If you have installed PowerPoint 2007, you know the User Interface with its new Ribbon layout is very different! Keep this Microsoft website handy as you begin to relearn how to do everything.

This interactive Flash page allows you to click and choose almost any feature in a PPT 2003 simulation and then it shows where to find the same command in PPT 2007. Click here to try it.

– Troy @ TLC

On a recent project in Dallas (the one that took me 10.5 hours on the plane to arrive from San Diego (should be a 2.5 hr flight)), the event photographer took this photo and emailed it me – thanks Sal!

The nice side lighting is actually a combination of another laptop monitor and the 12×9 screen in front of me. Despite the great photo, I am as usual working in the dark…

– Troy @ TLC

For the best quality layout and graphics when converting an existing presentation to widescreen I go through several steps. Note: 1-4 assure that new widescreen presentation maintains all formatting such as fonts, custom bullets, default color scheme, header/footer, etc.

1. Open existing presentation

2. Save As (name)_WideScreen.ppt

3. Delete all slides

4. Change page size to needed widescreen size

2. If background artwork is developed in Photoshop, modify in Photoshop to create new version of artwork that is setup for new widescreen aspect ratio

3. Update the master slide(s) with modified artwork and adjust formatting to fit widescreen layout

Now I have a widescreen template of my presentation.

– Troy @ TLC

So you have an existing presentation, created as a standard 4×3 aspect ratio (10″x7.5″). But you have a wide screen for your next meeting. EASY, from the previous post you know to go to FILE >> PAGE SETUP and modify the size — DOHHH, everything is messed up now!

Here is a standard 4×3 presentation (10″x7.5″)

After changing the Page Setup to 16″x9″ you end up with this

Note:
– Imported graphics and autoshapes all distort
– Standard PowerPoint text keeps its aspect ratio

There is no instant or easy way to do this… but in the next post I will give a few suggestions.

– Troy @ TLC

Depending on some variables such as client preference or AV equipment available, I go with 1 of 3 options when developing a widescreen presentation.

Option 1:
– Page setup = 16”x9”
– This is the easiest to work with and tends to be the least confusing for people inexperienced with widescreen shows
– Problem is all graphics should be created at full size, not upsized from an existing 4×3 presentation

Option 2:
– Page setup = 10”x5.63” (or 8”x4.5”)
– Best size to use if have to use existing graphics from a 4×3 presentation and if client wants to reuse elements in their (4×3) presentations
– Problem is it really confuses people unfamiliar with widescreen shows and aspect ratios

Option 3:
– Page setup = 10”x7.5” (standard 4×3 presentation)
– Add black letterbox bars to top and bottom leaving a 16×9 “active” area
– Again, good for using existing 4×3 presentation graphics or need to supply images for client to repurpose into their presentations
– Also good for multi-source shows as lower letterbox area can contain quick reference syncing information (eg. L1, C1, R2 (left 1, Center 1, Right 1))
– Problem is needs to have real scaler that can cut off unused portion sent to project and a good projector as not all pixels are being used

– Troy @ TLC