Why Doesnt My Smart Art Show When I Email My Power Point Slides

Creating a great PowerPoint presentation is a skill that any professional can benefit from. The problem? It'south really easy to get it incorrect. From poor color choices to confusing slides, a bad PowerPoint slideshow can distract from the fantastic content y'all're sharing with stakeholders on your squad.

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That's why it'south so of import to learn how to create a PowerPoint presentation from the footing upward, starting with your slides. Even if you're familiar with PowerPoint, a refresher will assist you lot brand a more attractive, professional slideshow. Let'south get started.

How to Make a PowerPoint Slide

1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint.
2. If a page with templates doesn't automatically open, become to 'File' at the top left of your screen and click 'New Presentation'.
3. To use a template, either click the 'Design' tab or go to 'File' again and click 'New from Template'.
4. Insert a new slide by clicking on the 'Home' tab and and so the 'New Slide' push button.
5. Consider what content y'all want to put on the slide, including heading, text, and imagery.
6. Keep the corporeality of text under 6-viii lines (or 30 words) at a minimum of size 24 pt.
7. Add together images by clicking 'Insert' and clicking the 'Pictures' icon.
8. Add together other elements past using features in the 'Home' and 'Insert' tabs on the top ribbon.
9. Play around with the layout by dragging elements around with your mouse.

I similar to think of Microsoft PowerPoint as a test of basic professional person skills. To create a passing presentation, I need to demonstrate pattern skills, technical literacy, and a sense of personal style.

If the presentation has a problem (like an unintended font, a broken link, or unreadable text), and then I've probably failed the test. Fifty-fifty if my spoken presentation is well rehearsed, a bad visual experience can ruin it for the audience.

Expertise means nothing without a good PowerPoint presentation to dorsum information technology up. For starters, grab your collection of free PowerPoint templates below.

No matter your topic, successful PowerPoints depend on iii primary factors: your control of PowerPoint's design tools, your attention to presentation processes, and your devotion to consequent style. Here are some simple tips to help y'all offset mastering each of those factors, and don't forget to check out the additional resources at the bottom of this post.

How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation

A presentation is made up of multiple slides, and now that you know how to make one, you can delve deeper into PowerPoint'southward capabilities.

one. Open a blank presentation over again or start from 1 y'all've already created.

If y'all've already created a presentation, double-click the icon to open the existing file. Otherwise, open up Microsoft PowerPoint, click File in the top left corner, and click New Presentation. From there, you can follow the prompts to set up a new presentation.

2. Choose a theme or create your own.

Microsoft offers built-in themes and color variations to assistance y'all design your slides with a cohesive look. To choose from these pre-built themes, choose the File tab again, select New, choose 1 of the options, and click Create.

Otherwise, you tin apply PowerPoint elements, your pattern sense, and your make'southward colour palette to brand your own "theme."

iii. Create a variety of slides for different purposes.

Y'all don't want to nowadays the same exact slide, only with different content on it. This would bore your audience. Ensure that you create multiple variations, accommodating some of the common uses for slides. At minimum, yous'll need:

• A title slide
• An agenda or table of contents slide
• A slide that introduces the speaker
• Various content slides (create different layouts considering what kind of multimedia y'all'll use)

4. Use the Indistinguishable Slides feature to salve you time.

At that place's no reason to create these designs over and over once more. Now that you lot have a few to draw from, you can simply indistinguishable them before inputting your content. Here'south how to do that:

• On the left pane, right-click the thumbnail of the slide you want to duplicate.
• Choose Duplicate Slide from the pop-up carte du jour.

This will automatically add together a copy of this slide to the presentation. From at that place, you can customize it for your needs.

5. Add transitions to your slides (optional).

Done well, transitions tin can add a little bit of movement and showmanship to your presentation. PowerPoint has several transitions congenital in for you to choose from.

