

How to Create Custom Slide Layouts

So far, we've looked at layouts that are built into a PowerPoint theme. What if you want to create your own slide layouts with custom combinations of elements? The theme that you're using may not include the PowerPoint layout you envision. In PowerPoint, you can create  custom slide layouts  and use them over and over.

If you find yourself creating the same arrangement of objects on a PowerPoint slide repeatedly, it's a good idea to create your own layout. Create PowerPoint custom layouts and re-use them with a single click. Here's how:

1. Navigate to Slide Master View

Enter  Slide Master View  to create your own PowerPoint custom layout. Click on the View  tab on PowerPoint's ribbon and choose  Slide Master  from the Master Views section on the ribbon.

Slide Master View is a feature to edit your slide templates. You can edit or insert new layouts with this view. The screenshot below shows one of the slide layouts that's built into the theme. Notice that it includes placeholder boxes where you can add your own content.

When you work in Slide Master view, you aren't working with the presentation file—you're adding layouts to the presentation theme itself. 

2. Insert a Slide Layout

Now that we've entered Slide Master view, we can add and edit slide layouts. Create your own PowerPoint slide layout if your theme lacks the structure you need.

To add a new slide layout, find the  Insert Layout  button on the ribbon and click on it. On the left side, PowerPoint will add a new thumbnail that represents a new PowerPoint layout.

This slide layout for PPT is your blank canvas to design your very own custom slide layout. The elements you add will show any time you use the custom slide layout.

3. Add Placeholders for Your Slide

Placeholders  are the objects you can add to a slide layout. When you select a slide layout in PowerPoint, you'll see boxes that are filled with your content.

To add those boxes, click on  Insert Placeholder  on the ribbon while in Slide Master view. Choose from one of the options to add a box.

Adding a placeholder to a slide layout in PowerPoint will create a box on the slide to add content. When you use that slide layout in the future, these placeholder boxes will appear, and you can add content to them.

A PowerPoint layout is just a set of placeholders that you can re-use, so don't add specific content like the slide title or bullet points to this view. The goal is to create re-usable slide designs that are flexible. In the screenshot below, I've added a couple of placeholders ("Content" and a "Picture" placeholder) to the layout.

Slide Master View also allows you to change font sizes and color. Those changes are included as a part of the new Slide Layout, so they'll appear anytime that you use the custom slide layout.

4. Use the PowerPoint Slide Layout

Let's leave Slide Master view and return to  Normal  view, the standard presentation-building view in PowerPoint. Click on  View  and click on  Normal  to leave Slide Master view.

Now that you're back in Normal View , return to the  Home  tab on the ribbon, and open the  Layout  drop-down. You'll see the new layout that we just created. Click on it to apply it to the active slide.

PowerPoint will change the current slide to the custom PowerPoint layout you select. Then, you can start adding content to the placeholder boxes you added in Slide Master view. Return to the Layout menu any time that you want to use your custom slide layout.

5 Top PowerPoint Presentation Slide Layout Design Tips for 2024

What are the elements that make for a great PowerPoint layout? We've all sat through too many presentations with crowded, confusing slides.

Not all slide layouts in PowerPoint are created equally. Here are my top tips for great slide layouts:

Above all, limit the number of items included on a slide layout. You want to focus on a few key bullet points or media to remain readable.

Consider font sizes when adding text boxes; use larger sizes for header text and smaller sizes elsewhere.

Don't fill the entire slide with placeholders; leave white space between each of the elements so that the slides flow naturally.

With that in mind, here are five quick tips to help you design a standout presentation: 

1. Stand Out With Custom Illustrations

Custom illustrations are a great way to make your presentation visually engaging so you can stand out from your peers. The Lionhead PPT template from Envato Elements does a wonderful job of using illustrations and making the entire presentation appear more colorful. 

2. Go Easy on Transitions and Animations

Transitions and animations can make your presentation more engaging. But if you go overboard, it can make your presentation look unprofessional. Save the transitions and animations for slides that introduce the next point in your presentation. 

3. Use Contrasting Colors

Take your presentation to the next level by using two contrasting colors. This is a great choice for companies and professionals that want to leave a lasting and bold impression on their audience. Use a template like Conference which comes with contrasting colors built into the slides. 

4. Make Use of the Slide Master

Use a slide master to create consistency in your presentation design. You can set the default colors and font sizes so they’re easy to update throughout the entire presentation in one place.

5. Get Creative With Slide Layouts

Your slides don’t have to be purely image based or text based. Experiment with image and text placement to create unique and attractive slides. Or use a template like Rockstar which comes with many slide layouts and types.

5 Top Premium PowerPoint Slide Design Templates From Envato Elements - For 2024

Envato Elements is one of the top places to find premium PowerPoint slide design templates. These templates have a modern and professional design as well plenty of features that'll take your presentation to the next level:

1. Casual PowerPoint Template

The Casual PowerPoint template is perfect for a fashion or eCommerce presentation. The template was designed in widescreen format and standard format. It includes 32 slides based on master slides. You’ll also find drag and drop image placeholders for easy editing. 

2. Guava PowerPoint Template

The Guava template features a minimalistic and clean design. It's got more than 50 unique slides and editable vector shapes. You can easily add your own photos thanks to image placeholders. The template also includes PPTX files and documentation. 

3. Simple Slide Layout in PowerPoint Template

The Simple Presentation PowerPoint template has a multipurpose design that can be used for any type of presentation. It includes a light and a dark version and drag and drop image placeholders. The template is easy to customize. 

4. Boris PowerPoint Template

The Boris template has a clean and minimal design. It comes with 30 slides based on master slides. It also includes 5 premade color schemes and picture placeholders. The template was designed in widescreen resolution.

5. Classics PowerPoint Template

The Classics template is a great choice if you’re looking for an elegant template. It can be used for all kinds of presentations. You’ll find 150+ unique slides and 5 premade color schemes. It’s easy to customize thanks to image placeholders and master slides. 

Common PowerPoint Questions Answered (FAQ)

If you’re thinking about using PowerPoint for your next presentation, you might have questions about this powerful program. Here, we’ve gathered the most common questions about PowerPoint to provide you with answers:

1. Is It Easy to Change Templates in PowerPoint?

PowerPoint comes with some built-in slide templates. But you can easily change them for a professionally designed template. We've got a tutorial that walks you through the entire process.

2. What Are the Best Dimensions for My Presentation?

This answer is a rather tricky one and depends on where and how you plan on presenting your slides. We've got a tutorial that'll help you design your presentation and ensure it looks great no matter where it’s presented.

3. Can I Edit Master Slides in PowerPoint?

Yes, you can and it’s quite easy to do. Editing the master slides will help you maintain consistency as well as use your favorite fonts, colors, and other styles.

4. Can I Learn PowerPoint Quickly?

PowerPoint is packed with features that might seem overwhelming. Luckily, there are a few tips and tricks you can use to get up to speed with PowerPoint quickly and create presentations in no time.

5. How Can PowerPoint Help Make Better Presentations?

PowerPoint has many features that help you create great presentations. This includes built-in layouts, the ability to rearrange slides, master slides, and more. You can learn more in our guide about key Microsoft PowerPoint features .

Keep Learning More About PowerPoint

Slide layouts are just arrangements of items on a PowerPoint slide, but they're essential to master for PowerPoint professionals. 

If you want to learn more about PowerPoint in general, we've got a great resource for you: the PowerPoint Ultimate Tutorial Guide . There's no other source that's got so much information in a single place.

You can make your own custom PowerPoint layouts or save time by working with a top professional PowerPoint template , which comes with great slide designs that are pre-built and ready to use: 

Grab Our New eBook on Making Great Presentations (Free)

Download  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations  eBook now for FREE with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter. Get your ideas formed into a powerful presentation that'll move your audience!

Build Your Best Slide Layout in PowerPoint With Helpful Tutorials and Templates

In this post, we covered one of the most important aspects of Microsoft's presentation app: PowerPoint layouts. A layout for PPT is a blueprint you can use to set up the elements for your slides. PowerPoint certainly has built-in layout options that are easy to use as the starting point for your slides. 

But, custom slides from Envato Elements or GraphicRiver have limitless layout options that can help you build your best presentations ever. Jump to those links to design your presentation with custom PowerPoint layouts.

Editorial Note: The tutorial was originally published in July of 2017. It's been comprehensively revised to include new information—with special assistance from Andrew Childress   and Brenda Barron .

• Create a template from a presentation Video
• Customize the design and layouts Video
• Create slide content Video

Customize the design and layouts

When you create a presentation you want to save as a template, start with the cleanest file possible, and get your design in place first.

