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How to Make a Slideshow on PowerPoint

Whether for work or private, use slideshows to get your message across

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Before You Begin

  • Step-by-Step: Make a Slideshow on PowerPoint
  • Play Music During the Slideshow
  • Set up the Slideshow
  • Add Timings to Each Slide
  • Edit Timings on a Slide
  • Create a Video Slideshow
  • Save a Slideshow to a CD or Other Removeable Media

When you're ready to present your PowerPoint slides to others, look no further than PowerPoint's slideshow feature. Use this tool for all kinds of slides, but those containing photos work best for most viewers.

Instructions in this article apply to PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 , PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, PowerPoint 2010, and PowerPoint for Mac.

Before you create slides for your slideshow presentation, decide how long to make the slideshow, how it should flow, and the pictures you’ll use.

  • Length : A slideshow can be as long or as short as you need. The length of the slideshow should be appropriate for the topic and for your audience’s attention span.
  • Outline : It’s always smart to start with an outline; it helps you visualize your slideshow. An outline can be as simple as the list of topics you want to cover.
  • Pictures : Choose photos that are clear and tell a story.

With PowerPoint's Photo Album , select the pictures and PowerPoint creates the basic slideshow. Fill your slides with informative text and harmonizing background music, then turn your collection of slides into a self-running photo slideshow with music that can play as a video or be stored on a CD.

When you’re ready to make a photo slideshow with music, PowerPoint gets you up and running quickly. To get started, select Insert > Photo Album > New Photo Album .

Here’s how to add and format pictures for the slideshow using the Photo Album:

Add pictures

Select File/Disk and select the images you want in the picture slideshow.

Enhance photos

Place a checkmark next to the picture you want to enhance and change the orientation, contrast, and brightness. You’ll see the changes in the Preview window.

Add text boxes

To add a slide for text, select the image in the album list you want the text to follow and select New Text Box .

Rearrange slides

 Place a checkmark next to the picture you want to move and select the Move Up or Move Down arrows.

Choose a picture layout

 Select the Picture layout down arrow and choose how you want the pictures to appear in the slideshow.

Frame the pictures

 Select the Frame shape down arrow and choose a frame style. You’ll see a preview in the Album Layout area. This option will not be selectable if the picture layout Fit to slide is enabled.

Select Create when you’re finished.

Your photo slideshow is created in a new file. Add text to the slides and change the look of each slide.

How to Play Music During the Slideshow

Play music in the background during your slideshow to offer an audio counterpoint to all the visuals. The background music starts automatically with the slideshow and plays during all the slides.

To add background music to your presentation, select Insert > Audio > Audio on My PC , choose a music file, then select OK .

The audio icon appears in the middle of the current slide. To move it, drag it to a different place on the slide. When the audio icon is selected, the Playback tab appears. Select Play in Background and make changes to the audio file . Here are some suggestions.

  • Preview the music : Select Play to hear what the music will sound like during your slideshow.
  • Shorten the duration : Select Trim Audio to remove parts of the beginning and end of the music file.
  • Adjust the volume : Select Volume to make the background music louder or softer.

How to Set up the Slideshow

Once your slides are finished, it’s time to set up the slideshow. Start by deciding whether to show the slideshow in a window or full screen.

To set up the slideshow, select Slide Show > Set Up Slide Show and choose one of the following:

  • Browsed by an individual (window) : Run the slideshow automatically and inside a window. This option works best when you save the slideshow to a CD.
  • Browsed at a kiosk (full screen) : Run the slideshow automatically and at full-screen size. This option works best when you convert the slideshow to a video.

Select OK when you’re finished.

How to Add Timings to Each Slide in the Slideshow

Now it’s time to decide how long each slide will appear in the slideshow. To begin, select Slide Show > Rehearse Timings . The slideshow displays in full screen with a Recording toolbar and a timer.

While timing your presentation, use the Recording toolbar to advance through the presentation.

Select Next (arrow pointing to the right) to go to the next slide when the desired timing has been reached.

Select Pause to start and stop the timing.

Select Repeat to restart recording the time for the selected slide.

When you’re finished and have set the time for the last slide, close the Recording toolbar.

Select Yes to keep the recorded slide timings.

How to Edit Timings on a Slide

If you need to increase or decrease the time for your slideshow, change how long slides appear during the slideshow.

To change the timing for a slide:

Select View > Slide Sorter .

Select Transitions .

Select a slide.

In the Advance Slide After text box, enter how long the slide should appear in the slideshow before proceeding to the next slide, then press Enter .

The new timing applies to the slide.

How to Create a PowerPoint Video Slideshow

The easiest way to distribute and play your slideshow is in video format. This way, anyone can view your slideshow no matter what computer or device they use.

To convert a slideshow into a video:

Save the file.

Select File > Export .

Select Create a Video .

To force a smaller file size, select the Full HD drop-down list and choose a lower quality.

Select Create Video .

Select the destination folder and give the video a descriptive file name.

Select Save . It may take a few minutes to process the file and create the video.

How to Save a Slideshow to a CD or Other Removeable Media

To create a presentation that can be watched on any computer and can be stored on a CD or other removable media:

Select Package Presentation for CD > Package for CD .

Type a name for the CD.

Select Copy to Folder or Copy to CD and follow the on-screen directions.

When you’re finished, select Close .

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PowerPoint  - Presenting Your Slide Show

Powerpoint  -, presenting your slide show, powerpoint presenting your slide show.

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PowerPoint: Presenting Your Slide Show

Lesson 12: presenting your slide show.

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Introduction

Once your slide show is complete, you'll need to learn how to present it to an audience. PowerPoint offers several tools and features to help make your presentation smooth, engaging, and professional.

Optional: Download our practice presentation .

Watch the video below to learn more about presenting your slide show.

Presenting a slide show

Before presenting your slide show, you'll need to think about the type of equipment that will be available for your presentation. Many presenters use projectors during presentations, so you might want to consider using one as well. This allows you to control and preview slides on one monitor while presenting them to an audience on another screen.

To start a slide show:

There are several ways you can begin your presentation:

clicking the Start From Beginning command on the Quick Access Toolbar

To advance and reverse slides:

You can advance to the next slide by clicking your mouse or pressing the spacebar on your keyboard. You can also use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move forward or backward through the presentation.

You can also hover your mouse over the bottom-left and click the arrows to move forward or backward.

hovering the mouse to access navigation buttons in Slide Show view

To stop a slide show:

You can exit presentation mode by pressing the Esc key on your keyboard. You can also click the Slide Show Options button in the bottom-left and select End Show .

ending a slide show

The presentation will also end after the last slide . You can click the mouse or press the spacebar to return to Normal view.

returning to PowerPoint after the final slide

Presentation tools and features

PowerPoint provides convenient tools you can use while presenting your slide show. For example, you can change your mouse pointer to a pen or highlighter to draw attention to items in your slides. In addition, you can jump around to slides in your presentation or access other programs from your taskbar if needed.

To show the taskbar:

Sometimes you may need to access the Internet or other files and programs on your computer during your presentation. PowerPoint allows you to access your taskbar without ending the presentation.

  • Locate and select the Slide Options button in the bottom-left corner.

showing the Taskbar

Slide options

You can also access any of the menu items above by right-clicking anywhere on the screen during your slide show.

opening the Slide options menu

To skip to a nonadjacent slide:

You can jump to slides out of order if needed.

clicking the See All Slides button

  • The selected slide will appear.

To access drawing tools:

Your mouse pointer can act as pen or highlighter to draw attention to items in your slides.

  • Locate and select the Pen Tools button in the bottom-left corner.

selecting the Pen tool

You can also use the laser pointer feature to draw attention to certain parts of your slide. Unlike the pen and highlighter, the laser pointer will not leave markings on your slides. To use the laser pointer, select it from Pen Tools, or press and hold the Ctrl key and the left mouse button.

selecting the Laser Pointer

To erase ink markings:

erasing ink on slides

When you end a slide show, you'll also have the option to Keep or Discard any ink annotations made during your presentation. If you keep ink markings, they'll appear as objects on your slides in Normal view.

deciding to keep or discard annotations

Presenter view

If you're presenting your slide show with a second display—like a projector—you can use Presenter view . Presenter view gives you access to a special set of controls on your screen that the audience won't see, allowing you to easily reference slide notes , preview the upcoming slide , and much more.

To access Presenter view:

Start your slide show as you normally would, then click the Slide Options button and select Presenter View . You can also press Alt+F5 on your keyboard to start the slide show in Presenter view.

opening presenter view

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about using Presenter view.

Presenter View

End Slide Show

Click here to end the presentation.

Display Settings

From here, you can customize your d isplay settings , including the option to duplicate—or mirror—the slide show on two screens and swap the monitors if Presenter view is appearing on the wrong screen.

Show Taskbar

Click here to show the taskbar and access other programs without closing the presentation.

Here, you can see how long you've been giving the presentation. You can also pause and restart the timer if necessary.

Current Slide

This is the current slide being shown to the audience.

Slide Options

Here, you can access the same slide options you would find in normal presentation mode, including the Pen Tools and See All Slides buttons.

Advance and Reverse Slides

Use the arrows to move forward and backward through your presentation.

Here, you'll see any speaker notes for the current slide. You can use the Increase and Decrease buttons below to make the notes larger or smaller.

Here, you can preview the next slide that will appear in the presentation.

Slide show setup options

PowerPoint has various options for setting up and playing a slide show. For example, you can set up an unattended presentation that can be displayed at a kiosk and make your slide show repeat with continuous looping.

To access slide show setup options:

clicking Set Up Slide Show

  • The Set Up Show dialog box will appear. From here, you can select the desired options for your presentation.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn about various options for setting up and playing a slide show.

setting custom options for slide show playback

Here, you can choose a show type .

Show Options

Here, you choose playback settings and disable certain features if desired.

Show Slides

Here, you can choose which slides you want to show during the presentation. All is selected by default, but you can choose to show only certain slides or use any custom shows you have created from your original presentation.

Advance Slides

If you have set timings in your slide show, they will play automatically. However, if you want to disable the timings and control the slides yourself, select Manually .

Multiple Monitors

If you have more than one monitor, you can choose which one to display the slide show on. It's usually best to leave this setting on Automatic .

To advance slides automatically, you'll need to customize the slide timing on the Transitions tab. Review our lesson on Applying Transitions to learn how.

setting automatic slide advancement

  • Open our practice presentation .
  • In the Set Up Slide Show options, change the pen color to purple.
  • Start your slideshow, then access Presenter view .
  • Advance to slide 8.
  • Use the pen tool to circle the fundraising amounts for the 2015-2016 school year. These are the amounts over the green bars.

Presenting Challenge

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How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation (Step-by-Step)

  • PowerPoint Tutorials
  • Presentation Design
  • January 22, 2024

In this beginner’s guide, you will learn step-by-step how to make a PowerPoint presentation from scratch.

While PowerPoint is designed to be intuitive and accessible, it can be overwhelming if you’ve never gotten any training on it before. As you progress through this guide, you’ll will learn how to move from blank slides to PowerPoint slides that look like these.

Example of the six slides you'll learn how to create in this tutorial

Table of Contents

Additionally, as you create your presentation, you’ll also learn tricks for working more efficiently in PowerPoint, including how to:

  • Change the slide order
  • Reset your layout
  • Change the slide dimensions
  • Use PowerPoint Designer
  • Format text
  • Format objects
  • Play a presentation (slide show)

With this knowledge under your belt, you’ll be ready to start creating PowerPoint presentations. Moreover, you’ll have taken your skills from beginner to proficient in no time at all. I will also include links to more advanced PowerPoint topics.

Ready to start learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation?

Take your PPT skills to the next level

Start with a blank presentation.

Note: Before you open PowerPoint and start creating your presentation, make sure you’ve collected your thoughts. If you’re going to make your slides compelling, you need to spend some time brainstorming.

For help with this, see our article with tips for nailing your business presentation  here .

The first thing you’ll need to do is to open PowerPoint. When you do, you are shown the Start Menu , with the Home tab open.

This is where you can choose either a blank theme (1) or a pre-built theme (2). You can also choose to open an existing presentation (3).

For now, go ahead and click on the  Blank Presentation (1)  thumbnail.

In the backstage view of PowerPoint you can create a new blank presentation, use a template, or open a recent file

Doing so launches a brand new and blank presentation for you to work with. Before you start adding content to your presentation, let’s first familiarize ourselves with the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint interface

Picture of the different parts of the PowerPoint layout, including the Ribbon, thumbnail view, quick access toolbar, notes pane, etc.

Here is how the program is laid out:

  • The Application Header
  • The Ribbon (including the Ribbon tabs)
  • The Quick Access Toolbar (either above or below the Ribbon)
  • The Slides Pane (slide thumbnails)

The Slide Area

The notes pane.

  • The Status Bar (including the View Buttons)

Each one of these areas has options for viewing certain parts of the PowerPoint environment and formatting your presentation.

