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Contents
GETTING STARTED WITH POWERPOINT ........................................................................................ 3
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 3
Slide Master View.................................................................................................................................. 9
Customizing slide layouts ................................................................................................................13
Creating new slide layouts ...............................................................................................................16
Using custom layouts in other presentations ...................................................................................19
Creating and Opening Presentations ...............................................................................................20
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................20
Presentations ...........................................................................................................................................21
Compatibility Mode ..........................................................................................................................23
Saving Presentations ............................................................................................................................24
Exporting presentations ...................................................................................................................27
Sharing presentations ......................................................................................................................29
Present Online ....................................................................................................................................30
Slide Basics ...............................................................................................................................................30
Understanding slides and slide layouts ..............................................................................................30
Text Basics ............................................................................................................................................35
Applying Themes......................................................................................................................................37
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................37
Applying Transitions .............................................................................................................................39
Advancing slides ..............................................................................................................................41
Managing Slides ....................................................................................................................................42
Printing ....................................................................................................................................................43
Slide Selection ....................................................................................................................................45
Lists ..........................................................................................................................................................46
Modifying the list's appearance........................................................................................................48
Indents and Line Spacing ......................................................................................................................50
Fine-tuning indents ..........................................................................................................................52
Customizing bullet spacing ..............................................................................................................53
Line spacing .....................................................................................................................................54
Inserting Pictures .....................................................................................................................................55
Image adjustments ..........................................................................................................................61
Rotating objects ...............................................................................................................................64
Animating Text and Objects .....................................................................................................................65
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................65
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Working with animations..................................................................................................................67

The Animation Pane ........................................................................................................................68
What you need to know about using PowerPoint ....................................................................................69
Guidelines for good presentation.............................................................................................................69
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GETTING STARTED WITH POWERPOINT

Introduction
Let's say you really like the style of a theme, but you'd like to experiment with different color
schemes. That's not a problem: You can mix and match colors, fonts, and effects to create a
unique look for your presentation. If it still doesn't look exactly right, you can customize the theme
any way you want.
To select new theme colors:
If you don't like the colors of a particular theme, it's easy to apply new theme colors; everything
else about the theme will remain unchanged.
1. From the Design tab, click the drop-down arrow in the Variants group and select Colors.

2. Select the desired theme colors.

3. The presentation will update to show the new theme colors.

To customize colors:
Sometimes you might not like every color included in a set of theme colors. It's easy to change
some or all of the colors to suit your needs.
1. From the Design tab, click the drop-down arrow in the Variants group.
2. Select Colors, then click Customize Colors.
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3. A dialog box will appear with the 12 current theme colors. To edit a color, click the drop-
down arrow and select a different color. You may need to click More Colors to find the exact
color you want.

4. In the Name: field, type the desired name for the theme colors, then click Save.

5. The presentation will update to show the new custom theme colors.
With some presentations, you may not notice a significant difference when changing the theme
colors. For example, a textured background will not change when theme colors are changed.
When trying different theme colors, it's best to select a slide that uses several colors to see how
the new theme colors will affect your presentation.
To select new theme fonts:
It's easy to apply a new set of theme fonts without changing a theme's overall look. The built-in
theme fonts are designed to work well together, which can help to unify your presentation.
1. From the Design tab, click the drop-down arrow in the Variants group and select Fonts.
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2. Select the desired theme fonts.

3. The presentation will update to show the new theme fonts.

To customize theme fonts:
If you have specific fonts in mind for a presentation, it's easy to choose your own theme fonts.
1. From the Design tab, click the drop-down arrow in the Variants group.
2. Select Fonts, then click Customize Fonts.

3. A dialog box will appear with the two current theme fonts. To change the fonts, click the
drop-down arrows and select the desired fonts.
4. In the Name: field, type the desired name for the theme fonts, then click Save.

5. The presentation will update to show the new custom theme fonts.
Changing the theme fonts will not necessarily update all text in your presentation. Only text using
the current theme fonts will update when you change the theme fonts.
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To select new theme effects:

PowerPoint makes it easy to apply new theme effects, which can quickly change the appearance
of shapes in your presentation.
1. From the Design tab, click the drop-down arrow in the Variants group and select Effects.

2. Select the desired theme effects.

3. The presentation will update to show the new theme effects.

Applying new theme effects will change different shape styles from the Format tab when editing
a shape or SmartArt graphic. It's important to note that this change will only apply to shapes using
the Subtle Effect, Moderate Effect, and Intense Effect.
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Background styles
To further customize your slides, you can change the background color by choosing a different
background style. The available background styles will vary depending on the current theme.
To apply a background style:
1. From the Design tab, click the drop-down arrow in the Variants group.

2. Select Background Styles.

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3. Select the desired style. The available styles will change depending on the current theme
colors.

4. The new background will appear in each slide of your presentation.

If you want even more control over the background, click the Format Background command on
the Design tab.

Different themes also include different slide layouts and background graphics. We'll talk about
how to customize these in our Slide Master View lesson.
Saving custom themes
Once you've found settings you like, you may want to save the theme so you can use it in other
presentations. If you only want to use the theme in the current presentation, you won't need to save
it.
To save a theme:
1. From the Design tab, click the drop-down arrow in the Themes group.

2. Click Save Current Theme.

3. A dialog box will appear. Type a file name, then click Save.
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4. When you click the drop-down arrow in the Themes group, you'll see the custom theme under
Custom.

Custom themes have another unique and powerful feature: Any custom theme you save in
PowerPoint can actually be used in other Microsoft Office applications, such as Word and Excel.

Slide Master View

You may have noticed that when you select a different theme in PowerPoint, it rearranges the text
on your slides and adds shapes to the background. This is because each theme has built-in slide
layouts and background graphics. You can edit these layouts with a feature called Slide Master
view. Once you learn how to use Slide Master view, you'll be able to customize your entire slide
show with just a few clicks.
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What is Slide Master view?

