The PowerPoint® Blog

I work with PowerPoint on a daily basis and I am very honored to be a Microsoft PowerPoint MVP. We have a talented team of presentation designers at TLC Creative Services and ThePowerPointBlog is our area to highlight PowerPoint tips, tricks, examples and tutorials. Enjoy! Troy Chollar

Many Charts, 1 Legend To Rule Them All!

Presentations are meant to communicate ideas clearly and effectively, but too often, slides are cluttered with redundant elements that distract and hide the information to be conveyed. And as we look at charts this month, we find that they are often full of unneeded visual distraction. But this is a specialty scenario where the slide content with multiple charts creates opportunity to simplify the visual elements.

Three Charts: Three Legends

In this presentation, many slides had multiple charts, and each one included its own legend. At first glance, this might seem harmless—after all, each chart needs a legend, right? But in reality, this redundancy forces your audience to process the same information multiple times, making it harder to focus on what actually matters: the data trends and insights.

Our design goal is to remove adds unnecessary visual clutter and enable to audience to process the slide and quickly identify the message. The layout is good. All the charts visually align, accurately display the same Y axis metric, have the same color coding ̶ and have the same legend.

Three Charts: A Unified Legend

Because the legend is identical, instead of repeating it three times, we streamlined the slide by using just one legend beneath all three charts. This simple adjustment immediately reduces the visual clutter and makes it easier for the audience to focus on the data.

We are happy with this “1 Legend To Rule Them All” update. Which was similarly done on many other slides in this presentation. The cognitive load is reduced, and the message comes across quicker and clearer.

Why This Works

  • Improves Readability – A cleaner layout allows the audience to process information faster.
  • Reduces Redundancy – Eliminates unnecessary repetition, keeping attention on the data.
  • Enhances Aesthetics – A well-organized slide looks more professional and engaging.
  • Guides the Audience – With less distraction, viewers can focus on what’s important.
  • Small Tweaks, Big Impact
  • Great slide design isn’t about adding more—it’s about removing what doesn’t serve the message. By centralizing your legend, you create a more effective and visually appealing slide that helps your audience focus on what truly matters: the insights behind your data.

The TLC Creative presentation design team always takes a step back and asks: Are there unnecessary repeating elements? A little decluttering can go a long way in making a slideshow presentation more impactful.

– Christie on the TLC Creative design team

By |2025-03-27T07:01:56-07:00April 30th, 2025|PowerPoint, Tutorial|

Pies or Bars?

If you’ve ever built a PowerPoint presentation, you’ve probably faced the classic dilemma: Should I use a pie chart or a bar chart? Both have strengths, but they serve different purposes. So, let’s break it down.

Which is Which – The Bar Chart

A bar chart is a simple way to compare numbers across different categories. One axis lists the categories, and each category has a bar next to it. The length of the bar shows the value for that category—the longer the bar, the bigger the number. In the example below, the bar chart shows how an app’s users are spread across different device types. You can also flip a bar chart so the bars run horizontally instead of vertically.

Which is Which – The Pie Chart

A pie chart is a way to show how a whole is split into different parts. It looks like a circle (kind of like a pie) that’s divided into slices. Each slice represents a category, and its size shows how big that category’s share is compared to the total. The chart below shows the same data as before, just in pie chart form.

Pros: Why Use a Pie Chart

A pie chart is a classic choice when you need to show proportions. If you’re comparing parts of a whole—like how your monthly budget is distributed or the market share of different companies—it’s a solid option. Here’s why:

  • Visually Appealing: People love circles. Pie charts are easy on the eyes and make data feel approachable.

  • Great for Simple Comparisons: If you have just a few categories (ideally under five), a pie chart makes it clear how they relate.
  • Emphasizes the Big Picture: Want to show that one category dominates the others? A pie chart makes it obvious.

Cons: Why Avoid a Pie Chart

  • Difficult to Compare Small Differences: If one slice is 26% and another is 24%, it’s hard to tell them apart without looking at the numbers.

  • Messy with Too Many Categories: The more slices you have, the harder it is to read. A pie chart with 10 categories looks like a rainbow explosion.
  • Not Good for Trend Analysis: Pie charts show a snapshot in time, but they won’t help you see patterns over time.