Create and save a template

Use slide masters to customize a presentation

Apply and change a theme

When you create a presentation you want to save as a template, start with the cleanest file possible, and get your design in place, first.

Let’s begin with Design , and the Themes gallery.

For a presentation featuring wine, I’d like a deep, rich theme; I’ll try this one.

Over in Variants, there’s an alternative, purple color scheme for this theme. I’ll use that.

Next, I’ll click View , Slide Master to make changes to the slide master.

I’ll select the slide master, the top slide, to make my first change: This will apply to the text footer. The company’s URL should go there.

So, let’s click Insert , Header & Footer ; check Footer , and paste in the URL. Then we click Apply .

There’s the footer text, but let’s make it bigger: I’ll select the placeholder on the slide master, click Home , Font Size , and change the size to 16.

Because I’ve put the footer on the slide master, it appears in every master layout.

Now, let’s make changes to the master layouts. This is a way to really customize a presentation.

We’ll start by deleting the layouts we don’t want. As long as no slide is using a given layout, you can delete it. You select it and press Delete .

We’ve got the layouts down to five, and we’re going to customize one of them, the Picture with Caption layout.

We use this layout for the wine photo and description. I want to resize the placeholders and make the fonts bigger.

The Picture placeholder needs to fit the dimensions of our cropped photos. To work with it, I’ll right-click it, and click Format Shape .

Then I click Size & Properties , and Size .

Before anything else, I’ll uncheck Lock aspect ratio so that I can control both height and width.

Then I’ll type in the height and width of our photos, and press Enter . I’ll close the Format Shape pane for now.

And I’ll click View , Gridlines as the gridlines will help me position the placeholder.

Then I’ll use the arrow keys to nudge the placeholder over and up, just eyeballing the placement.

To widen the text placeholders, I’ll press CTRL , select them both, and drag the right side. We can turn off the gridlines.

To increase the font sizes in the text placeholders, I’ll select the placeholder, click Home , and change the font size for each one.

To add more space above the body text, I’ll right-click the placeholder, click Format Shape , and Size & Properties .

I’ll close the Size options and click Text Box . Then, for Top Margin , I’ll bump up the spacing to .2.

That looks better. Another useful change I’ll make to this layout is to this prompt text: How about “Wine name goes here.”

To rename the layout, right-click the thumbnail, choose Rename Layout , we’ll call it, Wine Profile, and click Rename .

We’re done with our customizations to the slide master. I’ll click Normal to switch back to Normal view.

Now, I could make all these customizations available for any presentation by saving them as a theme--I’d click Design , open the Themes gallery, click Save Current Theme , and name the theme.

But, my goal is to include actual slide content and formatting, as well; a template format allows me to do that.

So, with our design and layouts in place, let’s click Save , name the presentation—we’ll call it Coho Premium Selections, and click Save .

Up next: We’ll add slide content and formatting and then save the presentation as a template.

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The 4 Design Principles in PowerPoint!

Design principles in PowerPoint are there to serve as basic design guidelines when creating PowerPoint presentations. The four principles can help you design visually appealing and effective presentations.

In this article, we’ll explain the CRAP guideline and show you how to exactly use the four design principles.

CRAP – the 4 design principles

The CRAP guideline is made up of the following 4 principles:

#1: Contrast

With contrasts on your slides , you create a crucial design element: the attention of your viewers is drawn to important, visually highlighted information.

If certain elements differ from the rest of your slide by color, font, size or shape, these elements will stand out. For example, read this article in our blog on “PowerPoint Backgrounds” to learn how to make your presentation stand out.

#2: Repetition

Repetition and consistent use of design elements across your slides promote recognition and visual unity. You can achieve this consistency, for example, by using uniform fonts, formatting, graphic elements, and a corporate design color palette.

#3: Alignment

The arrangement of the various elements on your slides also plays an important role in creating engaging presentations. If you want to create a professional and harmonious-looking presentation , you can create structure and order by clearly aligning the elements on your slides.

Design grids and guidelines are particularly helpful here. You can insert these by placing a check mark next to “Gridlines” or “Guidelines ” under “View”.

#4: Proximity

In the context of PowerPoint, you can think of the term proximity as the positioning of elements on the slide. You should place related elements close to each other.

Because good proximity not only makes it easier for your audience to grasp and understand the content, but also conveys a visual hierarchy. This way you can convey the importance of the different elements to your audience.

Another aspect that helps your audience grasp the content on your slides is white space. Find out more in our blog article on “White Space on your PowerPoint slides”.

To sum up: Design Principles for Appealing Presentations!

Use the CRAP-principles to deliver an engaging presentation to your audience. A good design will help your audience absorb the information easily and your listeners will thank you for it!

Are you looking for visually supportive and professionally designed slide templates ? Feel free to look around our store. Here we have numerous slides prepared for you to download on a wide variety of (business) topics. Take a look today! ► To the store

Further articles, that might interest you:

• Why You Should Make Sure to have White Space on Your Slides: 5 Advantages!
• PowerPoint Backgrounds: How to Make Your Presentations Pop
• Revealed: The 12 secrets for a perfect PowerPoint presentation

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• Subject Guides

A practical guide to presentations

• Basic slide design
• Presentations
• Tools & content
• Text & images
• Animation, sound, & video
• Delivering a presentation

Having chosen our tool, it's time to consider some basics: First we take a look at five golden rules of effective slide design, and then have a go at implementing those principles using the full-screen image method . Then we take a look at the importance of placeholders and how slide layouts can be controlled using masters and themes .

Five golden rules

Faculty Engagement Manager Ned Potter offers the following 5 golden rules for a presentation which sticks :

1: Keep it simple

2: no bullets.

Bullet point lists have their uses (not least on a website like this) but in a presentation slide:

• bullet points are often fragments of sentences (bad)
• they take up all the space, less room for images (bad)
• they make your audience less likely to read the slides (bad)
• if they are reading, they'll be reading faster than you're talking, distracting them from what you're actually saying (really bad)

It's true that a bullet list provides a potentially useful summary of what's being said, but it's not always the most helpful approach. Research shows that graphical representations are more helpful to learning (and better received) than bullet point lists.

3: One point per slide

Rather than a list of potentially distracting points, try to keep to one point per slide (or at the very least reveal each point as it becomes relevant). Give what you're saying room to breathe.

Use whole sentences rather than fragments, although you can always use things like colour (contrast permitting), weight , or font-size to emphasise key points.

4: Big fresh fonts

Font choice.

There are four main font categories:

Serif fonts, with their traditional, formal overtones, are often used in print. They're typically avoided in online contexts because display resolutions have historically not really been up to displaying them with sufficient clarity to be properly accessible.

Sans-serif fonts like the ones we usually use on these pages are considered more modern and less formal, and their relative simplicity means that they display better in digital media (like a web page or a PowerPoint slide). You should generally favour fonts like these in your slides .

Cursive fonts mimic handwriting. Some look like wedding invitations and aren't very readable at all. Some, like Comic Sans, are designed to be accessible for children, but that carries negative connotations in other uses.

Then there's decorative fonts. Informal; fun; good for accents. But you wouldn't want a whole presentation like this.

In terms of font selection, University-managed computers have a broad range of fonts. If you're on your own computer and want a better variety of fonts, there are a number of free fonts available online. We got the fancy font above ("Audiowide") from Google Fonts , and there's also Font Squirrel . As always, use caution if downloading fonts from unfamiliar sites.

As any optician's chart will demonstrate, size of font is important. This is 24pt and you probably wouldn't want to go much smaller than that on a slide (though it depends on where you're presenting and the size of the screen) — if you're struggling to fit things on at that size, maybe you're trying to squeeze too much into one slide?

5: More images, less text

According to research by Dr Richard Mayer (on whose principles these rules are based), learning improves when words are placed near relevant pictures. The key word there is relevant . Relevant images help people learn.

Take a look at our Practical Guide to Copyright for information on sourcing images that you can legally use in your presentations.

“ Death by PowerPoint is a phenomenon caused by the poor use of presentation software. Key contributors...include confusing graphics, slides with too much text and presenters whose idea of a good presentation is to read 40 slides out loud.”

- whatis.com

Making simple but elegant slides using the full-screen image method

We'll get onto the detailed mechanics of slide making in a bit, but first let's have a go at a quick but attractive approach to slide design: the full-screen image method:

This approach, based on the 'five golden rules', uses a relevant background image overlaid by a short summary sentence. A slide deck using this method may be quite long in terms of the number of slides, but each slide might only be on screen for less than a minute. Slides of this style are relatively easy to put together but make for a distinctive and attractive presentation.