Slide Master view is a special feature in PowerPoint that allows you to quickly modify the slides
and slide layouts in your presentation. From there, you can edit the slide master, which will affect
every slide in the presentation. You can also modify individual slide layouts, which will change
any slides using those layouts.
For example, let's say you find a theme you like but you don't like a few of the slide layouts. You
could use Slide Master view to customize the layouts to look exactly the way you want.

In Slide Master view, the Slide Master tab will appear first on the Ribbon, but you'll still be able to
access commands on different tabs as normal.
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Using Slide Master view

Whether you're making significant changes to your slides or just a few small tweaks, Slide Master
view can help you create a consistent, professional presentation without a lot of effort. You could
use Slide Master view to change just about anything in your presentation, but here are some of its
most common uses.
 Modify backgrounds: Slide Master view makes it easy to customize the background for all
of your slides at the same time. For example, you could add a watermark or logo to each
slide in your presentation, or you could modify the background graphics of an existing
PowerPoint theme.
 Rearrange placeholders: If you find that you often rearrange the placeholders on each slide,
you can save time by rearranging them in Slide Master view instead. When you adjust one
of the layouts in Slide Master view, all of the slides with that layout will change.
 Customize text formatting: Instead of changing the text color on each slide individually, you
could use the Slide Master to change the text color on all slides at once.
 Create unique slide layouts: If you want to create a presentation that looks different from
regular PowerPoint themes, you could use Slide Master view to create your own layouts.
Custom layouts can include your own background graphics and placeholders.
Some overall presentation changes—like customizing the theme fonts and theme colors—can
be made quickly from the Design tab.
To make changes to all slides:
If you want to change something on all slides of your presentation, you can edit the Slide Master.
In our example, we'll add a logo to every slide. If you'd like to work along with our example, right-
click the image below and save it to your computer.

1. Select the View tab, then click the Slide Master command.

2. The presentation will switch to Slide Master view, and the Slide Master tab will be selected
on the Ribbon.
3. In the left navigation pane, scroll up and select the first slide. This is the slide master.
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4. Make the desired changes to the slide master. In our example, we’ll insert a picture of the
Mongibello logo.

5. Move, resize, or delete slide objects as needed. In our example, we'll resize the logo and
move it to the bottom-right corner.

6. When you’re finished, click the Close Master View command on the Slide Master tab.

7. The change will appear on all slides of the presentation.

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When you make a change to the slide master, it's a good idea to review your presentation to see
how it affects each slide. You may find that some of your slides don't look exactly right. On the next
page, we'll show you how to fix this by customizing individual slide layouts.
Customizing slide layouts
You can use Slide Master view to modify any slide layout in your presentation. It's easy to make
small tweaks like adjusting background graphics and more significant changes like rearranging or
deleting placeholders. Unlike the slide master, changes to a slide layout will only be applied to
slides using that layout in your presentation.
To customize an existing slide layout:
In our example, our newly added logo is hidden behind the photo in the Picture with Caption
Layout. We'll customize this layout to make room for the logo.
1. Navigate to Slide Master view.

2. Locate and select the desired layout in the left navigation pane. You can hover the mouse
over each layout to see which slides are currently using that layout in the presentation.
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3. In some layouts, the background graphics may be hidden. To show the graphics, uncheck
the box next to Hide Background Graphics.

4. Add, move, or delete any objects as desired. In our example, we'll delete the gray
background shape.

5. If you want to change the arrangement of the placeholders, you can move, resize, or delete
any of them. In our example, we'll move our text placeholders and the black bar to the right
side, and the photo placeholder to the left side.

6. When you're finished, click the Close Master View command on the Slide Master tab.
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7. All slides using the layout will be updated.

You can also move placeholders on the slide master, which will move the placeholders on multiple
slide layouts at the same time. However, some slide layouts may still need to be adjusted manually.
Customizing text formatting
You can also customize the text formatting from Slide Master view, including the font, text size,
color, and alignment. For example, if you wanted to change the font for every title placeholder
in your presentation, you could modify the master title style on the slide master.

Each title placeholder is connected to the master title style on the slide master. For example, take
a look at the slides before changing the title font.

Now look at the same slides after changing the title font.
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Instead of customizing individual placeholders, you could change the theme fonts for a
presentation. From the Slide Master tab, click the Fonts command in the Background group, then
select the desired fonts.

Creating new slide layouts

One of the most powerful features of Slide Master view is the option to create new slide layouts.
This is an easy way to add interesting and unique slide layouts to an existing theme. You could
even use this feature to design an entirely new theme, as in the example below.

To insert a new slide layout:

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1. Navigate to Slide Master view. From the Slide Master tab, click the Insert Layout
command.

2. The new slide layout will appear.

3. The layout will include title and footer placeholders by default. Click the Title and Footers
boxes in the Master Layout group to toggle these placeholders on and off.

4. You can now add background graphics, shapes, and pictures to the slide layout. You can
also move, adjust, and delete the existing placeholders. In our example, we'll move the title
placeholder to the bottom-right corner. We've also changed the text alignment to align
right instead of align left.

5. To add new placeholders, click the bottom half of the Insert Placeholder command, then
select the desired placeholder type. In this example, we'll use the Picture placeholder.
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6. Click and drag to draw the placeholder on the slide.

To rename a custom layout:

When you're done designing your custom layout, you'll want to give it a unique name so it will be
easy to find.
1. From Slide Master view, select the desired layout, then click the Rename command.

2. A dialog box will appear. Type the desired name, then click Rename.

To use a custom layout:

Once you've created a custom slide layout, it's easy to add a new slide with that layout or apply it
to an existing slide.
1. If you're currently in Slide Master view, click the Close Master View command on the Slide
Master tab.
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2. From the Home tab, you can insert a new slide with the custom layout or apply it to an
existing slide. In our example, we'll select the Layout command and apply the new style to
slide 6.