Below are the important things to know about certain elements of the PowerPoint interface.

The PowerPoint Ribbon

The PowerPoint Ribbon in the Microsoft Office Suite

The Ribbon is contextual. That means that it will adapt to what you’re doing in the program.

For example, the Font, Paragraph and Drawing options are greyed out until you select something that has text in it, as in the example below (A).

Example of the Shape Format tab in PowerPoint and all of the subsequent commands assoicated with that tab

Furthermore, if you start manipulating certain objects, the Ribbon will display additional tabs, as seen above (B), with more commands and features to help you work with those objects. The following objects have their own additional tabs in the Ribbon which are hidden until you select them:

  • Online Pictures
  • Screenshots
  • Screen Recording

The Slides Pane

The slides pane in PowerPoint is on the left side of your workspace

This is where you can preview and rearrange all the slides in your presentation.

Right-clicking on a slide  in the pane gives you additional options on the slide level that you won’t find on the Ribbon, such as  Duplicate Slide ,  Delete Slide , and  Hide Slide .

Right clicking a PowerPoint slide in the thumbnail view gives you a variety of options like adding new slides, adding sections, changing the layout, etc.

In addition, you can add sections to your presentation by  right-clicking anywhere in this Pane  and selecting  Add Section . Sections are extremely helpful in large presentations, as they allow you to organize your slides into chunks that you can then rearrange, print or display differently from other slides.

Content added to your PowerPoint slides will only display if it's on the slide area, marked here by the letter A

The Slide Area (A) is where you will build out your slides. Anything within the bounds of this area will be visible when you present or print your presentation.

Anything outside of this area (B) will be hidden from view. This means that you can place things here, such as instructions for each slide, without worrying about them being shown to your audience.

The notes pane in PowerPoint is located at the bottom of your screen and is where you can type your speaker notes

The  Notes Pane  is the space beneath the Slide Area where you can type in the speaker notes for each slide. It’s designed as a fast way to add and edit your slides’ talking points.

To expand your knowledge and learn more about adding, printing, and exporting your PowerPoint speaker notes, read our guide here .

Your speaker notes are visible when you print your slides using the Notes Pages option and when you use the Presenter View . To expand your knowledge and learn the ins and outs of using the Presenter View , read our guide here .

You can click and drag to resize the notes pane at the bottom of your PowerPoint screen

You can resize the  Notes Pane  by clicking on its edge and dragging it up or down (A). You can also minimize or reopen it by clicking on the Notes button in the Status Bar (B).

Note:  Not all text formatting displays in the Notes Pane, even though it will show up when printing your speaker notes. To learn more about printing PowerPoint with notes, read our guide here .

Now that you have a basic grasp of the PowerPoint interface at your disposal, it’s time to make your presentation.

Adding Content to Your PowerPoint Presentation

Notice that in the Slide Area , there are two rectangles with dotted outlines. These are called  Placeholders  and they’re set on the template in the Slide Master View .

To expand your knowledge and learn how to create a PowerPoint template of your own (which is no small task), read our guide here .

Click into your content placeholders and start typing text, just as the prompt suggests

As the prompt text suggests, you can click into each placeholder and start typing text. These types of placeholder prompts are customizable too. That means that if you are using a company template, it might say something different, but the functionality is the same.

Example of typing text into a content placeholder in PowerPoint

Note:  For the purposes of this example, I will create a presentation based on the content in the Starbucks 2018 Global Social Impact Report, which is available to the public on their website.

If you type in more text than there is room for, PowerPoint will automatically reduce its font size. You can stop this behavior by clicking on the  Autofit Options  icon to the left of the placeholder and selecting  Stop Fitting Text to this Placeholder .

Next, you can make formatting adjustments to your text by selecting the commands in the Font area and the  Paragraph area  of the  Home  tab of the Ribbon.

Use the formatting options on the Home tab to choose the formatting of your text

The Reset Command:  If you make any changes to your title and decide you want to go back to how it was originally, you can use the Reset button up in the Home tab .

Hitting the reset command on the home tab resets your slide formatting to match your template

Insert More Slides into Your Presentation

Now that you have your title slide filled in, it’s time to add more slides. To do that, simply go up to the  Home tab  and click on  New Slide . This inserts a new slide in your presentation right after the one you were on.

To insert a new slide in PowerPoint, on the home tab click the New Slide command

You can alternatively hit Ctrl+M on your keyboard to insert a new blank slide in PowerPoint. To learn more about this shortcut, see my guide on using Ctrl+M in PowerPoint .

Instead of clicking the New Slide command, you can also open the New Slide dropdown to see all the slide layouts in your PowerPoint template. Depending on who created your template, your layouts in this dropdown can be radically different.

Opening the new slide dropdown you can see all the slide layouts in your PowerPoint template

If you insert a layout and later want to change it to a different layout, you can use the Layout dropdown instead of the New Slide dropdown.

After inserting a few different slide layouts, your presentation might look like the following picture. Don’t worry that it looks blank, next we will start adding content to your presentation.

Example of a number of different blank slide layouts inserting in a PowerPoint presentation

If you want to follow along exactly with me, your five slides should be as follows:

  • Title Slide
  • Title and Content
  • Section Header
  • Two Content
  • Picture with Caption

Adding Content to Your Slides

Now let’s go into each slide and start adding our content. You’ll notice some new types of placeholders.

Use the icons within a content placeholder to insert things like tables, charts, SmartArt, Pictures, etc.

On slide 2 we have a  Content Placeholder , which allows you to add any kind of content. That includes:

  • A SmartArt graphic,
  • A 3D object,
  • A picture from the web,
  • Or an icon.

To insert text, simply type it in or hit  Ctrl+C to Copy  and Ctrl+V to Paste  from elsewhere. To insert any of the other objects, click on the appropriate icon and follow the steps to insert it.

For my example, I’ll simply type in some text as you can see in the picture below.

Example typing bulleted text in a content placeholder in PowerPoint

Slides 3 and 4 only have text placeholders, so I’ll go ahead and add in my text into each one.

Examples of text typed into a divider slide and a title and content slide in PowerPoint

On slide 5 we have a Picture Placeholder . That means that the only elements that can go into it are:

  • A picture from the web

A picture placeholder in PowerPoint can only take an image or an icon

To insert a picture into the picture placeholder, simply:

  • Click on the  Picture  icon
  • Find  a picture on your computer and select it
  • Click on  Insert

Alternatively, if you already have a picture open somewhere else, you can select the placeholder and paste in (shortcut: Ctrl+V ) the picture. You can also drag the picture in from a file explorer window.

To insert a picture into a picture placeholder, click the picture icon, find your picture on your computer and click insert

If you do not like the background of the picture you inserted onto your slide, you can remove the background here in PowerPoint. To see how to do this, read my guide here .

Placeholders aren’t the only way to add content to your slides. At any point, you can use the Insert tab to add elements to your slides.

You can use either the Title Only  or the  Blank  slide layout to create slides for content that’s different. For example, a three-layout content slide, or a single picture divider slide, as shown below.

Example slides using PowerPoint icons and background pictures

In the first example above, I’ve inserted 6 text boxes, 3 icons, and 3 circles to create this layout. In the second example, I’ve inserted a full-sized picture and then 2 shapes and 2 text boxes.

The Reset Command:  Because these slides are built with shapes and text boxes (and not placeholders), hitting the  Reset button up in the  Home tab  won’t do anything.

That is a good thing if you don’t want your layouts to adjust. However, it does mean that it falls on you to make sure everything is aligned and positioned correctly.

For more on how to add and manipulate the different objects in PowerPoint, check out our step-by-step articles here:

  • Using graphics in PowerPoint
  • Inserting icons onto slides
  • Adding pictures to your PowerPoint
  • How to embed a video in PowerPoint
  • How to add music to your presentation

Using Designer to generate more layouts ideas

If you have Office 365, your version of PowerPoint comes with a new feature called Designer (or Design Ideas). This is a feature that generates slide layout ideas for you. The coolest thing about this feature is that it uses the content you already have.

To use Designer , simply navigate to the  Design tab  in your Ribbon, and click on  Design Ideas .

To use Designer on your slides, click the

NOTE: If the PowerPoint Designer is not working for you (it is grey out), see my troubleshooting guide for Designer .

Change the Overall Design (optional)

When you make a PowerPoint presentation, you’ll want to think about the overall design. Now that you have some content in your presentation, you can use the Design tab to change the look and feel of your slides.

For additional help thinking through the design of your presentation,  read my guide here .

A. Picking your PowerPoint slide size

If you have PowerPoint 2013 or later, when you create a blank document in PowerPoint, you automatically start with a widescreen layout with a 16:9 ratio. These dimensions are suitable for most presentations as they match the screens of most computers and projectors.

However, you do have the option to change the dimensions.

For example, your presentation might not be presented, but instead converted into a PDF or printed and distributed. In that case, you can easily switch to the standard dimensions with a 4:3 ratio by selecting from the dropdown (A).

You can also choose a custom slide size or change the slide orientation from landscape to portrait in the Custom Slide Size dialog box (B).

To change your slide size, click the Design tab, open the slide size dropdown and choose a size or custom slide size

To learn all about the different PowerPoint slide sizes, and some of the issues you will face when changing the slide size of a non-blank presentation,  read my guide here .

 B. Selecting a PowerPoint theme

The next thing you can do is change the theme of your presentation to a pre-built one. For a detailed explanation of what a PowerPoint theme is, and how to best use it,  read my article here .

In the beginning of this tutorial, we started with a blank presentation, which uses the default Office theme as you can see in the picture below.

All PowerPoint presentations start with the default Microsoft Office theme

That gives you the most flexibility because it has a blank background and quite simple layouts that work for most presentations. However, it also means that it’s your responsibility to enhance the design.

If you’re comfortable with this, you can stay with the default theme or create your own custom theme ( read my guide here ). But if you would rather not have to think about design, then you can choose a pre-designed theme.

Microsoft provides 46 other pre-built themes, which include slide layouts, color variants and palettes, and fonts. Each one varies quite significantly, so make sure you look through them carefully.

To select a different theme, go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon, and click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Themes section .

On the Design tab you will find all of the default PowerPoint templates that come with the Microsoft Office Suite

For this tutorial, let’s select the  Frame  theme and then choose the third Variant in the theme. Doing so changes the layout, colors, and fonts of your presentation.

Example choosing the Frame PowerPoint theme and the third variant of this powerpoint presentation

Note: The theme dropdown area is also where you can import or save custom themes. To see my favorite places to find professional PowerPoint templates and themes (and recommendations for why I like them), read my guide here .

C. How to change a slide background in PowerPoint

The next thing to decide is how you want your background to look for the entire presentation. In the  Variants area, you can see four background options.

To change the background style of your presentation, on the Design tab, find the Background Styles options and choose a style

For this example, we want our presentation to have a dark background, so let’s select Style 3. When you do so, you’ll notice that:

  • The background color automatically changes across all slides
  • The color of the text on most of the slides automatically changes to white so that it’s visible on the dark background
  • The colors of the objects on slides #6 and #7 also adjust, in a way we may not want (we’ll likely have to make some manual adjustments to these slides)

What our PowerPoint presentation looks like now that we have selected a theme, a variant, and a background style

Note: If you want to change the slide background for just that one slide, don’t left-click the style. Instead, right-click it and select Apply to Selected Slides .

After you change the background for your entire presentation, you can easily adjust the background for an individual slide.

You can either right-click a PowerPoint slide and select format background or navigate to the design tab and click the format background command

Inside the Format Background pane, you can see you have the following options:

  • Gradient fill
  • Picture or texture fill
  • Pattern fill
  • Hide background

You can explore these options to find the PowerPoint background that best fits your presentation.

D. How to change your color palette in PowerPoint

Another thing you may want to adjust in your presentation, is the color scheme. In the picture below you can see the Theme Colors we are currently using for this presentation.

Example of the theme colors we are currently using with this presentation

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own color palette. By default, the Office theme includes the Office color palette. This affects the colors you are presented with when you format any element within your presentation (text, shapes, SmartArt, etc.).

To change the theme color for your presentation, select the Design tab, open the Colors options and choose the colors you want to use

The good news is that the colors here are easy to change. To switch color palettes, simply:

  • Go to the  Design tab in the Ribbon
  • In the Variants area, click on the  dropdown arrow  and select  Colors
  • Select  the color palette (or theme colors) you want

You can choose among the pre-built color palettes from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

As you build your presentation, make sure you use the colors from your theme to format objects. That way, changing the color palette adjusts all the colors in your presentation automatically.

E. How to change your fonts in PowerPoint

Just as we changed the color palette, you can do the same for the fonts.

Example of custom theme fonts that might come with a powerpoint template

Each PowerPoint theme comes with its own font combination. By default, the Office theme includes the Office font pairing. This affects the fonts that are automatically assigned to all text in your presentation.

