MS PowerPoint Software Tips

MS PowerPoint Tips

PLEASE NOTE: The software tips and shortcuts shown below may also work if you’re using the Office 2007 version.

Tips concerning keyboard shortcuts may still work in 2007; in addition, tips that involve using the lower Office version’s ‘menu’ options may have an equivalent function in 2007 using the new Ribbon and OFFICE button (that replaces the previous menu/toolbars). We will be revising our Software Tips pages as part of our upcoming web redesign and we’ll make necessary additions at that time.

TIP #1: INSERT SLIDE #'s - VIEW/HEADER & FOOTER (All Versions)

To add slide #'s on your slides:

From the Menu, select VIEW/Header & Footer
Click Slide TAB and checkmark 'Slide Number'

To reposition the Slide Number:

Go into VIEW/Master/Slide Master (or Title Master) and reposition the Slide Number box. Click Close Master View.

TIP #2: SIZE MULTIPLE GRAPHICS AT THE SAME TIME (All Versions)

Often when you size artwork in PowerPoint, you need to size it so that several elements retain the same size relationship to each other. The best way to accomplish this is to size all those elements at the same time. Let's suppose you have three pictures that need sizing and must retain their size relationship. Click on the first picture then hold down the Shift key and click the other two pictures. Now use the mouse to drag the pictures to their new size.

TIP #3: ADD SHADING OR CHANGE COLOR OF BACKGROUND (All Versions)

PowerPoint 7.0 and Earlier:

You can add shading to the background by selecting:

FORMAT/Custom Background
Click on the down arrow and select, Shaded (This is where you will choose your style of shading and the color you would like to use)
Them simply chose OK

PowerPoint 2000 and 2002:

from the Format menu, choose Background
Simply select a different color from the dropdown, or click the dropdown and select Fill Effects
Select a Shading Style option button

TIP #4: GET BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL WITH SPECIAL FONTS (All Versions)

For versions prior to PowerPoint 2000:

If you're looking for some cool graphics for your PowerPoint slides, don't forget the special fonts that are on your computer. Wingdings is especially rich in symbols that you can use in PowerPoint slides.

Suppose you'd like to add a slide that reads "Don't get behind the eight ball?" You could replace the words 'eight ball' with a Wingdings eight-ball symbol.

To do this:

Open Character Map under Accessories and select the Wingdings font
Now locate the eight ball, and click on it
Click Select
Select Copy
Select Close
Open your PowerPoint slide and select an insertion point
Choose EDIT/Paste and the eight ball will appear on the slide

Since the eight ball is a character, you can't resize it with the mouse as you would a picture. What you have to do is select a new font size. An advantage to using symbols in a TrueType font (which Wingdings is) is that the resolution remains the same even when you make the symbol very large.

For PowerPoint 2000 - 2003:

From the menu, select Insert/Symbol
From the Font drop-down box, choose Wingdings
Click the symbol you want to insert and click the Insert button.

TIP #5: CUSTOMIZE SLIDE MASTER WITH LOGO (All Versions)

You can easily arrange objects (such as logos, pictures, shading, text) on your Slide Master to create a custom background for your presentation.

From menu, select VIEW/Master
Then select Slide Master (In lower versions of PowerPoint, you can select Title Master rather than Slide Master from the menu option if you want the logo on any title slide you create - (Note: In PowerPoint 2002, be sure to be on a title slide before going into VIEW/Master/Slide Master if you want to change just the title slides, OR after you're in the Slide Master, simply click on the Title Master thumbnail on the Slide Tab at left of screen to make your changes to the title master. In PowerPoint 2003, click on the Title Master icon appearing on the Slide Master View toolbar to make your changes to the title master).
Insert the logo, and other objects that you want on your slides (just as you would insert a graphic, picture)
Position the logo (or other objects) to desired location (resize, move, etc.) where it will appear on all slides
Close out of the master by either clicking on a regular VIEW button at lower left of screen, or in higher versions, click the [CLOSE Master View] button on the toolbar that appears when you're in the Master

Note: You can also add a title or other text to appear on all slides by creating a new text frame, type, then position it.

