Powerpoint

Keyboard shortcuts

• Alt-E-S, paste spécial (very handy to paste special a Visio graphic in Enhanced Metafile format).

Tips

Turn mouse into laser pointer

• Hold Ctrl and press left mouse button to show a laser pointer dot.
• Go to Slideshow → Setup slideshow to change pointer color.

Basic presentation rules (source

Skillsoft - Powerpoint 2010 best practices)

• Say it or show it, not both.
• Max. 5 bullets / slides, and 7 words / bullet
• Font size, rule of thumb: age of oldest person / 2

Set picture transparent color

• Select picture
• In Format ribbon menu, click color, then click set transparent color

Equation editor

• Press space to format the last linear equation (eg. 2^\tau) or surrounding parens).
• Can use usual linear formula (like 1/x, 2^x, x_1)

Generate PDF slides from Powerpoint Presentation

Recent Powerpoint

• Powerpoint can now save directly into PDF.
• This is the best approach because it also keeps the slide ratio (4:3 or 16:9).

Using PDFCreator + Watermark

With the document not opened (but slide ratio lost):

• Right click on the document.
• Select Convert with PDF creator
• In Setting, click Add a stamp text on top of all page.

• Recommended to use outline font, width 1.

With the document opened in Powerpoint:

• Print, select PDF Creator.
• Go to printer properties, General, Preference, Advanced, Paper size: use millimeter and 169mm x 300mm (but what about 90mm x 160mm, or 180mm x 320mm)
• Print, apply watermark as above.

Using PrimoPDF

• Requires
  • Primo PDF
  • pdftk (on Cygwin)
• In Powerpoint, open Print Setup,
  • Select PrimoPDF printer,
  • Click Properties,
    • Select Landscape.
    • Click Advanced..., in Paper/Output, select Postscript Custom Paper Size, set Width=3.78in and Height=5.04in (or use Width=7.56in and Height=10.08in for better picture resolution).
  • Click Scale to fit paper.
• Print
• When PrimoPDF window opens, select Print.
  • Note: Seems that Screen, or EBook settings break bitmap pictures.
• Rotate the generate PDF to make it landscape. In Cygwin,

pdftk in.pdf cat 1-endE output out.pdf

Macro

• Macro to rename objects on a slide, very handy when creating an animation (here).
  • The original website here. Also contains some advanced animation samples.