Pros: Why Use a Bar Chart

Bar charts are the Swiss Army knives of data visualization. Whether you’re comparing values, showing trends, or displaying rankings, they get the job done. Here’s why they’re a go-to choice:

  • Easy to Compare Values: The length of each bar makes differences easy and clear.

  • Works Well for Many Categories: bar charts work in almost every situation, and are able to handle a lot of data without turning into chaos.
  • Good for Trends: If you’re showing changes over time, a bar chart (especially a horizontal one) is a much better choice.
  • More Precise: Since people are better at judging length than area, bar charts tend to be more accurate for data comparison.

Cons: Why You Should Avoid a Bar Chart

  • Not as Visually Engaging: Let’s be honest—bar charts aren’t as “fun” as pie charts. They can look boring if not designed well.

  • Can Get Cluttered: If you have too many bars or categories, your chart might end up looking like a barcode.
  • Might Not Highlight Proportions as Clearly: If you’re trying to emphasize how different pieces make up a whole, a pie chart does this better.

So, Which Should You Use?

  • Use a pie chart when you’re comparing parts of a whole and have five or fewer categories. Example: How your budget is divided between rent, food, transportation, savings, and entertainment.
  • Use a bar chart when comparing values, showing trends, or handling many categories. Example: Yearly revenue growth across multiple product lines.

Ultimately, your choice should be based on what will best visually communicate the data you’re presenting. As a point, the TLC Creative presentation team tends to utilize bar charts far more often. No matter which chart you choose, keep it simple. Your audience will thank you!

By |2025-04-01T09:08:36-07:00April 28th, 2025|Tutorial|

Create Charts for Video and Print Projects in PowerPoint – Really!

Charts can be a powerful visual for any presentation to really make a memorable, or easily understandable, point. When you think about colorful bar, line and pie charts, everyone immediately thinks of PowerPoint slides. What about adding charts to a print or video project that is designed in Adobe InDesign or Premiere? While PowerPoint has robust chart and bar graph-building features, most print and video software do not.

InDesign is amazing for layout and print design, but it relies on charts and tables being important elements. The same for Adobe video editing software, Premiere. Charts, tables, and most all elements in a video are designed outside the app and imported.

And this need for externally created charts is where PowerPoint comes in. Whether you’re working on a print layout or editing a video that needs to look polished and professional, PowerPoint is ideal for building visuals that can easily be edited and exported for use in other software.

Step 1: Create a Chart in PowerPoint

All natively created charts in PowerPoint have a mini Excel sheet for the data.

And PowerPoint is truly one of the best tools for creating charts, including the option to use the data and instantly change from a bar chart to pie charts, line graphs, stacked or scatter plot. And all charts use the preset color scheme applied to that slide deck. Update the PowerPoint color scheme and all charts in the slide deck instantly update! It’s easy to style your data with colors, fonts, and labels. And since you’re doing it inside PowerPoint, it’s all very visual.

Step 2: Export the Chart as an Image for Print

Once your chart is sized and styled to what is needed in the print design, export it as an image for use in Adobe InDesign or Illustrator.

1. Click on the chart to select it.

2. Right-click and choose Save as Picture.

3. Choose PNG, which creates a static image of the chart with a transparent background.

4. Or choose SVG to create a static image of the chart that is a full vector format – great for pulling into an Adobe Illustrator project.

5. Import the new file into your InDesign layout like any other image.

The final result is clean and sharp, and you didn’t have to deal with other clunky chart-building tools and work-arounds.

Step 3: Using PowerPoint Charts in Premiere for Video

If you want to include charts in a video project using Adobe Premiere Pro, you’ve got a couple of options.

Option 1: Static chart image

Just like for print, export your chart as a PNG and bring it into Premiere. From here you can animate it with simple scale or opacity transitions to make the chart more visually appealing. But there is a bit more planning in the export process.

Option 2: Animate inside PowerPoint, export as video

PowerPoint has great animation capabilities, including animating charts. One option is to export the slide as a video (eg. 1920×1080 .MP4) to add to the Premiere video project.  In PowerPoint go to File > Export > Create a Video. Choose either an HD or 4K format.

But the exported video will be the full slide, including the background. If the video project needs to add the chart as a composited element with other elements in the video project, the above chart example was exported as a series of 6 PNG images, added to the Premiere project and each PNG animated with Premiere’s entrance effects. Plan the animation, then in PowerPoint duplicate the chart slide, in this scenario 6Xs. Then go through each slide, deleting the elements that are not part of that stage of the animation.