To exit Slide Master mode, simply select another view (SLIDE View, Outline View, etc.) using the buttons at bottom left of screen. For versions 2002 & 2003, click the 'Close Master View' button from the Slide Master View toolbar.

Any logo/object on the slide master will appear on every slide in your presentation - you can also make additions to the Title Master in the same way.

TIP #6: HIDE SLIDES DURING YOUR PRESENTATION (All Versions)

When you create a PowerPoint slide show presentation, you may not want to show all the slides to all audiences. You can 'hide' slides so that if you need them during your presentation, they'll be accessible.

For Powerpoint 4.0 or 7.0 Users:

Go into Slide Sorter mode by clicking the 'Slide Sorter View' Button (lower left of screen) or choosing VIEW/Slide Sorter from menu.
Click the slide you want to hide and then choose TOOLS/Hide Slide.

Now when you run the slide show, the hidden slides will be skipped.

As sure as you hide a slide, someone in the audience will ask for information on the hidden topic. If this happens to you, you can show the hidden slide with a minimum of effort. When a hidden slide is next in line, a large asterisk appears in the slide window near the lower-right corner. When you click on the asterisk, PowerPoint will move to the hidden slide and display it.

Note: You may have to move the mouse slightly to make the asterisk appear.

For Powerpoint 97 - 2003 Users:

Go into Slide Sorter View mode
Select the slide to be hidden
Click the [Hide Slide] Button on the toolbar or select SLIDESHOW/Hide Slide from the menu or right click on the slide and choose Hide Slide from the menu that displays.

If you need the slide during your presentation, you can right click the arrow at the lower left of presentation screen and from the drop down menu that appears, select GO, Hidden Slide (if it's the next slide) [or select Slide Navigator to select the hidden slide from a list - slides in ( )'s are hidden].

OR you can right click on slideshow while it's running, and select GO, By Title, and select any hidden slide #'s - hidden slides are enclosed in parentheses ( ).

TO UNHIDE A SLIDE:

Simply do the same 'hide slide' procedure above again - it's a toggle ON/OFF function.

TIP #7: SIZE PICTURES - KEEP VERTICAL/HORIZONTAL RATIO (All Versions)

You size pictures in PowerPoint by selecting the picture and then using the mouse to drag it to a new size. If you want to keep the vertical-to-horizontal ratio (the aspect ratio) the same, hold down the Ctrl key while you drag the corner size handle to the new size.

To make a copy of the graphic: Hold the Ctrl key down and point to the graphic (you will see a + sign) simply click and drag it off on to a blank area on your page.

TIP #8: HOW TO CREATE MIRRORED TEXT (All Versions)

To do this, you must use WordArt to create a graphic of text, which you can then turn into a mirror image.

For Versions Prior to 2003

Choose INSERT/Object, then pick Microsoft WordArt 2.0 from the Object Type (for version 2003, Insert/Picture/WordArt)
Click OK
Create the text in WordArt, then click anywhere on the slide to return to PowerPoint.

With the WordArt object selected

Choose Draw/Ungroup (for version 2002, you can also right click and choose 'Grouping' and then 'Ungroup').

Select OK in the dialog box warning you that this is an imported object.

PowerPoint will convert the letters to individual objects and select them all.

To flip each letter to its mirror image:

Choose Draw/Rotate or Flip, then Flip Horizontal.

To create a mirror image of the text as a whole:

Choose Draw/Group, Draw/Rotate or Flip, then Flip Horizontal.

For Version 2003

Insert WordArt by select the Insert menu, choose Picture and then choose WordArt. Type the text you want to appear and then click Ok to close the dialog box.
Resize handles and a green, rotate/flip handle will appear. Use these tools to rotate and/or flip your WordArt.

TIP #9: See-Through Options (All Versions)

PowerPoint supports the transparent effect in GIF and PNG files, but you'll have to set transparent options manually for TIF images.

Here's how:

Import the Graphic you want to use
Right click on it, Select Show Picture Toolbar.
Click [Set Transparent], click on the color you want to make transparent.