To change the default fonts for your presentation, from the design tab, find the fonts dropdown and select the pair of fonts you want to use

The good news is that the font pairings are easy to change. To switch your Theme Fonts, simply:

  • Go to the  Design tab  in the Ribbon
  • Click on the  dropdown arrow  in the  Variants  area
  • Select  Fonts
  • Select  the font pairing you want

You can choose among the pre-built fonts from Office, or you can customize them to create your own.

If you are working with PowerPoint presentations on both Mac and PC computers, make sure you choose a safe PowerPoint font. To see a list of the safest PowerPoint fonts, read our guide here .

If you receive a PowerPoint presentation and the wrong fonts were used, you can use the Replace Fonts dialog box to change the fonts across your entire presentation. For details, read our guide here .

Adding Animations & Transitions (optional)

The final step to make a PowerPoint presentation compelling, is to consider using animations and transitions. These are by no means necessary to a good presentation, but they may be helpful in your situation.

A. Adding PowerPoint animations

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust animations engine designed to power your creativity. That being said, it’s also easy to get started with basic animations.

Animations are movements that you can apply to individual objects on your slide.

To add an animation to an object in PowerPoint, first select the object and then use the Animations tab to select an animation type

To add a PowerPoint animation to an element of your slide, simply:

  • Select the  element
  • Go to the  Animations tab in the Ribbon
  • Click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
  • Select the  animation  you want

You can add animations to multiple objects at one time by selecting them all first and then applying the animation.

B. How to preview a PowerPoint animation

There are three ways to preview a PowerPoint animation

There are three ways to preview a PowerPoint animation:

  • Click on the Preview button in the Animations tab
  • Click on the little star  next to the slide
  • Play the slide in Slide Show Mode

To learn other ways to run your slide show, see our guide on presenting a PowerPoint slide show with shortcuts .

To adjust the settings of your animations, explore the options in the  Effect Options ,  Advanced Animation  and the  Timing  areas of the  Animation tab .

The Animations tab allows you to adjust the effects and timings of your animations in PowerPoint

Note:  To see how to make objects appear and disappear in your slides by clicking a button,  read our guide here .

C. How to manage your animations in PowerPoint

You can see the animations applied to your objects by the little numbers in the upper right-hand corner of the objects

The best way to manage lots of animations on your slide is with the Animation Pane . To open it, simply:

  • Navigate to the  Animations tab
  • Select the  Animation Pane

Inside the Animation Pane, you’ll see all of the different animations that have been applied to objects on your slide, with their numbers marked as pictured above.

Note: To see examples of PowerPoint animations that can use in PowerPoint, see our list of PowerPoint animation tutorials here .

D. How to add transitions to your PowerPoint presentation

PowerPoint has an incredibly robust transition engine so that you can dictate how your slides change from one to the other. It is also extremely easy to add transitions to your slides.

In PowerPoint, transitions are the movements (or effects) you see as you move between two slides.

To add a transition to a slide, select the slide, navigate to the transitions tab in PowerPoint and select your transition

To add a transition to a PowerPoint slide, simply:

  • Select the  slide
  • Go to the  Transitions tab in the Ribbon
  • In the Transitions to This Slide area, click on the  dropdown arrow  to view your options
  • Select the  transition  you want

To adjust the settings of the transition, explore the options in the  Timing  area of the Transitions tab.

You can also add the same transition to multiple slides. To do that, select them in the  Slides Pane  and apply the transition.

E. How to preview a transition in PowerPoint

There are three ways to preview a transition in PowerPoint

There are three ways to preview your PowerPoint transitions (just like your animations):

  • Click on the Preview  button in the Transitions tab
  • Click on the little star  beneath the slide number in the thumbnail view

Note:  In 2016, PowerPoint added a cool new transition, called Morph. It operates a bit differently from other transitions. For a detailed tutorial on how to use the cool Morph transition,  see our step-by-step article here .

Save Your PowerPoint Presentation

After you’ve built your presentation and made all the adjustments to your slides, you’ll want to save your presentation. YOu can do this several different ways.

Click the file tab, select Save As, choose where you want to save your presentation and then click save

To save a PowerPoint presentation using your Ribbon, simply:

  • Navigate to the  File tab
  •  Select  Save As  on the left
  • Choose  where you want to save your presentation
  • Name  your presentation and/or adjust your file type settings
  • Click  Save

You can alternatively use the  Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut to save your presentation. I recommend using this shortcut frequently as you build your presentation to make sure you don’t lose any of your work.

The save shortcut is control plus s in PowerPoint

This is the standard way to save a presentation. However, there may be a situation where you want to save your presentation as a different file type.

To learn how to save your presentation as a PDF, see our guide on converting PowerPoint to a PDF .

How to save your PowerPoint presentation as a template

Once you’ve created a presentation that you like, you may want to turn it into a template. The easiest – but not technically correct – way, is to simply create a copy of your current presentation and then change the content.

But be careful! A PowerPoint template is a special type of document and it has its own parameters and behaviors.

If you’re interested in learning about how to create your own PowerPoint template from scratch, see our guide on how to create a PowerPoint template .

Printing Your PowerPoint Presentation

After finishing your PowerPoint presentation, you may want to print it out on paper. Printing your slides is relatively easy.

The print shortcut is control plus P in PowerPoint

To open the Print dialog box, you can either:

  • Hit Ctrl+P on your keyboard
  • Or go to the Ribbon and click on File and then Print

In the Print dialog box, make your selections for how you want to print your PowerPoint presentation, then click print

Inside the Print dialog box, you can choose from the various printing settings:

  • Printer: Select a printer to use (or print to PDF or OneNote)
  • Slides: Choose which slides you want to print
  • Layout: Determine how many slides you want per page (this is where you can print the notes, outline, and handouts)
  • Collated or uncollated (learn what collated printing means here )
  • Color: Choose to print in color, grayscale or black & white

There are many more options for printing your PowerPoint presentations. Here are links to more in-depth articles:

  • How to print multiple slides per page
  • How to print your speaker notes in PowerPoint
  • How to save PowerPoint as a picture presentation

So that’s how to create a PowerPoint presentation if you are brand new to it. We’ve also included a ton of links to helpful resources to boost your PowerPoint skills further.

When you are creating your presentation, it is critical to first focus on the content (what you are trying to say) before getting lost inserting and playing with elements. The clearer you are on what you want to present, the easier it will be to build it out in PowerPoint.

If you enjoyed this article, you can learn more about our PowerPoint training courses and other presentation resources by  visiting us here .

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How to start a powerpoint slideshow.

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Quick Links

Start a slideshow in powerpoint's desktop app, start a slideshow in powerpoint's web app, start a slideshow in powerpoint's mobile app, key takeaways.

To start a PowerPoint slideshow on your desktop, open your slideshow and click "Start Slide Show" in the "Slide Show" tab. If you're using the web app, select "From Beginning" in the "Slide Show" tab. On mobile, simply tap the Monitor icon at the top of your screen.

There's nothing quite like finishing a presentation after spending hours getting it just right. Now, show off your hard work by starting your Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow on desktop, web, and mobile using the methods below.

Related: How (and Why) to Start Microsoft PowerPoint from the Command Prompt

To play a slideshow in PowerPoint's desktop app, all you have to do is click an option or press a shortcut on your keyboard .

Start the process by opening your presentation with PowerPoint. Then, in the app's ribbon at the top, select the "Slide Show" tab.

Select "Slide Show" at the top.

In the "Slide Show" tab, from the "Start Slide Show" section, choose "From Beginning" (or press F5). Now your presentation will play from the very first slide.

If you'd like to start the slideshow from your current slide, choose the "From Current Slide" option. Alternatively, press Shift+F5 on your keyboard.

Select "From Beginning" or

While your presentation is playing, you can perform various tasks, like moving to the next slide or ending the show. You can reveal these options by right-clicking anywhere on the slide.

Slideshow options in PowerPoint for desktop.

Alternatively, you can use the following keyboard shortcuts while viewing your slideshow:

  • Spacebar or Right Arrow Button: Go to the next slide in the presentation.
  • Left Arrow Button: Go to the previous slide in the presentation.
  • Esc: End the show.
  • W: Hide your current slide and display a white screen. Press the same key again to bring back the slide's content.
  • B: Hide your current slide and display a black screen. Revert back to the slide's content by pressing the same button.
  • Ctrl+Left Mouse Button: Activate the laser point tool to point at things in your slides.
  • Ctrl+P: Launch the pen tool to annotate your slide's content during your show. You can choose if you'd like to keep these annotations when you end the show.
  • Ctrl+i: Access the highlighter tool to highlight items in your slides.

If you'd like to jump to a specific slide while presenting, press that slide's number on your keyboard and hit Enter. For example, press 12 and hit Enter to access that slide quickly.

To access the Presenter view, where you can see the upcoming slides and other options, right-click anywhere on your slide and choose "Show Presenter View."

PowerPoint for desktop's Presenter View.

With these options, you can start a slideshow and have it play exactly how you want.

To play a slideshow on the web, launch your preferred web browser and access PowerPoint on the web . Then, open your presentation.

From PowerPoint's ribbon at the top, select the "Slide Show" tab.

Access the "Slide Show" tab at the top.

In the "Slide Show" tab, start your slideshow from the first slide by clicking the "From Beginning" option. To have your show play from your current slide, choose "From Current Slide."

Choose "From Beginning"

Your presentation is now playing.

To reveal the options for moving slides, annotating items, and using Presenter Coach , bring your cursor to your screen's bottom-left corner. Then, click the appropriate icon.

Slideshow options in PowerPoint for web.

Related: How to Practice Your Presentations with PowerPoint's Presenter Coach

To start a slideshow in the PowerPoint mobile app , launch the app on your phone and open your presentation.

On the presentation screen, at the top, tap the Monitor icon to play the slideshow.

Select the monitor icon at the top.

Your presentation has now begun.

To move to the next slide, swipe left on your screen. To go to the previous slide, swipe right.

Swipe left or right to move slides.

You can reveal PowerPoint's presentation options, like annotation and black screen tools, by tapping at the top of your presentation. Then, choose the option you'd like to use.

Slideshow options in PowerPoint for mobile.

And that's it. Happy presenting!

Want to learn a few tips to help you make the best PowerPoint presentations ? If so, check out our guide.

Related: 8 Tips to Make the Best PowerPoint Presentations

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Why I Use LibreOffice Instead of Microsoft 365

5 ai-powered language learning apps worth trying, power up your pdfs: these 9 apps turn them into fillable forms, quick links.

  • SlidesCarnival
  • SlidesMania

Key Takeaways

  • Canva offers user-friendly templates, drag-and-drop functionality, and real-time collaboration.
  • SlidesCarnival has free templates, no need to sign in, and unlimited downloads.
  • Visme provides interactive elements and multiple download formats in one central location.

With so many slideshow templates available, finding the best of the best can be a challenge. I usually rely on Slidesgo, but I’ve found some great alternatives after plenty of exploration. I’ve trusted these resources to create many presentations that elevate my slides to the next level.

Canva Site Homepage

Canva is an online design tool that I use to create content . This includes presentations, social media graphics, and more. Canva offers different plans, including Canva Free, Canva Pro, Canva Teams, and Canva Enterprise. There are more options tailored for K-12 and higher education.

Key Features of Canva’s Presentation Templates

These four key features have simplified the slideshow template process for me.

  • Canva’s drag-and-drop feature simplifies the template customization process. This feature makes it easy to add and arrange elements (e.g. text and images) and streamline the creation process more efficiently.
  • The real-time collaboration feature has been invaluable for group projects. This allowed me to easily share templates as editable files or finished designs. You can use this too, to make the collaboration and content process much smoother.
  • The Resize and Magic Switch feature has been a great help. This feature helped me resize my creation for different social media platforms. This feature is available on Canva Pro, Canva Teams, Canva for Education, and Canva for Nonprofits.
  • The Canva Design School resource page has been helpful in the creation process. It offers guidance on the tools and features available. It also allowed me to maximize the tool’s potential during editing. This helped to create polished and impactful designs.

Slideegg Site Homepage

SlideEgg is another top template resource that I trust for my presentation needs. It offers a vast collection of customizable templates to boost productivity and creativity. SlideEgg offers a free version. More pricing plans include the Unlimited Quarter, Unlimited Year, Annual Pass, and Lifetime.

Key Features on SlideEgg

These four key features on SlideEgg explain why this is a great template resource.

  • SlideEgg offers regular updates. I love how it consistently keeps up with the latest trends and interests.
  • I also love how SlideEgg’s high-quality graphics make presentations look professional and polished. This attention to detail significantly enhances the impact and appeal of each presentation.
  • The Redesign Your Slides option takes four simple steps to quickly revamp presentations. With the help of SlideEgg experts, you can elevate your slides in a short time frame. If you prefer, you can also use the live chat in the bottom right corner for fast and reliable help.
  • I found the SlideEgg site very easy to navigate for the free and paid versions. Each template comes with detailed descriptions of its theme and features. This helps to select a template based on its format options and the platform it is compatible with.

