Before you get started on your first presentation, you might want to take a minute to explore
your PowerPoint environment in detail, and customize it in a way that will work for you.
For example, the Ribbon contains multiple tabs, each with several groups of commands.
Did you know you can create your own tabs and your own groups to make your favorite
commands more convenient?
It's easy.
Just right click anywhere on the Ribbon, and choose Customize the Ribbon.
Now click New Tab to add a new tab of your own.
Your new tab appears on the list, along with a new group, which is the part of the tab
that will hold your commands.
You can even add commands to any of the main tabs - like the Home tab - as long as you
create a new group in that tab.
Now, make sure your new group is selected, then look to the list on the left for the
commands you'd like to add.
I want my custom tab to have a group devoted to formatting, so - I immediately see Format
Background here in the middle.
All you have to do is click the command, then Add.
Another way to add commands is to drag and drop them from one list to the other.
Now I'd like to give my tab a name, something personalized that'll help me find it on the
Ribbon.
Just select the tab, click Rename, and enter it here.
I'm going name mine "Formatting Shortcuts."
When you're done, click OK.
And here's my custom tab.
Now, if you find the Ribbon is taking up too much space on your screen, you can minimize
it by clicking the tiny arrow in the upper right corner.
When the Ribbon is minimized, you can make it reappear by clicking any one of the tabs,
but it will disappear again when you're not using it.
We're going to go ahead and expand the Ribbon again, then turn our attention to the Quick
Access Toolbar in the upper left corner.
Designed to give you access to frequently used commands no matter where you are on the
Ribbon, it includes Save, Undo, and Repeat by default, but can be customized to also
include your favorites.
I personally use New and Open a lot, for creating and opening presentations, so I'm going to
click the drop-down arrow here to customize the toolbar, and add those commands.
Finally, if you're familiar with PowerPoint 2007, you may have noticed that the Office
button is missing.
It's been replaced by the File tab.
The File tab takes you to the new Backstage view, where you can explore all the options
related to your current presentation and more.
That includes things like Recent files, New, and Print.
It's everything you would have found in the old Office or File menu, except now you have
a nice full-page view.
For example, I like the convenience of being able to adjust the print settings and see
a preview all in one place.
That covers the PowerPoint environment in detail.
Now that we know how to use and customize the different features - including the Backstage
view, the Ribbon, and the Quick Access Toolbar - we can start our first presentation!