Find an image

It might be your own image, or it might be something you've found on the internet, in which case you'll need to think about questions of ownership and copyright. Fortunately there are plenty of images out there that you can use for free. Our Practical Guide to Copyright has information on sourcing images that you can legally use in your presentations. We're particularly fond of Pexels and Pixabay which both provide public domain / CC0 images that you don't even need to cite (unless you want to).

Use the image as your slide background

• Right-click select the background of your slide and choose Format Background... — the "Format Background" side-panel will open;
• In the side-panel, select Picture or texture fill — a tasteful beige wood effect will appear on your slide, but don't worry: it won't be there for long;
• Go and find your image; if you've got it saved to your computer, choose the Insert... button on the "Picture source" section of the side-panel, then choose "From a File" and browse to the image you need. Alternatively, you could copy the image to your clipboard and then use the Clipboard button;
• You can use the other tools on the side-panel to make changes to the image, such as adjusting its position or applying effects.

• Right-click select the background of your slide and choose Change background... — the "Background" dialogue will open;
• Select Choose image : you'll have a choice of different import methods;
• Go and find your image; if you've got it saved to your computer, choose the UPLOAD button, then "BROWSE" or drag in the image you need. Alternatively, you could copy the image's web address to your clipboard and then use the BY URL method;
• Select Done to apply your new background.

Background images don't include alt-text. If your image contains something important (rather than merely decorative / reinforcing), insert it in its own right rather than as a background (we'll look at these principles in the Images section ).

Add some text to your slide

There are a few ways of going about this (we'll look at some more in the Text section ), but perhaps the most straightforward and accessible method (especially if you're going to be sharing the slides) is to use a Title/Content layout.

• In the navigation pane (left-hand side), right-click select the thumbnail for the current slide and choose: Layout > Title and Content — template boxes will appear on your slide;

• We don't need the title box visible, but it's useful for navigation purposes for a slide to have a title, so drag the box out of the visible area of the slide (the border of the box is the draggable part, as denoted by the drag crosshair), then put in an appropriate title;
• Now reposition your content box to where you want your text to appear. Again you can drag with the border. You can also adjust the size of the box with the toggles at each corner;
• Enter your text and format your box as appropriate (see below for more on formatting options).
• In the navigation pane (left-hand side), right-click select the thumbnail for the current slide and choose: Apply layout > Title and body — template boxes will appear on your slide;
• Enter your text and format your box as appropriate (again, see below for more on formatting options).

Controlling layout using masters

PowerPoint and Google Slides are not strictly designed to be blank canvasses that we fill ad hoc with images and text boxes. This never used to be a problem until we realised how inaccessible our slides were for other people who might have to 'look' at them. In the full-screen image example we deliberately (ab)used a standard title/content layout , and we did so for good reason...

Layouts: what are they and why are you making me use them?!

When you create a new slide, the chances are that your blank slide won't be blank; it will contain a number of placeholders just begging to be filled. The expectation is that you choose an appropriate layout for your slide and use it accordingly.

The first slide in your deck will usually contain Title Slide placeholders, while subsequent slides will generally be created with Title and Content placeholders by default.

The primary functions of these placeholders are to:

• help achieve consistent positioning within a presentation
• allow you to make use of the Master Slides feature to achieve consistent and easily editable formatting within a presentation

It used to be that if you didn't really care about consistent positioning or the ability to globally edit your slides' appearance, then you could happily just ignore these placeholders. But the placeholders are also used to construct a document outline from your slides, making them more accessible and easier to navigate.

Titles are especially valuable in this regard. Take a look at the embedded slides at the top of this box ...There's a dropdown on the control panel for those slides (where it says "Slide 1"). If you select that dropdown you'll see that the slide title appears there for each slide in the deck, with the exception of Slide 4, because Slide 4 is the one slide that isn't using a layout with a title placeholder.

Slides 7 and 8 have the same title, which isn't really ideal either, but at least they've got titles, so we can navigate to them safe in the knowledge that we've some idea as to what they're about.

Title text (and even content text) also appears in the 'Outline' view in PowerPoint ( View > Presentation Views > Outline View ), and PowerPoint's accessibility checker ( Review > Accessibility > Check Accessibility ) will complain at you if you haven't got titles on your slides (though it will also offer an assortment of solutions to help you out).

Applying layouts

You can apply a layout to a new slide, or even swap the layout of an existing slide.

As well as accessing the layouts from the navigation panel (as demonstrated for the full-screen image method), you can change the layout of a slide from:

Home > Slides > Layout

Slide > Apply layout

Any page element using the same placeholders will be adjusted according to the selected layout. Any other modifications to the page will remain unchanged.

Configuring layouts with master slides

The positioning and formatting of placeholders and other slide content is controlled using a collection of slide and layout masters (effectively a sort of template hierarchy). These masters can be viewed and edited in their own special Master View :

View > Master Views > Slide Master

View > Theme builder

When you view the masters, the layout master for the current slide will be highlighted. Hover over (or select in Google Slides) any layout master to see which slides are using it.

Like the usual view in PowerPoint or Google Slides, the Master View consists of a thumbnail list of masters to the left, and a slide workspace to the right. A slide deck can consist of one or more Slide Masters under which will be a number of Layout Masters . These work according to the following principles:

• Changes made to the Slide Master will be inherited by every Layout Master, and hence by every slide;
• Changes to Layout Masters will affect only slides based on that layout;
• Inherited content (eg background graphics) can be hidden on a Layout Master, or on an individual slide;
• Text formatting applied to a Slide Master or Layout Master will affect all associated slides but can be over-written by direct formatting on individual slides.

In the above example:

• ...a red star placed in the top left-hand corner of the Slide Master is inherited by all other Layout Masters, and hence all other slides;
• ...a green star placed in the bottom right-hand corner of the Comparison Layout Master is inherited by all slides using that layout;
• ...font formatting applied to the Comparison Layout Master is inherited by all slides using that layout;
• ...a picture of some cake added to the Title & content Layout Master is inherited by all slides using that layout.

In some cases (particularly in terms of placeholders), changes made at a higher level can be 'undone' or hidden at lower levels.

Editing masters

Here's some specific examples, and how to go about implementing them:

In summary:

• To make a change that will affect all slides, edit the Slide Master
• To make a change affecting slides based on a particular layout, edit the relevant Layout Master

Custom Layout Masters

If none of the layout masters meet your requirements, you can modify an existing one or add your own.

From within the Master View...:

Slide Master > Edit Master > Instert Layout

Insert > New Layout

Slide Master > Master Layout > Instert Placeholder

Insert > Placeholder

Multiple Slide Masters

Your slide deck can include more than one set of masters (handy if you're stitching multiple presentations together into one deck). You can duplicate an existing Slide Master (and its Layout children) by right-click selecting the master and choosing Duplicate Slide Master . In PowerPoint, further Masters are added to the left-hand navigation pane. In Google Slides, Master View will only display one set of Masters at a time, but you can toggle between them with the toggle selector at the top of the navigation pane.

Closing the Master View

Getting into the Master View is one thing; getting back out of it again is altogether harder – at least in PowerPoint. Here's the way out:

Go to Slide Master > Close > Close Master View (it's a cross icon but it's easily lost when you've been working in the Master View);

Unselect View > Theme builder , or just hit the little cross in the top right-hand corner of the view.

Footers and page numbers

The Slide Master and most Layout Masters include placeholders for footer information such as slide number (PowerPoint and Google Slides) and date (PowerPoint only). These can be formatted in the same way as other placeholders but will only appear on your slides if the respective features are enabled.

To enable such features:

• From either the normal view or the Master View, select Insert  Text > Header & Footer — the "Header and Footer" dialogue will open;
• Enable the regions you wish to be displayed. Text you want to appear should be entered here rather than in the Slide Master placeholder;

• Choose Apply to All unless you are configuring just one slide or master.
• From either the normal view or the Master View, select Insert > Slide numbers — the "Slide numbers" dialogue will open;
• There aren't many settings in Google Slides: it's pretty much on or off, though you can choose to skip title slides;
• Choose Apply unless you are configuring just one slide or master, in which case choose Apply to selected .

So can't I make freeform slides?

Many people (the writer of this sentence included) prefer to add their own text boxes to slides, in addition to (or even instead of) the placeholders. There's nothing wrong with doing this, so long as you bear in mind a few things:

• Content in additional text boxes cannot be formatted using any Master features — you can't make global changes; you have to configure (and perhaps subsequently reconfigure) each instance individually;
• Accurate positioning of content and formatting for consistency within a presentation becomes more difficult.