3 SlidesCarnival

SlidesCarnival Template Resource Homepage

SlidesCarnival is a great tool for crafting projects. Most templates are compatible with PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Canva. SlidesCarnival aims to elevate presentations for business meetings, marketing efforts, and creative projects.

Key Features of SlidesCarnival

Here are the three top features of SlidesCarnival while creating projects:

  • SlidesCarnival is straightforward to use, with no paid plans or subscriptions. Just remember to keep the end credit slide for SlidesCarnival in your presentation.
  • I was able to explore the site and download templates without creating a new account. This made it incredibly convenient to access the template I needed.
  • I downloaded as many templates as I needed. There is no limit on the number of downloads for SlidesCarnival. This is particularly useful for the times you need to create several presentations.

Visme Template Resource Homepage

Visme’s robust template collection is designed to help create visually engaging presentations. It quickly became a go-to resource for me. This option is great for built-in multimedia content, as well as seamless integration of images, videos, and charts.

Key Features of Visme

  • Visme’s interactive features are worth exploring. You can try clickable pop-ups, embedded polls, and more. These elements boost engagement by adding interactive content that captures your audience's interest.
  • With Visme, I could download my projects in various formats . For example, HTML5 was useful for downloading presentations with embedded audio and animations.
  • Implementing interactive features was simple. Especially since I could create any infographics, surveys, and social media graphics, all in one central location.

5 SlidesMania

SlidesMania Template Resource Homepage

SlidesMania offers a wide selection of slideshow templates for PowerPoint and Google Slides. With their slides, you can add flair to your professional or personal presentations.

Key Features of SlidesMania

  • All the templates are completely free on this site and I didn't have to create an account or register, which makes it an accessible resource.
  • SlidesMania offers a variety of stylish templates. Their creative templates will help give your presentations a fresh and creative look.
  • SlidesMania offers a Tips and Tricks for Google Slides feature. This was especially helpful when I was working with Google Slides . There are many guides, including how to add image placeholders or lock content to prevent accidental changes.

Each of these five slideshow template resources can add value to your presentations. I usually rely on Slidesgo . But these alternatives offer distinct features that are worth exploring to take your projects to new heights.

  • Productivity
  • Office Templates

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  • Presentations

30 PowerPoint Presentation Tips to Make Good PPT Slides in 2024 (+ 6 Expert Tips)

Andrew Childress

  • Bahasa Indonesia

Here are 30 quick PowerPoint presentation tips to help you improve your presentations. 

Presentation Example

Plus, get PowerPoint tips on changing your slide design to make your content shine. We've even called on six presentation experts for their best tips.

How to Make a Good PowerPoint Presentation (Watch & Learn)

This screencast is a speed round of my very favorite PowerPoint tricks. It's a great resource to learn how to make a presentable PowerPoint. I'll walk you through ten of my favorite PowerPoint tips and tricks to create a better presentation.

slide show your presentation

Keep reading for an illustrated version of these good PPT tips (and more) that you can use to improve your PowerPoint presentations. You'll see 30 of our favorite PowerPoint presentation tips and tricks, including techniques to update slide master PowerPoint 2024 designs.

Jump to content in this section:

  • How Do You Give a Memorable PPT Presentation?
  • Practice Makes Perfect
  • Adapt Your Presentation to the Audience
  • Use a Custom Font
  • Use Contrast
  • Avoid Too Many Animations
  • Use the Rule of Three
  • Use a Custom PPT Theme Design
  • Make Use of Charts and Graphs
  • Use the Built-in Slide Layouts
  • Align Text Consistently
  • Make Your Exports User-Friendly
  • Try a Different Color Scheme
  • Edit Slide Masters for Consistency
  • Use the Alignment Feature
  • Use Stock Assets
  • Reduce Your Content
  • Rethink Your Slide Order
  • Use PowerPoint Animations
  • Invite Collaborators
  • Add Supporting Video Clips
  • Use Infographic Templates
  • Use Impactful Closing Techniques
  • Include Data in the Appendix
  • Alternate Between Solid Color and White Slides
  • Present Information With Maps
  • Keep the Design Best Practices in Mind
  • Set a Time Limit
  • Test Your Content Everywhere

30 Tips: How to Make Good PowerPoint Presentation Designs Fast in 2024

A few tried and true tips can help you speed up your PowerPoint presentation design. Check out 30 of my favorite PowerPoint tips to do just that. Each of these give you PowerPoint slideshow help to create good PowerPoint slides:

1. How Do You Give a Memorable PPT Presentation?

If you're learning the top PowerPoint presentation tips and tricks, you're probably asking yourself: how do I give a presentation that won't be forgotten?

We all want to be remembered. The best PowerPoint slideshow help to make a mark on the audience. There are tried-and-true ways to do just that, and expert Neil Tomlinson shares expertise on being remembered:

Get your main point into the presentation as early as possible (this avoids any risk of audience fatigue or attention span waning), then substantiate your point with facts, figures etc and then reiterate your point at the end in a ‘Summary’.

2. Practice Makes Perfect

Also, don’t forget to practice your presentation. Go through your slide deck a few times to make sure you know it like the back of your hand when the big day arrives. Doing so helps you feel more confident. It'll reduce any anxiety and nervousness you might feel as the presentation day approaches.

What's the best way to rehears for a good PowerPoint? Here's one of the top PowerPoint presentation tips from expert presenter Sandra Zimmer :

Once slides are ready, practice one slide at a time aloud until you feel like you know it and like the flow of speech. Be willing to change anything that does not feel in flow. At the end of learning all your slides, practice the whole talk.

If you want even more great PowerPoint presentation tips and tricks, check out the following post:

slide show your presentation

3. Adapt Your Presentation to the Audience

Let's say that you're a seasoned presenter with a pretty standard set of presentation topics. Maybe you're an expert in your field, and you're asked to give a PPT presentation frequently on similar topics.

That's the value of being an expert. You might have a standard spiel that you give your audiences, and your content won't totally change from one presentation to another. That's why it helps to make only slight tweaks to adapt your presentation to each audience.

Leading presentation expert Suzannah Baum offered up this advice:

Different audiences will have different needs and different challenges, which requires me to re-sequence the slides, or create new ones. I tend to do a lot of research on my audiences – via surveys, interviews, and conversations with the hiring manager – to help me better understand what information would be most relevant to them.

How do you adapt to your audience? Here are a few more tips:

  • Learn about them. If you're asked to speak, talk to the curator of the presentation to learn more about the audience and their background.
  • Ask about them! With contact details, send out a survey or a response link to ask for feedback and preparation info. Ask leading questions like "what do you want to learn?"
  • Consider the environment.  If you're presenting via Zoom, your style will differ from presenting in person. The key is to acknowledge the difference and adapt to your environment.

Presentation audience Elements

Learn everything you can about your audience. Learning how to make a presentable PowerPoint is all about thinking of the recipient, not the presenter!

4. Use a Custom Font

A PowerPoint presentation tip that'll make your slideshow more interesting and more engaging is to use a custom font.

Fonts set the tone for your presentation. So, when you use a premium font, you’re opting for a high-quality font while also adding a personal or creative touch. 

When choosing a font, remember that you want everyone to read your text easily. 

5. Use Contrast

The white text contrasts with the dark grey background.

One PowerPoint trick is to use contrast to make some of your text stand out or make it easier to read.

If you’re putting text over an image on our PowerPoint slide, you may need to use a white box with black text in it to make your text easier to read. You can also use contrasting colors to highlight important text.

6. Avoid Too Many Animations

Another PowerPoint tip is to avoid having too many animations or transitions.

When you've got too many animations, it can be distracting to the audience. It’s not only distracting, but it's unprofessional.

It’s best to stick to one or two animations throughout your presentation. Also, if you've got any animations in your presentation, make sure to test them to see if they work before presenting.

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7. Add Audio

Include audio on a slide on PowerPoint to increase audience engagement. Audio can be anything from fun sound effects to interview clips. You can even add an audio clip of your voice.

Audio gives you a break from speaking while also engaging the audience. Envato Elements has hundreds of premium audio clips if you want to add some.

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8. Use the Rule of Three

One PowerPoint tip and trick is to follow the rules of PowerPoint.

One of those rules is the rule of three. It's where you start by dividing your presentation into thirds. Everything should come in thirds, so if you use bullet points, you should only have three. If you use icons, you should only have three.

When things come in threes, it's easier to remember them. For more information, read this informative article:

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9. Use a Custom PPT Theme Design

Above all, consistently use custom PowerPoint themes. Microsoft has built-in themes that you can use for free, sure. But the premium themes that are on Envato Elements   are a major step-up from PowerPoint's built-in themes. 

Envato Elements is an all-you-can-download creative subscription

When you subscribe to Envato Elements, you'll have access to unlimited downloads of all the PowerPoint themes. Right now, Envato Elements has almost 4,000 PowerPoint themes and that number is always growing. You'll learn tips for a good PowerPoint presentation by using the best templates.

The Socran PPTX template is a great example of using a PowerPoint template to jump ahead in the design process. 

10. Make Use of Charts and Graphs

Illustrate your data with the use of charts and graphs. Not only will you be able to make your presentation more visually appealing, but you'll also help your audience remember the information better.

Use charts and graphs like the ones found in Blendu PowerPoint template

Many PowerPoint templates already include chart and graph elements. Easily customize them to make your data and stats more interesting and easier to understand.

Want to learn more about how to use data? Turn to expert Adrienne J ohnston , a presentation professional:

When it comes to visualizing data in presentations, we have to remember that our audience does not need all the fine details of the data - they need the main takeaway and we need to make sure that's evident to them when looking at the slide.

11. Use the Built-in Slide Layouts

Inside of PowerPoint themes, you'll find layouts , which are custom slide designs.

Most themes include a selection of content layouts that you can use as a starting point for your own slide designs. You can leverage slide master PowerPoint 2024 designs with the help of layouts.

Slide Layouts Screenshot

Layouts are like a starting point for your PowerPoint presentation slides. They contain combinations of placeholders for text boxes, images, and more.

Instead of clicking and drawing individual objects onto the slide, use one of these layouts to start your slide off. It's one of the top PowerPoint presentation tips and tricks to save time.

12. Align Text Consistently

When you're working with text on your slide, it helps to ensure that it aligns consistently. Keeping your text aligned in the same orientation really makes a slide look clean. 

In the example below, I've basically got three text boxes:

  • list of bulleted points

Notice that all this text is aligned left. 

Alignment Example Image

Aligning text was the " aha " moment that I learned when I started studying slide design. It's one of those steps that makes a slide look much neater and professional, so keep it in mind when designing.

13. Make Your Exports User-Friendly

No matter how great your PowerPoint presentation slides look, you need to think about how your user will use the presentation file. 

Any of these are likely scenarios if you're regularly sending presentations to other users:

  • The viewer may not have PowerPoint installed on their computer.
  • The recipient may be using a version of PowerPoint that renders the presentation differently.
  • Maybe you don't want the user to be able to make any edits or see your notes in the presentation file.

PDF version of the slide

In this case, my favorite tip is to export the presentation as a PDF. To do that, go to File > Export > Create PDF , and then save your presentation as a PDF.

This is sure to help most of your users see the presentation just the way you intended.

14. Try a Different Color Scheme

Many PowerPoint themes have more than one color scheme that you can apply to your presentation. On the Design  tab, click on the drop-down next to Themes to try out a different color scheme.

Slide themes

Typically, these will restyle your entire presentation. Premium themes that you might get from Envato Elements, for example, may have many versions inside the original presentation zip file.

15. Edit Slide Masters for Consistency

The slide master controls the design for your PowerPoint slide. Instead of making the same change to each slide, apply a change to a slide master. It'll affect all the PowerPoint presentation slides that use the same master.

Edit the Slide Master

It's ideal to apply a logo to the slide master itself, for example. This keeps the logo the same size and in the same position on each slide.

To do that, go to View > Slide Master.  On the right side, you're likely to see a variety of slide masters that control designs for many slides. Drop the elements that you want to remain consistent onto one of the slide masters.

16. Use the Alignment Feature

PowerPoint presentation slides look better when the objects on them are in line with one another. There's a certain visual rhythm that occurs when objects line up in the center or along certain boundary lines.

Alignment feature

When you start dragging objects on your slide, you'll see guiding lines that pop up. These are very intuitive, and you'll likely notice that they help you line up your objects. You might seem them pop up when you've got a box that's equidistant between two other objects on the slide, for example.

This is one of the best tricks for improving the look of your PowerPoint slide. Spend some time making sure that your key elements line up cohesively.

17. Use Stock Assets

Earlier, I mentioned using Envato Elements to grab PowerPoint themes. But there's more that comes with an Envato Elements subscription for presentations.