3. The custom slide layout will be applied.

PowerPoint also allows you to add new placeholders to existing slide layouts.
Using custom layouts in other presentations
When you modify the slide master or slide layouts in Slide Master view, you're actually creating a
custom version of the current theme. If you want to apply the theme to other presentations, you'll
need to save it.
To save a theme:
From the Slide Master tab, click the Themes command, then select Save Current Theme from
the drop-down menu.
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If you're not in Slide Master view, you can save the theme from the Design tab. Just click the drop-
down arrow in the Themes group, then select Save Current Theme.

Creating and Opening Presentations

Introduction
PowerPoint files are called presentations. Whenever you start a new project in PowerPoint, you'll
need to create a new presentation, which can either be blank or from a template. You'll also
need to know how to open an existing presentation.
To create a new presentation:
When beginning a new project in PowerPoint, you'll often want to start with a new blank
presentation.
1. Select the File tab to go to Backstage view.

2. Select New on the left side of the window, then click Blank Presentation.

3. A new presentation will appear.

To create a new presentation from a template:
A template is a predesigned presentation you can use to create a new slide show quickly.
Templates often include custom formatting and designs, so they can save you a lot of time and
effort when starting a new project.
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1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view, then select New.
2. You can click a suggested search to find templates or use the search bar to find something
more specific. In our example, we'll search for the keyword chalkboard.

3. Select a template to review it.

4. A preview of the template will appear, along with additional information on how the
template can be used.
5. Click Create to use the selected template.

6. A new presentation will appear with the selected template.

It's important to note that not all templates are created by Microsoft. Many are created by third-party
providers and even individual users, so some templates may work better than others.
To open an existing presentation:
In addition to creating new presentations, you'll often need to open a presentation that was
previously saved. To learn more about saving presentations, visit our lesson on Saving

Presentations.
Select the File tab to go to Backstage view, then click Open.
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1. Click Browse. Alternatively, you can choose OneDrive to open files stored on your OneDrive.

2. The Open dialog box will appear. Locate and select your presentation, then click Open.

Most features in Microsoft Office, including PowerPoint, are geared toward saving and sharing
documents online. This is done with OneDrive, which is an online storage space for your
documents and files. If you want to use OneDrive, make sure you’re signed in to PowerPoint with
your Microsoft account. Review our lesson on Understanding OneDrive to learn more.
To pin a presentation:
If you frequently work with the same presentation, you can pin it to Backstage view for easy
access.
1. Select the File tab to go to Backstage view, then click Open. Your Recent Presentations
will appear.
2. Hover the mouse over the presentation you want to pin, then click the pushpin icon.
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3. The presentation will stay in the Recent presentations list until it is unpinned. To unpin a
presentation, click the pushpin icon again.

Compatibility Mode
Sometimes you may need to work with presentations that were created in earlier versions of
PowerPoint, like PowerPoint 2003 or PowerPoint 2000. When you open these types of
presentations, they will appear in Compatibility Mode.
Compatibility Mode disables certain features, so you'll only be able to access commands found in
the program that was used to create the presentation. For example, if you open a presentation
created in PowerPoint 2003, you can only use tabs and commands found in PowerPoint 2003.
In the image below, you can see at the top of the window that the presentation is in Compatibility
Mode. This will disable some PowerPoint 2016 features, including newer types of slide transitions.

To exit Compatibility Mode, you'll need to convert the presentation to the current version type.
However, if you're collaborating with others who only have access to an earlier version of
PowerPoint, it's best to leave the presentation in Compatibility Mode so the format will not change.
You can review this support page from Microsoft to learn more about which features are disabled
in Compatibility Mode.
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To convert a presentation:
If you want access to all PowerPoint 2016 features, you can convert the presentation to the 2016
file format.
Note that converting a file may cause some changes to the original layout of the presentation.
1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view.

2. Locate and select the Convert command.

3. The Save As dialog box will appear. Select the location where you want to save the
presentation, enter a file name, and click Save.

4. The presentation will be converted to the newest file type.

Saving Presentations
Whenever you create a new presentation in PowerPoint, you'll need to know how to save in order
to access and edit it later. As with previous versions of PowerPoint, you can save files to your
computer. If you prefer, you can also save files to the cloud using OneDrive. You can even export
and share presentations directly from PowerPoint.
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Save and Save As

PowerPoint offers two ways to save a file: Save and Save As. These options work in similar ways,
with a few important differences.
 Save: When you create or edit a presentation, you'll use the Save command to save your
changes. You'll use this command most of the time. When you save a file, you'll only need to
choose a file name and location the first time. After that, you can just click the Save command
to save it with the same name and location.
 Save As: You'll use this command to create a copy of a presentation while keeping the
original. When you use Save As, you'll need to choose a different name and/or location for
the copied version.
About OneDrive
Most features in Microsoft Office, including PowerPoint, are geared toward saving and sharing
documents online. This is done with OneDrive, which is an online storage space for your
documents and files. If you want to use OneDrive, make sure you’re signed in to PowerPoint with
your Microsoft account. Review our lesson on Understanding OneDrive to learn more.
To save a presentation:
It's important to save your presentation whenever you start a new project or make changes to an
existing one. Saving early and often can prevent your work from being lost. You'll also need to pay
close attention to where you save the presentation so it will be easy to find later.
1. Locate and select the Save command on the Quick Access Toolbar.

2. If you're saving the file for the first time, the Save As pane will appear in Backstage view.
3. You'll then need to choose where to save the file and give it a file name. Click Browse to
select a location on your computer. Alternatively, you can click OneDrive to save the file to
your OneDrive.

4. The Save As dialog box will appear. Select the location where you want to save the
presentation.
5. Enter a file name for the presentation, then click Save.
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6. The presentation will be saved. You can click the Save command again to save your changes
as you modify the presentation.
You can also access the Save command by pressing Ctrl+S on your keyboard.
Using Save As to make a copy
If you want to save a different version of a presentation while keeping the original, you can create
a copy. For example, if you have a file named Client Presentation you could save it as Client
Presentation 2 so you'll be able to edit the new file and still refer back to the original version.
To do this, you'll click the Save As command in Backstage view. Just like when saving a file for the
first time, you'll need to choose where to save the file and give it a new file name.