More importantly, if you're going to be sharing your slides with others, they're going to need to be accessible, and that means:

• Each slide should have a title (and as we've already established, that really needs to be in a title placeholder);
• The other content you add to your slide needs to adhere to the expected reading order .

To help achieve consistency with freeform slides:

• Use the Master features to position and format the slide title, and make use of the Title Only layout at the very least. If you don't want the title to be visible, you can always move it out of frame;
• Copy and paste is your friend: copy and paste placeholders, text boxes, and other items between slides to preserve format and position, or, better still, duplicate whole slides. That way the previous slide becomes its own master of sorts that you can keep duplicating and overwriting.

A theme is a collection of colours, font styles and graphic elements that give a consistent visual identity to a presentation. Essentially, they're different sets of slide and layout masters.

PowerPoint and Google Slides include a range of built-in themes. They can add a bit of prettiness to your slides, but by their very nature they're a little over-used. You can, however, create and save your own designs.

Choosing a theme

• Select the Design tab — the themes occupy most of the ribbon;

• Choose the More toggle to view the full range of themes;
• Hovering the pointer over a theme will temporarily format your presentation in that theme using its default colours;
• Select the required theme to apply it to your presentation;
• Use the Design > Variants ribbon section to select an alternative preset colour palette for the theme.
• Go to Slide > Change theme — the "Themes" side-panel will open;
• Scroll down the list to a theme you like;
• Select the required theme to apply it to your presentation (you can always hit undo if you don't like what it's done).

You can also import a theme from another presentation:

Design > Themes > More > Browse for Themes...

Use the Import theme button at the bottom of the "Themes" side-panel.

Customising and reusing themes

Customisation is simply a matter of editing the Slide and Layout Masters to suit your needs. You can then save the modified version for future use:

• Select Design > Themes > More > Save Current Theme...
• Give your theme a name and Save it (you might want to take note of the default location or choose a more accessible folder). — the theme will now be available in the gallery for future use.

PowerPoint presentations can also be saved as templates (select "PowerPoint Template" when saving): these serve as an alternative starting point as you can include reusable content (unlike with themes which are just concerned with visual appearance).

• Go to View > Master to access the Master view;
• Select the Master slide;
• Hit the Rename button at the top of the Master view;

• Give your theme a name and hit OK ;
• To reuse your theme in future, choose Import theme from the "Themes" side-panel ( Slide > Change theme ), find the presentation containing the theme you want to use and select the required theme.
• << Previous: Tools & content
• Next: Text & images >>
• Last Updated: Mar 25, 2024 5:30 PM
• URL: https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/presentations

Presentation designs regulate the formatting and layout for the slide and...

Presentation designs regulate the formatting and layout for the slide and are commonly called

A. Design templates

B. Templates

C. Placeholders

D. Blueprints

Answer: Option B

This Question Belongs to Computer Fundamentals >> Power Point

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Related Questions on Power Point

Which tab is not available on left panel when you open a presentation?

D. All of above are available

Which of the following statements is not true?

A. You can type text directly into a PowerPoint slide but typing in text box is more convenient.

B. From Insert menu choose Picture and then File to insert your images into slides.

C. You can view a PowerPoint presentation in Normal, Slide Sorter or Slide Show view.

D. You can show or hide task pane from View >> Toolbars.

To start Microsoft PowerPoint application

A. Click on Start > Programs > All Programs > Microsoft PowerPoint

B. Hit Ctrl + R then type ppoint.exe and Enter

C. Click Start > Run then type powerpnt then press Enter

D. All of above

Which of the following section does not exist in a slide layout?

D. Animations

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6.2 Designing a Presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint

Learning objectives.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Create a new slideshow from a blank presentation
• Create a presentation from a theme or template
• Understand the functions of the Home tab
• Understand the functions of the Design tab
• Understand the functions of the View tab

At WorldCorp, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations are used company-wide for a variety of purposes, such as presenting quarterly sales data or providing training for new sales personnel. As part of the Microsoft 365 suite, PowerPoint has characteristics similar to those of other programs such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel . PowerPoint is divided into various tabs, which appear across a ribbon that helps you organize your actions.

In general, creating a storyboard or outline of a presentation , as outlined in the previous section, is a great starting point, and this is the approach we will use to build My Life in a Snapshot . To get started, this section provides an overview of the PowerPoint program, with a review of several tabs within the ribbon that you will use to develop your first slideshow from scratch. As we start using the primary elements of PowerPoint, you will begin to develop an understanding of how the program works with examples to provide context.

The vast capabilities of PowerPoint enable WorldCorp employees to present complex ideas, facts, and figures in the form of easily digestible visuals. Allowing users to create visual representations of information on the blank canvas slides can allow viewers to interpret, engage with, and expound on what they’re seeing.

Let’s begin by using the blank canvas approach to crafting a presentation.

Getting Started

Open PowerPoint and choose a blank presentation (the first option). You should see a screen that looks like Figure 6.5 , with an arrow highlighting the desired choice. If you want to open an existing presentation, select Open from the left sidebar and search for the file. Another option is to start with a PowerPoint template —a predesigned set of slides that you can use as a starting point for creating a new PowerPoint presentation. Templates include a defined layout and color scheme, and they often include sample text and images that you can replace with your own content. Using template s is a way to save time and ensure consistency in the design of your presentation. Like many organizations, WorldCorp has a preset template that is often used for external communications, such as presentations for clients. However, for the My Life in a Snapshot presentation, you are not restricted to using the template, as this is an internal presentation and is more informal.

In this example, you will start with a blank presentation. After opening this blank document (by double-clicking on Blank Presentation ), you should save it to your computer or to the cloud using a file name that is identifiable to the content of the presentation. As seen in Figure 6.5 , select the Blank Presentation option on the Home screen indicated by the arrow.

In a blank presentation, the initial slide PowerPoint provides is blank except for two placeholders: one for the title and one for the subtitle. When you choose a blank presentation, none of the design elements are defined in advance. The Title Slide layout that is provided by PowerPoint can quickly be altered. Most presentations should have a title. Additionally, the program opens to the Home tab found within the ribbon, as seen in Figure 6.6 . Now, the blank canvas is ready for you to craft My Life in a Snapshot for your team at WorldCorp.

Creating a Presentation with Themes and Templates

Many companies tend to already have a theme developed for use with company presentations. A presentation’s theme refers to the overall design and layout of the slides, including elements such as color scheme, font choices, and graphic elements. Themes are useful because they give you an easy way to create a consistent presentation by using preset fonts and color schemes. If you had chosen a theme instead of a blank presentation, the initial slide would show the same elements, but with the design features of the theme applied. A theme can also include predesigned slide layouts, which can be used to create a cohesive and consistent look throughout the presentation.

Within the New tab, as seen in Figure 6.7 , selecting a theme allows the designer to set the tone and style of the presentation, which can help to engage the audience and convey the message more effectively. Themes can be either built-in or custom-made, depending on the software you are using. PowerPoint offers numerous themes that you can apply and search for in the search window.

Another option that users have is to select a template instead of just a theme. Unlike a theme, a template is a blueprint of a group of slides that can help meet the topic of a presentation. Templates can contain layouts, fonts, colors, and background styles much like a theme. Much like a résumé template in Word, for instance, a template in PowerPoint prompts the user, suggesting sections and topics to include. As an example, a classic conference presentation might have a specific cadence and style. Slides will be arranged to meet the needs of a conference with suggested slides and topics to include. Theme and template options are worth considering and searching for, especially if a theme matches the overall type of presentation you plan to create.

There are benefits to creating a PowerPoint presentation from a theme. First, this approach provides consistency . The program will offer multiple slides with various concepts, all using the same color pattern, style, and texture. A theme allows users to focus on the presentation message without distraction from differing designs, although it does not necessarily guarantee that they will understand the message. Additionally, starting with a theme ensures that all the slides in the presentation will have a professional aesthetic design and layout, making it look polished. Aesthetics is the study of how things look and how we perceive and respond to them. It can also refer to the overall look and feel of something—for example, the aesthetics of a website or a building.

PowerPoint themes often include a multitude of predesigned slide layouts, which can save time and effort in creating your presentation. You can click into the various text boxes or image boxes to provide the required content, copying the desired layouts that work best for you and deleting those that don’t.

Real-World Application

Marketing toolkits.

Most companies now offer their internal stakeholders Marketing Toolkits to use. Marketing Toolkits provide users with the logos, color schemes, outlines, photo depositories, and ideas on what the company is looking for when designing marketing materials. Digital presentation information is almost always included in the toolkit.