Using PowerPoint as a design tool is not part of video editing training, but as a someone that has created lots and lots of chart elements for successful print design and video projects, PowerPoint is the right tool. Next time a chart is needed as an imported element for a project, PowerPoint is a go to for both great visuals and saving design time.

– Mike, and the TLC Creative Services design team

By |2025-04-24T21:16:48-07:00April 25th, 2025|PowerPoint, Resource/Misc|

F1 Coolness at Almost 8K!

This week I am having a lot of visual fun working on exciting slides like this

The LED wall is almost 8K in resolution and the slides are designed to fill the screen with a custom “Ultrawide” presentation. But as the presentation approached 2GBs it was time to pause on design and manage the content for an optimized file size. I trust the NXPowerlite add-in to optimize images in presentations, and the Slidewise add-in to give me insights into what images are oversize, if there are unneeded master slide layouts and much more.

But working with 8K wide slides poses some issues for letting NXPowerlite optimize images. I created a custom 8K resolution profile, so any image LARGER than the profiles 7,680px wide (aka 8K) will be automatically re-rendered to that resolution. But what about a slide like this where the two images; the F1 logo and the awesome F1 vehicle are not 8K images, and need to be optimized to their on-screen size?

The answer, for me, is a feature that is part of PowerPoint – but not well known. Here is the process:

  • Copy the image (eg. the race car)
  • Use the Thor Hammer add-in to copy the image size and position
  • Delete the image (yes delete!)
  • Use PowerPoint’s Paste Special > as .PNG (or use the “PNG” icon on my QAT)
  • This adds the original image, but at the size it was copied at (eg. an optimized image!). For the F1 car image it originally as a 8.4 MB image (as reported by Slidewise’s image audit). The pasted in optimized .png is 2.8 MB. Same image, at the pixel size needed, so no quality loss, and over 5MB file size reduction!
  • Last, use Thor’s Hammer to position the new image exactly where the original image was

Yes, it is a manual process with a number of clicks. And yes, it took me approximately 10 minutes, but I went a 2GB file to a 1.5GB file with no qualify loss!

Back to creating amazing slide layouts!

Troy @ TLC

By |2025-04-22T22:49:28-07:00April 23rd, 2025|PowerPoint, Tutorial|

The Presentation Podcast talked about Data Viz in 2016

Throughout April The PowerPoint Blog is focused on charts and data viz in PowerPoint. From 2016 is this great conversation about data viz, episode 19 of The Presentation Podcast. It definitely is in line with the blog series and worth a mention and a relisten (or read through of the show notes outline)!

Original blog post announcing the podcast episode is here.

Episode 19 replay is available, with show notes, here.

By |2025-03-29T11:08:34-07:00April 18th, 2025|PowerPoint, Resource/Misc|

New Podcast Episode Available! “The Secret Sauce to Stunning PowerPoint Presentations – Navigating the World of Vector Graphics!”

In the latest episode of The Presentation Podcast, Troy and Nolan delve into everything PowerPoint and vector. What does PowerPoint consider a vector graphic? What types of vector files does PowerPoint recognize? What are PowerPoint limitations with vector graphics? This episode is a treasure trove of insights, practical tips, and expert advice on leveraging vector graphics, particularly .SVGs, for great presentation design. Have a listen to see where the conversation goes!

Listen to episode 220 here.

By |2025-04-11T18:34:29-07:00April 16th, 2025|Resource/Misc|

Which Chart Tells 1 Story?

In a presentation, clarity of data is the goal. When presenting charts, our goal is not only to convey information, but to do so efficiently, so much that our design team goal is for a chart to convey its story in just one second. A chart where the viewer immediately understands the core message, without having to think through a lot of unnecessary visual noise.

Let’s look at some examples of PowerPoint’s default charts and how TLC Creative team transforms it into a streamlined, highly effective visual.

The Cluttered Default Chart

Let’s start with a traditional chart, complete with all the usual visual elements.

This chart contains every possible visual component:

  • Axis lines – both horizontal and vertical.
  • Axis labels – showing the scale of values.
  • Axis demarcation lines – to show intervals.
  • Legend – to explain the different data series.
  • Title – to provide a description of what the chart is about.
  • Data labels – showing the exact value of each data point.