To access them, select the Transitions tab from the top ribbon. From there, you lot tin select a transition for it to preview on your screen. To customize it further, click Result Options and play with the features to find something that suits your liking. To remove a transition, select Transitions and click None.

6. Add animations to your slides (optional).

Similar transitions, animations can add movement, reveal information, and help you underscore the points you want to hitting during your speech. To breathing an element, follow these steps:

• Select the element you desire animated by clicking on it.
• Choose Animations from the top ribbon.
• You'll have the option to choose from several furnishings displayed in the ribbon.
• Clicking on one will give you a preview.
• To customize the blitheness, select Result Options.
• To remove an blitheness, click None in the ribbon.

Some of the ways to customize animations include:

• On Click
• With Previous
• After Previous
• Duration
• Delay

These describe how you want the effect to carry, so play around with them until you discover an effect that suits your liking.

Y'all'll likewise have the option to movement animations around as you edit your slides by clicking on the Blitheness Pane push, then reordering the animations in the list that pops up.

7. Salve your presentation.

Click File and Save, making certain to specify which folder or destination you desire your PowerPoint to be stored.

8. Run your presentation.

It's always good to do a trial run to ensure that your slides are set up properly and your animations fire the way you lot expect them to.

To present your PowerPoint, go to the Slide Show tab and click Play from Start. The slide will cover your whole screen, blocking out your desktop and PowerPoint software. This is so your audition (in this instance, you for the trial run) is solely focused on the visual elements of your presentation.

nine. Advance the slides.

When y'all're done with ane slide and want to bear witness the next in your sequence, click your mouse in presentation mode. This volition advance the slide.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips

1. Don't let PowerPoint decide how you employ PowerPoint.
2. Create custom slide sizes.
3. Edit your slide template pattern.
4. Write text with your audition in mind.
5. Brand sure all of your objects are properly aligned.
6. Use 'Format Object' to better control your objects' designs.
7. Take advantage of PowerPoint'due south shapes.
8. Create custom shapes.
9. Crop images into custom shapes.
10. Present websites within PowerPoint.
11. Try Using GIFs.
12. Keep it unproblematic.
13. Embed your font files.
14. Relieve your slides equally JPEGs.
15. Embed multimedia.
16. Bring your ain hardware.
17. Use 'Presenter View.'

PowerPoint Way

one. Don't let PowerPoint decide how you utilize PowerPoint.

Microsoft wanted to provide PowerPoint users with a lot of tools. But this does non hateful you should use them all. Here are some key things to expect out for:

• Make sure that the preset PPT themes complement your needs earlier you adopt them.
• Endeavour to become abroad from using Microsoft Office's default fonts, Calibri and Cambria. Using these 2 typefaces tin make the presentation seem underwhelming.
• Professionals should never utilize PPT'due south action sounds. (Please consider your audience to a higher place personal preference).
• PowerPoint makes bulleting automated, but inquire yourself: Are bullets really appropriate for what yous need to exercise? Sometimes they are, but not always.
• Recent PPT defaults include a pocket-sized shadow on all shapes. Remove this shadow if it'southward not actually needed. Likewise, don't get out shapes in their default blueish.

ii. Create custom slide sizes.

While you usually can get away with the default slide size for near presentations, you may need to suit it for larger presentations on weirdly sized displays. If you lot need to do that, here'due south how.

• In the top-left corner, cull File.
• Select Page Setup.
• Type the tiptop and width of the background you lot'd like, and click OK.
• A dialogue box will announced. Click Scale if you want to also resize your content, or Don't Scale if you lot don't. We recommend clicking Don't Scale, then manually adjusting minor layout issues.

Tip: Yous can avert a headache with the last step if you resize your slides earlier y'all add together whatsoever objects to them. Otherwise, the dimensions of your objects will get skewed.

3. Edit your slide template pattern.

Oftentimes, it's much easier to edit your PowerPoint template before you lot starting time — this way, you don't have to design each slide by hand. Here'due south how you do that.