With advances in cell phone technology and social media’s growing presence in our lives, companies can now maximize their marketing reach by enlisting their entire workforce into marketing. By providing accessible content for creators and guidelines, any employee can now be a part of promoting their employer.

Not all employees will embrace a Marketing Toolkit. It is only as effective as leadership and the culture of the company allow. See if any companies you know have a Marketing Toolkit online. Does the company toolkit offer guidelines for PowerPoint presentations? Presentations to external stakeholders can be a valuable marketing opportunity.

The themes that PowerPoint provides can be customized to reinforce your company’s image and message by matching the company’s branding and style. The visual design and layout of themes can be chosen to convey the message or tone of the presentation in a more effective way, which can make it more engaging for the audience. These themes can also be easily modified to include different colors, fonts, and graphics, allowing you to personalize the presentation while still maintaining a consistent design.

Themes are helpful, but to learn PowerPoint more deeply, you will also need to learn how to create a presentation from scratch. Start by getting to know the Home tab . The tools found on the Home tab are used to create the general structure of the slideshow, as seen in Figure 6.8 . As an introduction to this group of tools, we will review five key commands, which are circled in the figure: New Slide , Layout tab , the tools in the Font command group, the tools in the Paragraph command group, and Design Ideas .

Using the outline laid out in Figure 6.9 , you can create a slideshow from a blank document to present to the team. From here, you can see how a well-planned presentation of ideas can be created in the form of a PowerPoint slideshow.

Following the outline in Figure 6.9 , the presentation requires five distinct groups of information arranged in numerical order with subtopics. In PowerPoint, you will want to add five slides, each of which will represent one of these groups. To do this, go to the New Slide command group and, with your mouse, select the green button on New Slide four times. (Reminder: PowerPoint provides the first slide by default.) Note that you can change the layout at any time after creating a slide. For this exercise, any layout will do to get started. The default layout provided is fine.

Once complete, there should be five slides listed in the thumbnail pane on the left side of the screen. ( Figure 6.10 shows the first two of five.) You can then use the thumbnail feature to click in and out of individual slides as we develop and edit content that meets the storyboard criteria.

Now that you have created five new slides, you can edit and format them. It’s a good idea to use the same steps to edit and format each. For example, you might create a step called “adding text,” ensuring that every slide that needs text will receive text. The first slide, which is similar to a cover page for the presentation, requires a standard title and subtitle, and these are provided by default.

The next command in the Home tab (see Figure 6.8 ) is Layout tab . When you open the drop-down menu in Layout, you will see that PowerPoint offers nine basic layout options, which are designed to provide variety, balance, and consistency to each presentation design. (One of the options is “blank.” This layout gives you a blank, white canvas to build from, enabling you to design an infinite number of layouts.) For your WorldCorp presentation example, use the default layout Title Slide for the first slide. A title slide is a slide layout that provides space for a title and a subtitle. (Note that you are not using a template here.)

To add your content, click into each text box provided (it says “Click to add title” and “Click to add subtitle”). Start by typing “My Life in a Snapshot” in the first text box. In the second text box, type your name, followed by your title at WorldCorp and your geographic location, as seen in Figure 6.11 .

Next, in the thumbnail panel, select each slide and change the layout for the rest of the slides. Depending on the content of your presentation, it can be helpful to have different layouts on different slides. This presentation will use three different layouts to accommodate different types of information. Follow along by selecting each slide from the thumbnails, then selecting the Home tab, followed by selecting the layout option from the ribbon. You can choose to have information on the slide presented in a different way by changing the slide layout. For example, you could have two groupings of text side by side, as is shown in Figure 6.12 , or have the content on the slide grouped all in one area. Make sure to change the layout setting so it accurately reflects the recommendations found in Figure 6.12 .

Font choice plays a big role in PowerPoint presentations. Each letter, number, or symbol on a slide can be adjusted to a specific design. Using these options allows you to make your text more visually appealing. The process for selecting or changing a font is similar to the way you change a font’s details in Word. In PowerPoint, however, you will often have much less text to manipulate than in a Word file, and the text is usually much larger so an audience can easily view the information from a distance.

When you change font characteristics, be sure to choose what will best meet the audience’s needs. There are a few easy rules of thumb to follow when you create text for a presentation to a large audience. One of them is what’s known as the seven-seven rule —that each slide should have no more than seven lines of text and each line of text should have no more than seven words. This will help prevent you from relying on punctuation or sentence structure to convey your message. When it’s necessary to communicate via paragraphs of text, Word may be a better tool to distribute those types of communication either as handouts along with the presentation or in lieu of the presentation altogether. But, remember, this is only a rule of thumb. It is acceptable to deviate by a few words or lines based on the message and content of the presentation. The point is to keep the slides clear and simple and not to distract from the presenters themselves. Best practices can be a great help in keeping the audience front and center in your mind and staying focused on the purpose of your presentation.

Fill in the required text as displayed in Figure 6.13 . As with changing the layouts, click on each thumbnail, select the required text box, change the font to meet your needs (including the type and color of the font), and adjust the font size as needed. Type the required information (this will be your chance to start explaining who you are to your team), and then make sure to review your work for any errors. Take your time. Word choice can be a challenging task. Make sure that every slide is accounted for. Then, you’re ready to move on to the next step of designing My Life in a Snapshot .

A variety of presentation styles are available, so be sure to take note of the things you like and dislike in the presentations you attend as you develop your own style preferences. Consider the contrast between the text and the background. How easy is it to read the text while listening to a presenter? Does the text work both compressed on a laptop screen (as in a Zoom call) and displayed on a 176-inch projector screen designed for a room full of people? You will notice that the font size and choice are large and easy to read in this project. Later, as you explore the many available options, you are likely to find that the text font needs to match the theme of the presentation.

Next, consider the text. Is this the appropriate content to display? As an example, in Figure 6.14 , you can compare the options for our closing slide choice. Is the use of a graphic image of a question mark the best option, or would a written question, as in the center image, be more effective? In some cases, a combination of pictures and text may work best. There is no perfect answer—PowerPoint gives you many options. But at some point, you will need to make decisions. No matter how creative the formatting of the text, a combination of content may be a better option when deciding what layout and kinds of content to use.

Both the font and the paragraph options have functionality only when a text box has been selected. As with the paragraph options, Office offers a helpful array of choices for line spacing, adding bullets, numbering, aligning text, and adding or removing columns. If the default bullet points or line spacing options provided in the text box layouts are incorrect or missing, this can be a place to add or change the required element. You can make changes within a text box either by selecting the entire text box or by selecting only the location you want to change.

Design Ideas/Designer

The latest option group Microsoft has built into the newest PowerPoint versions is the Design Ideas tab (also called the Designer tab in different versions of PowerPoint). (Refer again to Figure 6.8 .) This is an on/off button that provides advanced slide layouts and “smart” options when turned on. The Design Ideas feature increases the options available to you as the content creator of My Life in a Snapshot —or any presentation you may be called on to create.

Select the first slide in your presentation, which is typically the title slide , and type in the title of the presentation. As the title is added, you can see how quickly a few words can shape an entire slide. Turn on the Design Ideas option in the Home tab . You will notice several options to the right of the screen. These options are often unique to the words and layout you provide. In this step, select an option that fits your personality, and the transformation will occur. An example is provided in the comparison Figure 6.15 from an employee who started not too long ago in WorldCorp’s South Asian Marketing division. The image on the left was the general text the WorldCorp team member typed into the default Title Slide layout. The image on the right is the option they chose that best matched their personality, which was created and offered by the designer in PowerPoint. Keep in mind that the Design Ideas option is available for only one slide at a time.

Because the Design Ideas option was turned on, it reviewed the text within the text boxes and considered several complete design options that could apply. Starting with a very limited bit of information, the Design Ideas option could add multimedia content (3D models, pictures, background themes); alter the text alignment, color, size, and formatting; change the layout; and create an entire theme representing the keywords on the page. It could even add simple animations, such as a snowflake background with snowflakes gently falling. Having these action components is like having an entire production team on call to quickly merge your ideas with existing collaborative content to make exquisite slides.