TIP #10: Shortcut Keys (All Versions)

TASK	SHORTCUT
Copy selected object	Ctrl+drag
During a slide show, change pointer to a pen	Ctrl+P
Switch pen back to pointer	Ctrl+A
During a slide show, bring up list of slides *( only available in PowerPoint 97. F1 opens slide show help in 2000 & 2002)**	F1
In an outline, expand text below a heading *(* only available in PowerPoint 97)***	Alt+Shift+Plus
Collapse text below a heading (* only available in PowerPoint 97)**	Alt+Shift+Minus
In an outline, show all text or headings	Alt+Shift+A
Create a new slide	Ctrl+M

TIP #11: MINI-PREVIEW (Version 97)

You don't have to switch back and forth between working with text in the Outline view and previewing in Slide view. Instead, use the VIEW/Slide Miniature option to see what the slide will look like while continuing to work in Outline mode.

Note: By default in versions 2000 - 2003, the slide will be displayed to the right of your outline view.

TIP #12 - POWERPOINT SHAPES (All Versions)

For Versions 4.x, 95 & 97

To add a shape to a PowerPoint slide, you use the AutoShapes Button. You know you can add text to a shape, so why not add symbols as well?

Say you want to place on a slide a drawing of a star with an eight ball in the center. Choose the AutoShape button and draw your star. Now open Character Map and choose the Wingdings font. Select the eight ball and copy it. At this point, the eight-ball symbol is on the Clipboard, so go back to your text box, select it and press Ctrl+V to paste the eight ball. Now you can select the eight ball and set its size.

For Versions 2000 - 2003

Insert the Autoshape and with it still selected, choose the Insert menu, choose Symbol and then select the Wingdings font. Select the eight ball and then click Ok to close the Insert Symbol dialog box.

TIP #13 - GOING IN CIRCLES (All Versions)

If you need to draw a number of perfect circles in a PowerPoint slide, try this: Double-click the Oval button (it looks like an oval) and then hold down the Shift key while you draw as many circles as you want. All will be perfect circles as long as you hold down the Shift key.

If you need some ovals, release the Shift key and continue using the
mouse to draw ovals. To stop drawing, click the Oval button.

TIP #14 - KEYBOARD SHORTCUT TO MOVE FROM TEXTBOX TO TEXTBOX IN POWERPOINT SLIDES (All Versions)

Here's a fast keyboard shortcut to move from one textbox to the next on
your slides:

To move to next text box, touch: CTRL/Enter

NOTE: If you're on your last slide, and move to the last text box,
CTRL/Enter will create a new slide and place you in the text box at the top
of the slide.

TIP #15 - DRAGGING TOOLBARS TO DIFFERENT LOCATIONS (All Versions - PC/Mac)

Having your toolbars at the top of the window is usually OK, but there are times, especially in PowerPoint, when you'd like to have a toolbar in a different location to make it easier to access.

If you need to move a toolbar temporarily (or permanently), point your mouse pointer to an area on the toolbar where there's no button and then drag it out into the window. Now you've turned it into a floating toolbar, and you can move it all around the window.

If you'd like to anchor it in a new position, use the mouse to drag it toward one side of the screen or down to the bottom. When you drag it to an allowed anchor spot, the toolbar icon will elongate. Find the position you want and release the mouse button. If it doesn't elongate, it can't anchor there.

TIP #16 - CHANGE THE SHAPE OF A DRAWN BOX (All Versions)

If you used the DRAWING toolbar to draw a shape, and then change your mind and want to change the shape of the object:

Click on the object you drew
Click [DRAW] button on the DRAWING toolbar and select ‘Change Autoshape’
Select a different shape

TIP # 17 - CREATING 'FANCY' COMMENTS

All Versions:

A fancy note, how about a Post-it note!

Create a comment on a slide by choosing INSERT/COMMENT
- you will notice that a standard size rectangular note will appear and it will also have your name already printed in it, if you may change and type something else in place of your name if you would like.

For Versions '97 & Earlier:

Right-click on the Toolbar and select 'DRAWING'
Select 'CHANGE AUTOSHAPE' and then you may choose a different shape
Other Drawing options are available also such as, rotate, 3D and shadowing and change in the color.

