PowerPoint PowerPoint is used for creating slideshows that accompany speeches, lectures, or other types of presentations. Slides can include text, images, animated elements, commands, pictures, clip art, hyperlinks, video, and audio.

PowerPoint The Design tab, Themes style gallery has a variety of design themes you can use for a new slideshow:

Color sets can be easily adjusted: PowerPoint Color sets can be easily adjusted:

PowerPoint I usually remove the default text boxes and add my own. (Default text boxes automatically adjust the font size based upon how much you text is in the box. This can be problematic.)

After inserting the image, pick an image style from the style gallery. PowerPoint Insert a picture from online using the online pictures command (new in Office 2016): After inserting the image, pick an image style from the style gallery.

PowerPoint You can change the format of the screen by going to the Design tab, Slide Size command. I usually use the standard 4:3 ratio slides because most projectors are still the old 4:3 ratio – if the slideshow will be displayed on a modern wide screen, you can pick 16:9

I adjusted the slide size to the standard 4:3 ratio. PowerPoint Add another text box: I adjusted the slide size to the standard 4:3 ratio.

Right-click and select Duplicate Slide. PowerPoint Now that I have made a single slide that has the design I want to use, I duplicate it and then modify the contents of the new slide as necessary: Right-click and select Duplicate Slide.

Just drag and drop to rearrange the slides. PowerPoint Check out Slide Sorter view. You can easily rearrange the order of slides. It is very handy if you have a lot of slides: Just drag and drop to rearrange the slides.

Many transitions are available. PowerPoint To add a nice transition to the selected slide, use the Transitions tab in the ribbon: Many transitions are available.

Now the selected slide will automatically advance after 10 seconds. PowerPoint To make it so slides automatically advance after a certain amount of time, use the features in the Transitions tab, Timing group: Now the selected slide will automatically advance after 10 seconds.

PowerPoint Preview the slideshow by going to the view tab, Start Slide Show group, From Beginning command. Press ESC to exit the slideshow:

PowerPoint An animation means something is changing/moving within the slide. One simple example would be a portrait of the speaker that is animated. Animated entrances can be timed, or can start by command. This animated entrance below is set to activate by command (by clicking the mouse button): Also, the image features a Picture Style.

PowerPoint This animated entrance is set to activate by automatically (after the slide is displayed for 5 seconds). Also, it follows a motion path:

PowerPoint Another use of the animation would be to demonstrate a process, like how a patron can find your business: The map was added using the Screenshot command in the Insert tab. The clip art (car) follows a custom motion path. The speed of the clip art can be modified. The car is activated by pressing the right-arrow key or with a mouse click (but can be set to be activated in a few other ways, too).

Set it to advance to the next slide. PowerPoint Action buttons can be added to advance to the next slide. Go to the Insert tab, Illustrations group, Shapes command, Action Buttons. Set it to advance to the next slide.

It can be set to go to a URL. PowerPoint Action buttons can be added to go to an external website. Go to the Insert tab, Illustrations group, Shapes command, Action Buttons. It can be set to go to a URL.

PowerPoint PDF Files (Portable Document Format) are useful for sharing slideshows online. Unfortunately, transitions and animations are usually disabled when saved as a PDF. To save the slideshow as a PDF, go to File, Save as Adobe PDF:

PowerPoint Video can be added to your slides. Go to the Insert tab, Media group, Video command. For youtube videos select ‘Online Video’:

PowerPoint Paste the URL into the box and press the search button. Select the video you want to use:

PowerPoint The video will now be added to your slide. You can resize it, and add text next to it (or any other PowerPoint objects):

Test it in full screen slideshow mode: PowerPoint Test it in full screen slideshow mode:

PowerPoint Video of actions on your computer’s screen can be recorded and put in a slideshow. This is very helpful if you are trying to demonstrate a software feature. Go to the Insert tab, Media group, Screen Recording command:

PowerPoint Draw the crosshair and press record. To quit recording, press the Windows Key + Shift + Q. The recorded video will be embedded in the slide. Preview it in slideshow view. Don’t forget how to stop the video with the shortcut keys. Otherwise you may need to force your computer to shut down and then restart it.