Instead of using the Design Ideas feature, you may want to design your PowerPoint yourself. The wide range of design options in PowerPoint allows you to change the overall look and feel of your presentation, quickly and easily. By using the built-in template s, color schemes, and slide layouts, you can transform the roughed-out text that you added earlier to polished, professional-looking presentation slides without spending much time and effort on design. (You will learn more about this process in the chapter on Giving Presentations ). Rather than using the Design Ideas feature, which only formats a single slide at a time, the Design tab provides a collection of tools for altering color schemes and layout designs for all of the slides at once. For example, you could change your entire color palette with just a few clicks of the mouse, applying the design to all the slides according to their predefined layout. Additionally, the option to change the slide layout makes it easy to organize the information in a way that is easy for the audience to follow and understand.

In summary, the Design tab in PowerPoint will help to make the process of creating a presentation faster, easier, and more professional-looking, by allowing you to communicate your message in the best possible way for your audience. Building new content for presentations is like building anything else: To do a professional job, you need professional tools, and you need to know how to use them.

Now it’s time to select the design and variation recommended in Figure 6.16 . The first command group on the Design tab focuses on themes. Each theme is unique and modifiable. We have a particular theme we want you to use for the remainder of your slides. Hold down the Control key on your keyboard (Ctrl). With your mouse, select slides 2, 3, 4, and 5 from the thumbnails. Go to the top of the screen and choose the theme circled in Figure 6.16 . The theme will be applied to only the slides you selected. Your uniquely designed title slide will remain. Remember to save your work. You will quickly notice how themes and variations can elevate your design.

For more ideas, you can turn to the Design Ideas pane at the right of the slide area, as shown in Figure 6.16 . (Note that in this figure, the Design Ideas option is called Designer.) For even more ideas, click on See More Design Ideas at the bottom of the pane. This can be accomplished by selecting a particular slide. On the ribbon on the Design tab, the Designer/Design Ideas option will illuminate on the far-right side. Click on the icon and then scroll down, and you can click again on See More Design Ideas. If you have Microsoft 365, your app will be updated as designers add new themes.

The next command group on the Design tab is titled Variants. Variants are essentially modifications you can make within a single theme. These provide a way to add a different overall look. This group initially displays four different color schemes to use with your theme. It lets you change the color combinations, font, or background, or add special effects. For every theme you choose, you can alter the color scheme and font combination (title and regular text). Make sure in your slideshow for My Life in a Snapshot that you have selected both the theme and the corresponding variation of the theme.

Figure 6.17 displays other variant settings that you can customize, including fonts, effects, and background styles. These options can be accessed in the Design tab, within the Variants ribbon, using the down arrow option. Colors, Fonts, Effects, and Background Styles all become options with a multitude of choices.

Selecting the arrow to the right for Colors extends a drop-down list that displays many preset color scheme possibilities, plus a Customize Colors option that allows you to change all of the colors in a scheme. The Font variant lets you pick different fonts for title text and body text. The Effects variant, or Artistic Effects, applies a graphic effect or filter to your slides, such as making them look like a sketch or a painting. Effects can be applied to a single slide or to all slides within the presentation.

The last command group on the Design tab is Customize , which gives options to change the slide size and format the background appearance. You won’t need to use this option for your first presentation, but it is a helpful tool to learn for your future presentations. The slide size command offers two principal choices of aspect ratio , which is the relationship of the slide’s width to its height: standard (compatible with older screen sizes), with an aspect ratio of 4:3, and widescreen (for today’s HD environment), with an aspect ratio of 16:9 ( Figure 6.18 ).

Also found in the Customize group of commands is the Format Background command. Click on it and you will see the menu as shown in Figure 6.19 . This command lets you change the background of a slide by changing the fill to a solid color, gradient fill, pattern fill, and so on. Select fill and then hover over each of the circles to see the available color and background options.

Format Background contains all the options for changing the background: Solid fill, Gradient fill, Picture or texture fill, and Pattern fill. Each option has its own set of elements to adjust. Solid fill is just that—choose a solid color for your background. Gradient fill lets you choose the way the color is spread across the slide, the intensity or transparency of the color, and the shape the background effect follows as it moves across the slide. Finally, you can fill the background with a pattern or a photo.

There are many ways to customize a theme to meet your specific needs. Different color combinations, fonts, effects, and background styles are all elements you can use to customize your presentation. Even small changes may be transformative.

The next tab to review is the View tab. To have a basic understanding of PowerPoint , you will need to know the general purpose of several view options. Within the View ribbon, there are seven command groups. The first three are circled in Figure 6.20 , starting with Presentation Views .

When creating slides, you will typically work with the Normal View , the default view that PowerPoint opens within a new presentation ( Figure 6.21 ). The large window shows the current slide, and the other slides are shown as thumbnails down the left side of the window. The large window gives you plenty of room to focus on developing content and layout for each slide while you can also jump in and out of each slide through the thumbnails.

Outline View shows a list of the slides on the left, highlighting the text rather than the actual slides as pictures. In Outline View, you can scroll through the text of each slide rather than having to jump in and out of individual slides. This can be a great aid when reviewing or organizing text, as seen in Figure 6.22 . (You may have noticed that we changed our title slide to match the theme of the rest of the slides. Now the presentation has a more consistent design.)

Slide Sorter is an option that lays out slides in order, allowing you to move them around with a drag-and-drop of the mouse. This view is useful when you want to add or delete a slide or change their order.

For example, suppose a team member creates a photo album to introduce themselves, with each slide consisting of a single photo. If they select thirty photos, creating an album with thirty slides, Slide Sorter View can help them edit the album by adding or deleting a photo and by arranging the photos in the desired order. In My Life in a Snapshot, with only five slides to edit, this view would be overkill. But with a larger presentation with many more slides, a Slide Sorter View can be a helpful option.

Notes view (or Notes Page ) displays a single slide with the notes below the text or image. These notes are typically designed for the speaker. They may be reminders, citations, or any various notes that the presenter wants to have at their fingertips. This can be handy when a user wants to add or edit a large amount of text. If, for example, they have a lot of text on a slide but are not sure yet which words might be best to highlight for the audience, this area of notes can provide a collection place for content.

The Reading View displays slides one at a time, as they would appear in a slideshow. Utilizing the View option allows you to take any one of the five slides and adjust the size of text boxes and change alignments—all while seeing most of the screen.

The Master Views option group may be a bit advanced for this introductory review, but we will provide a brief example. Within this group, the Slide Master is simply a template of the slide, breaking apart the individual components of the slide layout. This is a time-saving method for creating professional and consistent presentations. You can start with one of the PowerPoint themes or a blank slide, add or change the colors, add borders, change the font, and change or create a layout of your own. You can insert text boxes and object placeholders. When you do this on a master slide, you create a template that unifies the slides in a slideshow. When you have completed a slide that you want to keep as a master slide, select File, Save As, choose a location, and, in file type, choose PowerPoint Template. This is now a Master Slide template that you can use repeatedly.

Handouts Master and Notes Master are specialized viewing modes for specific tasks. The Handouts Master options allow developers to create a template for the PowerPoint printed handout for audience members. Slides can be arranged; titles, dates, and notes can be laid out. Within the Notes Master option group, the view of the slides and printable notes can be arranged as you desire.

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45 Tips To Speed Up Your PowerPoint Design Workflow

Add life to your presentations by designing visually attractive slides. I know this is easier said than done, but as a presenter, it’s best to know how to design your slides. That said, here are 45 PowerPoint tips to help you speed up your PowerPoint design workflow. Let’s begin!

• Use a PowerPoint template

If you think all PPT templates still look like they were made in the 90s, you need to get out from under your rock. Plenty of sites now offer high-quality templates for free. Don’t believe me? Here, let me show you a couple of screenshots from our very own 24Slides.com Template Hub :

To begin using any of our free templates, simply register an account. And you can then start downloading all the templates you like!

• Have a clear message in mind

You don’t want to open up PowerPoint if you don’t even have an inkling on what your presentation is going to be all about. Remember, content always comes first over design.

What you need to do first is you need to have an outline or a list of points you want to discuss in your presentation. Once you’ve got all that written down, only then should you start designing your slides.

• Try minimalistic design

In presentations, the less is more principle truly applies. Don’t spam your slides by adding all the elements or objects you can think of. It’s only going to make your slides look crowded. And that will lead to nothing but confusion for your viewers.

Your slides are your visual aids. Use it to guide your audience to where you actually want them to look. A minimalistic slide design will help you achieve that because you’re essentially limited to using what’s only absolutely necessary on your slides.

• Use the PowerPoint designer tool

This is one of Microsoft’s recent innovations which I really love. If you’re in a hurry and don’t want to bother with designing tons of slides, you can let PowerPoint’s Design Ideas tool help you out.

Note, however, that you need an Office 365 subscription to see this tool in your copy of PowerPoint. So, if you don’t have a subscription yet, consider getting one especially if you’re always strapped for time. Or, you don’t see yourself as a competent designer!