To change the default save location:

If you don't want to use OneDrive, you may be frustrated that OneDrive is selected as the default
location when saving. If you find this inconvenient, you can change the default save location so
This PC is selected by default.
1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view.

2. Click Options.
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3. The PowerPoint Options dialog box will appear. Select Save, check the box next to Save
to Computer by default, then click OK. The default save location will be changed.

Exporting presentations
By default, PowerPoint presentations are saved in the .pptx file type. However, there may be times
when you need to use another file type, such as a PDF or PowerPoint 97-2003 presentation.
It's easy to export your presentation from PowerPoint in a variety of file types.
 PDF: Saves the presentation as a PDF document instead of a PowerPoint file
 Video: Saves the presentation as a video
 Package for CD: Saves the presentation in a folder along with the Microsoft PowerPoint
Viewer, a special slide show player anyone can download
 Handouts: Prints a handout version of your slides
 Other file type: Saves in other file types, including PNG and PowerPoint 97-2003
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To export a presentation:
In our example, we'll save the presentation as a PowerPoint 97-2003 file.
1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view.
2. Click Export, then choose the desired option. In our example, we'll select Change File Type.

3. Select a file type, then click Save As.

4. The Save As dialog box will appear. Select the location where you want to export the
presentation, type a file name, then click Save.

You can also use the Save as type drop-down menu in the Save As dialog box to save
presentations in a variety of file types. Be careful to choose a file type others will be able to open.
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Sharing presentations
PowerPoint makes it easy to share and collaborate on presentations using OneDrive. In the past,
if you wanted to share a file with someone you could send it as an email attachment. While
convenient, this system also creates multiple versions of the same file, which can be difficult to
organize.
When you share a presentation from PowerPoint, you're actually giving others access to the exact
same file. This lets you and the people you share with edit the same presentation without having
to keep track of multiple versions.
In order to share a presentation, it must first be saved to your OneDrive.
To share a presentation:
1. Click the File tab to access Backstage view, then click Share.

2. The Share pane will appear.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about different ways to share a presentation.
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Present Online
From here, you can share your presentation online as a live presentation. PowerPoint will
generate a link that others can open in their web browser.

Slide Basics
Every PowerPoint presentation is composed of a series of slides. To begin creating a slide show,
you'll need to know the basics of working with slides. You'll need to feel comfortable with tasks such
as inserting a new slide, changing the layout of a slide, arranging existing slides, changing the
slide view, and adding notes to a slide.
Understanding slides and slide layouts
When you insert a new slide, it will usually have placeholders to show you where content will be
placed. Slides have different layouts for placeholders, depending on the type of information you
want to include. Whenever you create a new slide, you'll need to choose a slide layout that fits your
content.

Placeholders can contain different types of content, including text, images, and videos. Many
placeholders have thumbnail icons you can click to add specific types of content. In the example
below, the slide has placeholders for the title and content.
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To insert a new slide:

Whenever you start a new presentation, it will contain one slide with the Title Slide layout. You
can insert as many slides as you need from a variety of layouts.
1. From the Home tab, click the bottom half of the New Slide command.

2. Choose the desired slide layout from the menu that appears.

3. The new slide will appear. Click any placeholder and begin typing to add text. You can also
click an icon to add other types of content, such as a picture or a chart.

To change the layout of an existing slide, click the Layout command, then choose the desired
layout.
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To quickly add a slide that uses the same layout as the selected slide, click the top half of the New
Slide command.

To copy and paste slides:

If you want to create several slides with the same layout, you may find it easier to copy and paste
a slide you've already created instead of starting with an empty slide.
1. Select the slide you want to copy in the Slide Navigation pane, then click the Copy command
on the Home tab. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+C on your keyboard.

2. In the Slide Navigation pane, click just below a slide (or between two slides) to choose a
paste location. A horizontal insertion point will appear.
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3. Click the Paste command on the Home tab. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+V on your
keyboard.

4. The slide will appear in the selected location.

To add a text box:
Text can be inserted into both placeholders and text boxes. Inserting text boxes allows you to
add to the slide layout. Unlike placeholders, text boxes always stay in the same place, even if you
change the theme.
1. From the Insert tab, select the Text Box command.

2. Click and drag to draw the text box on the slide.

3. The text box will appear. To add text, simply click the text box and begin typing.
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Using blank slides

If you want even more control over your content, you may prefer to use a blank slide, which
contains no placeholders. Blank slides can be customized by adding your own text boxes, pictures,
charts, and more.
 To insert a blank slide, click the bottom half of the New Slide command, then choose Blank
from the menu that appears.

While blank slides offer more flexibility, keep in mind that you won't be able to take advantage of
the predesigned layouts included in each theme.
To play the presentation:
Once you've arranged your slides, you may want to play your presentation. This is how you will
present your slide show to an audience.
1. Click the Start From Beginning command on the Quick Access Toolbar to see your
presentation.

2. The presentation will appear in full-screen mode.

3. You can advance to the next slide by clicking your mouse or pressing the spacebar on
your keyboard. Alternatively, you can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move forward
or backward through the presentation.
4. Press the Esc key to exit presentation mode.
You can also press the F5 key at the top of your keyboard to start a presentation.

To apply a theme:
A theme is a predefined combination of colors, fonts, and effects that can quickly change the look
and feel of your entire slide show. Different themes also use different slide layouts, which can
change the arrangement of your existing placeholders. We'll talk more about themes later in our
Applying Themes lesson.
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1. Select the Design tab on the Ribbon, then click the More drop-down arrow to see all of the
available themes.

2. Select the desired theme.

3. The theme will be applied to your entire presentation.

Try applying a few different themes to your presentation. Some themes will work better than others,
depending on your content.

