Properties of MS PowerPoint (Part 1)

MS Power Point

Power Point is the most used presentation graphics software package in the world. Its imaginative tools and easy approach can help you make professional looking presentations quickly and easily. By using Power-Point’s new content-development, preparation rehearsal features, you can be more effective in your presentation.

With Power Point we can:

•  Quickly create strong overhead, paper, 35mm slide, or non-screen presentations.
•  Apply the knowledge you have already gained in learning Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel.
•  Get started quickly using quick preview.
•  Use materials you have created in other Microsoft products, such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, in Power Point.

Power Point is a complete presentation graphics package. It gives you everything you need to produce a professional-looking presentation, text-handling, outlining, drawing, graphing, clip-art and so on.

Whether you are making black-and-white overheads or putting together an electronic slideshow, Power point is easy to use.

The Following are the things what will you make in the PowerPoint:

• Ø Presentations
• Ø Slides
• Ø Handouts
• Ø Speaker’s Notes
• Ø Organization Charts
• Ø Media Clips
• Ø Graphs
• Ø Clip Art
• Ø Web Pages

Starting Power Point

You can start the PowerPoint by choosing:

Start à Programs à Microsoft Power Point.

At the start of the PowerPoint, a dialog box opens that asks you to open an existing presentation or use the option to start a new presentation.

To start with a new presentation from scratch, you can choose Blank Presentation. Opening screen of new slide is designed from which one of the options from Auto Layout window is to be selected. By selecting the first option and clicking OK, we get the PowerPoint screen.

1. Menu Bar

The Menu Bar contains following menus for different purposes as explained below.

File Menu: Creates, opens, saves, finds files, print files,, close and exit programs

Edit Menu: Edits, cuts, copies, pastes, finds and replaces the contents

View menu: Choose alternative views, on-screen formatting tools or zoom

Insert Menu: Inserts new slides, or various types of text, graphics and table

Format menu: Formats text, graphics or slide attributes

Tools Menu: Checks and polishes presentation or sets power point options

Slide Show Menu: Creates the slide shows for presentations

Windows Menu: Rearranges windows or activate a presentation window

2. Status Bar

Messages Appear at the bottom of the window in an area called status bar. These messages describe what you are seeing and doing in the PowerPoint window as you work. Normally, the status bar tells you which slide you are working on. When you choose a command, the status bar provides a short message telling you what that command will do. 

3. Scroll Bar

There is a vertical scroll bar on the right side of the PowerPoint window. The Scroll bar has an elevator as well as double arrow buttons you can use to move from slide to slide.

To move to a particular slide using the scroll bar, drag the elevator up or down to go to a particular slide.

As you drag, the slide Indicator box tells you are about to display. Release the mouse button when you have reached the slide you are looking for.

4. Toolbars

You can use toolbars for quick access to commonly used commands and tools. When you first start PowerPoint and open a presentation, the Standard and Formatting toolbars are displayed just below the menu bar, and the Drawing toolbar is displayed horizontally on the lower side of the window. Different toolbars appear automatically in each view.

You can display as many of the toolbars as you want. Or you can choose to display none at all. Depending on your needs and the size of the monitor, you can add more toolbars to your work area. You can customize each toolbar by adding and removing button.

You can resize toolbars and drag them to different locations, arranging the window to suit your needs. When you move toolbars and close PowerPoint, your changes will be there the next time you open the PowerPoint.

PRESENTATIONS AND SLIDES

In PowerPoint your entire document is in one file. That include all the slides, the outline, the speaker’s notes, and the handouts, as well as the formatting information you build into your presentation.

Using a slide layout is an easy way to begin building a presentation. You choose a slide layout by selecting new slide from the Insert Menu and then selecting the layout you want in your new slide dialog box.

With PowerPoint you can change the look of your presentation, the format of it, the colors in it, or the kind of output you want anytime. You can always apply a new template or change the color scheme.

PowerPoint comes with more than 100 templates; each template has its own color scheme, a specially designed slide master, and styled font that work with the overall design of the presentation. In addition, any presentation can be used as a template. So, if you create a special look for a presentation and want to use the same look for other presentations, you can save it as a template.

Creating Presentations

Steps of Creating a new presentation:

1.  Launch PowerPoint by choosing: Start à Programs à Microsoft Power Point.

2.   When you begin PowerPoint, a dialog box open, which asks whether you want to open an existing document, or use an Auto Content Wizard, a template or a blank presentation.

3.   To start a new presentation from scratch, choose the Blank Presentation.

4.   When you first start the PowerPoint, the default is Template. Of you have used PowerPoint previously; the default is the option you used last.

All the options are listed here:

a.   Auto Content Wizard: Select this Option to take the advantage of the wizards in PowerPoint; you will get help at every step along the way in creating a new presentation.

b.   Design Template: If you want to create a new presentation using one of the several presentation templates include with PowerPoint or perhaps using a template of your own, choose Template on your startup.

c.   Blank Presentation: As the name applies, there are no templates, master slides, notes, or slides included in a blank presentation. You may use this option, if you have a new approach; none of the template suited for your need.

d.   Open an existing Presentation : You may use this option to work with an existing presentation – for instances, if you want to edit a presentation or want to continue working on already saved presentation.

Auto Content Wizard

To begin with following along with a wizard, select the button of the wizard you want, and then choose OK. The wizard you selected appears on the screen. Follow the instructions and enter the information requested.

PowerPoint creates a sample presentation you can add your own words and pictures to, and then displays it in outline view.

The AutoContent Wizard guides you to select from many pre-built content templates, and it provides ideas, starter text, formatting, and organization for your presentation. The templates cover a wide variety of topics including status or team meetings, information kiosks, certificates, flyers, calendars of event, and even Web home pages.

Blank Presentation

To begin with the blank default presentation, select the "Blank Presentation" button. Then choose OK.

If you create a presentation that includes settings and styles you want to use all the time, you can save it as default presentation so that you have access to its format whenever you choose Blank Presentation in the New presentation dialog box.

Adding a New Slide

When you have chosen a blank presentation, the New Slide Dialog box appears on the screen. In this dialog box you are asked to choose the first slide of your presentation to appear.

When you create a new presentation in PowerPoint, you begin with one slide. As you build the presentation, you will be adding more slides, some with texts, some with Artwork, and some with Charts.

You can add a slide or slides to your presentation anytime you want by choosing New Slide by from the Insert Menu or by clicking the New Slide button on the toolbar. It does not matter Which of the PowerPoint views you are in, PowerPoint adds the slide following you current, or active slide. 

Writer: Mr. Krishan Kumar Saini


Today We have Learnt some of the Properties of Microsoft PowerPoint.
Hope this lesson is helpful for you.