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

It’s Labor Day in the U.S.

If you are in the U.S. – Happy Labor Day! It is a day of rest and honoring our labor and that of others around us.

Ironically I am in the office designing presentations for 3 clients which makes this like any other day – a day of labor… But excited to have projects with diverse clients that make life fun.

I did not open a 3D graphics program for the ‘Labor Day’ text, but PPT 2007. Uses a custom font that is embedded, so everyone should see the slide as created. Download the slide here (400k).

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:41:20-07:00September 7th, 2009|Portfolio|

A Real Pie-Chart

Had this great image emailed to me the other day (perhaps you received the same email with lots of funny “pie-charts”). Sometimes you get exactly what it is called, a “pie” chart.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:42:51-07:00September 3rd, 2009|Resource/Misc|

Very Cool PPT 2010 Demo Presentation

I have been experimenting with PPT 2010 most of last month and can say this is the most excited I have been about PowerPoint in years!

On Microsoft’s PowerPoint Team Blog a new video highlighting some of the great effects was posted last week – here it is:
[youtube src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/UrBd_V7gXQ4?rel=0″]

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:43:42-07:00September 1st, 2009|PowerPoint, Resource/Misc|

Cutout Text Effect

There are lots of great Photoshop quality effects that can be easily created in PowerPoint. Here is how I create a cutout effect for text.

1. Here is our sample text. Just black text.

2. I change the text color to white.

3. Then apply one of the preset INNER SHADOWs.

4. I modify the preset settings to be darker (transparency), less blur, more distance.

5. Here is my text now with the cutout effect.

6. Finally, here is the same text set on top of a textured background where it really shows the cutout effect.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:44:35-07:00August 30th, 2009|Tutorial|

Use Nvidia Control Panel to Set Mirrored or Extended Desktop

PowerPoint presentations given to a live audience usually involve the computer being attached to a projector. And sometimes the technical issues of getting the computer and projector to cooperate are the downfall of the presenter…

Here is what I hear a lot:
– I have a great laptop!
– I hooked up the projector (via VGA or DVI cable).
– I clicked the Function + F4 keys.
– Nothing happened, my presentation would not show up!

It happens and there are technical complexities, but I run anywhere from 1 to 12 computers outputting to projectors for any given meeting. Here is my approach to assuring the presentation shows up on the projector (note: the following tutorial is based on the Nvidia Control Panel as most of show computers currently run their graphics cards).

1. First, I do not use the Function+F4 key. This is just a shortcut to the control panel that does not show me any of the real settings.

2. I open the graphic card control panel. My preferred method is to right-click the desktop and select “NVIDIA CONTROL PANEL”

3. This opens the Nvidia Control Panel. From here you can see and adjust every aspect of how images are put onto any monitor, or projector, connected to the computer/laptop.

4. I first go to CHANGE RESOLUTION. I can quickly see on the right if the computer ‘sees’ the 2nd monitor/projector by the two display icons.

5. If 2 icons are seen I go to #6. If only 1 icon is seen (the laptop monitor) I then have a few steps:
A. Check cable is plugged into computer.
B. Check cable is plugged into projector (or switcher).
C. Verify projector is powered on and set to correct input.
D. If using a docking station for the laptop (as I do), check docking station has power by checking power supply has light, is plugged into dock and dock has power lights (video out from all docks is not passive and will not work if dock does not have active power).
E. Run the RUN MULTIPLE DISPLAY WIZARD to force the graphics cards to identify and recognize the external monitor.

6. To setup a projector I go to the SETUP MULTIPLE DISPLAYS option.

7. On the right I can tell the computer how I want to use the projector.

1. Do not connect to projector
2. Mirror output to projector (most common setting)
3. Extend desktop to projector

8. Click APPLY.

9. Then go back to CHANGE RESOLUTION. Now the focus is on the resolution setting on lower part of the right side. This number has to be set to match the projector’s resolution.

– If the resolution is set to high, the projector may be unable to use it (and will display nothing).
– If the resolution is set to a widescreen format (as many laptop monitors are) and the projector is not widescreen it will either compress the image or add black letterbox bars (neither is a good option), so the resolution will need to be set to a 4×3 aspect ratio (eg. 1024×768 is the most common).

10. Click APPLY, exit the control panel and get on with the presentation – yeah!

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:45:10-07:00August 28th, 2009|Resource/Misc, Software/Add-Ins, Tutorial|

Delete a File That Refuses to Delete with “Unlocker”

I just wrapped up a quick project where I created a custom installer that created a folder, added presentations and videos, added shortcuts and an uninstaller. All pretty standard stuff, but I always test everything to make certain all works before a client distributes it. Well, I discovered an error with my coding. Actually all ran perfect except the uninstaller did not uninstall… hmmm, not good. I figured out the problem, edited the code and all worked perfect on my next test. Time to send to client – yeah!

Maybe it is because my main production computer is still running Windows XP (although there are several Vista Ultimate computers here and I am running Windows 7 on a my Office 2010 test computer), but the folder from my first test install (the one where the uninstaller errored out)would not delete. Every time I attempted to delete I ended up with some message like this:

Then I remembered this little (265k install) application that I installed long ago and is just waiting to be used. Unlocker does exactly what it says. It unlocks a file, or folder full of files this time, and allows me to delete it – yeah!

It is a handy utility that is a solution to otherwise frustrating occurrences. Oh, and it’s free (donation option). Here’s the Unlocker website.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:46:00-07:00August 26th, 2009|Software/Add-Ins|

WWE Template

Sometimes a template just needs some high energy visuals. That was pretty much my direction for a project for the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) – “it needs to be great and full of energy!”

I took that direction, the official logo, some online research on (… have not followed professional wrestling a lot) and the final result was this template.

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:47:20-07:00August 24th, 2009|Templates/Assets|

Where’s His Arm? Why is Stock Photo Doing That…

Presentations are visual communication and that means lots of images. I maintain a number of subscriptions to online stock photo sites. The one thing I see from all is the selective/artistic cropping that often makes it difficult to use an image.

As example, here is a great image, but where did the rest of his arm go…

– Troy @ TLC

By |2016-09-16T09:50:24-07:00August 20th, 2009|Resource/Misc|
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