Text Basics
If you're new to PowerPoint, you'll need to learn the basics of working with text. In this lesson,
you'll learn how to cut, copy, paste, and format text.
To select text:
Before you can move or arrange text, you'll need to select it.
 Click next to the text you want to select, drag the mouse over the text, then release
your mouse. The text will be selected.
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Copying and moving text

PowerPoint allows you to copy text that is already on a slide and paste it elsewhere, which can
save you time. If you want to move text, you can cut and paste or drag and drop the text.
To copy and paste text:
1. Select the text you want to copy, then click the Copy command on the Home tab.

2. Place the insertion point where you want the text to appear.
3. Click the Paste command on the Home tab.

4. The copied text will appear.

To cut and paste text:
1. Select the text you want to move, then click the Cut command.

2. Place the insertion point where you want the text to appear, then click the Paste command.

3. The text will appear in the new location.

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You can access the cut, copy, and paste commands by using keyboard shortcuts. Press Ctrl+X
to cut, Ctrl+C to copy, and Ctrl+V to paste.
To drag and drop text:
1. Select the text you want to move, then click and drag the text to the desired location.

2. The text will appear in the new location.

Applying Themes
Introduction
A theme is a predefined combination of colors, fonts, and effects. Different themes also use
different slide layouts. You've already been using a theme, even if you didn't know it: the default
Office theme. You can choose from a variety of new themes at any time, giving your entire
presentation a consistent, professional look.
What is a theme?
In PowerPoint, themes give you a quick and easy way to change the design of your presentation.
They control your primary color palette, basic fonts, slide layout, and other important elements. All
of the elements of a theme will work well together, which means you won't have to spend as much
time formatting your presentation.
Each theme uses its own set of slide layouts. These layouts control the way your content is
arranged, so the effect can be dramatic. In the examples below, you can see that the placeholders,
fonts, and colors are different.
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If you use a unique slide layout—such as Quote with Caption or NameCard—and then switch to
a theme that does not include that layout, it may give unexpected results.
Every PowerPoint theme—including the default Office theme—has its own theme elements. These
elements are:
 Theme Colors: There are 10 theme colors, along with darker and lighter variations,
available from every Color menu.

 Theme Fonts: There are two theme fonts available at the top of the Font menu under
Theme Fonts.

 Theme Effects: These affect the preset shape styles. You can find shape styles on the
Format tab whenever you select a shape or SmartArt graphic.

When you switch to a different theme, all of these elements will update to reflect the new theme.
You can drastically change the look of your presentation in a few clicks.
If you apply a font or color that isn't part of the theme, it won't change when you select a different
theme. This includes colors selected from the Standard Colors or More Colors options and fonts
selected from All Fonts. Using non-theme elements can be useful when you want certain text to
be a specific color or font, like a logo.
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Applying Transitions
If you've ever seen a PowerPoint presentation that had special effects between each slide, you've
seen slide transitions. A transition can be as simple as fading to the next slide or as flashy as an
eye-catching effect. PowerPoint makes it easy to apply transitions to some or all of your slides,
giving your presentation a polished, professional look.
About transitions
There are three categories of unique transitions to choose from, all of which can be found on the
Transitions tab.
 Subtle: These are the most basic types of transitions. They use simple animations to move
between slides.

 Exciting: These use more complex animations to transition between slides. While they're
more visually interesting than Subtle transitions, adding too many can make your
presentation look less professional. However, when used in moderation they can add a nice
touch between important slides.

 Dynamic Content: If you're transitioning between two slides that use similar slide layouts,
dynamic transitions will move only the placeholders, not the slides themselves. When used
correctly, dynamic transitions can help unify your slides and add a further level of polish to
your presentation.

Transitions are best used in moderation. Adding too many transitions can make your presentation
look a little silly and can even be distracting to your audience. Consider using mostly subtle
transitions, or not using transitions at all.
To apply a transition:
1. Select the desired slide from the Slide Navigation pane. This is the slide that will appear
after the transition.
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2. Click the Transitions tab, then locate the Transition to This Slide group. By default, None
is applied to each slide.
3. Click the More drop-down arrow to display all transitions.

4. Click a transition to apply it to the selected slide. This will automatically preview the
transition.

You can use the Apply To All command in the Timing group to apply the same transition to all
slides in your presentation. Keep in mind that this will modify any other transitions you've applied.

Try applying a few different types of transitions to various slides in your presentation. You may find
that some transitions work better than others, depending on the content of your slides.
To preview a transition:
You can preview the transition for a selected slide at any time using either of these two methods:
 Click the Preview command on the Transitions tab.
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 Click the Play Animations command in the Slide Navigation pane.

1. Select the slide with the transition you want to remove.

2. Choose None from the Transition to This Slide group. The transition will be removed.

To remove transitions from all slides, apply the None transition to a slide, then click the Apply to
All command.
Advancing slides
Normally, in Slide Show view you would advance to the next slide by clicking your mouse or by
pressing the spacebar or arrow keys on your keyboard. The Advance Slides setting in the Timing
group allows the presentation to advance on its own and display each slide for a specific amount
of time. This feature is especially useful for unattended presentations, such as those at a trade
show booth.
To advance slides automatically:
1. Select the slide you want to modify.
2. Locate the Timing group on the Transitions tab. Under Advance Slide, uncheck the box
next to On Mouse Click.
3. In the After field, enter the amount of time you want to display the slide. In this example, we
will advance the slide automatically after 1 minute and 15 seconds, or 01:15:00.

4. Select another slide and repeat the process until all slides have the desired timing.
You can also click the Apply to All command to apply the same timing to all slides.
If you need to advance to the next slide before an automatic transition, you can always click the
mouse or press the spacebar to advance the slides as normal.
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Managing Slides
As you add more slides to a presentation, it can be difficult to keep everything organized.
Fortunately, PowerPoint offers tools to help you organize and prepare your slide show.
About slide views
PowerPoint includes several different slide views, which are all useful for various tasks. The slide
view commands are located in the bottom-right of the PowerPoint window. There are four main
slide views.

