Brainy Betty S 25 BEST Powerpoint Tips & Tricks
Brainy Betty’s “25 BEST” Powerpoint Tips & Tricks
1.A quick way to jump into PowerPoint's Master views (97/98/2000)
If you want to change to one of the Master views without using the menu options, there's a simple way to do it. Simply hold down the [Shift] key and click one of the slide view buttons in the lower-left portion of your screen. Depending on which button you click, PowerPoint switches to that Master view. For example, if you hold down the [Shift] key and click the Slide View button, PowerPoint switches to Slide Master view.
- Applying the same animation effects in PowerPoint (97/98/2000)
If you want to apply the same animation effect to several different objects, you don't need to select each object and change the effect individually. Instead, you can select all the objects at once and apply the same effect to all of them. To do this, first open an existing presentation with several unanimated objects on one of the slides. Next, choose Slide Show | Custom Animation to open the Custom Animation dialog box. Click on the Order & Timing tab and select the check box next to each object you want to animate. If you're using PowerPoint 97 or 98, just click on the Timing tab. Now, in the Check To Animate Slide Objects list, [Ctrl]-click on all of the objects you want to apply the same animation effect to. If you're using PowerPoint 97, [Ctrl]-click (for 98 [command]-click on the Mac) the objects in the Slide Objects Without Animation list. Once the objects appear highlighted, you can choose a Start Animation setting for all the selected objects at once. After you choose to initiate the animation effects by a mouse click or automatically, you can apply the same animation effect to each object. To do this, first click on the Effects tab. You'll notice that all the objects remain selected in the Check To Animate Slide Objects list (Slide Objects Without Animation list in PowerPoint 97 and 98). With the objects selected, choose an animation effect and sound effect from the Entry Animation And Sound Dropdown list. Both effects are applied to all the selected objects. When you've finished, click OK to apply the animation effects.
3.Change the color scheme of multiple slides in PowerPoint (97/98/2000)
You can quickly change the color scheme of several slides in your presentation without having to change it for all of them. To do this, first switch to Slide Sorter view. Next, hold down the [Shift] key and click on each slide that you want to modify. Then choose Format | Slide Color Scheme from the main menu and make all of your changes. When you're satisfied with your new scheme, click Apply so that the new color scheme affects only the selected slides.
4.Code for rotating a 3-D shape in Powerpoint (97,98,2000)
Here's a neat little trick. You can use a macro to rotate a 3-D object while in Slide Show view. To do this, enter the code below in the Visual Basic Editor.
Sub Rotate3d_Object()
Const Increment As Integer = 1
Dim i As Integer
Dim j As Integer
Dim FirstShape As Shape
Dim show As SlideShowWindow
Set show = ActivePresentation.SlideShowWindow
Set FirstShape = ActivePresentation.Slides(1).Shapes(1)
For i = -45 To 45 Step Increment
FirstShape.ThreeD.RotationY = i
FirstShape.ThreeD.RotationX = i
show.View.GotoSlide 1
Next i
For i = 45 To -45 Step -Increment
FirstShape.ThreeD.RotationY = i
FirstShape.ThreeD.RotationX = i
show.View.GotoSlide 1
Next i
End Sub
After you enter the code, you have to link the macro to the 3-D shape that you want to rotate. To do so, first create a 3-D object. Next, right-click on the object and choose Action Settings from the resulting shortcut menu. In the Action Settings dialog box, select the Mouse Click tab and select the Run Macro option in the Action On Click area. 3dRotate will appear below the Run Macro option button. Click OK to apply the action setting. Now choose View | Slide Show to run your slide show. Click on the 3-D object
to make it rotate.
5.Converting Corel Presentations 9 files to PowerPoint (97/2000)
Converting a Presentations file into a PowerPoint file isn't difficult. First open the file you'd like to convert in Presentations. Next, choose File | Save As to open the Save As dialog box. From the
File Type dropdown list, select the PowerPoint 95 Presentation option, choose a location for your converted file, and enter a name for it in the File Name text box. Finally, click Save. Now you can open it in PowerPoint. When you do, you may notice that PowerPoint converts some of the background colors, templates and text, or loses some of its graphics. According to Corel, converting a Presentations file into PowerPoint format may result in any number of errors.
