- Office Reference Guide
- Table of Contents
- Surrealty: An Organic Case Study
- Working with Microsoft Word
- Branding Yourself with Microsoft Word
- Revising Your Document
- Saving and Using Document Templates
- Formatting with Styles
- Secrets of AutoText and AutoCorrect
- Trying To Remain Normal
- Customing Word with Macros, Menus, and Toolbars
- Document Management: Scanning into Word
- Using the Clip Organizer
- Backing Up Your Office System
- A Testimonial To Tables
- Navigating with Bookmarks
- Using a Document Map
- Creating a User Form
- Introduction to Word 2007
- Blogging with Word 2007
- Using Word 2007 Quick Parts and Building Blocks
- Mail Merge in Word 2007
- Word 2007: Open and Repair
- Styling: Using the New QuickStyles in Word 2007
- Compare and Combine Document Versions in Word 2007
- Accelerating Your Knowledge of Excel
- Getting Started with Excel Worksheets
- Creating and Autofitting Cell Content
- Populating the Worksheet with Data
- Using AutoSum To Create Automatic Calculations
- Using Formulas
- Making Your Worksheet Look Nicer
- Charting the Data
- Completing the Financial Picture
- Getting Fancy With Xcelsius
- Say It With Charts!
- The Effect of Text Entries and Blank Cells on Calculations
- Filtering Your Outlook Contacts
- New Charting and Productivity Tools
- Cataloging Your Backups in Excel
- Using Excel as a Simple Database
- Painless Pivot Tables
- Creating Interactive Spreadsheets Online
- Moving an Excel Macro
- Working with Scenarios and Goals
- Using Excel's Solver
- Emphasizing Sales Data in Excel
- XspandXL for Spreadsheet Analysis
- New Crystal Xcelsius Light (Free)
- Excel Business Analysis Books
- Excel 2007 Sorting, Filtering and Table Enhancements
- Creating an Entrepreneurial Marketing Plan in Excel 2007
- Named Ranges in Excel 2007
- Maintaining a Positive Outlook
- Using Word for Email
- Creating an Email Signature
- Handling Email Efficiently
- Creating an Anti-Spam Filter
- Working with Contacts
- Adding a Contact from Email
- Saving a Contact as a vCard
- Using the Calendar
- Appointments, Events, and Meetings
- Setting Tasks and Making Notes
- Protecting and Exporting Outlook Information
- Creating a Distribution List, and Other Outlook Tips
- Mail-Merge E-mail
- Creating an Outlook Form
- Completing the Outlook Form Solution
- Using Search Folders and Anti-Spam Tips
- Creating an E-Mail Template
- Using Outlook with a Cell Phone
- Stupid Outlook Tricks
- Using Multiple Outlook Calendars
- Using NewsGator for RSS in Outlook
- Review: <em>Conquer Email Overload with Better Habits, Etiquette, and Outlook 2003</em>
- Using Anagram's Artificial Intelligence
- MeetingSense for Enhanced Outlook Productivity
- Introduction to Outlook 2007 and Predictions
- Trying Business Contact Manager
- Outlook 2007 Organization Features
- Taking Your Outlook 2007 Calendar Online
- Going Mobile with My New SmartPhone
- Synching Outlook with Facebook
- Workaround: Create a Private Distribution List in Outlook
- Microsoft Office Outlook Connector
- "Where Are My Socks?" Accessing Your Important Information
- Exploring the Northwind Application
- Access Basics
- Creating Tables
- Using Forms for Data Entry
- Creating a Report
- Querying Your Database
- Creating Relationships
- Using Access for Business Documents
- Customizing an Access Template
- Using Macros and Switchboards in Access
- Creating an Online Data Access Page
- What's New in Access 2007
- Making Your Access 2007 Forms and Reports Look Professional
- Use the Access Label Wizard
- Presenting Professionally with PowerPoint
- Introduction to PowerPoint
- Creating Cool Diagrams
- Using the Diagram Object
- Beginning the Org Chart
- Using the Org Chart Toolbar
- Changing the Org Chart Layout
- Selecting Portions of the Org Chart
- Moving and Formatting the Selection
- Applying Styles to the Org Chart
- Using the Other Conceptual Diagrams
- Adding Our Concepts
- Moving Shapes with the Diagram Toolbar
- Moving or Resizing the Diagram
- Using the Diagram Styles
- Changing Your Concept Diagram
- Turning Off AutoFormat
- Adding a Caption or Title
- Summary
- Q&A
- Customizing Your Presentation
- The Concept of Customization
- Accessing the Master Views
- Understanding the Master Views
- The Power of the Master Views
- Adding Our Logo
- Changing Other Elements
- Slide Master Rules
- Using the Title Master
- Using the New Slide Master Template
- Adding Date and Time to a Footer
- Using Headers and Footers
- The Master View Toolbar
- Using the Handout Master
- Using the Notes Master
- Using Page Setup to Change the Presentation Type
- Summary
- Q&A
- Accessorizing for Presentations
- The Potential Of Photo Album
- Using Broadcast Quality Effects
- The Latest Presentation Gear
- Using PowerPoint, Video and DVD
- Microsoft Producer for PowerPoint
- Expanding PowerPoint with Plug-Ins
- Using Presenter View with a Projector
- Getting Into Your Presentation -- Literally
- The View from PowerPoint LIVE
- Making a PowerPoint Movie (not just for the Mac anymore)
- Making a Self-Running Animated Holiday Card
- Reporting on Databases in PowerPoint
- HD or Not HD, That Is The Question
- Taking On Tufte
- What the Heck Do I Say?
