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Beginning PowerPoint
Information Sheet 5
Prepared by: Permeil Dass

Tools

Spell Checker
Spell checker works the same as it does in other Office ’97 programs.

Style Checker
To check to make sure your styles and settings are consistent choose Style Checker from the Tools Menu. When the Style Checker window appears you can select what items you would like it to check, for instance, spelling, punctuation, and visual clarity. If you want to set a standard for the Checker to compare your slides with you can click on Options and enter in those values.
 

Backgrounds

Changing Backgrounds


You can always change the background of your slide at any time. Click on Background from the Format Menu. A window will pop up. You can then click on the drop down list near the bottom and choose either More Colors or Fill Effects.

There are pre chosen colors for you to choose from, but you can always click on More Color to choose from a large array of colors.

If you choose Fill Effects you can select one color that is blended with black to give the appearance of a gradient. You can also select a second color yourself that will replace the black color. The bottom half of the window allows you to set the shading or gradient options.

If you would like to use a preset color scheme you can choose Preset and then select different options from the drop down list.

Other options in the Fill Effect Window are Textures Tab. This tab has preset textures that you can choose from. Patterns Tab is yet another option, where you can also select two colors of your choice. If you choose Apply to All, all of the slides in the presentation will also be changed. Choose Apply if you only want just the current slide to change.

Designs
Choosing Apply Designs from the Format Menu allows you to reselect or select on a ready made background design. Simply click on the options on the left, view the sample on the right, and if you like the design click on Apply. Note, all of the slides in your presentation will be changed.
 
 

Working with Master Slides

A slide master is a slide you can add graphics to, change fonts, font sizes, add footers, and dates. When these changes are made on a slide master, the changes will be displayed on every slide in your presentation. So if you want the date to show up on every slide in the exact same place, then add the date to the slide master.

To see the Slide Master, click on the View Menu and choose Master and then Slide Master. After you make your changes on the Slide Master, go back to slide view to view your presentation normally.

In case you do not want a background or other graphics to display on a particular slide you can choose Omit background graphics from master in the Background Window. That way a slide can have a different background than the other slides in your presentation.

Slide Show
To view how your presentation will look as a slide show click on View Show from the Slide Show Menu Bar or click on in the bottom left hand corner.

While the slide show is playing you need to hit the ENTER key to move from slide to slide. When you are done viewing the slide show hit ESC to return to the presentation.

Transitions and Effects
If you would like to see your slide show move from one slide to another using special effects, then make sure you are in Slide Sorter View. Click on a slide and then choose one of the options from the Transitions and Effects drop down lists. To see the effects of the changes, rerun your slide show. Note, if you want to add sounds as part of your slide transitions then click on and select the appropriate options.

Note, you can set individual parts of your slide show to a sound, transition, or effect. Looking at your slide in Slide View, click on an item and then click on to set animation settings. These topics are for intermediate users. It is easy to learn about these functions by exploring and clicking on different options to see what happens. Remember go to slide show to see changes.
You even get more options by clicking on .

Rehearse Timings

If you would like your slides to move automatically instead of hitting the ENTER key during the slide show, then click on to set automatic slide timings. When you click on this toolbar button you will automatically be sent to slide show, but this time you will have a clock at the bottom of the screen timing how long you display each slide. As you hit ENTER to move from slide to slide, PP will keep track of how many seconds you let each slide be displayed before moving to the next one and then the total slide show time. Once you come to the end of your slide, PP will ask if you want to keep the timings. After choosing yes, rerun your slide show and watch your slides move automatically. You don’t have to press the ENTER key anymore.

If you want to redo your slide timings, hit on the toolbar button again and it will let you start again.

  If you want individual items on a slide to move automatically you must be in Slide View, click the object.
  Next click on the Timing tab and choose Animate. Then choose Automatically, and enter the number of seconds until you want it to appear.

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