Microsoft PowerPoint: A Simple Tutorial
This is a very simple overview of some of the major functions of Microsoft PowerPoint and is directed at those who have never used this software. There are a lot of much more in depth tutorials, books, courses, Internet sites, etc. that explain this software for those interested. Additionally, by clicking on the “Help” menu option on the PowerPoint toolbar and selecting “Microsoft PowerPoint Help,” you will gain access to a very comprehensive index of information about using PowerPoint.
There was some interest expressed in instructions to go with the FAS information PowerPoint that was developed, The Dawn of Prevention, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). I hope that this is a helpful response to those desires. I have found PowerPoint to be quite user friendly and I encourage new users to just spend some time going through the toolbar options. You will be a pro in no time!
Best Wishes,
Lauren Yallop
Information:
View
-After opening the file, you will usually see the first slide of the presentation in one of the following view types
-You can choose the view by selecting an option from “View” on the toolbar or from the icons at the bottom left of your screen
- Normal
-This view is good for editing the slides because it allows you to click on the text boxes and see a large picture of the slide
- Notes Page
-This view allows you to see the slide and to insert any speaker notes that you would like
-Speaker notes are notes that the presenter can call up on the computer that he/she is presenting with as a reminder of extra information during their talk, but these notes will not be seen on the projector or TV screen
- Slide Sorter
-This view allows you to see all of the slides in your presentation
-It is helpful when you want to see the big picture of your presentation and for moving and deleting slides
- Slide Show
-This is the view that you want to use when actually presenting the slide show
-When you select this view the slides will consume your entire screen and will display any animations or sound effects that you have added
-To advance slides you can either just Left click your mouse or Right Click and select “Next”
-To go back a slide, Right click and select “Previous”
-To choose different pointer options Right click and select “Pointer Options”
-To go to another slide Right click, select “Go” and then choose the slide that you want
-“Speaker notes” will bring up any notes that you have created during your editing stage by using the “Notes Page” view
Manipulating Slides
- Adding/ Deleting text
-Bring up the slide that you want to change using the “Normal” view
-Select the text box that you wish to alter
-Type or delete words according to your preference
-Edit the font by going to “Format” on the toolbar and selecting “Font”
- Adding/ Deleting Graphics
-To delete: Click on the graphic that you would like to get rid of and press delete using your keyboard or the delete option under “Edit”
-To add: Go to “Insert” on the toolbar and then select “Picture”
- You can then choose between adding some of the different clipart and shapes from the PowerPoint directories or pictures from your files
- Changing Backgrounds
-Bring up the slide that you want to change using the “Normal” view
-Go to “Format” on the toolbar and select “Background”
-Click on the small arrow on the pop up item that will come up
-Select “More colors” if you want to add a solid color or select “Fill Effects” to choose between a “Gradient,” “Texture,” “Pattern,” or “Picture”
-Note: You can use backgrounds other than the ones supplied by PowerPoint by selecting “Other Texture” and selecting a background that you have saved on your hard drive
-Apply will put your selections on to the current slide that you are working with and Apply all will put your selections on to every slide in the slide show
- Adding/ Deleting Slides
-To delete: Bring up the slide that you want to get rid of using the “Slide Sorter” view and press delete using your keyboard or the delete option under “Edit”
-To add: Go to “Insert” on the toolbar and then select “New Slide”
- You will then get a pop up that allows you to choose the layout of the new slide, select the option that you would like
- Changing the Location of Slides
-Click on the slide that you want to move using the “Slide Sorter” view and drag it to the preferred location
- Hiding Slides
-Hiding a slide means that the slide will not come up during the slide show, but it can still be seen using all of the other views
-Bring up the slide that you want to hide using the “Slide Sorter” view, click on the slide that you wish to hide, and select “Hide Slide” under the “Slide Show” toolbar option
-Hidden slides will have a non-sign symbol below them when you view the show using the “Slide Sorter” view
-You can unhide a slide by selecting the hidden slide and then going to “Hide Slide” under “Slide Show” again
Custom Animations
-This refers to the way that the graphics and text appear on the slides when viewed in the “Slide Show” setting
- Directions
-Select the slide that you would like to animate
-Click on the item that you would like to animate (e.g. graphic or text box)
-Go to “Slide Show” on the toolbar and then select “Custom Animation”
-In the top left of custom animation popup you can select all of the items on the slide that you wish to animate
-Click on the “Effects” tab to select the type of animation that you want for each checked off item (you can add or get rid of sound effects here)
-The “Order and Timing” tab allows you to choose whether you want the animation to occur automatically or with a mouse click for each checked off item
-The “Preview” tab allows you to see a preview of your selections
Slide Transitions
-This refers to the way that the slides transition to the next slide when viewed in the “Slide Show” setting
- Directions
-Select the slide that you would like to add a transition to
-Go to “Slide Show” on the toolbar and then select “Slide Transition”
-Select one of the transition styles (e.g. Blinds Horizontal)
-Select the speed that you want
-Select whether you want the transition to happen automatically or by mouse click
-Sound effects can be added here
-Apply will put your selections on to the current slide that you are working with and Apply all will put your selections on to every slide in the slide show
Printing
- Go to “File” and select “Print”
- Under “Print What” select the view that you want printed
-“Slides” will print 1 slide/ page
-“Handouts” can print 2-9 slides/ page
-“Notes Pages” will print 1 slide/ page with the Speaker Notes
-“Outline View” will print just the text from each slide
-There are some additional options at the bottom regarding whether you want your slides framed, printed in black and white, grayscale, or if you want to print your hidden slides
-The other options are similar to printing in any Microsoft software program