- Broadcasting PowerPoint Video with Serious Magic
- Video Blogging as a Presentation Value-Add
- This Just In: PowerPoint Secedes from MS Office!
- Two New PowerPoint Add-Ins
- Podcasting our PowerPoint
- What We Can Learn from InfoComm 2005
- Putting Yourself in the Show
- What You Can Learn from SIGGRAPH
- Using DVD Video in PowerPoint
- Animating Individual Chart Elements
- The Magic of PowerPoint LIVE 2005
- Making Sure Your Video Plays
- Creating a Timeline Template in PowerPoint
- Creating Transparent Animation and Backgrounds
- Using Advanced Animation Techniques
- Advanced Animation Part 2: Reusing Motion Paths
- Advanced Animation Part 3: Masked Backgrounds and Triggers
- Getting an Ovation with PowerPoint
- Video that Plays For Certain
- Using an Animated PowerPoint Chart on DVD
- Packaging Music Files with PowerPoint
- Say It With Presentations
- Keep Saying It With RSS
- PowerPoint LIVE 2006
- Total Solution: Using Propaganda for a PowerPoint Podcast for iTunes
- Wildform Wild Presenter for Interactive PowerPoint Online
- PowerFrameworks to Stimulate Your Creative PowerPoint Juices
- Distributing Video for iPods and Other Devices
- Converting Bullets to SmartArt Graphics in PowerPoint 2007
- Editing Video in PowerPoint (And a Lot More)
- Enhancing PowerPoint with Stock Photos
- Creating Sticky Documents and Presentations
- Review: Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck
- Using PowerPoint 2003 and 2007 Together: Preparing for InfoComm 2007
- Converting Flash to PowerPoint Video
- Animated Artwork for PowerPoint: PointClips and Vox Proxy
- Cutting Edge Graphics at SIGGRAPH 2007
- The Insert Object Animation Trick in PowerPoint
- Using YouTube Video in PowerPoint
- Using PowerPoint 2007 with Video Online
- PowerPoint LIVE 2007: Presentation Paradise in the Big Easy
- Camatasia 5.0: An Upgrade Worth the Effort
- Solving Video Playback in PowerPoint for Vista
- Review: Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit
- Graphic Novels in PowerPoint
- The Ultimate Presentation
- Opazity: PowerPoint for Lazy People
- Using SlideShare for Online PowerPoint with Narration
- Mastering Themes in Office 2007 (and Specifically PowerPoint 2007)
- VIDITalk's New Online Presenter Program
- Using and Converting YouTube Video for PowerPoint
- SlideRocket: Documents in the "Cloud"
- PFC Pro: Use YouTube Directly in PowerPoint and Maybe Get Your Web Cam into a Web Conference
- AuthorSTREAM: PowerPoint with Narration Made Easier Online
- Slide:ology: Nancy Duarte’s Design Secrets and Her New PowerPoint Book
- Mastering the New Slide Masters (and Layouts) in PowerPoint 2007
- Using PowerPoint 2007 to Create Slides That Don't Look Like PowerPoint (Video Update)
- A Treasure Trove of PowerPoint Templates
- Posting a Web Site with FrontPage
- Getting a Web Site
- Creating a FrontPage Web
- Where's My Web?