TIP # 18 - RESOLVE "THERE ISN'T ENOUGH MEMORY" ERROR WHEN TRYING TO INSERT AN ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE IN POWERPOINT 2002 (Version 2002 only)

If you are getting an error message ("There isn't enough memory available to read MS Org Chart") when you insert an Organizational Chart in MS PowerPoint 2002, it may be resolved by reducing the number of fonts that are installed.

You can try to reduce the number of fonts saved in C:\Winnt\Fonts by moving fonts to another directory (you do not have to delete the font, just move it to another folder). When you remove the fonts, do NOT remove the following:

Arial
Courier New
Marlett
Symbol
Times New Roman
Tahoma
WingDings

Microsoft Office and other programs use the above listed fonts. Do NOT delete or remove them.

TIP #19 - CORRECTION FOR RELATIVE HYPERLINKS NOT SAVING CORRECTLY (Versions 2002 and above)

When you insert a hyperlink to an external document into a PowerPoint 2002 Presentation, the hyperlinks may not work when you reopen the presentation. If you open the proporties for this hyperlink, you will see and extra "../" at the end of the hyperlink path.

There are two ways that you can resolve this:

1. Manually Set the File Location for the hyperlink

On the Insert menu, click Hyperlink.
In the Link to Box, click Existing File or Web Page.
Click Browse for File.
Type the path to the network share, and then press Enter to list the contents of that share.
Click the file you want to hyperlink to.
Click Ok, and then click Ok.

2. Disable "Update Links on Save"

On the Tools menu, click Options.
Click the General tab.
Click Web Options.
Click the Files tab.
Click to clear the Update Links on Save check box.
Click Ok.

Tip # 20 - SHORTCUTS for PowerPoint TEXT (Versions '97 and above)

Add Initial Caps or All Caps Quickly to Text

Highlight the text and touch SHIFT/[F3] to capitalize the first letter (initial caps)

Touch SHIFT/[F3] again will switch to uppercase

Make your Font Size Larger or Smaller (same as using the formatting toolbar buttons to increase/decrease font size)

Highlight the text

Then touch CTRL+SHIFT+> (to increase the text size)

*OR*

CTRL+SHIFT+< (to decrease the text size)

Quickly do Superscript or Subscript

Highlight the text

Then touch CTRL+= (to do a subscript)

*OR*

CTRL+SHIFT+= (to do superscript)

Change a font throughout your Entire PowerPoint Presentation

Highlight the text you want to change

Touch CTRL+T

NOTE: In PPT 2002 & 2003, you can highlight all your slides in the Task Pane, then press CTRL+T to set the formatting, click OK

<Important: You should go through your slides once you change something to be sure your formatting changes are acceptable>

Spell Check Your Presentation

Touch [F7] to spell check your entire presentation

Find Specific Text within your Slides

Touch CTRL+F

Type in the word/words you want to search for in the ‘Find’ field

Click [FIND NEXT] button

<you can click [REPLACE] if you want to replace the text rather than simply ‘find’ it

<continue by clicking the [FIND NEXT] button to go through your document>

Tip # 21 - Inserting Multiple Drawing Objects and AutoShapes (Versions 2002 and above)

You can insert multiple drawing objects such as circles, squares, etc. into your PowerPoint presentation. Here's how:

Double click on the icon for the particular drawing tool from the Drawing toolbar. Then in your presentation, you can draw as many drawing objects as you want. When you are finished drawing the objects, click on the icon again (or press the ESC key on your keyboard) to deselect the drawing tool.

To insert multiple AutoShapes, do the following:

From the Drawing toolbar, click on the AutoShapes tool and select the category and the particular Autoshape you want to insert. Drag the top, horizontal bar to some other area of your desktop. This will create a floating toolbar. Double click on the icon for the particular AutoShape you want to use and create as many AutoShapes as you want. When you are finished, click on the icon for the Autoshape again (or press the ESC key on your keyboard) to deselect the Autoshape tool.

Tip #22 - Nudging Inserted Graphics (Versions 2000 and above)

Moving a Graphic by "Nudging":

You can use the mouse to move graphics inserted into your PowerPoint presentation but you can also "nudge" graphics for more precise control. To nudge a graphic to the exact location you wish to move it to, press and hold the CTRL key and use your arrow keys to move the graphic.