That includes a wide variety of stock photos, graphics,  and custom designed fonts  that you can use in your presentation. Instead of reusing the same stock photo or clip art, Envato Elements has everything you need to supplement a presentation. 

Again, Envato Elements is the perfect subscription if you build presentations. It's a one-stop-shop that you can use to fill content.

18. Reduce Your Content

There's nothing that makes an audience tune out faster than being overloaded with slide content. Sometimes we try to make so many points that the audience misses all of them due to information overload.

Less is truly more. When you cut the weaker points of your presentation, the audience's attention will follow your key points accordingly.

It seems like cheating, but one of the best steps that you can take for your slide is to simply reduce the number of items that are on it. Convert some of your typed points to things you'll speak verbally.

19. Rethink Your Slide Order

Sometimes, I find that my presentations are out of order. I might spend too much time explaining my decision before I get to the conclusion.

In these cases, I like to use Slide Sorter View  to re-sequence the slides in my presentation. To access this view, go to View > Slide Sorter  on PowerPoint's ribbon.

Slide Sorter View Rearrange

From Slide Sorter view, you've got a top-down view of all the slides in your presentation deck. It sometimes becomes obvious that the slides can be reordered into a better sequence from this view.

20. Use PowerPoint Animations 

One of my favorite PowerPoint presentation tips is to complement your major points with a bit of animation. Using animation can bring a key point onto your slide with style!

Check out ten of the best PowerPoint tips for how to use animation from expert Sven Lenaerts below:

slide show your presentation

21. Invite Collaborators

Building a presentation often benefits from a second set of eyes. That's why it helps so much to invite a collaborator to work with you side-by-side in Microsoft PowerPoint.

Pushing your presentation up to OneDrive and inviting collaborators is easy. Thanks to the cloud-based approach, more than one user can edit a slide deck in real time. Learn how to do that in the tutorial below:

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22. Add Supporting Video Clips

Building impactful presentations is all about adding other perspectives and angles to the content. One of my favorite ways to do that is to add a video clip. Maybe that's a production that you built on your own or found on sites like YouTube.

Either way, learn how to add and auto play a video clip in the quick tip below:

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23. Use Infographic Templates

More presentations than ever will feature visuals that tell stories with data. But it's easy for an audience become overwhelmed with data. 

That's where infographics come into play. Learn to use them in PowerPoint in the tutorial below:

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24. Use Impactful Closing Techniques

I've sat through many presentations in my life. I can only remember a few that really stick out, thanks to techniques that highlighted key points. You need PowerPoint tips and tricks that help leave your audience with an impact.

To do just that, make sure you use some of the techniques highlighted in the article below:

slide show your presentation

To do that, just drag and drop the thumbnails into the order you want. When you return to Normal view, the PowerPoint presentation slides will be in the resequenced order you set here.

25. Include Data in the Appendix

Many PowerPoint presentations include data in the form of charts and graphs. That means that you'll condense specifics into a few easy-to-follow charts.

But what if your audience wants more of the backing details? Maybe they want to validate and review the detail for themselves. In that case, a   set of  appendix slides  with extra data is sure to help.

PowerPoint 2022 data appendix

Appendix slides are included at the end of a presentation deck for backup purposes. You might not present them, but your audience is certain to appreciate that you included them. That helps your presentation continue to be useful even after you leave the room.

Here's a great tip from: pro presenter  Graeme Thomas of Johnny F Designs:

If (my clients) are sending the deck straight to clients however, I would then put all the information on the slides but will often use more slides so that they aren't too cluttered. In cases where there is a lot of content, like financial statements, I would use  appendix slides.

Including an appendix helps your audience understand data  without  overwhelming them with that data. Follow these tips so that you get the best of both worlds.

26. Alternate Between Solid Color and White Slides

Alternating between solid color and slides with a white background can produce an interesting visual effect and engage your audience. You can use the solid-colored slides to signify a new section in your presentation.

Lekro PowerPoint template has beautiful solid-color and white background slides

Not to mention, solid-colored slides are the perfect way to re-enforce your brand colors and build your brand recognition.

27. Present Information With Maps

If you’re trying to make a case for a global expansion or need to report on how other branches are performing, consider using a map to help your audience visualize the data.

There's no shortage of quality PowerPoint templates with maps built in so be sure to take advantage of them.

28. Keep the Design Best Practices in Mind

The design of your presentation matters just as much as the content of your presentation. That’s why you need to devote an equal amount of time to making sure the design of your presentation is on point as you do to the actual content.

Familiarize yourself with best design practices and keep them in mind as you go about customizing your template.

29. Set a Time Limit

How many slides is the right number for you? Well, it all depends on the time limit you set for your presentation.

Believe it or not, setting a time limit is helpful to create good PowerPoint slides. If you want to learn how to make a presentable PowerPoint, it's a must to lock in the time limit and ensure that your slides support that timeframe. 

Expert presenter Stephanie Ottavan offers one of our top tips for a good PowerPoint presentation based on time limits:

A presenter is usually limited to a specific time frame and you want to adhere to that as closely as you can. If you have animations and transitions in your deck, these take added time so make sure to rehearse in “show mode” of PowerPoint or Keynote and time yourself.

Believe it or not, setting a time frame is one of the most important part of creating a PPT presentation. It helps you influence how many good PowerPoint slides you should design.

30. Test Your Content Everywhere

PowerPoint in 2024 could take place anywhere. Maybe you present, online, in-person, or beam it to mobile devices. It's important to remember that the content will appear differently on each device.

PowerPoint Online is a different medium than many other apps. Make sure that your presentation design appears the same by testing it with the help of this tutorial. It shows you how your PPT presentation appears even in a browser:

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Discover Great Premium PowerPoint Templates With Google Slides (For 2024)

Creating a great presentation starts with a great template. And a great PowerPoint slide design use the best presentation practices, for example:

  • Use high-quality photos and graphics to help tell the story.
  • Keep text to a minimum.
  • Stick to one idea per slide.

Designing a great template doesn’t mean you've got to start from scratch, though. Take a look at some of the best PowerPoint templates we've got on Envato Elements.

1. Neo PowerPoint Template

Neo PowerPoint Template

The Neo PowerPoint template features a modern and bold design and includes five color variations to get you started. Along with this, you'll also get 10 master slides and 30 individual slides for all your presentation needs.

2. Vexana PowerPoint Template

Vexana PowerPoint Template

The Vexana template is a great choice for brands that need a touch of elegance. This template works with PowerPoint and Google Slides and comes with a grand total of 150 slides. It also has five color variations and includes infographic elements and photo placeholders.

3. Sprint PowerPoint Template

Sprint PowerPoint Template

The Sprint PowerPoint template features a professional and modern design. The template is easy to customize. You'll find 20 masters in the standard 4:3 size, allowing you to choose the best layout for your information.

4. Travelicious PowerPoint Template

Travelicious PowerPoint Template

For any presentation that deals with the topic of travel, check out the Travelicious template. This template is compatible with both PowerPoint and Google Slides. It includes three premade color variations as well as 30 unique slides.

 As you can see from the examples above, there's no shortage of beautiful and professional PowerPoint slide designs on Envato Elements . What’s more, Envato Elements allows you to download as many PowerPoint templates as you want. Plus, get thousands of other design assets such as fonts, photos, and icons—all for one low monthly price.

Want to see even more great PowerPoint template examples? Be sure to check out our related roundup:

Need Help? Grab Our Making Great Presentations eBook (Free)

We've got the perfect complement to this tutorial. You can find more information in our eBook on making great presentations . Download this PDF eBook now for FREE with your subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter. 

It'll help you master the presentation process from initial creative ideas through to writing, design, and delivering with impact.

Free eBook PDF Download Make a Great Presentation

PowerPoint Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Now that you’ve read about PowerPoint tips and tricks, if you want to learn more about PowerPoint, here are some FAQs:

1. What Is a Placeholder?

Placeholders in your slide on PowerPoint help you easily add text or images to your slide without changing your design.

In a template, sometimes the placeholders have prompts such as “Click to insert a picture” or “Click to add text.” These prompts let you know what kind of placeholder it is. To learn more about placeholders, read this article: 

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2. How Can I Automatically Play a Video?

A PowerPoint tip is to insert an automatically played video in your presentation. When you've got a video that'll play automatically, it saves you the trouble of starting your video manually.

Videos can illustrate topics or specific points. They're also a great way to keep your audience engaged. If you want to learn how to play a video automatically, read this tutorial:

3. How Can I Add a Map to my Slide?

Another PowerPoint trick is to add a map to your slide. If you're discussing a specific location, then a map can help your audience visualize the location you're presenting. To learn how to add a map to your PowerPoint slide, read this tutorial:

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4. How Do I Add a GIF to My Presentation?

Adding a GIF to your slide on PowerPoint is one way you can grab your audience's attention. To add a GIF to your slide, you’ll need to download a GIF.

Once you download it, upload it into PowerPoint and use it on your slide. For more information about how to add a GIF to your slide on PowerPoint, read this article:

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5. Can I Recover My Unsaved Presentation?

Another PowerPoint trick is to learn how to recover unsaved PowerPoint files so that you can be prepared in case of an emergency. If you want to learn more, read this tutorial:

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Learn More About How to Make Presentable PowerPoints

These quick PowerPoint Presentation tips are some of my favorite ways to rapidly improve a presentation. Keeping them in mind while you build a presentation can help you build a deck that you'll be confident about presenting.

Check out these tutorials to keep learning more about PowerPoint. These tutorials will give you more ideas for fixing up your PowerPoint presentation slides efficiently:

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Find More Templates

Didn't see a template you like? Here are some more:

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Use These PPT Presentation Tips on Your Next Presentation

Now that you've studied some of our best PowerPoint tips, it's time to put them to use. Download one of our top-notch PowerPoint themes from Envato Elements to get started. These PowerPoint presentation tips and tricks give you confidence to make you a skilled presenter.

Editorial Note : This post was first published in February of 2019. Our staff updates this post regularly — adding new, exciting PowerPoint tips and templates (with special help from Brenda Barron , Andrew Childress and Sarah Joy ).

Andrew Childress

  • Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view Article
  • Add speaker notes to your slides Article
  • Rehearse and time the delivery of a presentation Article
  • Record a slide show with narration and slide timings Article
  • Print your PowerPoint slides, handouts, or notes Article
  • Create a self-running presentation Article

slide show your presentation

Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view

Using Presenter view is a great way to view your presentation with speaker notes on one computer (your laptop, for example), while only the slides themselves appear on the screen that your audience sees (like a larger screen you're projecting to).

If you're using a newer version of PowerPoint, just connect the monitors and PowerPoint automatically sets up Presenter View for you.

If Presenter view appears on the wrong screen, you can swap the display quickly .

Turn off Presenter view if you prefer not to use it.

Your browser does not support video. Install Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, or Internet Explorer 9.

Start presenting

On the Slide Show tab, in the Start Slide Show group, select From Beginning .

Start a slide show from the beginning.

Use the controls in Presenter view

To move to the previous or next slide, select Previous or Next .

Presenter View - Back and Next buttons

To view all the slides in your presentation, select See all slides .

Click Slide Navigator to view all slides

Tip:  You’ll see thumbnails of all the slides in your presentation (as shown below), making it easy to jump to a specific slide in the show.

A grid with thumbnail images of all slides in the presentation.

To view a detail in your slide up close, select Zoom into slide , and then point to the part you want to see.

Zoom into the slide

For more details on zooming in, see Zoom in to part of a slide .

To point to or write on your slides as you present, select Pen and laser pointer tools .

Use the pen or laser tool to point to or write on slides

Press the Esc key when you want to turn off the pen, laser pointer, or highlighter.

To hide or unhide the current slide in your presentation, select Black or unblack slide show .

Black or unblack a slide

You can use PowerPoint on your smartphone as a remote control to run your presentation and view your speaker notes. See Using a laser pointer on your smartphone when presenting in PowerPoint for more information, including a brief video.

Swap the Presenter view and Slide view monitors

To manually determine which screen shows your notes in Presenter view and which shows only the slides themselves, on the task bar at the top of Presenter view, select Display Settings , and then select Swap Presenter View and Slide Show .

Display Settings in Presenter View

What the notes look like in Presenter view

Tip:  You can add notes either while you’re presenting, directly from Presenter view, or as you’re editing your presentation. For information on how to add speaker notes to your presentation see  Add speaker notes to your slides.

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The notes appear in a pane on the right. If you need to add or delete something, simply click in the text box to edit it. The text wraps automatically, and a vertical scroll bar appears if necessary. You can change the size of the text in the Notes pane by using the two buttons at the lower left corner of the Notes pane:

Change the size of the text in the Notes pane in Presenter view

To change the size of the panes in Presenter View, point your mouse at the vertical line that separates them, then click and drag.

Tip:  If you don't need to see the current slide in Presenter View at all, and would like your notes to be larger, drag that vertical separator line all the way to the left.