6.Creating a playlist in PowerPoint (97/2000)
A playlist is a text file that contains the names of the presentations you want to run back-to-back. To run a playlist, you must first download the PowerPoint 2000 Viewer 97 by going to . To create a playlist, begin by deciding which files you want to include and move them to the same folder. Once your files are ready, you can create the playlist. To do so, open Notepad by choosing Programs | Accessories | Notepad from the Start menu. Once Notepad is open, enter the paths and file-names, one to a line, using the syntax C:\path\filename.ppt where C is the letter of the drive that stores the presentation, path is the hierarchical list of directories or folders you open to reach the presentation, and filename.ppt is the full file name and extension of the presentation. Be sure to include a colon and backslashes after the drive letter to separate the drive, path, and filename. You may find that some of your folder names or filenames include spaces. If so, you must enclose the entire line in quotation marks, as follows:
"C:\path\filename.ppt." When you've finished entering the appropriate information, save the file with a descriptive filename and change the file extension to LST. To run the playlist, simply double click the playlist's icon.
7.Don't become too reliant on the PowerPoint Viewer!
Having the PowerPoint viewer accessible can come in handy even when you least expect it. For example, it can save you a good deal of embarrassment if you travel to a remote location to give your
presentation only to find that the computer they've reserved for you doesn't have PowerPoint installed on it. But if you travel with a laptop, the PowerPoint Viewer shouldn't be used as a replacement
for the PowerPoint application unless absolutely necessary. If you're armed only with the viewer you can present your slide show virtually anywhere, but even the tiniest edit to your slide show (such as making a last minute grammar correction) is impossible without PowerPoint installed on your computer.
8.Formatting pictures in PowerPoint (97/98/2000)
Have you ever inserted an image, modified it, and then decided that your image doesn't look right? Well, if you've been in this position before, you know what a pain it can be to delete your image, reinsert it, and start over again. Luckily, there's a quicker way to return your image back to normal. First select the modified image and choose View | Toolbars | Picture to display the Picture toolbar (if it isn't already visible). Then, click the Reset Picture button on the Picture toolbar to return your image to its original
formatting.
9.Jump to the Web from PowerPoint (97/98/2000)
Did you know that you can launch your default Web browser without exiting PowerPoint? To do this, first choose View | Toolbars | Web to display the Web toolbar. Next, click the Start Page button on the Web toolbar to open your default Web browser, which opens with your home page. You can also jump to a specified Web address within PowerPoint. To do this, click the Go button on the Web toolbar
and select Open from the resulting dropdown list. This opens the Open Internet Address dialog box. Enter the Web site you want to go to in the Address text box and click OK to launch your default Web browser.
10.Loop a sound file in PowerPoint (97/98/2000)
When you insert a sound file into PowerPoint, a speaker icon appears in the bottom-right corner of the visible slide. A speaker icon indicates that a sound file is either linked to or embedded in the visible slide. You can configure this sound file so that it loops repeatedly until you end your slide show or advance to the next slide. To do this, right-click on the speaker icon and select Edit Sound Object from the resulting shortcut menu. This opens the Sound Options dialog box (Play Options dialog box in PowerPoint 97 and 98). Select the Loop Until Stop check box in the Play Options panel (Movie And Sound Options panel in PowerPoint 97 and 98) to loop the sound. Next, press [F5] to launch your slide show. Advance through the slides as you normally would. When you reach the slide containing the sound file, click on the speaker icon (unless you configured the sound to play automatically) to initiate the sound. To stop the sound from looping, advance to the next slide or press [Esc] to exit your slide show.
11.Making charts dim or disappear to focus audience attention in PowerPoint 97/98/2000
The final panel in the Chart Effects property sheet, After Animation, lets you hide or dim the entire chart after you've revealed it through animation. You can even place two charts on the same slide and use one of the hide settings to make the first chart disappear before you display the second. This lets you concentrate the focus of your presentation even more minutely as you step through it.
To make your first chart disappear before you reveal a second chart on the same slide, select the first chart and then choose Slide Show | Custom Animation from the menu bar and click on the Chart
Effects tab. On the Entry Animation And Sound panel choose an effect to make your first chart appear during the presentation. Then on the After Animation panel, select Hide After Animation (or Hide
On Next Mouse Click) or choose a light shade of a color to dim the chart and click OK. Finally, repeat the process for your second chart. Now when you play the slide show only one chart will be visible at one time even though they are both located on the same slide.
12.Moving around in PowerPoint's Slide view (97/98/2000)
When you're editing a presentation in Slide view, PowerPoint offers various ways to display a particular slide. For instance, you can move forward or backwards one slide at a time by clicking the Previous
Slide and Next Slide buttons on the vertical scroll bar. You can also drag the scroll bar up or down to navigate to the desired spot or use the [Page Up] and [Page Down] keys. But sometimes you need to jump straight to the beginning or the end. If that's the case, use [Ctrl][Home] ([command][home] on the Mac) to jump to the first slide or [Ctrl][End] ([command][end] to jump to the last slide.