Tip #23 - Permanently Remove Hidden and Collaboration Data (Versions 2002 and above)

With Office XP and Office 2003, you can use features such as file tracking, inserting comments, inserting hidden information, and collaborate with others when creating and editing files. However, there may be times when you want to remove this information from your file. A tool is available from Microsoft to remove this hidden/collaboration data. Visit http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=144E54ED-D43E-42CA-BC7B-5446D34E5360&displaylang=en to download this tool and once downloaded to your PC, complete the following installation steps:

Double click on the rhdtool.exe program file that you downloaded to your PC. This will start a setup program.
Follow the instructions that appear on your screen to complete the installation.
Open the file you wish to remove hidden and collaboration data from and on the File menu, click Remove Hidden Data.

Note: If you do not see the Remove Hidden Data command from the File menu, complete the following:

From the Tools menu, select Options and then choose Security.
Under Macro security, select Macro Security.
Select the Trusted Publishers tab.
Select 'Trust all installed add-ins and templates' check box and then click Ok. Click Ok again to close the dialog box.

Tip #24 - Tips to Help Reduce the Risk of File Corruption (All Versions)

Here are some tips to help reduce the risk of PowerPoint File corruption:

Never work from removable media such as a floppy disk
Turn off "Allow fast saves" (Tools menu, Options, Save tab, uncheck Allow Fast Saves checkbox)
Save Often
Regularly create backups of your data files
Practice good hard drive maintenance such as disk defragmentation, scan disk , etc.
Zip files (using a utility such as WinZip) before sending files as e-mail attachments

For more information, visit http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=541767

Tip #25 - Text From an Inserted Word Document Does Not Print? (Version 2003)

When you insert text from a MS Word Document, you may find that the text does not print when you print your PowerPoint Presentation even though the text does appear fine in slide-show view. This may happen if your slides have a dark background color with light colored text and you are printing to a black and white printer. To resolve this, you can change the inserted Word document to pure black object by opening the PowerPoint presentation file, select the View menu, choose Color/Grayscale and then select Grayscale. A Grayscale View toolbar will appear. Select the Word object inserted into your PowerPoint presentation and select Setting from the Grayscale View toolbar. A menu will appear and from this menu, select Black. From the File menu, select Print Preview and all of the text will appear black.

Another option is to copy and paste the text from the original Word document into your PowerPoint presentation slide. This will reverse the color of the text when it is printed allowing the text to print black.

Tip #26 - Embed Sound Files into your PowerPoint Presentation (Version 2002)

When you embed a sound file into your PowerPoint presentation, you may receive an error when you try to run the presentation on another computer other than the computer you used to create the presentation. This is because only .wav sound files are embedded in PowerPoint presentations. Other types of sound files (as well as .wav files with a file size greater than a specified limit) are linked and unless the linked files are also copied over to the other computer, the linked files will not be available during the presentation.

There are two options to make sure your sounds play along with the presentation.

Option 1:

Convert all used sound files to .wav files. Also, make sure the "Link sounds with size greater than X Kb" setting is set to an appropriate limit. To see and/or change this limit, select the 'Tools' menu, select 'Options'. Select the 'General' tab and look at and if necessary, change the setting specified in the 'Link sounds with size greater than X Kb' text box. Click Ok. Remove and then reinsert any sound files that were not previously working.

Option 2:

Another option is to use the Pack and Go utility to Gather Sounds. From the 'File' menu, choose 'Pack and Go'. Click 'Next' and select the 'Active presentation' check box and click 'Next'. Browse to the location for your Pack and Go file (such as A:\ or D:\) and click 'Next'. Select the 'Include linked files' check box as well as the 'Embed True Type Fonts' check box. Click 'Next' and click 'Next' again, then click 'Finish'. Your sound files will be included in the Pack and Go file that was created.

Tip #27 - Quickly Find and Edit ClipArt (All Versions)

For 27 fast and easy tips for finding and editing clip art, visit Microsoft's ClipArt Assistance site at: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=996758.

Tip #28 - Manage Your PowerPoint Images with Office 2003 Picture Manager (Version 2003)

You can use MS Office 2003's Picture Manager tool to manage your PowerPoint images. To open this tool, click your Windows Start button, choose All Programs, choose Microsoft Office, choose Microsoft Office Tools and then choose Microsoft Picture Manager. You can use this tool to view, copy, drag and drop, etc. your image files.

