Something New On My QAT
The QAT is the #1 customization and way to speed up design work. Recently, I was using another designer’s computer and discovered an amazing button for the QAT, and it is unbelievable that it was not one of the first items I added when first customizing it!
This button opens the Custom Animation Pane. I predict that this button will save me 10 hours of design time in 2016! The animation pane is something I access continuously, and going to the Animations tab and then the Animation Button takes a lot of mouse movement and, ultimately, time. Now, if I need to review the animation on a slide (not necessarily add animation, just see what is on a slide and adjust timing in the Animation Pane), I click this button no matter what tab I am on and the animation information needed is there.
To add, go to FILE > OPTIONS > QUICK ACCESS TOOLBAR. In the POPULAR COMMANDS list, the 6th item down is ANIMATION PANE. Select it and click the add button to place it on your QAT.
Hopefully everyone has discovered this wonderful button and already have it on your QAT (and are now seriously wondering how good I really am at that PowerPoint program). Just sharing my experience and hopefully helping others not feel left out by not having the Animation Pane button on their QAT.
– Troy @ TLC
PowerPoint 2016 For Windows Available Today!
The cadence for updates at Microsoft is definitely much faster – today Office 2016 (for Windows, not to be confused with Office 2016 for Mac which was released earlier this year) is available.
How Often Is Microsoft Releasing Updates:
- From the information I have seen, Microsoft is releasing (for Office 365 subscription use) updates now 3 releases per year: February, June, October
- In addition, there are monthly minor updates, which are mostly security updates and feature fixes/updates
- The Sept 22 release, which is a new version release, is actually the October cycle release (I guess we can look at it as being released early!)
What is New in PowerPoint 2016:
- To be honest – not much, at least from a design and feature perspective. So far to me, this release is about adding new back-end features and functionality. Check out this list from the Microsoft site that highlights the big Office initiatives, here.
- For PowerPoint design specifically, I like the improved Dark theme, the new chart styles are welcome and the ability to export a presentation at full 1080p is great! End of list for me…
– Troy @ TLC
Office (PowerPoint) and Windows 10
With the move to Windows 10, I have been concerned with what would, and would not, work in PowerPoint. Being that both Windows and Office are Microsoft products, I expected few issues, and my assumption has been correct. Microsoft recently posted a list of all known issues between Windows 10 and Office which you can read here.
– Troy @ TLC
Windows 10 Start Menu
Windows 10 has a lot of good stuff going for it, from stability to media playback – all topics for future posts. After months of testing (poking, prodding, and looking at virtually any feature I find), I have moved a few key computers to Windows 10 – including my personal design computer.
The Start Menu, while different than Windows XP (and the Classic Shell version of Windows XP I run on all Windows 8.1 computers), has everything there and can be laid out in the logical and usable way. I am sure this will evolve more, but here is my current Windows 10 Start Menu layout.
– Troy @ TLC
Windows 10 Desktop & Mobile, PowerPoint Desktop, Universal & Web Explained
Many thanks to Peter at Microsoft for helping clear up the confusion I was having on what the various editions of Windows and Office options and versions are now apart of the ecosystem. Here is my recap:
Windows 10:
– Windows 10 is available in 2 editions; Desktop and Mobile (and really several other versions for Hololens, IoT devices, etc. – but we are only concerned with the 2 that can run Office apps).
– Windows 10 desktop is for Intel-based computers and can run Office Win32 apps and the new Universal apps.
– Windows 10 Mobile is for ARM-based mobile devices (phones and tablets) and can only run Universal apps.
Office Desktop:
– Desktop apps are the traditional “full” application and only run on full power (Intel) computer devices.
– Desktop apps are available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
– Desktop apps can install 3rd party add-ins.
– Desktop apps can run in a window of any size (or multiple side-by-side).
– Desktop apps are named just the app name; PowerPoint, Word, Excel, etc.
Office Universal:
– Universal apps are a new build option.
– Universal apps can be installed on both the Windows 10 Desktop and Windows Mobile operating systems.
– Universal apps are available through the Windows Store, as individual apps (there is no single install that includes all Office apps).
– Universal apps run in full screen mode only (eg. the application fills the entire screen, so no task bar or other apps until it is minimized or closed).
– Universal apps (this is a confusing point) are named different depending on where they are installed:
- On Windows 10 Desktop, they have “mobile” in the app name; PowerPoint Mobile, Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, etc.
- On Windows 10 Mobile they have just the app name; PowerPoint, Word, Excel, etc.
Office Web:
– Web apps are separate from Desktop and Universal apps.
– Web apps do not require installation, which allows them to work on both desktop and mobile devices.
– Web apps use HTML/CSS/JavaScript browser-based coding hosted on Microsoft servers.
The main recap is that today there are a lot more options available than in the past. The good news is, virtually every computing device and platform is covered for Office/PowerPoint. The bad news is that every option has slightly different capabilities and limitations. Things are filled with different frustrations today, and tomorrow we will have different frustrations – but solving those frustrations for our wonderful clients is what keeps us busy!
– Troy @ TLC
PowerPoint 2016 (for Windows)
Microsoft has a lot of new versions of apps released or in beta. The new Office 2016 (for Windows, not to be confused with the recently released Mac version) is getting close. The PowerPoint team at Microsoft has put together a blog post that lists off most of the updates to the 2016 version.
Take a look at what is coming our soon here.
– Troy @ TLC
The Presentation Summit 2015 – see you there!
In just over a month from now the (unofficial) annual conference for the presentation industry is going to be happening in New Orleans. I look forward to seeing you there!
Website: www.betterpresenting.com/summit
Who: 200 attendees, 20 presenters, 14 PPT MVPs, “PowerPoint” people from Microsoft, and representatives from many industry companies
When: September 27-30
Where: The Astor Crowne Plaza, New Orleans, LA
Discount Code: Add NOLA15 to the Client Code filed for a $75 registration discount (there were only 20ish seats left when I talked with the conference organizer earlier this week)
What is Troy Doing There:
- I attended the very first Presentation Summit, and have been a presenter at every one since (minus 1 – and that was New Orleans!)
- My first priority is spending time with my fellow PowerPoint MVPs.
- My second priority is putting on 2 fantastic sessions: (1) The Great PowerPoint vs. Keynote Clickoff. (2) Alignment & Balance – Designing for your audience with intention. The schedule for this year’s conference looks great, and there are going to be a lot of difficult choices – I am just saying, these two sessions will be fantastic!
- My third priority is enjoying time talking with anyone about anything! (okay – related to computers, presentation design, running a design studio, and my favorite restaurants in New Orleans)
- And my beautiful and talented wife and business partner, Lori, will be there too!
– Troy @ TLC