While this chart is technically “correct” in that it has all the necessary elements to be fully interpretable, it’s also overwhelming. The amount of information in the presentation makes it hard for the viewer to focus on any one key insight.

What’s the Problem?

This chart is packed with details, but the viewer might struggle to extract the one key takeaway quickly. Maybe you want to highlight a single data point or illustrate a trend without making the viewer sift through a lot of information. The goal is to cut out the visual clutter so that the data speaks for itself.

Streamlining the Chart Styling

Now, let’s transform that chart into one that can be absorbed in just one second.

What has changed?

  • Grey bars represent the general data, but they are now muted to draw attention away from them.
  • One green bar stands out. This bar is the focus of the chart, the key data point that the viewer should immediately notice.
  • The large data label on the green bar clearly shows the value, reinforcing its importance.
  • No gridlines to distract the viewer.
  • The legend and title have been removed because they’re unnecessary for this simple, focused visualization.
  • The Y-axis only shows the minimum and maximum values, which immediately sets the scale without additional numbers cluttering the view.

The Goal of the 1-Second Chart

By eliminating the excess, we create a 1-second chart. A chart that tells you exactly what you need to know. In this case, you might see that one data point is much higher than the others, immediately identifying it as the key takeaway from the chart. The viewer doesn’t need to spend time interpreting axis labels or other extraneous elements – the message is crystal clear.

Why Does This Work?

  • Simplicity: Humans process visuals much faster than text or numbers. By focusing on the most important data point, the chart makes a quick impression.
  • Focus: The viewer’s attention is drawn directly to the green bar, the focal point of the story.
  • Instant comprehension: When there’s minimal distraction, the brain processes the key insight more efficiently.

1-Story Line Chart

Let’s now look at a typical line. Axis titles, chart title, legend (that matches the axis labels), data points (generically positioned) all together is a lot to process. It is a lot of visual clutter. Line charts are often used to show trends over time or the relationship between variables. In the lower version of the line chart, lots of visual clutter has been removed and the important data point for this part of the talk is quickly and clearly identified.

  • One green line stands out as the key focus, indicating the primary trend or the data point that is most important.
  • The green line is accompanied by a bold green data label clearly showing the exact value of the message.
  • Data labels have been moved from the default positioning to beside each data point.
  • Gridlines are a lighter grey.
  • Legend and titles are removed to simplify the chart, letting the viewer focus on the essential data.
  • The Y-axis units simplified to whole numbers, which also reduces the number of gridlines.

Conclusion: The Power of Minimalism in Data Visualization

In data visualization, less can be more. A well-designed chart should prioritize clarity over complexity, especially when you want to convey a key point quickly. The 1-second chart is an exercise in simplification, removing the excess and letting the data shine. By focusing on the key message and eliminating everything that doesn’t support it, we create a PowerPoint that delivers its story in a flash.

So, next time you’re preparing a chart, ask yourself: What’s the one thing I want my audience to walk away with? And then design your chart to make that insight as clear and immediate as possible.

By reducing distractions and focusing on the essentials, you can create charts that don’t just inform—they communicate.

-The TLC Creative Presentation Design Team

By |2025-03-27T07:09:27-07:00April 14th, 2025|Tutorial|

The 2016 New Chart Types – A Look Back to February 2016

Looking back through previous posts, I read this one highlighting new chart types introduced to PowerPoint back in 2016 (original post here).

Today, of the 4 chart types introduced in 2016, I cannot recall ever using a Radar chart… and maybe 3-4 times the Treemap chart type. I do recall working on a Sunburst chart and using PowerPoint to create the basic chart, then ungrouping -> converting to shapes -> modifying to the custom styling & sizing needed -> and then producing a fantastic animated series. End result was great, it all started with a native PowerPoint chart. But 4 hours later, it was all custom art elements.

Question: thinking back to 2016, how often do you use these 4 chart types?

How to insert New Chart Types in PowerPoint 2016

New Chart Types where added in PowerPoint 2016. There is bigger news than just some new styles. Microsoft is moving all charting to a new charting engine, and these new charts are coded with this new engine. Eventually, all legacy charts will be ported to the new charting engine, and, fortunately, this is still an in-process engine development (I am certain everyone will encounter a chart limitation depending on their chart data and the way they create charts) – so my take on things is “Yay new charts! But the new charting engine is not fully functional, so some options in the new charts are not fully functional yet.”

