By removing the white background from an image, you can layer one image on top of another graphic.
When you’re working with picture images in PowerPoint, you may want to remove unnecessary parts of an image so that you can see other graphics behind it. If the image in question is a vector image (e.g., WMF), it may be very easy to customize the clip art image. However, if the image is a bitmap image (e.g., PNG, JPG, GIF), then you cannot simply “ungroup” the image and edit it as you want. If you own Photoshop and you’re proficient with it, this task may be fairly straightforward for you. However, many business users don’t have access to this expensive photo editing software or if they do, they may not know how to use it. More…
Popularity: 88% [?]
Do you have more than one tool in your PowerPoint design toolbox? (c)iStockPhoto/Gaby Jalbert
When Olivia Mitchell invited me to discuss what I’d like to see in PowerPoint slide design in 2009, she referenced a recent blog post by Laura Bergellis. In her post, Laura highlighted how we’ve shifted from detailed, bullet-point-riddled slides to simple, highly visual slides. She questioned whether the pendulum swinging from one extreme to another has replaced one set of problems with another set of problems. Laura asked whether we can somehow find the middle ground between these two approaches in 2009. More…
Popularity: 17% [?]
When you transition from PowerPoint 2003 to PowerPoint 2007, you might come across an annoying issue when you try to resize a shape. For some reason, the shape or object cannot be resized by dragging one of the corner or side points. Instead of holding the new size, it snaps back to a smaller height. You can manually format the size of each shape by specifying the exact height, but that can be a tedious process after a few shapes. More…
Popularity: 39% [?]
Are you in full control of your PowerPoint presentation? (c)iStockPhoto/Andy Gehrig
In a previous article, I covered the first PowerPoint design principle of consistency. In this article, I’d like to explore the principle of control. Many PowerPoint users fail to realize they control many aspects that determine the success or failure of their presentations. Seemingly insignificant decisions in the presentation design stage can come back later to haunt the presenter when the presentation is delivered. For example, choices about what content to include, how to introduce the content, or what “special effects” to use can make or break presentations. More…
Popularity: 17% [?]
In Seth Godin’s article, Nine Steps to PowerPoint Magic, he recommends that presenters buy or download a custom font to use in their PowerPoint presentations. He states, “This is like dressing better or having a nicer business card. It’s subtle, but it works.”
This good idea could backfire as soon as you share your presentation with someone who doesn’t own the same font or if you deliver your presentation on another computer. This article will focus on how you can embed a custom font in a PowerPoint file so that it stays intact for other people to enjoy on their computers. More…
Popularity: 31% [?]
