PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff

Learn PowerPoint 2003 for Windows: Recolor Pictures

When you insert a drawing or illustration in PowerPoint 2003, it may not always match the look and feel of the other slide objects such as text color or other visuals — or it may not look good against a particular slide background. Fortunately, the Recolor Picture option can help.

Learn how to recolor pictures in PowerPoint 2003 for Windows.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2003
Tagged as: Graphics, Pictures, PowerPoint 2003, Tutorials

PixSwap: The Indezine Review

While PowerPoint 2003 and previous versions provided you with an option to recolor your pictures easily, this option was removed in PowerPoint 2007 and also did not make it to the subsequent PowerPoint 2010. This was indeed one of the very cool options in PowerPoint and many long-time users were not too amused with its absence. Yes, if you have a copy of PowerPoint 2003 or an older version installed, you can easily still recolor the pictures in that version — and then bring that content to any of the newer PowerPoint versions — but doing that often can be cumbersome and boring — especially now that PixSwap, a third-party PowerPoint add-in brings back the Recolor option to PowerPoint 2007 and 2010.

Read the Indezine review of PixSwap.

Filed Under: Reviews
Tagged as: Add-in, Color, Graphics, Pictures, PowerPoint 2007, PowerPoint 2010, Review

Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Apply 3-D Rotation Effects

If you haven’t seen all our other tutorials on Shape Effects available in PowerPoint 2011, then this page is self sufficient on its own. On the other hand, if you have been following all our tutorials in this series, you know that we have covered all the Shape Effects apart from 3-D Rotation and Soft Edges. In this tutorial, you will learn to add a 3-D Rotation effect to your shapes. This will make them look three dimensional and prominent.

Learn how to apply the 3-D Rotation effect to selected shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2011
Tagged as: Effects, Office for Mac, PowerPoint 2011, Tutorials

How to Make an Artistic PowerPoint Background

By Bruce Gabrielle

Tired of the same old curved lines and world globe PowerPoint backgrounds? Want to impress your next crowd with something new? Why not make your own artistic PowerPoint background? Here’s how:

1. Find a picture with some texture in it. The best way is to search for Creative Commons images at Flickr and use terms like wall, sky, or denim.
2. Whenever you use others’ images, you must ensure you following their licensing rules. For instance, make sure you can create derivative works out of it (modifications to the original). And add a copyright notice somewhere, perhaps in the notes section or at the end of the presentation.
3. Here’s a nice image I found using the keyword wall. In this case, I had to contact the artist (photo: (c) Helga Weber) directly to ask for derivative rights. Do note that this link will only work if you are a Flickr member, and signed in.

See this video for a step-by-step example and explanation of how to find images you’re allowed to use.

  Bruce Gabrielle is author of Speaking PowerPoint: the New Language of Business, showing a 12-step method for creating clearer and more persuasive PowerPoint slides for boardroom presentations. Visit his blog Speaking PowerPoint for more tips on PowerPoint, storytelling and visual business communication.

See Also: Speaking PowerPoint — Interview with Bruce Gabrielle

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post or content are those of the authors or the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.

Filed Under: Guest Posts
Tagged as: Bruce Gabrielle, Graphics, Guest Post, PowerPoint

Learn PowerPoint 2010 for Windows: Insert Picture

Adding pictures to a PowerPoint slide is a great way to add some visual detail. There are two ways to insert a picture on your slide in PowerPoint: You use a layout that includes a content placeholder, or you insert a picture within a slide irrespective of its layout. Whichever option you choose depends upon your choice — we cover both of them in the following steps.

Learn how to insert a picture on a slide in PowerPoint 2010 for Windows.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2010
Tagged as: Photos, Pictures, PowerPoint 2010, Tutorials