I've been working with a local animal rescue, and I think a PowerPoint presentation is just
what we need to showcase some info about their adoptable pets.
But how do we get from this… to a presentation that looks like this?
The key is understanding how slides, layouts, and placeholders work.
Let's take a look at placeholders first.
When you start with a new slide, it'll usually include one or more placeholders.
Placeholders can contain text, pictures, charts, and all kinds of different objects.
To find out what you can do with a placeholder, just mouse over the icons here.
The way these placeholders are arranged has to do with the layout of your slide.
This layout happens to include one for the title, and two more for content.
You can choose your layout when you first insert a slide, or you can change it later
depending on the type of content you're working with.
To insert a new slide, look to the New Slide command on the Home tab.
You can use the top half to add a slide in the same layout as the current one… or you
can open the menu underneath the command… and choose the exact layout you want.
You can even insert a blank slide, and add your own text boxes and objects later.
Changing the current layout is just as easy.
All you have to do is click the Layout command… and make a new selection from the menu.
This time, we're going to choose the Section Header layout.
At this point, instead of inserting more slides for the rest of the pets in the slideshow,
I'd like to try copying and pasting instead.
This can really save you time when the slides you need are so similar to what you already
have.
Just select the slide you want to copy… then click the Copy command on the Home tab.
Next, click in between or below the slide where you want the copy to appear… then
go back to the Ribbon and click Paste.
You can paste as many copies as you need.
Now that I have these copies to use as sort of a template, I no longer need the two content
slides that we started with.
That means I'm going to delete them by pressing backspace or delete on my keyboard… and
I'm also going to move this section header, so it's a little later in the presentation.
To do this, click & hold the thumbnail, then just drag & drop it into place.
There we go—now everything is in order.
Next, I'd like to take a closer look at the slide itself, and show you some ways that
you can customize it.
The important thing to remember is that nothing is set in stone—you can always adjust your
layout, and change the look of your slides any way you want.
To delete a placeholder, for example, all you have to do is select it… then press
backspace or delete on your keyboard.
Placeholders can also be moved and resized using the drag & drop method… and the sizing
handles here.
Let's just fill this in before we continue…
Of course, if you need to add a text box to your slide, there's a way to do that too.
This can come in handy if you're working with a blank slide, or a presentation that's highly
customized.
Just go to the Insert tab… then click the Text Box command.
Now you can add a text box anywhere you want.
You may not want to change things too much, though (depending on your level of design
experience).
If you stray too far from the built-in layouts, it can be difficult to get your presentation
looking consistent.
Sometimes it's better to try a different layout instead—in other words, one that has the
arrangement you need…
Or you can choose a different theme using the options on the Design tab.
Here's how they work.
All you have to do is mouse over the thumbnails for a preview.
As you can see, each theme uses a slightly different layout.
So you can easily try out different designs, and change the look of your slides, without
moving any placeholders at all.
I think I like the one with the large image the best.
There are still a couple more features on the Design tab that'll let you customize your
slides.
For example, over here on the right, you can change or format your current background.
You can also adjust the size and dimensions of your presentation if you're not using a
wide-screen monitor.
Now you know how to work with slides, placeholders, and layouts, including a few simple tricks
for changing your presentation's design.