 Normal view: This is the default view, where you create and edit slides. You can also move
slides in the Slide Navigation pane on the left.

 Slide sorter view: In this view, you'll see a thumbnail version of each slide. You can drag
and drop slides to reorder them quickly.

 Reading view: This view fills the PowerPoint window with a preview of your presentation. It
includes easily accessible navigation buttons at the bottom-right.
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 Slide show view: This is the view you'll use to present to an audience. This command will
begin the presentation from the current slide. You can also press F5 on your keyboard to
start from the beginning. A menu will appear in the bottom-left corner when you move the
mouse. These commands allow you to navigate through the slides and access other features,
such as the pen and highlighter.

Printing
Even though PowerPoint presentations are designed to be viewed on a computer, there may be
times when you want to print them. You can even print custom versions of a presentation, which
can be especially helpful when presenting your slide show. The Print pane makes it easy to preview
and print your presentation.
Print layouts
PowerPoint offers several layouts to choose from when printing a presentation. The layout you
choose will mostly depend on why you're printing the slide show. There are four types of print
layouts.
 Full Page Slides: This prints a full page for each slide in your presentation. This layout is
most useful if you need to review or edit a printed copy of your presentation.
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 Notes Pages: This prints each slide, along with any speaker notes for the slide. If you've
included a lot of notes for each slide, you could keep a printed copy of the notes with you
while presenting.

 Outline: This prints an overall outline of the slide show. You could use this to review the
organization of your slide show and prepare to deliver your presentation.

 Handouts: This prints thumbnail versions of each slide, with optional space for notes. This
layout is especially useful if you want to give your audience a physical copy of the
presentation. The optional space allows them to take notes on each slide.

To access the Print pane:

1. Select the File tab. Backstage view will appear.
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2. Select Print. The Print pane will appear.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about using the Print pane.

Slide Selection
You can click the arrows to view a different slide in the Preview pane.

You can also access the Print pane by pressing Ctrl+P on your keyboard.
 46

To print a presentation:
1. Select the File tab. Backstage view will appear.

2. Select Print. The Print pane will appear.

3. Choose the desired printer and print range.

4. Chose the desired print layout and color settings.

5. When you're done modifying the settings, click Print.

Lists
To create effective PowerPoint presentations, it's important to make your slides easy for the
audience to read. One of the most common ways of doing this is to format the text as a bulleted
 47

or numbered list. By default, when you type text into a placeholder, a bullet is placed at the
beginning of each paragraph—automatically creating a bulleted list. If you want, you can modify a
list by choosing a different bullet style or by switching to a numbered list.
To modify the bullet style:
1. Select an existing list you want to format.
2. On the Home tab, click the Bullets drop-down arrow.

3. Select the desired bullet style from the menu that appears.

4. The bullet style will appear in the list.

To change the starting number:
By default, numbered lists count from the number 1. However, sometimes you may want to start
counting from a different number, like if the list is a continuation from a previous slide.
1. Select an existing numbered list.
2. On the Home tab, click the Numbering drop-down arrow.
3. Select Bullets and Numbering from the menu that appears.
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A dialog box will appear. In the Start At field, enter the desired starting number.

4. The list numbering will change.

Modifying the list's appearance

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Whether you're using a bulleted or numbered list, you may want to change its appearance by
adjusting the size and color of the bullets or numbers. This can make your list stand out and match
the appearance of your presentation.
To modify the size and color:
1. Select an existing bulleted list.
2. On the Home tab, click the Bullets drop-down arrow.

3. Select Bullets and Numbering from the menu that appears.

4. A dialog box will appear. In the Size field, set the bullet size.

5. Click the Color drop-down box and select a color.

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6. Click OK. The list will update to show the new bullet size and color.

Indents and Line Spacing

Indents and line spacing are two important features you can use to change the way text appears
on a slide. Indents can be used to create multilevel lists or to visually set paragraphs apart from
one another. Line spacing can be adjusted to improve readability or to fit more lines on a slide.
To indent text:
Indenting helps to format the layout of text so it appears more organized on your slide. The fastest
way to indent is to use the Tab key. An alternative method is to use one of the Indent commands.
With these commands, you can either increase or decrease the indent.
 To indent using the Tab key: Place the insertion point at the very beginning of the line
you want to indent, then press the Tab key.
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 To indent using the Indent commands: Place the insertion point at the very beginning of
the line you want to indent. From the Home tab, select the Increase List Level command.

To decrease an indent, select the desired line, then press Shift+Tab or the Decrease List Level
command.
Indenting lists and paragraphs
Indenting will give different results, depending on whether you are working with a list or a paragraph.
 Paragraph: Indenting the first line of a paragraph using the Tab key creates a first-line
indent. This helps to separate paragraphs from each other, as in the examples above.
 List: Indenting a line of a list creates a multilevel list. This means the indented line is a
subtopic of the line above it. Multilevel lists are useful if you want to create an outline or
hierarchy.
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Once you've created a multilevel list, you may want to choose a different bullet style for different
levels of the list to make them stand out even more. Review our lesson on Lists to learn how.

Fine-tuning indents
Sometimes you may want to fine-tune the indents in your presentations. You can do this by
adjusting the indent markers on the Ruler. By default, the Ruler is hidden, so you'll first need to
show the Ruler.
To show the Ruler:
1. Select the View tab on the Ribbon.
2. In the Show group, check the box next to Ruler. The Ruler will appear.

Indent markers
Indent markers are located to the left of the horizontal ruler, and they provide several indentation
options.
 First-line indent marker: Adjusts the first line of a paragraph

 Hanging indent marker: Adjusts every line of a paragraph except for the first line

 Left indent marker: Moves both the first-line indent and hanging indent markers at the same
time, indenting all lines in a paragraph

To indent using indent markers:

1. Place the insertion point anywhere in the paragraph where you want to indent, or select one
or more paragraphs.
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2. Go to the desired indent marker. In our example, we'll use the left indent marker.