• Select View in the top navigation.
• Click Master.
• In the driblet-down, click Slide Chief.
• Make any changes y'all like, and so click Close Chief in the summit ribbon. All current and futurity slides in that presentation volition apply that template.

four. Write text with your audience in heed.

A significant role of a PowerPoint's content is text. Bang-up copy tin can brand or pause your presentation, so evaluating your written work from a few different angles could make yous seem more than persuasive. Thinking about how your text is received differentiates proficient presenters from the best.

Typography:

Many people underestimate the influence of typeface, simply choosing the right font is of import — the perception of your font type could influence your audience's impression of you. The right font is an opportunity to convey consequent brand personality and professionalism.

Some fonts are seen as clean and professional, but this doesn't hateful they're irksome. A common fault is thinking your font isn't "exciting" enough, which could lead you to choose a font that distracts from your overall message. We recommend sticking to simple serif and sans-serif fonts. Avert script fonts because of potential readability issues.

That said, you can however apply fun and eccentric fonts — in moderation. Offsetting a fun font or big messages with something more than professional can create an engaging presentation.

Above all, be sure you're consistent so your presentation looks the same throughout each slide. That fashion, your audience doesn't get distracted by as well many disparate fonts. Check out this example from HubSpot'southward company profile templates:

Interested in this presentation template? Download it for gratuitous here.

5. Brand sure all of your objects are properly aligned.

Having properly aligned objects on your slide is the fundamental to making information technology look polished and professional person. You tin can manually try to line up your images ... but we all know how that typically works out. Yous're trying to make sure all of your objects hang out in the centre of your slide, merely when yous drag them in that location, information technology notwithstanding doesn't look quite right. Get rid of your guessing game and allow PowerPoint work its magic with this trick.

Hither's how to align multiple objects:

• Select all objects past property down Shift and clicking on all of them.
• Select Arrange in the top options bar, so choose Align or Distribute.
• Cull the blazon of alignment you'd like.

Here'southward how to marshal objects to the slide:

• Select all objects past holding down Shift and clicking on all of them.
• Select Arrange in the top options bar, and so cull Marshal or Distribute.
• Select Marshal to Slide.
• Select Arrange in the top options bar again, and so choose Align or Distribute.
• Choose the blazon of alignment y'all'd like.

PowerPoint Design

6. Use "Format Object" to amend control your objects' designs.

Format menus allow y'all to practise fine adjustments that otherwise seem impossible. To do this, correct-click on an object and select the Format Object option. Here, you can fine-tune shadows, adjust shape measurements, create reflections, and much more. The menu that will pop upward looks similar this:

Although the main options can be found on PowerPoint's format toolbars, await for complete command in the format window carte du jour. Other examples of options available include:

• Adjusting text inside a shape.
• Creating a natural perspective shadow backside an object.
• Recoloring photos manually and with automatic options.

vii. Take advantage of PowerPoint's shapes.

Many users don't realize how flexible PowerPoint's shape tools have go. In combination with the expanded format options released past Microsoft, the potential for good blueprint with shapes is readily available. PowerPoint provides the user with a bunch of great shape options beyond the traditional rectangle, oval, and rounded rectangle patterns.

Today's shapes include a highly functional Smart Shapes function, which enables you to create diagrams and catamenia charts in no fourth dimension. These tools are especially valuable when you consider that PowerPoint is a visual medium. Paragraphing and bullet lists are tiresome — you can use shapes to help express your message more clearly.

viii. Create custom shapes.

When y'all create a shape, right click and printing Edit Points. Past editing points, you lot can create custom shapes that fit your specific need. For instance, you can reshape arrows to fit the dimensions you like.

Another option is to combine ii shapes together. To do so, select the two shapes yous'd similar to work with, then click Shape Format in the top ribbon. Tap Merge Shapes.

You'll come across a variety of options.

