Monthly Archives: November 2009

#5 – Thumbnail Zoom to 200%

Okay, this one will probably be overlooked by most, but to me it ranks in the top 5 new features! Looking at slide sorter view is great for storyboarding and quickly finding a specific slide – if you can read the content. Note: All screen captures are same monitor resolution and PPT window, only the zoom level changes.

Here is my sample deck viewed in Thumbnail, or slide sorter, at 40%. Very difficult to identify content on the slides.

If your monitor is stuck at 1024×768 thumbnails viewed at 100% are discernable. But view those same thumbnails on a 1900×2000 (HD) monitor and they are small blobs of color and squiggly lines where the text is.

Here is the sample deck viewed at 100%, the current maximum. Large content may be legible, but the small stuff is still illegible.

But zoom in 150% or 200% and everything is legible! The zoom bar in the lower right now goes past 100% up to 200% which is great!

Here is the sample deck viewed as thumbnails, zoomed to the new maximum of 200%. Everything on the slide can be read and identified.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:22:03-07:00November 12th, 2009|PowerPoint, Tutorial|

#4 – Slide Transitions

Transitions also benefit from #1 – Performance. In my pre-beta version there are a number of new transitions that are really exciting!

– Pan (my new animation favorite!)
– Gallery
– Flip
– Ripple
– And the full application will have more new transitions than just these!
New Transitions Sample Video is converted to low-res .gif “movie”. Note on the PAN transitions the background stays in place while the content moves/transitions!

Plus the legacy transitions also get some fantastic updating. As example the WIPE, CLOCK, RANDOM BARS, transitions leads with a soft gradient edge. The DISSOLVE and CHECKERBOARD transitions are screens full of soft edged squares (that I might use again after ignoring since 2004).

The interface has been updated too. First, Transtions now have their own tab (no longer shared with Animations).

Almost all of the adjustments are controlled directly in the Ribbon (vs. opening a separate dialog):

We now have precise control over animation duration, ranging from a full minute:

To a very quick 1/25th of a second:

The updated interface also limits the list of transitions by adding any transition options in the new EFFECT OPTIONS menu. Here I have WIPE selected and I can choose the direction from the drop down menu.

Just another GREAT feature that adds new features and improves the existing.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:22:30-07:00November 10th, 2009|PowerPoint, Tutorial|

#3 – Insert and EMBED Virtually ANY Audio File

Just like the videos, PPT 2010 supports a whole host of audio formats and embeds them all! Take a look at the audio formats supported (Yes, all flavors of quicktime, .mp3 and more are supported!):

PowerPoints backoffice also recognizes when audio files have been inserted and offers conversion and optimization options.

– Optimize Media Compatability: converts audio files to Microsoft’s preferred/native format, .wma.
– Reduce The Size of Media Files: will convert (same as above) and also offer a range of compression levels.
In this sample I inserted a 7.5MB .m4a and converted to a .wma at the highest quality (presentation) to have a 100k audio file embedded – without any noticeable quality difference.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:22:50-07:00November 8th, 2009|PowerPoint, Tutorial|

#2 – Insert ANY Movie Type and EMBED

PPT 2007 brought the new .pptx file format. PPT 2010 starts taking full advantage of the new file format with the ability to truly embed video files!

Just look at the INSERT >> VIDEO >> VIDEO FROM FILE options listed (Yes, that is Quicktime, .mp4, and mpeg2!).

In the presentation info section is details about the EMBEDDED video.

– Optimize Compatability: I inserted a quicktime video (which plays no problem). But Microsoft really wants its own format (.wmv) and this feature will convert all embedded videos to .wmv (which it does very well, maintaining quality and producing small file sizes).
– Reduce The Size of Media Files: .wmv files can be compressed in 3 quality levels, choose the level needed here (note: you can go directly to this feature, skipping “optimize compatability”). It also has an ‘undo’ option. I have been optimizing videos, reviewing in slideshow and deciding if the quality was maintained, if not I just ‘undo’. For this sample I inserted a 21MB .mov and it was compressed to a 1.5MB .wmv with no visible quality difference.

The embed video functionality (and the video options detailed later) will revolutionize the use of video in presentations. Microsoft has eliminated linking issues, forgotten files (Yes, Mr. Client you need to have both the presentation and the video files on your computer – in the same folder) and format issues (no, Mr. Client, I am sorry but Microsoft and Apple do not play together when it comes to using Quicktime videos in a presntation).

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:23:27-07:00November 6th, 2009|PowerPoint, Tutorial|

PowerPoint 2010 – #1 PERFORMANCE!

My top request, hope, begging was for slideshow performance. Bobby at Microsoft reassured me for more than a year all my animations would run great – and they do!

PPT 2010 Slideshow Performance
(This is a sample presentation I created that uses very fast transitions, complex animations and a non-stop pace for 5 minutes. Runs perfect every time! Blog sample is a low res .gif movie)

So my #1 feature of PowerPoint 2010 is a bit intangible, but easily seen and that is the slideshow performance is great. Transitions occur when you click the advance button. Animations run instantly and without stuttering. And all of this is while running the pre-beta version on a very small laptop with a 64MB graphics card, 1.5 GB of ram and a 1.8 Ghz Pentium 4 CPU.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:23:49-07:00November 4th, 2009|PowerPoint|

PowerPoint 2010 – My Top New Features!

It is almost here – PowerPoint 2010! I have been running the pre-beta – beta for 2 months and here it is!

As a Microsoft PowerPoint MVP I have talked with the development team, seen demos, been asked questions and overall impressed. I have been excited about this version for almost 2 years from these interactions and after spending a few months with the near release version (eg. not 100% stable and not 100% functional) I am truly excited.

The month of November is going to almost entirely be focused on PowerPoint 2010… all from my perspective. There is a lot of information on the web about Office 2010, so I am going to list off my top 15 new features/functions from the perspective of a designer who works with the application daily.

And hopefully during this month information on the upcoming public beta will become available. Then you can try it yourself and see if my top features match yours.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:24:31-07:00November 2nd, 2009|Personal|
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