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PowerPoint 2007 Basics

How to use Microsoft PowerPoint in the OAL.

Introduction

PowerPoint is a useful program for creating computer-aided presentations. With PowerPoint you can create a slide show containing movies, sound, and animation. This handout is a guide to getting you started with this program in the Open Access Labs.

Getting Started With PowerPoint

PowerPoint can be started on all OAL PCs on the desktop using this icon:

The program is also opened by clicking Start > Programs > Applications > Microsoft Office > Microsoft PowerPoint.

Creating a new presentation

Click the Office Button (circled in Figure 1a below) to bring up the PowerPoint menu. Click "New" and then select "Blank Presentation" to begin from scratch.

Figure 1a

Figure 1a. Opening options for PowerPoint

The first slide shown is in the "Title Slide" layout. This is only one of several different layout options for each slide that you create. A layout is simply a way to arrange titles, text, and graphics within a particular slide. Figure 1b, below, shows how to choose different layouts.

Figure 1b

Figure 1b. Choosing different slide layouts

After creating your first slide, which is likely to be a title slide, add new slides simply by going to the "Home" tab and clicking the "New Slide" button.

In the following example, second slide was made with the "Two Content" slide layout. The slide contains a title, text, and an image. See Figure 2, below.

Figure 2. Slide content

Now, simply go into the slide and populate it with a title and add text and/or images. Insert an image by choosing the photo icon from the icons circled in Figure 2, above. Likewise, insert a chart, table, clip art, movie, or SmartArt also by clicking one of the icons circled above.

Choosing a slide design

You can choose a design theme to apply to your slides. Applying this theme instantly changes font style and background of your slides to give your presentation visual appeal.

To preview different slide designs, go the the "Design" tab and hover over different designs using the mouse (Figure 3, below).

Figure 3. Slide designs

Once you select your design, click on it, and it will apply itself to all of your slides.

Choosing slide transitions

You have the option of choosing a transition sequence when moving from one slide to the next. For example, a new slide can "dissolve" onto the screen instead of simply having it appear all at once.

Like slide designs, you can preview from different transition sequences before selecting one by going to the "Animations" tab (Figure 4, below).

Figure 4. Slide transitions

Under the "Animations" tab, you can also choose a sound clip to play at each transition by picking a sound from the "Transitions Sound" drop-down menu.

Here, also, you may choose different speeds for slide transitions. Apply different transitions to different slides, or select "Apply to All" to have the transition animations and sound apply to every slide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there any additional training I can get? Yes. CIS offers several free short courses during the course of each semester. To sign up for a class, or to see the schedule, visit http://cis.tamu.ed/shortcourses/.

Can I combine presentations? Yes. Select slides from one presentation and copy/paste them into desired presentation.

How do I print multiple slides per page? Within the Print menu, select "Handouts" from the "Print What" drop-down menu (shown in Figure 5, below)

Figure 5. Print multiple slides per page

Is it possible to add speaking notes to the presentation? Yes. Under the "View" tab, click on "Notes Page" view. You may type any additional notes here, below the slide. These notes can be saved, but they are not visible when giving the presentation.

Is it possible to insert a header/footer into the presentation? Yes. Under the "Insert" tab, select "Header & Footer". Fill in the desired information and select "Apply to All" to insert the header/footer on all slides.

What is SmartArt? How can I use it in my presentation? SmartArt is a feature that allows you create a presentation graphic by inputting your information into a pre-made graphic template. An example of this is a hierarchy diagram or process flow chart. The SmartArt graphic can be formatted to represent the data that you provide.

In the following example, look at a basic process flow chart (Figure 6, below). First, go to the "Insert" tab and select "SmartArt". Next, choose the "Process" category from the left menu panel and choose the "Basic Process" graphic from within that sub-menu. In Figure 6, you can see that the data you enter in the text pane (circled in red) automatically appears in the graphic itself. In this example, it is possible to add as many "phases" to the graphic as needed, simply by adding that data within the text pane.

Figure 6. SmartArt

Can I animate text or other content within each slide? Yes, this is called "customer animation". Select the "Animations" tab and then select the text or graphics within a particular slide that you want to animate. Then select the "Custom Animation" button and choose which animation you want. For example, in Figure 7 below, we want the text "Sample text" to have a "fly in" animation. Under the "Custom Animation" sub-menu, we select Add Effect > Entrance> Fly In.

Figure 7. Custom animation

For More Help

If you need more assistance, please feel free to ask the CIS Support Staff in any Open Access Lab, or call Help Desk Central at (979) 845-8300.

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