• Choose the right color theme

The right color theme can bring your presentation to life, literally. And there are so many possible colors to choose from. I know it’s a lot to learn, especially if you’ve never been interested in learning about color theory.

But, if you’re going to be presenting regularly, and you’re not looking to outsource your presentation design , then you better start studying. Here’s a good guide to help you pick the right colors for your presentations .

• Use eyedropper tool to match colors

PowerPoint’s eyedropper tool can be pretty useful, however, it only works with whatever is on the slide and the canvas itself. That means, if you like a color on another slide, you’d need to copy it first to the slide you’re working on, so you can use the eyedropper tool.

So, for example, if you want to use a color palette, you can place it just outside your slide, but inside the canvas. Take a look at this:

With this method, the eyedropper tool will still be able to grab the colors you want to use!

• Choose quality over quantity of slides

It’s easy to get carried away with designing slides if you love creating them. However, it’s better to have higher quality slides which actually drives your message home, than to have a bunch of extra and unnecessary slides which don’t add any value to your presentation.

Before you add a slide, ask yourself if it adds value. If yes, go ahead and add it. If not, get rid of it. Just think of all the time you’ll get to save if you only work on what’s absolutely necessary!

• Customize the Quick Access Toolbar

That’s right – there’s a reason why the quick access toolbar is on PowerPoint’s toolbar menu. It’s supposed to be customized, so you can quickly access your most commonly used design tools.

PowerPoint is so powerful and so complex you sometimes need to go hunting for the right tool to use. While navigating through different sub-menus and options is fine once or twice, it can get pretty annoying if you need to do it more often!

• Familiarize keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts aren’t overrated. There’s a reason why shortcuts were invented – it’s to help users save time.

Now, you don’t need to know each and every single keyboard shortcut obviously. But at least try to memorize those that you use frequently.

For instance, if you’re frequently formatting text, then I highly recommend memorizing the following commands:

CTRL+B = make selected text bold

CTRL+I = italicize selected text

CTRL+U = underline selected text

And so on. Check out this helpful guide from Office.com .

• Use format painter

If you want to achieve a consistent look in your slides (and you’ve got a ton of slides to work on), then you’ll surely benefit from using the Format Painter tool.

Just like the name implies, this tool will help you ‘paint’ one object’s format onto the next object. It can be one object or many different objects.

Manually copying and pasting an object’s format into several other objects can be extremely time-consuming. So, use the format painter tool to speed up your PowerPoint design workflow!

• Apply same background to all slides

Instead of manually right-clicking on each slide and clicking on Format Background , you can apply the same background to all slides with just a single click. Here’s what you need to do:

Once you’ve formatted a background for an individual slide, scroll down the Format Background pane and you’ll see a button that says ‘ Apply to All .’ Click this button to apply the same background to all your slides.

If you want to undo the changes, just click on the ‘ Reset Background ’ button.

• Animation painter

The animation painter tool works pretty much the same way as the format painter tool. The only difference is that instead of copying and pasting an object’s format, it’s copying and pasting an object’s animation .

To use this tool, add an animation to an existing object (choose an animation from the Animations tab). Then click on Animation Painter to copy the animation. To paste it, click on a second object you want to apply the animation to.

• Know PowerPoint’s hidden menu system

The PowerPoint ribbon is full of secrets. You can click on any object or element on your slide and a new tab will magically appear on the ribbon!

For example, if you click on a picture, the Picture Format tab will appear. If you click on a table, the Table Design and Layout tabs will appear.

Try adding different objects to your slide and find out what kind of new menu tabs will appear on your screen.

• Choose your fonts beforehand

Don’t settle for the default PowerPoint font, Calibri. There’s nothing wrong with it, per se, but it’s the default font, so it’s very likely that it’s been used on countless presentations.

If you want your presentation to stand out, use different fonts. There are plenty of free fonts on the web, the top one that comes to mind is Google Fonts.

Check out these tips on how to pick the best font for your presentation !

• Organize objects in Selection Pane

The Selection Pane (go to Home > Editing group > Select > Selection Pane ) is a powerful tool in its own right. Especially if you’ve got a significant number of elements on your slide. Sometimes, you just want to hide some of the elements because it slows down your workflow.

Without the Selection Pane, you’d probably need to delete them or move those objects to another slide. But with Selection Pane, all you have to do is just click on the little eye icon to show or hide an object, like you see below:

If you’re working with plenty of objects on a slide, you can also rename the objects in the Selection Pane. This makes it easier for you to ascertain which objects you’re currently working on at the moment.

• Learn how the master slide works

Take the time to learn how the master slide works in PowerPoint. Doing so will allow you to make global changes to your slides later on. This is because whatever is on your master slide appears on all your slides as well.

So, for example, if you add your logo to the bottom-right corner of your master slide, then you’re going to see that logo on ALL your slides. You no longer need to manually add the logo to each of your slides.

Think of how much time you will get to save with this tool! If you’re not sure how you can go about editing your master slide, here’s a detailed tutorial .

• Create master layouts

If you don’t want to make global changes to your entire presentation, but want some of your changes to take effect on selected layouts, then you can edit master layouts.

For example, if you only want your logo to appear on all slides that use the Title Slide Layout, then you can add your logo to that slide. If you use other layouts, then your logo isn’t going to appear on those slides.

Also, instead of editing an existing master layout, you can just create a new one!

• Create your own templates

In some cases, using a third-party template isn’t going to be of any help especially if you use company-mandated colors, text, etc.

In this case, you’d be better off creating your own PowerPoint templates. This way, you can control every single aspect of your slides and you can quickly draw up a presentation from scratch.

Here’s how you create your own templates: Create and save a PowerPoint template .

• Create your own icons

While inserting icons in your PPT slides is now easier than ever (just go to Insert > Icons and choose from hundreds of free icons), you sometimes want to create something from scratch.

Fortunately for you, you can easily create your own icons in PowerPoint. How?

By using the Merge Shapes function! You can do this by clicking on the shapes you want to merge, then clicking on the Shape Format tab. You’ll find the Merge Shapes button in the Insert Shapes group, like you see below:

You’ve got 5 different options to merge your shapes: union, combine, fragment, intersect, and subtract.

Play around with the different options until you arrive at the icon you want to create!

• Quickly work with multiple images in PowerPoint

Sometimes you just want a quick way of getting multiple images to look good on your slide. You don’t want to manually click on each image and then format each one individually. That can take up a large chunk of time especially if you’ve got several images on a slide.

Probably one of the quickest ways to go about this is to use the SmartArt tool . What you need to do is click on the images you want to resize and/or reshape.

Then click on Picture Tools > Format > Picture Layout . Select the layout you want to use. You’ll notice right away that the pictures will have all been formatted uniformly.

You can adjust the crop by clicking on the photo, clicking on Crop , and moving the image around until you get the subject you want in focus.

• Stop putting too much text in your slides!

Seriously, folks, if you’re still adding tons of text to your slide, you’re doing it wrong. Text is great, but you need to keep it to a minimum. There are so many other visual elements you can use to replace text.

Use images, video, graphics, charts, etc. to make your presentation come alive. You don’t want to be labelled as ‘that presenter’ who ‘killed’ them with PowerPoint!

• Turn bulleted lists into SmartArt graphic

You probably know this tip already, but if not, then you can try typing out a short bullet point list on a slide. Try writing maybe 5 items. Then head on over to the Home tab, go to the Paragraph group, and then click on the Convert to SmartArt Graphic icon. Here’s a screenshot:

Hover over the different SmartArt layouts and click on the one you like best. The awesome thing is that you can always add to your list later on. Plus, you also have the freedom to change the graphic’s look anytime you please!

• Use arrow keys to move objects

Instead of using your mouse to move around objects on your slide, use your arrow keys instead. It’s so easy – just click on the object you want to move. Then, tap the arrow buttons (up, down, left, right) to move the object one pixel at a time.

• Create unique picture shapes

Pictures are commonly in square or rectangle format. If you want to frame your pictures in fun, unique shapes, you can easily do so in PowerPoint.

First, you need to insert the shape you want. Then click on the shape again to open up the Shape Format tab. In the Shape Styles group, you’ll see an option for Shape Fill .

Click Shape Fill and then Picture . Then look for the picture you want to use to fill the shape. That’s it!

• Stick to simple animations

One of the best ways to speed up your PowerPoint design workflow is to stick to simple animations. It’s quite easy to get distracted with so many options at your fingertips! You can make the objects fly in or wheel in from the top-left corner, etc.