The good news is even though only subscription users can create these charts, all versions of PowerPoint (dating back to 2010 and Mac versions) can display chart types – editing and animation is somewhat limited when using previous versions…

Here are 4 of the new chart types currently available (we will continue to see more chart variations added over time, look for another new chart type in the February updates).

Follow these Steps:

Go to INSERT > CHART

New Chart Types in Powerpoint 2016

 

The Column Bar Chart

A standard Chart.

New Chart Types in Powerpoint 2016

1. Radar Chart

That same data in the Bar Chart can instantly be updated.

 

New Chart Types in Powerpoint 2016

2. Sunburst Chart

This a great addition to the native PowerPoint chart options vs. going to external charting apps to develop.

 

New Chart Types in Powerpoint 2016

3. Treemap Chart

This Chart is new to PowerPoint 2016 native chart options.

New Chart Types in Powerpoint 2016

4. Waterfall Chart

This standard Column chart with negative data.

New Chart Types in Powerpoint 2016

-Troy @ TLC

This is from our Look Back series, rediscovering previous blog posts with relevant PowerPoint tips, tricks and examples. The original post from February 17th, 2016 can be viewed here.

By |2025-03-31T14:29:32-07:00April 11th, 2025|PowerPoint|

Is My Chart Too Skinny?

If you’ve ever inserted a bar chart into PowerPoint and thought that the bars look too thin and awkwardly spaced — you’re not alone. The styling solution is available within PowerPoint, let’s walk through adjusting the bar thickness, and reducing that gap between bars.

1: Select Your Chart

Click on the chart to make sure it’s selected. Once it is, you’ll see the Chart Tools menu pop up at the top with two tabs: Design and Format. Along with the Format Data Series option, these are your go-to tabs for making all the visual adjustments you need.

2: Format the Data Series

To start adjusting your chart, right-click on one of the bars and select Format Data Series from the dropdown menu. This will bring up a panel on the right side of your screen, where you’ll find various options for fine-tuning your chart.

3: Adjust the Gap Width

Within the Format Data Series panel, navigate to Series Options. Here, you’ll find the Gap Width slider, which controls the width or height or your bars. Reducing the Gap Width will make the bars skinny. Increasing the Gap fattens them up. This step will also reduce (or increase) the gap between each of the series bars. In the two examples shown, notice the gap in the between the Black Cars and Green Cars. Play with the slider and adjust it based on your preferences.

4: Adjust the Overlap

If you’re working with a clustered bar chart, you might also want to tweak the Series Overlap setting, located just below the Gap Width slider. Increasing the overlap percentage will cause the bars to slightly overlap, while decreasing it will add more separation. A range of 0% to 20% usually works well, but adjust as needed for your design.

5: Fine-Tune and Customize

Once your bars are spaced to your liking, it’s time to add those finishing touches. Experiment with colors, add data labels, or remove gridlines for a cleaner look. You can do all of this from the Chart Elements button or through the Chart Design tab. Little tweaks like these can make a big difference in how professional and polished your chart looks.

Bonus Tip

If your bars still aren’t quite right, try resizing the chart by dragging its edges. Sometimes a wider or taller chart gives those bars the breathing room they need to stand out. Adjusting the size can be an easy fix for better proportions.

And that’s it! Now your bars should look bold, clear, and way more polished. It’s all about finding that sweet spot with the gap width and overlap.

By |2025-03-31T14:31:45-07:00April 9th, 2025|PowerPoint, Tutorial|

Adjust The Chart Size… Inside the Chart Frame!

There is a secret when it comes to PowerPoint charts (bar charts, line charts, pie charts, etc.) The secret is: charts have two elements for sizing; the overall chart element bounding box (or frame), and inside that the chart bounding box.

Keep the chart’s overall size as is, which can be helpful for alignment on a slide, or when multiple charts are on a slide. Click the chart, then click the data to make the inner bounding box active. Resize and position as needed – within the outer bounding box of course!

The same goes for chart and axis titles and legends. Each is resizable and moveable within the overall chart bounding box.

TIP: use the legend preset location options; top, bottom, left, right to adjust all chart elements positions, then fine tune the legend size and position).

The functionality is there. It is finnicky. And now it is no longer a secret, hidden formatting option!

-The TLC Creative design team

By |2025-04-01T08:55:39-07:00April 7th, 2025|PowerPoint, Tutorial|
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