Turn off Presenter view

If you want Presenter view turned off while you are showing your presentation to others:

On the Slide Show tab of the ribbon, clear the check box named Use Presenter View .

The Slide Show tab in PowerPoint has a check box to control whether Presenter View is used when you show a presentation to others.

Keep your slides updated

If you're working with a team of people to create your slide deck it may be that changes are being made to the slides right up to the last minute. Traditionally once you've started your presentation your slides wouldn't update. If you're using PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 you have the option to let your slides be updated by your team even as you're presenting so that you always have the up-to-the-minute changes.

You can turn this on by going to the Slide Show tab of the ribbon, selecting Set Up Slide Show , and checking the box for Keep slides updated .  

The Show options group of Set Up Slide Show with Keep slides updated enabled.

If you've already started your presentation and you want to make sure that setting is on, you can do that from Presenter view. Select the More slide show options button (which looks like three dots) and on the menu make sure Keep Slides Updated is checked.

The More slide show options menu in Presenter view.

Using a laser pointer on your smartphone when presenting in PowerPoint

To start using Presenter view, select Slide Show > Presenter View .

Presenter View on the Slide Show tab

To move to the previous or next slide, select the Previous or Next arrow.

Navigation buttons in Presenter view.

To turn off the pen, laser pointer, or highlighter, press the Esc key.

To make the screen black or to un-black the screen, Press b on the keyboard.

Toggle subtitles on or off in Presenter view.

Extend your Mac desktop to the second monitor

On the Apple menu, select System Preferences .

Open the Displays app.

Click the Arrangement tab in the dialog box.

Clear the Mirror Displays check box.

By doing this process, you now have a two-monitor setup. You can present a PowerPoint slide show on one screen while having other applications open on the other screen, keeeping those other apps private to yourself.

To manually determine which screen shows your notes in Presenter view and which shows only the slides themselves, on the task bar at the top left of Presenter view, select Swap Displays .

When your computer is connected to a projector and you start Presenter View, it appears on your computer's screen, while only the slides appear on the projector screen.

Presenter view includes a pane for speaker notes on the right and a navigation pane at the bottom.

The notes appear in a pane on the right:

The text wraps automatically, and a vertical scroll bar appears if necessary.

You can edit the text in the Notes pane.

You can change the size of the text in the Notes pane by using the two buttons at the lower left corner of the Notes pane:

Font-size controls for the Notes in Presenter view.

You can adjust the size of the current slide, and notes and next slide panels, by using your mouse to grab and drag the vertical line that separates the two panels.

Turn off Presenter view before a presentation begins

On the PowerPoint menu, select Preferences .

In the PowerPoint Preferences dialog box, under Output and Sharing , click Slide Show .

In the PowerPoint Preferences dialog box, under Output and Sharing, click Slide Show.

In the Slide Show dialog box, clear the Always start Presenter View with 2 displays check box.

In the Slide Show dialog box, clear the Always start Presenter View with 2 displays check box.

Close the dialog box.

Turn off Presenter view during a presentation

At the top of the Presentation view window, click Use Slide Show .

Turn off Presenter view during a presentation by selecting "Use Slide Show" at the top of the Presenter view window.

This button closes Presenter view. As a result, both your personal computer screen and the projector screen show the slide show.

If you're working with a team of people to create your slide deck it may be that changes are being made to the slides right up to the last minute. Traditionally once you've started your presentation your slides wouldn't update. If you're using PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac you have the option to let your slides be updated by your team even as you're presenting so that you always have the up-to-the-minute changes.

You can turn this on by going to the Slide Show tab of the ribbon, and checking the box for Keep Slides Updated .  

The slide show tab of the ribbon showing "Keep Slides Updated" selected.

Create a self-running presentation

Record your slide show

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SlideUpLift

The 10 Best Presentation Websites To Build Stunning Slideshows

In today’s fast-paced world, catching your audience’s attention is one of the hardest things to do, but a well-crafted presentation will help you do just that! However, creating a presentation can be a daunting task, especially on the go, and that is exactly why we have curated a list of the best presentation websites that you can use to create stunning presentations on the go.

In this blog, we’ll dive into the world of presentation websites, exploring the best platforms to help you create your slides. Whether you’re a student, professional, or entrepreneur, we’ve got you covered.

The 10 Best PPT Making Sites

When it comes to creating presentations online, these websites are some of the best that you will ever encounter! From creating a deck of slides with the help of real professional design experts to using AI to create slides within minutes, you will find it all on these sites!

Infographic on the 10 best websites for presentations

1. SlideUpLift

Price: Plans start from $18.99 Best Known For: 40,000+ library of presentation templates catering to all business needs, AI tools to create stunning presentations, Proprietary Presentation Services platform for corporate users 

If you are a business professional looking to create visually impactful presentations, then SlideUpLift is the website you are looking for! You will find more than 40,000+  professional PowerPoint templates and AI apps that help create visually stunning presentations. One of their coolest AI tools is SlideEnhance., an AI app that transforms your simple slides into masterpieces within seconds. All you have to do is import your slide and watch it beautify it before you can even blink! SlideUpLift offers not only AI apps but also professional presentation design services . They work closely with businesses to create custom presentations that match their brand and goals perfectly. They have a proprietary presentation services platform for their service users where they can initiate requests, review drafts, give feedback, and download final versions, all in a single interface.

Price: Plans start from $5 Best Known For: Creating engaging and dynamic presentations

Known for its nonlinear canvases, Prezi is among the best presentation websites out there! With the help of Prezi, you can easily zoom in and out of your elements to create an interactive storytelling experience for your audience. The best part about Prezi is that you can present content over a user’s video feed, allowing it to be even more engaging than other presentation tools. It is a browser-based application, which means there will be fewer compatibility concerns

Price: $12.99 monthly Best Known For: Versatile designing software, detailed editing

Canva has always been known for graphic designing, but not many know that it is one of the most powerful websites for presentations. It not only offers a wide range of templates, design elements, and images that help you create stunning presentations. Talking about collaborating, Canva also provides a collaborative feature, allowing you to work simultaneously with your teammates. Canva also has a paid plan, allowing you to access its entire library of elements and templates.

4. SlidesAI

Price: $10 per month Best Known For: Transforming text into visually appealing slides

Next on our list of the best presentation websites is SlidesAI, a site that uses AI to help create eye-catching presentations quickly. It uses a text-to-presentation AI that converts all the text provided into stunning slideshows. This lets you save time on designing your own presentation and focus on your delivery and presentation skills.

5. Mentimeter

Price: Plans start from $11.99 Best Known For: Creating interactive presentations

Are you looking to create presentations that can have live quizzes, polls, and Q&A sessions? Then Mentimeter is exactly what you have been looking for! This presentation site is perfect for creating real-time polls, Q&A sessions, and quizzes while letting your audience join in using their phone or laptop. The amazing part about Mentimeter is that it is all seamless, and you even receive real-time insights, making it a popular choice when it comes to audience engagement.

Price: Plans start from $89 per month  Best Known For: Creating stunning animated presentations and videos

Struggling to bring your presentations to life? PowToon is your animated savior! As one of the top presentation platforms, it empowers you to create dynamic, eye-catching slides effortlessly. With a treasure trove of templates and endless animation options, you’ll be spoilt for choice.

If you are struggling with animations in PowerPoint, check out our guide on adding animations in PowerPoint !

7. Slidebean

Price: Depends on the presentation Best Known For: Using AI tools to design presentations

When talking about good websites for presentations, we have to mention Slidebean. This site is another AI-powered website that helps you create visually appealing presentations within minutes. With the help of a vast collection of templates with text suggestions for various industries and the ability to add your brand identity, it is one of the best websites for creating presentations.

8. Microsoft Sway

Price: Free

Best Known For: Storytelling in presentations through interactive elements 

Next on our list of best PowerPoint websites comes Microsoft Sway, an innovative site that helps create interactive and fascinating slideshows. Whether you are using Sway for school, professional, or even personal use, you will be surprised by its built-in design engine and multiple presentation layouts. Sway has its own multimedia elements, and it integrates with all other Microsoft Office applications, allowing seamless sharing and access.

9. Google Slides

Price: Free Best Known For: Collaboration and accessibility

Not mentioning Google Slides in our list of good presentation websites has to be considered a sin. Google Slides is one of the first presentation sites that everyone has visited when creating a presentation online. With its cloud-sharing capabilities and collaboration options, you can easily create professional slideshows with your colleagues without downloading anything!

Price: Plans starts from $12.25 per month

Best Known For: All-in-one visual communication tool

Rounding out our list is Visme, a standout online presentation tool. Its unparalleled customization options let you craft presentations that perfectly match your vision. With an advanced design interface and a wealth of templates, creating stunning visuals is a breeze.

How To Choose The Best Presentation Website?

Well, the best way to choose a website to create your presentation relies on a few factors that you need to consider:

Infographic on how to choose the best presentation site

1. Determine Your Needs

The first step is to figure out what you want your presentation to achieve. Is it a formal business pitch or a casual classroom lesson? Understanding your goal will help you narrow down your options and find the perfect presentation site. 

2. Evaluate The Website’s Features

Look at the websites you are shortlisting and check for the features they provide. Websites that provide templates, AI tools, multimedia support, integration, and collaborative features are some of the sites that you should pick over others. A good choice for business professionals is SlideUpLift. They offer 40,000+  templates that are specifically created for business needs and are compatible with PowerPoint and Google Slides.

3. Check For Multimedia Support

When choosing a website to create your presentations online, check whether the site can import all your multimedia files, like interactive media, audio, video, and photo. Also, check if the site can easily use the templates and themes you have chosen for your slideshow.

4. Check The Privacy & Security Policy

One last thing to consider before choosing any presentation website is to review the website’s security and privacy policy. If you are using a website to make a presentation online on their platform, you don’t want anyone getting your data or information! And if you are downloading templates from a website to create presentations, look into their download policy to ensure no trespassing of copyright issues.  

Selecting the right website can help change your presentation game! With so many options to choose from, you are spoilt for choice! Remember that good presentations aren’t about stunning visuals but effectively communicating your message. Using our tips on how to create a professional presentation , you can not only create slideshows that impress but also inspire!

What is the best site for PowerPoint templates?

SlideUpLift is the best website to download PowerPoint templates. It has more than 40,000 templates covering a wide range of topics. These templates are 100% editable so that the customers can make the necessary changes as per their will.

What are some of the best presentation websites to create slideshows online?

There are several online websites where you can make presentations. However, Google Slides is an excellent platform to start with. When paired with SlideUpLift’s templates, you are bound to create stunning presentations.

How do I create a presentation without PowerPoint?

There are numerous alternatives to creating slideshows without PowerPoint, like Google Slides, PowToon, and Prezi. 

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More From Forbes

15 presentation tips for captivating your audience and commanding the room.

Forbes Coaches Council

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Person speaking in front of audience

Public speaking can be a daunting task, especially when addressing a large audience. Whether you're giving a presentation in the boardroom or delivering a keynote speech at a conference, holding your audience's attention and maintaining command of the room is paramount. The ability to captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression not only enhances your message's impact but also builds your reputation as a confident and effective speaker.

Here, Forbes Coaches Council members share invaluable tips and strategies to help you conquer your fear of public speaking and ensure that your next presentation or speech is a resounding success.

1. Be Confident

Be grounded and confident to be yourself and then tell great stories. Use your voice and the stage to bring the stories alive. Your audience will connect to the emotion of the story but make sure that it is relevant for your audience and related to the topic. - Cath Daley , Cath Daley Ltd

2. Find A Way To Actively Engage The Audience

Be prepared with ways to get your audience engaged and keep their focus. Whether that's relating to your audience, telling a joke or asking questions, actively driving engagement will make for a more effective presentation or speech. - Luke Feldmeier , Online Leadership Training - Career and Leadership Accelerator for Engineers

3. Create An Emotional Connection

Creating an emotional connection with the audience and involving them in your session fosters active participation, and ensures your audience stays engaged throughout. This also serves to enhance your presence and to create memories that stay with them long after your presentation ends. - Kristin Andree , Andree Group

4. Put Your Unique Take Front And Center

Do you have something unexpected to say about your topic? Something that goes against the mainstream opinion in your industry or is maybe even slightly provocative? If so, putting your unique take front and center in the title and the beginning of your talk and explaining or resolving it later keeps your audience engaged and interested. - Micha Goebig , Go Big Coaching & Communications, LLC

5. Remember That The Audience Doesn't Know Your Planned Speech

No one wants to see you fail as a speaker. Remember that the focus shouldn't be on whether or not you can recall verbatim every word of your planned speech. The focus should be on how to connect to your audience with a few key points using a combination of storytelling and facts. - Sheri Nasim , Center for Executive Excellence

6. Adapt Your Language To The Audience

Talk about something they are interested in or include elements that will keep them interested. Start by asking why your topic matters to each and every one of them. Use language adapted to the audience. Keep the key messages to two or three maximum. Show them what you think and why you care about the topic. - Isabelle Claus Teixeira , Business and Human Development Consulting Pte Ltd

7. Try To Incorporate An Element Of Surprise

Engagement is the key to keeping the audience's attention. Invite participation, tell stories, walk around, have visuals, include humor, raise your voice and ask questions. Think of a comedian who points at someone in the audience: "Hey, you with the red shirt?" Everyone pays attention. What element of surprise can you present? - Susan Jordan, MBA, MSODL, PCC , Sphereshift Coaching and Consulting

8. Know Your Audience

Doing research ahead of time to ensure you're providing the subject matter in a personalized manner will keep their attention. The topic will dictate the necessary vibe. Based on that, providing opportunities for the group to engage, such as shouting out a word, raising a hand, etc., will also help maintain their interest. - Lindsay Miller , Reverie Organizational Development Specialists

9. Use The Problem-Agitation-Solution Approach

Don't just give a presentation — share a story. It must be a story-audience fit though. Use the P.A.S. — problem-agitation-solution — approach. Start with introducing a problem, follow by agitating the problem via telling a relevant anecdote and conclude by offering a solution by giving an audience a clear, direct way to avoid the pain and learn the lesson. - Alla Adam , Alla Adam Coaching

10. Tell The Audience What They Need To Hear

Instead of trying to figure out what to say, figure out what the audience wants and needs to hear. This shift in perspective allows you to tailor your speech in a way that keeps audiences actively engaged because it's good content that they want to hear. - Robin Pou , The Confident Leader

11. Go All In

To command your audience's attention you have to get into the spirit of what you're teaching and go all in without second-guessing yourself. People want to be led, but they'll be unwilling to follow someone who isn't confident in what they are communicating. - Arash Vossoughi , Voss Coaching Co.