3. Click and drag the indent marker as needed. When you're done, the selected text will be
indented.

Customizing bullet spacing

When working with lists, PowerPoint allows you to fine-tune the space between bulletsand text by
using the first-line indent marker or the hanging indent marker.
 54

To change the bullet spacing:

1. Select the lines you want to change, then go to the desired indent marker. In our example,
we'll use the hanging indent marker.

2. Click and drag the indent marker as needed. When you're done, the bullet spacing will be
adjusted.

Line spacing
PowerPoint allows you to adjust the amount of space between each line in a list or paragraph. You
can reduce the line spacing to fit more lines on a slide, or you can increase it to improve readability.
In some instances, PowerPoint may automatically change the font size when you adjust the line
spacing, so increasing the line spacing too much may cause the text to be too small.
To format line spacing:
1. Select the text you want to format.

2. On the Home tab, locate the Paragraph group, click the Line Spacing command, then select
the desired line spacing option from the menu.
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3. The line spacing will be adjusted.

If you want to adjust the line spacing with even more precision, select Line Spacing Options from
the drop-down menu. The Paragraph dialog box will appear, allowing you to fine-tune the line
spacing and adjust the paragraph spacing, which is the amount of space that is added before
and after each paragraph.

Inserting Pictures
Adding pictures can make your presentations more interesting and engaging. You can insert a
picture from a file on your computer onto any slide. PowerPoint even includes tools for finding
online pictures and adding screenshots to your presentation.
To insert a picture from a file:
1. Select the Insert tab, then click the Pictures command in the Images group.
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2. A dialog box will appear. Locate and select the desired image file, then click Insert.

3. The picture will appear on the currently selected slide.

You can also click the Pictures command in a placeholder to insert images.

Inserting online pictures

If you don't have the picture you want on your computer, you can find a picture onlineto add to
your presentation. PowerPoint offers two options for finding online pictures.
 OneDrive: You can insert an image stored on your OneDrive. You can also link other online
accounts with your Microsoft account, such as Facebook or Flickr.
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 Bing Image Search: You can use this option to search the Internet for images. By default,
Bing only shows images that are licensed under Creative Commons, which means you can
use them for your own projects. However, you should go to the image's website to see if there
are any restrictions on how it can be used.

To insert an online picture:

1. Select the Insert tab, then click the Online Pictures command.

2. The Insert Pictures dialog box will appear.

3. Choose Bing Image Search or your OneDrive. In our example, we'll use Bing Image Search.

4. Press the Enter key. Your search results will appear in the dialog box.
5. Select the desired image, then click Insert.
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6. The image will appear on the currently selected slide.

You can also click the Online Pictures command in a placeholder to insert online images.

When adding images, videos, and music to your own projects, it's important to make sure you have
the legal right to use them. Most things you buy or download online are protected by copyright,
which means you may not be allowed to use them.
Moving and resizing pictures
Once you've inserted a picture, you may want to move it to a different location on the slide or
change its size. PowerPoint makes it easy to arrange pictures in your presentation.
To select a picture:
Before you can modify a picture, you'll need to select it.
 Simply click to select a picture. A solid line will appear around a selected picture.
 59

To resize a picture:
 Click and drag the corner sizing handles until the picture is the desired size.

The corner sizing handles will resize a picture while preserving its original aspect ratio. If you use
the side sizing handles, the image will become distorted.
To rotate a picture:
 Click and drag the arrow above an image to rotate it right or left.

Hold the Shift key on your keyboard when rotating an image to snap it to angles in 15-degree
increments.
To move a picture:
 Click and drag to move a picture to a new location on a slide.

To delete a picture:
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 Select the picture you want to delete, then press the Backspace or Delete key on your
keyboard.
You can access even more picture formatting options from the Format tab. We'll talk more about
these options in our lesson on Formatting Pictures.

Formatting Pictures
There are a variety of ways to format the pictures in your slide show. The picture toolsin
PowerPoint make it easy to personalize and modify the images in interesting ways. PowerPoint
allows you to change the picture style and shape, add a border, crop and compress pictures,
add artistic effects, and more.To crop an image:
When you crop an image, a part of the picture is removed. Cropping may be helpful when a picture
has a lot of content and you want to focus on only part of it.
1. Select the image you want to crop. The Format tab appears.
2. On the Format tab, click the Crop command.

3. Cropping handles will appear around the image. Click and drag one of the handles to crop
the image. Make sure the mouse is right over the black cropping handle so you don't
accidentally select a resizing handle.

4. Click the Crop command again. The image will be cropped.

To crop an image to a shape:
1. Select the image you want to crop, then click the Format tab.
2. Click the Crop drop-down arrow. Hover the mouse over Crop to Shape, then select the
desired shape from the drop-down menu that appears.
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3. The image will appear formatted as the shape.

You may want to crop the image to the desired size before cropping it to a shape.
To add a border to an image:
1. Select the image you want to add a border to, then click the Format tab.
2. Click the Picture Border command. A drop-down menu will appear.
3. From here, you can select a color, weight (thickness), and whether the line is dashed.

4. The border will appear around the image.

Image adjustments
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PowerPoint offers several options for changing the way images appear in your slide show. For
example, you can add a frame, make image corrections, change the image's color or brightness,
and even add some stylish artistic effects. These options are located in the Adjust and Picture
Styles groups on the Format tab.

When you're ready to make adjustments or experiment with the look of an image, select the picture
and choose one of these options from the Format tab.
 Corrections: This command is located in the Adjust group. From here, you can sharpen or
soften the image to adjust how blurry or clear it appears. You can also adjust the brightness
and contrast, which controls how light or dark the picture appears.