• Combine creates a custom shape that has overlapping portions of the two previous shapes cut out.
• Spousal relationship makes one completely merged shape.
• Intersect builds a shape of simply the overlapping sections of the two previous shapes.
• Subtract cuts out the overlapping portion of ane shape from the other.
• Fragment will split up your shape into dissimilar parts depending on where they overlap.

By using these tools rather than trying to edit points precisely, you lot can create accurately measured custom shapes.

9. Crop images into custom shapes.

Besides creating custom shapes in your presentation, you can as well use PowerPoint to crop existing images into new shapes. Here's how you practice that:

• Click on the image and select Moving-picture show Format in the options bar.
• Choose Crop, then Crop to Shape, and and then cull your desired shape. Ta-da! Custom-shaped photos.

10. Present websites within PowerPoint.

Tradition says that if you desire to show a website in a PowerPoint, y'all should just create a link to the page and prompt a browser to open. For PC users, there'due south a better option.

Tertiary political party software that integrates fully into PowerPoint'due south developer tab can be used to embed a website directly into your PowerPoint using a normal HTML iframe. One of the all-time tools is LiveWeb, a third-party software that you can install on your PowerPoint program.

Past using LiveWeb, you don't have to interrupt your PowerPoint, and your presentation will remain fluid and natural. Whether y'all embed a whole webpage or just a YouTube video, this can be a loftier-quality third party improvement. To install the add-on, simple caput to the LiveWeb website and follow the instructions.

Unfortunately, Mac users don't have a similar option. A good 2nd option is to accept screenshots of the website, link in through a browser, or embed media (such equally a YouTube video) by downloading it straight to your computer.

11. Try Using GIFs.

GIFs are looped animated images used to communicate a mood, idea, information, and much more. Users add GIFs to PowerPoints to exist funny or chop-chop demo a process. Information technology's easy to add together GIFs to your slides. To do so, merely follow these steps:

• Download and relieve the GIF you want.
• Go to the slide you want the GIF on.
• Get to the Home tab, and click either Insert or Picture.
• From the Picture drib-down menu, choose Picture from File.
• Navigate to where you lot saved your GIF and select it. Then, choose Insert.
• It will play automatically the moment yous insert information technology.

PowerPoint Process

12. Go along it simple.

PowerPoint is an excellent tool to back up your presentation with visual information, graphics, and supplemental points. This means that your PowerPoint should not be your entire presentation. Your slides — no affair how creative and beautiful — shouldn't be the star of the show. Proceed your text and images articulate and concise, using them only to supplement your message and authorisation.

If your slides have dumbo and cluttered information, it volition both distract your audience and make it much more than probable that you will lose their attention. Nothing in your slides should be superfluous! Keep your presentation persuasive by keeping it make clean. There are a few ways to practise this:

• Limit bullet points and text.
• Avoid paragraphs and long quotes.
• Maintain "white space" or "negative space".
• Go on percentages, graphs, and data super bones.

xiii. Embed your font files.

One constant trouble presenters have with PowerPoint is that fonts seem to change when presenters motion from one estimator to some other. In reality, the fonts are not changing — the presentation calculator just doesn't have the same font files installed. If you're using a PC and presenting on a PC, then there is a smooth workaround for this consequence.

Here's the trick: When you lot save your PowerPoint file (only on a PC), you should click File, then Options, then open up the Salvage tab. Then, select the Embed fonts in the file check box nether Preserve fidelity when sharing this presentation. At present, your presentation will go along the font file and your fonts will not alter when yous motion computers.

The macOS PowerPoint version has a similar role. To embed your fonts on a Mac, do the following:

• Open up up your presentation.
• On the tiptop bar, click PowerPoint, then click Preferences.
• Nether Output and Sharing, click Save.
• Under Font Embedding, click Embed fonts in the file.

14. Relieve your slides as a PDF file for backup purposes.

If you lot're still scared of your presentation showing upward differently when information technology's fourth dimension to present, you should create a PDF version but in case. This is a good selection if y'all'll be presenting on a different computer. If you as well come across an effect where the presenting computer doesn't have PowerPoint installed, you lot can also utilise the system viewer to open upwardly the PDF. No laptop will always give you trouble with this file type.