12. Use A Compelling Opening

Start your speech/presentation with a compelling opening that grabs the audience's attention. This could be a surprising fact, a relevant story or a thought-provoking question. This initial engagement can help you establish a strong connection with the audience and set the stage for a captivating presentation. - Moza-Bella Tram , Moza-Bella LLC

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13. Be Authentic

Connect deeply with your essence and purpose. Radiate authenticity. When you're centered in genuine passion and truth others feel it, creating an unspoken bond. It's not about performing; it's about being present and real and offering value from the heart. That's magnetic. - Anna Yusim, MD , Yusim Psychiatry, Consulting & Executive Coaching

14. Let Your Audience Talk

There is nothing worse than stealing everyone's craving for autonomy and speaking the whole time. The person who does the talking does the learning. So, give some autonomy to the audience. Let them talk. Even if it's thinking time and talking to themselves, or to their neighbor or table group. This gains trust and they will lean into what you have to say even more. - Alex Draper , DX Learning Solutions

15. Leverage Non-Verbal Cues

My top tip is to engage your audience through storytelling. A compelling narrative captures attention, evokes emotion and makes complex ideas more relatable. Additionally, use body language and eye contact effectively. These non-verbal cues can significantly enhance your connection with the audience. - Peter Boolkah , The Transition Guy

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Category 9 minutes read

10 creative ideas for presentations

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December 8, 2022

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Ready to step up your presentation game? Let’s talk about creative ideas for presentations so you can deliver killer presentations every time. Whether you’re preparing a pitch deck for potential investors or onboarding new hires, you’ll need an engaging presentation to keep your audience interested. That’s right: even if you’re already a pro at public speaking, creative Powerpoint presentations can instantly upgrade your next meeting.

So, what’s the secret to creative presentations? You don’t have to spend hours on every slide, but you should design your slides to impact your audience. Well designed slides can add more power to your words, and they can make you feel more confident during presentations.

Why should you make presentations?

Creative ideas for presentations might not be easy to come by, but they’re important. Why? Presentations are all about storytelling. From business ideas to online classes, presentations offer a unique opportunity to inspire, educate, and persuade your audience.

At the same time, they’re an incredibly flexible (and cost-effective!) communication tool. Even if you’re using presentation design templates , you’ll have the flexibility to tweak the design based on your needs. This way, you can create presentations for different audiences—all while easily adding and removing information to pique your listeners’ interest.

Types of presentation slides

There are all kinds of creative ideas for presentations, but they ultimately serve a few similar purposes. Before diving into presentation design, you’ll need to choose the right slides. Remember: you need well designed slides to leave a lasting impact on your audience. Not only that, but your slides should be visually impactful, easy to understand, and convey key information in just a few words.

So, how can you choose the best slides for your next presentation? Here are some of the most common slides to inspire your presentation design.

Informative presentations

informative presentations

Informative presentations are educational, concise, and straight to the point. While other presentations might entertain or inspire their audience, informative presentations share information to educate their audience.

For example, you might create informative slides during an onboarding program. During new hire onboarding, HR needs to explain what benefits employees will receive, how to file complaints, where employees can find information, and other important hiring details.

Educational presentations

Educational presentations

While informative presentations are typically used in the business world, educational presentations are usually used in academics. They’re a great communication tool for sharing ideas, detailing study results, or presenting a hypothesis.

In both in-person and online classrooms, teachers give educational presentations daily. Using beautiful presentation slides, eye-catching visuals, and fun design elements can help keep students interested while conveying key information.

Progress reports

Progress reports

Your business builds a new marketing strategy to achieve its long-term goals. After the newest marketing campaign starts driving results, it’s time to report on the campaign’s progress. Progress report presentations share updates, progress toward deadlines, collected data, and potential areas of improvement.

Inspirational presentations

Inspirational presentations

One of the biggest examples of inspirational presentations? TEDTalks. During TEDTalks, motivational speakers inspire people to rethink their approach or change their behavior.

Most inspirational presentations aren’t as life-changing as TEDTalks, but they keep their audience engaged. For example, a company overview presentation might present information about a company, from its origins to values. Most importantly, it tells the company’s story to show listeners what the company stands for.

Infographic presentations

Infographic presentations

Whether you’re reporting marketing stats or presenting study results, infographics can be your MVP.

Simply put, an infographic is a multimedia graphic that helps you share information through beautiful designs. It’s an amazing tool for highlighting key statistics, visualizing data, and flexing your creative muscles to spark your audience’s curiosity.

Top 10 unique presentation ideas

Right, so let’s get to our creative ideas for presentations section. Most people tune out of presentations within the first 10 minutes . You need an engaging presentation that keeps your audience hooked, but finding creative ideas for presentations isn’t always easy.

The good news? Whether you’re presenting your master thesis or marketing analytics, it’s possible to create exciting presentations that don’t put your audience to sleep. Here are the best creative Powerpoint ideas to upgrade your next presentation.

1. Channel your inner minimalist

minimalist example

When it comes to unique presentation ideas, minimalism is one of the best ways to make an impact. The key to minimalist design is including just enough information and visual detail to keep your audience engaged. When done right, minimalist presentation slides can make your audience feel relaxed and focused.

2. Use a monochrome color palette

monochrome example

A monochrome color palette uses a single hue with different strengths. For example, you might create a presentation with different shades of orange. For the best results, change the background color to the palest shade, and use the strongest shade for the title. You can even make your photos match by adding an orange-tinted filter.

3. Tell an amazing story

story example

If you want to leave a lasting impact on your audience, storytelling is the tool you need to create a memorable presentation. Sharing personal stories, whether they’re funny or inspirational, can help you connect with your audience and make your presentation more meaningful.

4. Make an impact with bold fonts

font example

Want to draw your audience’s attention to the slide title? Use a bold, chunky font to make your title stand out (bonus points if your title is short, sweet, and straight to the point). The best presentation fonts are easy to read with minimal visual decorations and sharp corners.

5. Experiment with different textures

textures example

Mix up your presentation design with different textures, like scrunched paper or textile backgrounds. Here, you might experiment with different types of backgrounds to match your topic. For example, if you’re creating a back-to-school presentation , use notebook paper to match your student’s note-taking style.

6. Use a geometric background

geometric example

A geometric background can add a pop of color to your presentation without distracting your audience. If you’re feeling bold, use dynamic titled polygons to create movement. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for a softer vibe, use circular backgrounds to infuse your slides with creativity.

7. Explain complex concepts with mind maps

mind maps example

Presenting study results? Reporting marketing stats? Instead of playing it safe with snore-worthy slides, keep your presentation fresh with mind maps. By creating mind maps, you’ll be able to showcase complicated information in a visually impactful way.

8. Engage your audience with questions

question example

Make your presentation more interactive by asking questions to your audience. For example, to keep your slides minimal, try displaying only the question on the slide. Once the audience has pitched in their opinions and answers, you can click to the next slide to reveal the actual answer.

9. Stay on brand

brand slide example

Once you’ve captured your audience’s attention, you need a consistent design to keep everyone on the same page. When designing your slides, use your brand’s style guidelines to choose the right color scheme, font styles, and design elements.

10. Replace bullet points with fun design elements

bullets replaced example

Let’s face it: bullet points can get boring, especially if you’re using them on every slide. Instead of using the same design over and over, create fun slides by replacing boring bullet points with fun designs, like icons, stickers, and pictograms.

Apply creative ideas for presentations through Picsart

Now that we’ve learned all about creative ideas for presentations, it’s time to put that knowledge into practice. An amazing presentation can bring your story to life, helping you keep your audience engaged with pro-grade slides.

Even if you’re not a seasoned designer, you can add fun design elements, bold color palettes, and attention-grabbing visuals with Picsart. Here’s how to bring your creative vision to life with a professional slideshow.

On the web:

1. Open the Picsart Slideshow Maker and start a new project.

creative ideas for presentations tutorial web 1

2. Choose the desired size for your slideshow. Then, click Upload to upload your own photo or video.

creative ideas for presentations tutorial web 2

Or, you can explore photos and videos from the Picsart library.

creative ideas for presentations tutorial web 3

3. After you’ve picked your favorite design, click Text on the left panel sidebar to add text to your slide.

creative ideas for presentations tutorial web 4

4. To add music, click Audio to explore our library of #FreeToUse music.

creative ideas for presentations tutorial web 5

5. Click the + button on the right panel sidebar to add a new slide.

creative ideas for presentations tutorial web 6

6. When you’re finished, click Export , choose the image quality and file type, and download your slideshow.

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1. Open the Picsart app and tap on the plus sign (+) to start a new project. 2. Scroll down to Video and choose Slideshow . Then, choose the pictures you’d like to include in your slideshow. Or, you can tap Search to explore the Picsart photo library. 3. After you’ve picked your photos, tap Next .

creative ideas for presentations tutorial app 1

4. Choose your desired slideshow size and add transition effects to your slides. 5. Upgrade your slideshow with fun effects, music, text, and stickers to engage your audience.

creative ideas for presentations tutorial app 2

Create at the Speed of Culture

Picsart is a photo and video editing platform and creative community. A top 20 most downloaded app worldwide with over 150 million monthly active users, its AI-powered tools enable creators of all levels to design, edit, draw, and share content anywhere. The platform has amassed one of the largest open-source content collections in the world, including photos, stickers, backgrounds, templates, and more. Used by consumers, marketers, content creators and businesses , Picsart tools fulfill both personal and professional design needs. Picsart has collaborated with major artists and brands like BLACKPINK, Taylor Swift, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Warner Bros. Entertainment, iHeartMedia, Condé Nast, and more. Download the app or start editing on web today, and upgrade to Gold for premium perks!

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Death By PowerPoint: Tips To Avoid In Your Presentation

Death By PowerPoint: Tips To Avoid In Your Presentation

The phrase “Death by PowerPoint” first appeared as a criticism of badly planned and executed presentations that were unable to engage or educate the audience. These presentations lack visual appeal because of the excessive text and complicated slides. Presenting information is essential, whether you are creating slides for a team meeting, delivering a class, or a business proposal. A well-created presentation always makes the message clear and engaging and leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

Table of Contents

  • Real-Life Examples and Consequences 
  • Audience Needs and Preferences 
  • Engage Your Audience 
  • The Role of Visual Design in Presentations 
  • Key Design Elements: Fonts, Colors, and Layouts 
  • Tips to Avoid Death by PowerPoint 
  • Utilize Technology to Improve Delivery 
  • Tools and Resources for Better Presentations 
  • Conclusion 

What is Death by PowerPoint?

“Death By PowerPoint” refers to presentations that are so monotonous and tedious that fail to get the audience’s attention and interest, leading to disengagement and lack of audience retention. 

Real-Life Examples and Consequences

Think about the meetings where people have completely lost interest or the sales presentations that were so overwhelming that the audience was unable to convince them. These examples show how bad presentation techniques can lead to missed opportunities, weakened credibility, and time wastage in real life. 

Understanding Your Audience

Audience needs and preferences.

To create an effective presentation, first understand your audience. Ask yourself: 

  • What expectations and interests do they have?  
  • How much experience do they have with the subject?  
  • What are their primary concerns or areas of discomfort?