Tip #29 - Press F1 to View All Shortcuts Available During a Slideshow Presentation (All Versions)

Press F1 to Quickly View all Slideshow Shortcuts

During a slideshow presentation, you can press F1 to see a list of available shortcuts. These include the following:

Number followed by Enter – Go to that slide number

‘B’ or ‘.’ – Blacks/Unblacks the screen

‘W’ or ‘,’ – Whitens/Unwhitens the screen

‘A’ or ‘=’ – Show/Hide the arrow pointer

S’ or ‘+’ – Stop/Restart automatic show

Esc, Ctrl+Break, or ‘-‘ – End slide show

‘E’ – Erase drawing on screen

‘H’ – go to hidden slide

‘T’ – Rehearse – Use new time

‘O’ – Rehearse – Use original time

‘M' – Rehearse – Advance on mouse click

Hold both mouse buttons down for 2 seconds – Return to first slide

Ctrl+P – Change pointer to pen

Ctrl+A – Change pointer to arrow

Ctrl+E – Change pointer to eraser

Ctrl+H – hide Pointer and button

Ctrl+U – Automatically show/hide arrow

Right mouse click – Popup menu/Previous slide

Ctrl+S – All Slides dialog

Ctrl+T – View task bar

Ctrl+M = Show/Hide ink markup

Tip #30 - Microsoft Templates Available for Download (Versions '97 and above)

To view Microsoft templates available for download (including those for other MS Office programs), please visit: http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/templates/default.aspx.

Tip #31 - Insert Picture into your PowerPoint Presentation (All Versions)

There are two basic methods to insert pictures into your PowerPoint presentation:

1. Select a Slide Layout that contains a mix of text and images (you can use the Slide Layout task pane in versions 2002 and higher). Once the slide layout is applied to the slide, double click on the Insert Picture icon, click the Import button and use the file selection dialog box that appears to browse to the graphic file you would like to insert. Once the image is inserted, you can resize and/or move the image. You can right click on the image and choose Format Picture to change its size, position or to compress the picture.

2. Place your cursor on the slide and from the Insert menu, choose Picture and then choose From File. Use the file selection dialog box that appears to browse to the graphic file you would like to insert. You can resize and/or move the image as appropriate and you can right click on the image and choose Format Picture to change its size, position or to compress the picture.

Tip #32 - Adjust Space in Bullets (All Versions)

To adjust the space between a bullet point and its corresponding text, display the Ruler bar (by selecting the View menu and choosing Ruler) and then select the line of bullet-point text. From the ruler, drag the left-indent marker (on lower side of ruler and pointing up) to the right to increase space or drag it to the left to decrease space. You can also press and hold the CTRL key while you drag for greater control of the spacing.

Tip #33 - Provide a 3-D Look to AutoShapes (All Versions)

You can add a 3-D look to an inserted AutoShape by selecting the 3-D Style icon on the Drawing toolbar (View menu, Toolbars, Drawing). Once you select the 3-D Style icon, you will see a list of styles that can be applied to change the look of your shape. If you select '3-D Settings', a new toolbar will appear. The 3-D Settings toolbar includes tools such as Lighting (icon appears in the shape of a spotlight), light source-direction, tilting options, plus more.

Tip #34 - Add Music to a Slide Show (Versions 2002 and higher)

You can add music to your slide show by following these steps:

Open the slide show for which you wish to add sound/music.
From the Insert menu, choose Movies and Sounds and then click Sound from File, browse to the file and double click on the sound file to select it.

Note: You can also Insert a sound clip from the Clip Organizer.

At the message that displays, click Automatically to play the sound file automatically when you go to a particular slide.

Note: You can select When Clicked to only play the sound file when the sound icon is clicked.