- Adding Navigation
- Applying a Theme
- Publishing Your Site
- The Old MHT Trick
- Taking Over A FrontPage Web
- Expression Studio 2.0: A Worthy Successor to FrontPage
- Publish or Perish
- Creating Publications for Print
- Publisher Web Sites
- Creating an E-Mail Newsletter
- E-mailing Holiday Cards
- Publisher 2007
- Get Visual with Visio
- Creating a Visio Flowchart
- Connecting Shapes
- Examining the Shapesheet
- Creating a Report
- Moving In With Visio
- Expanding Visio with Third-Party Stencils
- Playing Well with Others Using Visio
- Creating Interactive Diagrams with Visio's Layers
- Creating a "Virtual Database"
- Creating a Visio Dynamic Solution Template
- Visio 2007
- Visio 2007 Professional IT Toolbox
- Project Management with Visio 2007 Gantt and Pert Charts
- Review: Using Microsoft Office Visio 2007
- Tools That Integrate Your Office Applications
- Creating Video E-Mail with MovieMaker
- Managing Pictures with Microsoft Office Picture Manager
- New Year's Predictions: 2005
- Office Predictions for 2006
- Favorite Books List
- Using Excel as a Database Conversion Tool for Outlook
- Oh, Brother, I Love Labels (and other Office Tips)
- Planning for Disaster
- Using OneNote with Outlook
- Web Resources for Microsoft Office
- Simple 3D in Microsoft Office
- Creating Dynamic Database Links
- Using an Access Query for Mail Merge
- Displaying Database Links with Xcelsius Enterprise
- An Office 12 Sneak Preview from PDC
- My Big Fat Office Vacation
- What CES 2006 Means to Office Users
- Using "Send To" Between Office Applications: Word and
- Running (and Surviving) a Web-based Conference
- Running an Online Office with HyperOffice and Writely
- Preparing with Index Cards
- Creating Meeting Agendas
- Collecting Data with New Technologies: ARS, SMS and RFID
- Using Application Sharing in a Web Conference
- Running an Online Notes or Windows Media Session
- Trying Out Live Meeting
- Creating a SharePoint Team Website
- Using and Customizing a SharePoint Team Website
- Creating a Trip Planner in Excel and Outlook
- Crystal Graphics’ Excel and Solutions and Chart
- GoToMeeting Instant Webinar Tool
- Checking Out Office Live
- Using Quindi Meeting Capture
- Using Excel to Link to Other Databases
- Trying Out Mind Manager Pro to Brainstorm with Office Programs
- The 13th Thing I Hate About Office
- Introduction to Office 2007
- What's New in Excel and PowerPoint 2007
- Take a Look at InfoPath 2007
- Office's Groovy New Collaboration Program
- Using Office Accounting Express
- Printing to PDF or XPS in Office 2007
- Getting Adjusted to Office 2007 Changes
- Using SnagIt for IT Training
- Providing Help with Go To My PC
- Vista Meeting Space and People Near Me from Microsoft
- Trying Expression Web
- Migration Issues to Word and Outlook 2007
- Vista – Are You Kidding Me?
- Making Office 2007 (and Vista) Work Properly
- Office and the Enterprise
- Survey Says – Use Web Surveys with Excel and Access
- Uninstalling Office 2007 in Windows XP Pro
- Using Excel for Tables in Office 2007
- VIDITalk – Video in SharePoint and Beyond
- Career Advancement for Office Professionals
- Online Database that Rivals Access?
- Web 2.0 2008 in San Francisco
- Going Virtual for MS Office
- Going Virtual Using Mobile Apps
- Managing Your Contacts Across the Office Suite
- Charts in PowerPoint and Excel 2007 (Video Update)
- Outline View: The Document Planning Bridge between Word and PowerPoint
- Using Document Inspector in Office 2007
- SmartDraw: A Powerful Communications Tool to Supplement MS Office
- Visio 2007's New Pivot Diagram
- Using the Macro Recorder in Visio 2007 (Video Update)
- Compatibility Pack: Challenges of Using Office 2007 Documents in Previous Versions
- Microsoft Office Live Small Business Beta
- No One Asked Me But... What I Want (and Don’t Want) in the Next Office and Windows
- Late New Year's Resolution: Keys to Effective IT Communication
- SmartDraw Extras: Healthcare and Legal Templates
- Interesting Upgrades: Camtasia 6 and SnagIt 9
- Addressing the Office 2007 Read-Only Runaround
- Getting Organized with OneNote
- Flagging OneNote Information
- Recording and Organizing with OneNote
- Recording and Organizing Video in OneNote
- OneNote 2007
- Using OneNote 2007 Efficiently with Other Office 2007 Apps
- Using OneNote as a Voice Recorder
- Video Tutorials
- Charts in PowerPoint and Excel 2007
- Using PowerPoint 2007 to Create Slides That Don't Look Like PowerPoint
- Using the Macro Recorder in Visio 2007
- Playing a CD Audio in a Self Running Presentation
- Textboxes, QuickParts and Building Blocks in Word 2007
- Working Between PowerPoint and PDF
- Additional Resources
- Exploring Twine and the New Semantic Web
- A Tale of Two Tech Supports — OfficeLive and Zoho
- Digital Hollywood 2008
- Infocomm 2006
- InfoComm 2007
- Judging a Disc By Its Cover
- Surviving the Office 2007 Beta
- The Latest Word from CES 2007
I’ve mentioned Julie Terberg as a favorite presenter at PowerPoint LIVE as an incredible resource for those who want to take PowerPoint beyond the ordinary to the extraordinary. Unfortunately, for mere mortals, the ability to grasp her advanced design principles along with the techniques that bring them to fruition is a daunting task.
