Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the most used tools for making presentations. It's easy to use and offers endless possibilities when it comes to creating creative and professional designs. In this post we will show you how to use this program from scratch, we will introduce you to the basic tools and we will include some recommendations for you to succeed with your slides Do you want to learn how to make presentations with PowerPoint? Don't miss the rest of the post.
Get started in PowerPoint
open document
When you open the program, you will see that PowerPoint offers templates that are already designed and ready for you to insert your content. Of course you can use them, but in this post we will choose to choose a blank document to which we will add elements and resources.To learn better, start from scratch!
If you already have the program open, also you can create new documents by clicking the file tab> new presentation in the top menu.
Create new slide
In the home panel you have a button that says "New slide", by clicking on it you generate new slides. If you press the small arrow to the right of the button, you will see that you can create slides that follow a default template. There are designs designed to order all types of content: titles, title and content, double content, to make comparisons ...
However, to learn how to use the tools of the program we need the slide to be as bare as possible, so we are not going to select any and we are going to leave our slide blank.
Show or hide rulers and guides
In order not to distribute the elements "by eye" we are going to activate the rules and guides. The guides will help us keep the same margins on all the slides of the presentation.
To activate rules and guides, what you have to do is select them in the "view" tab.. My recommendation is that you keep the central guides, the vertical and the horizontal. Having the screen divided into four is a good trick to better order your pieces.
Also, you should create four other guides to define what the margins of your slides will be. To create new guides, you just have to press the "option" key on your computer keyboard and drag the existing ones. Note that when you do this, a box appears indicating the height at which you are placing. Once you have completed this step, you are ready to start designing!
Main tools to make presentations in PowerPoint
Shapes tool
This tool can be very useful to create decorative elements that give identity and unity to your design. To add shapes, We will go to the panel "insert"> "forms". You will open a small menu in which you can choose the way you want.
To change the characteristics of the form we will go to the form format panel, there you can modify the fill color, you can add a border and even apply some kind of effect.
In my case I am going to play with the black rectangles to create different slide models:
- I'll create a model using the rectangle as a headband, placing it at the bottom of the slide
- I'll create a slide with a black background
- Finally, I will create two more models in which the rectangle allows to divide the screen in two (one with the shape on the right and another with the shape on the left)
As well you can use the shapes as a text box, to highlight certain parts of the content.
If you wish to create custom shapes, you can do it! Simply click on the shape and in the format panel use the option "modify points" to alter the original shape.
In the format panel you can also organize the shapes you can bring the shapes to the front, you can send them to the back and using the align tool you can make sure that all the elements are perfectly positioned.
Text tools
Text tools are essential if you want to create good presentations. For create a text box you just have to go to the panel "Insert" and select "text box".
You can make a single click so that the box adapts to what you are going to write or if you prefer, you can drag the mouse so that the text is limited to a specific size.
Remember you can underline and use a highlight to attract attention in specific parts of your text. In the example, I have highlighted dark to be able to change the white font and create a contrast that tells the reader: “this is important”.
Another text option is the WordArt, texts that are coming designed by PowerPoint and that have special effects and characteristics. You can customize them to give them your personal touch or adapt them to the style of the presentation and they are a great resource for your headlines.
Imaging tools
The images are a very powerful communication tool, because they are capable of summarizing a large amount of content in very little space and causing a great impact.
There are two ways to add images to your PowerPoint:
- You can go to the panel "insert"> "images" and select "image from file"
- You can drag the image directly from the folder.
Remove funds tool
Using images without a background can help you add a different touch to your slides. The good news is that, thanks to the “remove backgrounds” tool, you can remove the background from your photos without having to leave PowerPoint.
La tool "remove funds"Is available in the "image format" panel, which automatically appears at the top of the screen when you click on any image. It is very easy to use, you just have to select with the pencil "+" what you want to keep and with the pencil "-" what you want to remove from image. When you finish, click on the tick to not lose the changes.
Effects and adjustments
That your images have a similar style can give a quality bonus to your presentation. In image format you have two tools available that allow you to make adjustments to the photographs.
You can use corrections and color adjustments to give your images a unified look of the slides. In the example, I have chosen to put my images in black and white and I have adjusted the brightness so that the result is even better.
Icons
Icons, like images, also have the power to summarize concepts in a small space. Luckily in PowerPoint you can include icons without leaving the program. If you press "icons" in the "insert" panel, you will access a side panel where you have endless icons available to choose from. Use the search engine to filter and find the ones you need faster. In the "graphics format" panel, that appears above when you press one of them, you can modify them to adapt them to the style of your presentation.
Graphics Tool
Graphics are very useful to convey ideas visually, quickly and clearly. Dare to use them! Keep in mind that graphs not only serve to show super elaborate data, you can also use them as a creative resource to transmit a message in an alternative way.
You can add graphics by going to panel "insert"> "graphics". You will thus access a small drop-down panel in which all the types of graphics that PowerPoint offers appear. Select the most suitable and An Excel sheet will open directly in which you can enter the data. When you finish, it is not necessary to save the spreadsheet, simply close it, while you are entering the data the graph will be modified.
You can change the style of the chart, both the textual part and the graphic part. You can change the font and size. In the format panel you can change the graphic style and colors.
Tips
Use external resources
Use external resources it is a good idea to enrich the design of the slides. Although PowerPoint is a super complete program and you can create great presentations with the resources it offers, an extra creativity never hurts!
For example, you can go to Picsart on Google to download stickers that will serve to give a more special touch to the slides. I usually search with the words "Vintage", "tape", "text box" and I use the ones that convince me the most as a text box or as a picture frame.
Take care of the color
Color is also a communication tool, it is even capable of awakening sensations and emotions. It is not the same to choose this combination of pastel shades than to choose a combination of yellow, black and white. The contrasts of the latter, the combination of a dark background with white or yellow, convey that much better. message of adventure and risk that I have used in the example. Silly pastel, however, would be much better suited to promote, for example, a brand of baby clothing.
If you need inspiration you can go to ColourLovers, web page where you will find palettes that have already been created. As well It is a good resource to go to Adobe Color to create harmonious combinations that work great.
In PowerPoint you can create your own color palette. To bring one of these palettes to PowerPoint, what I usually do is take a screenshot of it, insert it into the slide and with the eyedropper I save all the colors that I will later apply to the elements of my presentation.
Typography
Typography, like color, communicates, so it is essential that you take the time to choose the right fonts. If you are not convinced by the fonts you already have installed, you can download new fonts from the internet. Google Font is one of the best known font banks and also one of the most reliable.
To install new fonts you just have to select the one you want, download it, open the file and click on install font.