To determine when the sound file stops playing, right click on the sound icon and select Custom Animation. In the Custom Animation task pane, click the arrow on the selected item and then click Effect Options. Select the Effect tab and under Stop playing, choose either On click, After current slide, or click After and then set the total number of slides for which the sound file should play (enter the total number of slides in the show to have the sound file play for the entire slide show). Click Ok.
If you set the sound file to play automatically, you can hide the sound icon during a slide show presentation. Right click on the sound icon, choose Edit Sound Object, and check the Hide sound icon during slide show check box. Click Ok to close the Sound Options dialog box.
To set your presentation to advance slides automatically, select Slide Transition from the Task Pane menu and in the Advance Slide section, check the Automatically after check box and enter a time value such as 00:10. Click the Apply to All Slides button.

Tip #35 - Extract Voice Narration for a PowerPoint File (Version 2003 and higher)

You can extract a voice narration sound file from a PowerPoint presentation. You then could edit the sound file using a third-party, sound editing application. Here's how:

Open the PowerPoint file for which you would like to extract voice narration. From the File menu, select Save as Web Page, making sure you choose Web Page (.html) from the Save as Type drop-down list. Provide a name such as ExtractingVoice.
Select the File menu, Save as Web Page again and this time, click the Publish button and then click the Web Options button. Look through the list of files to find the .wav files. There will be a .wav file for each slide and these will be numbered according to slide number. These are the files you can bring into your sound editing application.

Tip #36 - What to do if PowerPoint Stops Responding During a Presentation with Sound Accompaniment (Version 2002 and higher)

If your presentation contains a background sound and "hangs" during a presentation, try one of the following remedies:

1. Turn on the "Continue Slide Show" setting:

Select the Tools menu, choose Options, and then choose the Edit tab. Check the 'New animation effects' check box and click Ok. (Your Custom Animation task pane will be disabled. To turn this task pane back on, select the Slide Show menu, choose Custom Animation, select the background sound file and click the Multimedia Settings tab and check the Play using animation order check box and then click Continue slide show. Click Ok. Select the Tools menu, click Options and then select the Edit tab. Clear the New animation effects check box and click Ok).

2. Delete and Reinsert the background sound file:

Select the background sound file in your presentation. From the Edit menu, choose Clear. From the Insert menu, choose Movies and Sounds and browse to and select the background sound file. Right click on the sound file and select Custom Animation. In the Custom Animation task pane that appears, right click on the sound file and choose Effect Options. Under the Stop Playing section, specify the options your want and then click Ok. At this point, you can close the Custom Animations task pane. Within the presentation, right click on the background sound file and choose Edit Sound Object. Select Loop until stopped and then click Ok.

3. Use the From Beginning Option Rather than the "From Time" Option:

Make a another copy of your sound file (using a sound editing program). In your presentation, select the original background sound file. From the Edit menu, choose Clear. From the Insert menu, choose Movies and Sounds, click Sound from file, and browse to the copy of the sound file. From the Slide Show menu, choose Custom Animation. In the Custom Animation task pane that appears, right click on the sound file and select Effect Options. Select the Effect tab and click the From beginning option.

Tip #37 - Export your PowerPoint Presentation (Version 2002 and higher)

You can use the 'Package to CD' utility to export your PowerPoint Presentation and include any linked files (such as an audio file), embedded fonts, and the PowerPoint Viewer (so you can play the presentation on any computer regardless if MS PowerPoint is installed or not). To run the utility, select the File menu, and select Package to CD. You will be given the option to package your presentation to a CD, or to copy to another folder on your hard drive, network drive, or external drive (such as a USB drive).

Table of Contents

Tip #37 - Export your PowerPoint Presentation

Tip #36 - What To Do If PowerPoint Stops Responding During a Presentation with Sound Accompaniment

Tip #35 - Extract Voice Narration from a PowerPoint File

Tip #34 - Add Music to a Slide Show

Tip #33- Provide a 3-D Look to AutoShapes

Tip #32 - Adjust Space in Bullets

Tip #31 - Inserting Pictures into your PowerPoint Presentation

Tip #30 - Templates Available from Microsoft

Tip #29 - Press F1 to View All Shortcuts Available During a Slideshow Presentation

Tip #28 - Manage your PowerPoint Images with Office 2003 Picture Manager

Tip #27 - Visit Microsoft's ClipArt Assistance Site

Tip #26 - Having Trouble Embedding Sound Files into your PowerPoint Presentation?