So now, Microsoft got smart. Julie is an MVP in PowerPoint, and Microsoft asked her to put specific slide examples with instructions into a set of PowerPoint 2007 templates that you can download, edit repurpose, and also use to sharpen your own skills.
The very cool thing is that they’re not just cool examples; the detailed explanations of how they are created are also included in the Slide Notes.
This figure shows the preview window, slide panel and Notes for the template: Animated picture effects for PowerPoint slides.
The first slide has general instructions for reproduction, printing and even removing the instructions from the notes (once you’ve learned the technique and want to use it in your own presentation).
Just looking through the slide panel gives you an idea of the breadth of what Julie is offering here. The best way to see the animation is to preview the slide Full Screen (SHIFT + F5) or open the Custom Animation task pane (click the Animation tab in PowerPoint 2007 and select Custom Animation) and click Play at the bottom of the panel.
n this example — video wall reveal picture — you can print out the Notes and then do the project as an exercise yourself, or if you’re fairly advanced in PowerPoint, you can reverse engineer it from the Custom Animation task pane.
Here I clicked CTRL + A in the slide view and saw the video wall of black rectangles. I surmised that there was a Background image being revealed, and confirmed in the Custom Animation task pane that the rectangles are timed With Previous to have consecutive Exit animations, revealing the image behind them with a nice effect.
Nonetheless, it is still extremely useful to go through the description of the project in the Notes panel to see the precision with which a pro like Julie uses the technique, and the exquisite timings and effects she employs.
Here is another example from the same file, in which three pictures appear to be mapped onto a cube, and three different sets of pictures appear in sequence.
The instructions for this are rather extensive so give yourself plenty of time to reproduce it; the really valuable aspect is that Julie has done the time consuming trial and error with the various 3D settings for you, so if you follow the instructions carefully you don’t have to “futz” with the various height measurements, point sizes and so on.
When you download the files, they open directly in PowerPoint, and you can save them under a new name if you like. Better yet, use the Save As option under the Office Button and select PowerPoint template, and it will be available for all New presentations you open from that template.
How hard is it to substitute your own pictures and save yourself a bunch of work? In some of the slides you can right-click and find a Change Picture option—and depending on the picture you select it may or may not look as good as Julie’s sample. (Try to select a picture with the same dimensions and orientations as the sample).
I didn’t see any examples with Picture Placeholders, where you can simply delete the picture in the placeholder and choose another.
What about more elaborate metaphors for more sophisticated business concepts? After all, artistry is nice and pictures can certainly tell stories, but lots of presentations depend on text and bullets... (Text effects are also part of many of the templates).
Well, funny you should ask. Julie also provides 25 slides in a template called Animated hierarchy and process graphics with SmartArt — which we’ve covered as a great way to replace boring bullets.
This one is truly the lazy person’s template, because with SmartArt it’s easy to change the text to your own — but don’t do it without following the instructions to learn how you can make SmartArt look like SMARTART(!)
How about using earlier versions of PowerPoint? You could open these presentations using the Compatibility Pack and see if you could change some of the images – but many of the features would not be available, especially the special effects that are used to create some of the more memorable slides.
On the other hand, if you have PowerPoint 2007 you can duplicate the effects and create your own slides based on the templates, and then Save As PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation, and your work will be converted (in some cases) by changing the effects to bitmaps. This may or may not result in a viable slide show.
Currently there are eight different templates, each with multiple slide examples that you can change, learn from or get inspiration from.
It’s not quite as good as attending one of Julie’s seminars, but if you’re committed to creating outstanding and memorable PowerPoint presentations, it’s a great short cut to that goal.
InformIT Articles and Sample Chapters
Implementing Professional Design Principles in Your PowerPoint Presentations
Books and eBooks
Solving the PowerPoint Predicament: Using Digital Media for Effective Communication (Available in Safari Books Online)
Microsoft® Office PowerPoint® 2007 Complete Makeover Kit (Available as a downloadable eBook and in Safari Books Online)