The only caveat is that your GIFs, animations, and transitions won't transfer over. But since the PDF will just work as a backup, non every bit your main copy, this should be okay.

To salvage your presentation as a PDF file, take the following steps:

• Go to File, and so click Save as …
• In the pop-up window, click File Format.
• A driblet-downwards bill of fare will announced. Select PDF.
• Click Export.

You can besides go to File, then Export, and then select PDF from the file format menu.

15. Embed multimedia.

PowerPoint allows you to either link to video/audio files externally or to embed the media directly in your presentation. You should embed these files if y'all can, but if y'all use a Mac, you cannot actually embed the video (encounter note below). For PCs, two bang-up reasons for embedding are:

• Embedding allows you to play media direct in your presentation. Information technology will look much more than professional than switching between windows.
• Embedding also means that the file stays within the PowerPoint presentation, so it should play unremarkably without extra work (except on a Mac).

Annotation: macOS users of PowerPoint should exist actress careful about using multimedia files.

If you use PowerPoint for Mac, then you will always demand to bring the video and/or audio file with you in the same folder as the PowerPoint presentation. It's best to only insert video or audio files once the presentation and the containing folder have been saved on a portable drive in their permanent folder. Likewise, if the presentation will exist played on a Windows computer, and then Mac users demand to brand sure their multimedia files are in WMV format. This tip gets a flake complicated, so if y'all want to utilise PowerPoint effectively, consider using the same operating system for designing and presenting, no thing what.

16. Bring your own hardware.

Between operating systems, PowerPoint is even so a flake jumpy. Fifty-fifty between differing PPT versions, things can change. Ane style to fix these problems is to make sure that you have the correct hardware — so just bring along your own laptop when yous're presenting.

If yous're super concerned about the different systems you might take to use, then upload your PowerPoint presentation into Google Slides as a backup option. Google Slides is a cloud-based presentation software that will evidence upwards the same fashion on all operating systems. The merely thing you need is an internet connection and a browser.

To import your PowerPoint presentation into Google Slides, have the following steps:

• Navigate to slides.google.com. Brand sure you're signed in to a Google account, preferably your own.
• Under Commencement a new presentation, click the empty box with a plus sign. This volition open up up a blank presentation.
• Go to File, then Import slides.
• A dialog box will come. Tap Upload, and so click Select a file from your device.
• Select your presentation and click Open.
• Select the slides you lot'd like to import. If you want to import all of them, click All in the upper right-hand corner of the dialog box.
• Click Import slides.

When I tested this out, Google Slides imported everything perfectly, including a shape whose points I had manipulated. This is a skilful backup selection to have if you'll be presenting across different operating systems.

17. Employ Presenter View.

In most presentation situations, there will be both a presenter'due south screen and the chief projected display for your presentation. PowerPoint has a smashing tool called Presenter View, which can be constitute in the Slide Evidence tab of PowerPoint. Included in the Presenter View is an area for notes, a timer/clock, and a presentation brandish.

For many presenters, this tool can help unify their spoken presentation and their visual aid. You never want to make the PowerPoint seem like a stack of notes that you're reading off of. Use the Presenter View option to help create a more natural presentation.

Pro Tip: At the start of the presentation, you should also striking CTRL + H to brand the cursor disappear. Hitting the "A" key volition bring it back if yous need it!

Your Next Great PowerPoint Presentation Starts Here

With mode, design, and presentation processes under your belt, you can practice a lot more with PowerPoint than just presentations for your clients. PowerPoint and similar slide applications are flexible tools that should non be forgotten. With a great template, you tin can be on your fashion to creating presentations that wow your audience.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in September 2013 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Originally published Mar eighteen, 2022 seven:00:00 AM, updated March 18 2022

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Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/easy-powerpoint-design-tricks-ht

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