13.PowerPoint 97's 3-D Rotation add-in (97)
There's an add-in available for PowerPoint 97 that lets you rotate a 3-D object in 1-degree increments. If you're looking for precision, this add-in is the key. You can download the 3-D Rotation add-in by visiting This takes you to the Download Center page. From the Product Name dropdown list, select PowerPoint 97 For Windows 95. Next, select
your operating system from the Operating System dropdown list and click Find It. The search will generate a list of downloads. In the Title list, click on the PowerPoint 97 Add-in: 3-D Rotation
link and then follow the instructions to download the add-in. Once the 3Drotate.exe file appears on your desktop, double-click it to begin the installation process. After you install the add-in, you need to load it. To do this, launch PowerPoint and open a new presentation with a blank slide. Next, choose Tools | Add-Ins to open the Add-Ins dialog box. Any add-ins that are currently loaded will appear in the Available Add-Ins list. Click the Add New button. This opens the Add New PowerPoint Add-In dialog box. Locate the Three.ppa file in the Add-Ins folder and select it. When you do, a preview image will appear in the Preview window. Click OK and a warning dialog box will appear. Click Enable Macros to ignore the warning. When you do, THREED will appear in the Available Add-Ins list. Click Close to exit the Add-Ins dialog box. Choose Tools | 3-D Rotation to use the 3-D add-in.
14.PowerPoint's Animation Effects toolbar (97/98/2000)
The Animation Effects toolbar is basically a compact version of the Custom Animation dialog box. What makes the Animation Effects toolbar so beneficial is that you don't have to worry about clicking on tabs to animate an object. To display the Animation Effects toolbar, choose View | Toolbars | Animation Effects. As you can see, the Animation Effects toolbar is divided into five sections, with a thin gray line separating each section. At the top of the Animation Effects toolbar are the Animate Title and Animate Slide Text buttons. The next section contains four default animation effects for objects: the Drive-In Effect, Flying Effect, Camera Effect, and Flash Once effect. The following section contains four
text effects: the Laser Text Effect, Typewriter Text Effect, Reverse Text Order Effect, and Drop-In Effect. Below that is the Animation Order dropdown list. The final section contains the Custom Animation and Animation Preview buttons. To apply an animation effect to an object, select the object, and click one of the default animation effect buttons. When you select an object, some animation effects may be unavailable depending on whether you select a slide title, body text, AutoShape, or image. To preview the animation effect you applied, click the Animation Preview button.
15.PowerPoint's Publish To ASF feature (2000)
If you're familiar with PowerPoint 97, you may recall the Publish To ASF feature, which allowed you to stream a narrated PowerPoint presentation. Unfortunately, this amazing feature never made its way over to PowerPoint 2000. However, if you installed PowerPoint 2000 over PowerPoint 97, you may still see this feature listed in the Tools menu. When you select the feature, you receive a message stating that PowerPoint couldn't open the Visual Basic For Applications project in presentation C:Program FilesMicrosoft Officepptasf.ppa. If you don't want to see this message, navigate to the location
of the pptasf.ppa file and delete it.
16.Quickly make copies of an object (97/98/2000)
To quickly make a copy of an image, text object, line, etc., you can select the object, hold down the [Ctrl] key ([option] key on the Mac) and drag to create a duplicate of the selected object. This way, you can create a copy and position it at the same time.
17.Recording your own sound effects on your PC (97/2000)
If you don't have a WAV file on your PC, don't worry, you can record your own WAV files using your PC's sound recorder. All you need is a microphone and a sound card with a mic input. To record a sound effect, make sure your microphone is hooked up properly and then choose Programs | Accessories | Entertainment | Sound Recorder from the Start menu to open the Sound - Sound Recorder dialog box. Note, if you're using Windows 95, choose Programs | Accessories | Multimedia |
Sound Recorder to open the Sound Recorder dialog box. Once you're ready to begin recording, click the Record button and say something into the microphone. Use your imagination and try to create your
own unique sound effect. As you're recording, the green line in the center of the Sound - Sound Recorder dialog box should begin moving in a wave format. When you've finished recording, click
the Stop button. You can play back your recording by clicking the Play button. If you like the recorded sound, you can save it as a WAV file. To do this, first choose File | Save As to open the Save As dialog box. Next, choose a location for your sound and enter a name for it in the File Name text box. Finally, click Save.
18.Using Picture bullets in PowerPoint 2000 (2000)
Placing a graphic bullet before a block of text is a great way to add interest and polish to your PowerPoint slides. To use a picture bullet, first select the text or placeholder whose bullet
character you want to modify. Then, choose Format | Bullets And Numbering. In the Bullets And Numbering dialog box, click the Picture button. When the Picture Bullet dialog box appears, use the scroll bar to view the bullet choices. When you find a bullet you like, simply select it and click the Insert Clip button on the resulting pop-up toolbar.