 Color: This command is located in the Adjust group. From here, you can adjust the image's
saturation (how vivid the colors are), tone (the temperature of the image, from cool to warm),
and coloring (changing the overall color of the image).
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Compressing your pictures in PowerPoint may not reduce the file size enough for your needs. For
better results, you can use an image editing program to resize the image before you insert it in your
presentation. To learn more, see our Image Editing 101 tutorial.

If you want, you can enter text in a shape. When the shape appears in your document, you can
simply begin typing. You can then use the formatting options on the Home tab to change the font,
font size, or color of the text.
To group objects:
1. Select the objects you want to align. To select multiple objects at once, hold the Shift key
while you click. The Format tab will appear.

2. From the Format tab, click the Group command, then select Group.

3. The selected objects will now be grouped. There will be a single box with sizing handles
around the entire group to show that they are one group. You can now move or resize all of
the objects at once.

If you want to edit or move one of the objects in the group, double-click to select the object. You
can then edit it or move it to the desired location.

If you select the objects and the Group command is disabled, it may be because one of the objects
is inside a placeholder. If this happens, try reinserting the images by using the Pictures command
on the Insert tab.
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To ungroup objects:
1. Select the object group you want to ungroup.
2. From the Format tab, click the Group command, then select Ungroup.

3. The objects will be ungrouped.

Rotating objects
If you need to turn an object so it faces a different direction, you can rotate it to the left or right or
flip it horizontally or vertically.
To rotate an object:
1. Select an object. The Format tab will appear.

2. From the Format tab, click the Rotate command. A drop-down menu will appear.
3. Select the desired rotation option.

4. The object will rotate.

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Animating Text and Objects

Introduction
In PowerPoint, you can animate text and objects such as clip art, shapes, and pictures.
Animation—or movement—on the slide can be used to draw the audience's attentionto specific
content or to make the slide easier to read.
The four types of animations
There are several animation effects you can choose from, and they are organized into four types.
 Entrance: These control how the object enters the slide. For example, with the Bounce
animation the object will "fall" onto the slide and then bounce several times.

 Emphasis: These animations occur while the object is on the slide, often triggered by a
mouse click. For example, you can set an object to spinwhen you click the mouse.

 Exit: These control how the object exits the slide. For example, with the Fade animation the
object will simply fade away.

 Motion Paths: These are similar to Emphasis effects, except the object moves within the
slide along a predetermined path, like a circle.

To apply an animation to an object:

1. Select the object you want to animate.
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2. On the Animations tab, click the More drop-down arrow in the Animationgroup.

3. A drop-down menu of animation effects will appear. Select the desired effect.

4. The effect will apply to the object. The object will have a small number next to it to show that
it has an animation. In the Slide pane, a star symbol also will appear next to the slide.

At the bottom of the menu, you can access even more effects.

Effect options
Some effects will have options you can change. For example, with the Fly In effect you can control
which direction the object comes from. These options can be accessed from the Effect Options
command in the Animation group.
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To remove an animation:
1. Select the small number located next to the animated object.

2. Press the Delete key. The animation will be deleted.

Animations are best used in moderation. Adding too many animations can make your presentation
look a little silly and can even be distracting to your audience. Consider using mostly subtle
animations, or not using animations at all.
Working with animations
To add multiple animations to an object:
If you select a new animation from the menu in the Animation group, it will replace the object's
current animation. However, you'll sometimes want to place more than one animation on an
object, like an Entrance and an Exit effect. To do this, you'll need to use the Add Animation
command, which will allow you to keep your current animations while adding new ones.
1. Select an object.
2. Click the Animations tab.
3. In the Advanced Animation group, click the Add Animation command to view the available
animations.
4. Select the desired animation effect.

5. If the object has more than one effect, it will have a different number for each effect. The
numbers indicate the order in which the effects will occur.
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To preview animations:
Any animation effects you have applied will show up when you play the slide show. However, you
can also quickly preview the animations for the current slide without viewing the slide show.
1. Navigate to the slide you want to preview.
2. From the Animations tab, click the Preview command. The animations for the current slide
will play.

The Animation Pane

The Animation Pane allows you to view and manage all of the effects that are on the current slide.
You can modify and reorder effects directly from the Animation Pane, which is especially useful
when you have several effects.
To open the Animation Pane:
1. From the Animations tab, click the Animation Pane command.

2. The Animation Pane will open on the right side of the window. It will show all of the effects
for the current slide in the order in which they will appear.

If you have several animated objects, it may help to rename the objects before reordering them in
the Animation Pane. You can rename them in the Selection Pane. To open the Selection Pane,
click an object, then from the Format tab click Selection Pane. Double-click the name of an object
to rename it.
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NOTE

What you need to know about using PowerPoint

• Ideas should be presented in bullet points
• Detailed explanation not required because it is used together with verbal presentation
where the presenter will have the opportunity to explain the points.
• Whitespaces aids tidy and good PP presentation
• Images and audios included should aid the understanding of your presentation
• A Single design should be used throughout your presentation.

Guidelines for good presentation

• A good theme/design (A design that does not overshadow the content). When choosing
your design you must consider the following:
• The use of presentation (Some designs are not suitable when printed). Although you may
plan you presentation for projection, there may be a need to print it.
• Choose themes with designs that will not overshadow your text
• Chose compactible colors. You cannot use a light colored text on a light colored
background.
• The rule is “Dark background, light text or Light background on Dark colored text”. This way
your presentation will be clear in print or projection.
• Avoid busy backgrounds with primary colors.
• Don't add too many animations to your presentation.
• Consider your audience. Funny animations, videos may not be more suitable for classroom
presentation than at a business presentation.
• Apart from looking nice, your font should be readable. Readability should be considered
when you determine font style and size.
• Timing should be considered when preparing presentation because there is always a limited
time attached to your presentation.
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• Do not read your slide to your audience. They probably can read. Master the content, own
it and tell them from your heart.
• Let the slides guide you through the discussion, do not stray from your slide.
• Avoid using too many transitions in a presentation.