But you know what? Most of those animations don’t add value to your presentation. The truth is that most of them can give your audience a headache.

So, save some time and stick to proven, simple animations. Here are my suggestions for the best slide transitions and animations for business presentations .

• Use dark mode when working in dark environments

If you’ve never used dark mode in PowerPoint, check it out right now. Go to File > Options > General .

Under Office Theme , you can choose Dark Gray or Black (I personally love the Black theme).

Both of these themes are great for working in low-light environments. Instead of squinting at your screen in the dark, you can continue comfortably working on your PowerPoint slides even with all the lights off.

• Add notes to your slides

Sure, you may have a bunch of handwritten notes on your notebook, or perhaps you’ve typed out your speech on a Word document. And that’s fine. But PowerPoint does have a feature called Presenter View . It allows you to simultaneously view your notes while you’re giving your presentation!

To make this feature work, you’d need to have two screens – one for your audience and one for you. Your audience only gets to see your slides, but you get to see your notes on your screen. This feature is great for making yourself look like a confident speaker!

• Use the new Zoom feature

If you want to achieve a Prezi -like feel for your presentation, try using the new Zoom feature. This will allow you to create a non-linear presentation, meaning you’re no longer limited to going from slide 1 to 2 to 3, and so on.

You can go from slide 1 to 5, to 3 then 6, and so on. It can get quite confusing if you’re new to this feature, so you better head on over to my tutorial on how to use Zoom in PowerPoint .

• Make an interesting cover slide

Your cover slide is basically the first slide that everyone sees in your presentation. You don’t need to overthink your cover slide design. Just make sure it’s something that will help people understand what your presentation is all about.

You can create your own design in PowerPoint, or you can use a tool like Canva which offers thousands of free templates for you to choose from!

• Embed fonts in your presentation

You don’t want your hard work to go to waste by not embedding your fonts in your presentation.

You can spend hours looking for the perfect fonts, but if you forget to embed it in your presentation file, then you’ll most likely end up using Calibri in your actual presentation!

Fortunately, embedding a font isn’t exactly rocket science. Check out the infographic on how embedding fonts work in PowerPoint:

• Insert screenshots quickly

Instead of manually capturing screenshots or screen clippings, and then inserting these to your slides, you can simply use the Screenshot tool in PowerPoint. Just go to Insert > Screenshot .

On PowerPoint for Mac, you can take full screenshots of non-Microsoft Office apps. However, on PowerPoint for Windows, you can only take screenshots of open Office apps. You’d need to select the Screen Clipping option for other apps.

• Align objects in PowerPoint

Oftentimes, when inserting various elements on the slide, you’ll realize some of them aren’t exactly where you want them to be. Or some just look a bit off. If you don’t want to manually move each object one at a time, you can use the Align tool. You’ll find it in Home > Arrange > Align .

You can align objects left, center, right, top, middle, or bottom. If you want to align multiple objects at the same time, you can distribute them vertically or horizontally.

You’ll probably use the Align tool lots of times and it can get annoying navigating to that button as it’s so many levels deep in the menu! So, I highly recommend adding the Align tool in your Quick Access Toolbar.

• Remove background from images

You don’t need Photoshop to remove background from your images. You can just use PowerPoint for that. Here’s a nice tutorial which you can follow at your own pace:

• Create a photo album

Want to share your holiday pictures with family and friends? Then use PowerPoint’s photo album feature! Go to Insert > Photo Album , and upload your pictures to the slides.

You can add frames, captions, and you can even convert all your pictures to black and white! You’ve also got a few different picture layouts to choose from – you can have up to a maximum of 4 pictures per slide. The good thing is you can quickly convert your photo album slideshow to video, so you can definitely upload it to YouTube!

• Use high quality images

One of the most important aspects of presentation design is the use of images. But not just any old image; for best results, you want to use high-quality images. This is important because when you’re showing your slides on a large screen, people can easily get turned off if you use low resolution or pixelated images.

There are so many resources for high-quality free images on the web. If you’re using your own, don’t go for low resolution ones. If you’re concerned about your PPT file size, you can always compress your images first before you add it to your slides.

• Practice makes perfect

The more you design presentation slides, the faster you’ll eventually get. In the beginning, you may be frustrated with your slowness. But over time, you’ll become familiar with PowerPoint, and you’ll learn to spot what looks good and what doesn’t.

So, don’t fret if your peers are way ahead of you at designing slides today! Work on your craft, get inspiration from others, check out tutorials on the web (we’ve got plenty on the Present Better blog !). And before you know it, you’ll be an expert presentation designer!

• Add charts and graphs

Charts and graphs make your presentation look a whole lot smarter. It lends it an air of seriousness that normal photos can’t usually achieve. It’s especially useful for business presentations where you need to present data and analysis, make progress reports, etc.

But even non-business presentations can benefit from charts and graphs. You just need to use the right kind of chart for your presentation.

Here, have a look at some of our free data templates which has all sorts of tables, charts, and graphs:

• Quickly change slide size

Figure out the slide size you need to use before you even start designing your slides. It’s true you can always adjust it later on by going to Design > Slide Size . But your slides may not look like what you originally designed.

You’ve got two options when resizing the slide: maximize or ensure fit. Play around with either option. You can always undo your changes by pressing CTRL + Z on your keyboard.

• Add watermark to your slides

If you plan on sharing your slides online, then it’s good practice to add a watermark to your slides. This is because online theft is so rampant nowadays. You’d hate to find out your hard work has been stolen by some thief on the Internet.

Your watermark can be your name, a company logo, or anything else that will identify you as the owner of the presentation.

• Use Continuity camera (Mac and iPhone users)

If you’ve got an iPhone and a Mac computer, then one of the best tips I can give you to speed up your PowerPoint design workflow is to use the Continuity Camera . Here are the requirements:

• Both your Mac and your iPhone needs to be signed in to the same iCloud account and it should have two-factor authentication turned on.
• Both Mac and iPhone need to have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on.
• Your Mac should be on Mojave and your iPhone should be using iOS 12.

Using this feature is very easy. Just right-click anywhere on your slide and you’ll see something like this on your screen:

As you can see, you’ve got two options. You can either take a photo using your iPhone’s front or back camera, or you can use it to scan a document.

This feature saves you a ton of time as you no longer need to manually transfer your files from your phone to your computer. It’s a pretty handy method of speeding up your PowerPoint (for Mac) design workflow!

• Use video as slide background

To use video as background, you’d need to insert a video like normal. Go to Insert > Video and choose where your file is saved.

You may need to stretch out the video to fill the entire slide. So, it’s best to use a video that’s roughly going to be the same size as the slide to avoid distorting the video.

Once you’ve positioned your video nicely, you can start adding other elements on top of it.

• Save your PPT file to OneDrive

Saving your PPT to OneDrive means you never have to worry about losing any work on your slides. That’s because autosave is turned on, so every little change you make is automatically saved to the cloud.

Another benefit is you can access your PowerPoint files from anywhere – on your desktop computer, your tablet and mobile phone, and even on the web!

• Collaborate with other users

If you’re working with another person or team, then you’ll be happy to know that PowerPoint makes it easy for you to collaborate with others. You can either send your PPT as an email attachment (you can choose between PPT format or PDF).

For real-time collaboration, however, you should upload your PPT to OneDrive so you can just send a link to your colleagues. You can also specify whether you want people with editing or viewing rights.

Basically, you have a lot more options for collaboration if you upload the file to OneDrive or SharePoint .

• Use WordArt

WordArt is one of the quickest ways to change your text’s appearance. Text on its own can be a bit basic, but with WordArt you can turn your text into art.

You can add a shadow, reflection, glow, bevel, 3d rotation, and transform your text into something totally cool-looking!

To access your WordArt menu options, highlight the text you want to design, then click on Shape Format , and look for the WordArt Styles group. Here’s a screenshot:

• Get design inspiration

If you wait for inspiration to strike while you procrastinate, then you’re going to be very disappointed. So, go on Google and search for design inspiration. You can search for both free and premium templates on the web to see how other designers’ design their slides.

Go on YouTube for tutorials on how to design slides, and read blogs and forums dedicated to design communities. There are so many places where you can get inspired, so you can create a truly one-of-a-kind presentation!

Did these tips help you improve your PowerPoint design workflow?

I sincerely hope it did! PowerPoint is such a robust software, you’ll find plenty of uses for it. Don’t be afraid to explore and play around with the app – you’ll only improve as time goes on!

You might also find this interesting: 36 Fun Icebreakers For Your Next Presentation

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