Engage Your Audience

Make the content specifically targeted at your audience’s needs and preferences. Maintain their interest throughout the entire presentation by using language and examples that they can relate to. 

Design Principles for Effective Slides

The role of visual design in presentations.

Using effective visual design in your presentation makes it more engaging and memorable. A poorly created slide could be confusing and tedious to your audience, on the other hand, a well-designed slide will clearly communicate the actual information quickly and clearly. 

Key Design Elements: Fonts, Colors, and Layouts

  • Fonts : Make sure the presentation is consistent throughout by using a limited number of fonts. Choose fonts that could improve visibility. 
  • Colors : Try a color palette that is visually appealing and creates contrast. Use colors to highlight key points. 
  • Layouts : Maintain your slides layouts clean and structured. Use whitespace effectively to avoid overwhelming your audience. 
  • Avoiding Clutter and Overload : Be focused on the key points to make your slides simple and easy to understand to the audience. Avoiding information overload in a single slide is the primary factor to consider. Also, using bullet points will help to make the slide clear and easy to understand. 

Tips to Avoid Death by PowerPoint

  • Keep Slides Simple and Focused  

Your presentation should convey the exact information. Make it structured and break down complex data and information by keeping them concise. 

  • Use High-Quality Visuals and Graphics  

Always use high-quality visuals and graphics throughout your presentation and make it more engaging to your audience. But make sure that they help you share the exact message of the presentation. 

  • Limit Text and Bullet Points  

Don’t make slides with a lot of text. Try to use key phrases and bullet points to highlight important points. Explain and interact with the audience instead of just reading the exact sentences in the slide.  

  • Incorporate Storytelling Techniques  

The storytelling method could engage your audience. You can also include case studies and other examples to strengthen your points and presentation. 

  • Practice Good Slide Transitions and Animations  

Don’t make the presentation filled up with animations and transitions, that could distract the audience. Instead, use it wisely to guide your audience. 

  • Engage Using Interactive Elements  

Another technique to engage your audience is including Q&A sessions and games in between the presentations. 

Delivery Techniques

  • Strategies for Confident and Clear Speaking  

Practice makes perfect. Practicing also helps you deliver presentations confidently and clearly. Always try to use a conversational tone while delivering. 

  • Questions and Interactions  

The audience will have questions so be prepared for that. Encourage the audience participation thoughtfully. 

  • Utilize Technology to Improve Delivery  

As we have advanced technologies like remote clickers and laser pointers available

Utilize Technology to Improve Delivery

  • As we have advanced technologies like remote clickers and laser pointers available  

Tools and Resources for Better Presentations

  • Recommended Software and Online Sources  

Make use of software and online sources like SlideBazaar, SlideKit, Prezi, and Canva to design a better presentation. 

  • Forums and Communities   

Many online communities and forums like SlideShare and TED Talks are available over the internet in which you can discuss, share, and get feedback for your presentation. 

To avoid Death by PowerPoint, the presentation should have a good visual design, interesting content, and a better delivery. Create informative and engaging presentations by following the tips and focusing on your audience. 

Practice as much as possible and try to get feedback from the audience to improve your delivery skills. Your presentation will be better the more you refine your skills. 

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How To Create a Slide Deck: Templates & Tips

How To Create a Slide Deck: Templates & Tips

Written by: Unenabasi Ekeruke

How to create a slide deck

Wondering how to create slide decks that hit the mark? Look no further; you've come to the right place.

Whether you're pitching investors or making a keynote presentation, the quality of your slide deck matters a great deal.

Well-designed slide decks can pique your audience's interest and win them over.

In fact, about 91% of presenters swear beautiful slide decks boost their confidence during presentations.

In this article, we'll discuss what a slide deck is and how to create one. We've also included templates and helpful tips for creating powerful slide decks that leave a lasting impression.

In this video, we've also put together 13 presentation design tips for creating awesome slide decks.

Let's dive in!

Table of Contents

  • What Is a Slide Deck

How To Make a Slide Deck in 5 Steps

10 slide deck templates for creating successful presentations, slide deck faqs, create attractive slide decks with visme, what is a slide deck.

A slide deck is a collection of slides used as visual aids during a pitch or presentation. Think of each slide as a single card in a deck with unique content, meanings, value and structure.

Like a deck of cards, you can queue up your slides to tell a story about a topic. Depending on your story's angle, tone and mood , you can shuffle your slides or eliminate some of them.

How you build your slide deck depends on these three things:

  • The type of presentation you're making
  • Who your audiences are
  • What you want to accomplish or the message you're passing across

Slide decks like the one below are a valuable resource for entrepreneurs, marketers and businesspeople.

slide show your presentation

When used to pitch a startup or idea , a slide deck is also called a pitch deck . But you could call it a presentation deck when you're using it for other purposes like presenting a proposal in a professional or academic setting.

Slide decks help you present ideas in an organized format and aid delivery during presentations. Many presentation programs like Visme and PowerPoint let you add as many slides as you want to your deck. The best part is that you can design and customize your deck, making it look professional and attractive.

Create a stunning presentation in less time

  • Hundreds of premade slides available
  • Add animation and interactivity to your slides
  • Choose from various presentation options

Sign up. It’s free.

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How you craft your slide deck can play a big role in the success of your presentation. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create an effective slide deck.

Step 1: Build Your Deck Around Your Story

Want to up the value of your presentation? Start by focusing on your core message. Regardless of your presentation type, your slide deck outline should answer these key questions:

  • What is the purpose of your presentation?
  • What do you want your audience to understand or remember?
  • What actions do you want them to take after listening to you?

Many people, including experienced presenters, tend to fill their slides with points that don't add value. This leaves the audience confused about whether to listen or read the slide.

Remember, the pitch deck should visually enhance your audience's learning experience. Once you weave your narrative around your main story, you can organize your supporting points around it. You're sure to engage your audience and drive your message across.

Dealing with busy execs who won't sit through your presentation? Use a startup one pager instead. It'll get their attention quicker and more efficiently. You can then secure a meeting to present your pitch deck.

Step 2: Use Premade Templates

Templates give you a creative head start. They provide consistency in design, layout and ideas. Visme has thousands of editable slide deck templates to help you create presentations quickly.

Here's how to customize your slide deck in Visme.

1. Select and Edit a Template

Each slide deck template in Visme has two or more slides. Feel free to add, remove or reorder slides to your deck as you proceed. Once your presentation structure is ready, pick out slides to edit and input your own content.

If you have an existing presentation in PowerPoint, you can import it and continue editing your slides in Visme.

2. Input and Edit Text

After you've selected your slides, add custom text to them. Our templates have built-in text placeholders. Click and drag the placeholder to change the text position. Or click each placeholder and highlight the block of text to edit it.

Type your text or paste the text you copied from elsewhere. Repeat the process throughout the rest of the slide deck.

Want to add more fun and personality to your text? Visme editor makes it easy for you to change font style, text color, size, style, direction and much more. Animate your text and add other special effects to make your text alluring.

3. Use High-quality Stock Images

High-quality images capture and convey abstract concepts like color and emotions. Upload images stored on your computer and use them in your design. Or select from Visme's rich library of free high-resolution images to find the perfect one for your slide deck.

4. Add Shapes, Icons and Animated Graphics

Use these elements to bring boring presentations to life. They are effective for creating minimalistic designs and explaining complex ideas.

Visme has a comprehensive library of more than one million shapes, icons , illustrations and animations . Click the graphics tab, select the asset, and add it to the slide. You can change the color, position and size of your design assets.

5. Add Data Visualizations

Use data visualizations to share statistics, financial and other numerical data in your presentation. You'll find bar charts, pie charts , graphs , timelines , flowcharts , maps and more in Visme.

Select the chart or graph and customize the title, color, data, legends and more.

6. Eliminate Unwanted Elements

Pre-built slide decks contain lots of placeholder content. They serve as a guide to help you create the perfect presentation. You don't have to use all of it.

Feel free to eliminate anything that isn't useful to your deck. Watch this video to learn more about creating beautiful slide deck presentations in Visme.

Step 3. Make Your Design Count

When preparing for your big day, invest as much time into your slide design as your content. What's in it for you? An engaging slide deck can draw in your audience and get them excited about what you have to offer.

Be Consistent

If your company has a brand guideline, apply your brand elements to the slides. But if you haven't got one, Visme helps create a strong and memorable brand identity .

Use the brand style guide template below to define your brand personality and ensure consistency.

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After creating your logo, fonts and colors, you can save them in Visme's brand design tool . Your team members can easily create presentations in Visme and your brand theme will automatically appear on their designs.

Watch the video below to learn how to set up your branding kit in Visme.

Use the Right Font Pairing

Choosing the right font pairing and sizes can be a big deal, especially for non-designers. But getting it right can turn a boring slide deck into an appealing one.

Stick to two or three typefaces and assign distinct roles to each font —the more contrast between your fonts, the better.

For instance, you can use the same font for headings, another for the intro, another for the body and the fourth for quotes.

Use typefaces that connote your personality and style. If you're pitching art or design themes, incorporate classic and contemporary typefaces that connote creativity and elegance.

Not sure how to pair fonts? We've created this detailed guide to help you choose the right font combination for your designs.

Step 4: Incorporate the Right Visuals

Without a doubt, the human brain is wired for visuals . The mental capacity to process visual content far exceeds that of written and spoken words.

Attractive visual aids help you tell more compelling stories than text. Incorporating images, video animations and sleek transitions to break up static slides will get people's attention.

Bar charts that show patterns or trends can boost investors' confidence and convey excitement. The same goes for pie charts, which are great for comparing growth areas.

Use infographics to condense lengthy text into visuals that people can easily relate to. Luckily, Visme has the right tools for every job. With our infographic maker , you can easily translate your ideas into digestible graphics.

Step 5: Make Your Slide Deck Clear and Brief

One big mistake people make is that they want to keep adding content to their slide deck. They end up filling it up with tedious details irrelevant to their audience.

Remember, your slides are supposed to aid your presentation rather than contain every word you say. If you fill it with text, you could quickly lose your audience. They'll keep longing for the end and leave the room with little or no information.

To make your slide deck impactful, eliminate fluff. Keep it brief yet filled with key action points. Fit your information into three key blocks- a persuasive intro, a strong body and an actionable conclusion. You will have a more focused, shorter, and memorable presentation .

Whether you want to create slide decks for business, education, or nonprofits, Visme has everything you need. We have thousands of templates to help you create stunning slide decks you can be proud of. Here are our top 10 templates from each of these categories.

Template #1: HybCab Pitch Deck Presentation Template

Got a new business idea? Or do you want to scale your business? Get your investors pumped up with this Uber-inspired professional pitch deck template.

The editable 20-slide deck template covers every element of a winning pitch. It features a striking slide layout, a beautiful color scheme, and high-resolution photos and icons. The interactive data visualizations allow you to share compelling numbers that attract investors' interest.

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Template #2: Buyer Presentation Template

Use this attractive slide deck template to win over clients for your real estate business. The simple and classy design makes it unique and impactful.

You'll find a lot of space to play around with colors, fonts and other design elements. Feel free to tweak the layout design, add compelling images of your properties, key stats and much more.

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Template #3: BuffIT Pitch Deck Presentation Template

This template is a perfect pick for companies looking to pitch to customers or investors. Use this Buffer-inspired slide deck to share your key information like goals, traction, milestones, financial projection and more.

The consistent blue color theme and elegant styling provide a refreshing visual experience. Notice how charts, timelines and images are used to draw attention to critical data. You can add or remove slides, edit the content, and use your brand colors, fonts and logo to keep it on brand.

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Template #4: Training Course Presentation Template

Bridge the skills gap in your organization with this training slide deck template. The template has a minimalistic design and seamlessly blends different shades of blue across all 13 slides.

The slides feature valuable elements and sections to help your audience retain the information better. You'll find quality icons, images, a chart, timeline, checklist and evaluation matrix.

Use this template to onboard new hires and get them in the mood for work. You can also use it to prepare training courses or introduce new policies and procedures.

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Template #5: Coffee Lover Statistics Presentation

Here's another cutting-edge slide deck template for education, training and informational purposes. The coffee-themed presentation has a rich blend of white, brown and black color themes.

You can use it to highlight the benefits of a product with relevant statistics, charts and graphs to make it digestible. The text, icons and images are evenly spaced, making it easier for your audience to grasp key information.

Create the perfect slide deck with Visme's design collaboration feature. Team members can view, edit and leave feedback on your presentation in real-time. You can reply, resolve and delete comments till the design is top-notch.

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Template #6: Nonprofit Report Presentation

Are you starting a nonprofit or growing an existing one? This editable slide deck presentation can serve multiple purposes.

You can use it to share what you and your volunteers have been up to in the past year. It's also helpful in building support for your charitable projects.

It features sections like executive summary, introduction, map of projects, number of incidences, cases, casualties and more. Use images, data visualizations and widgets from Visme's library to tell stories that pique your audience's interests.

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#Template 7: Lesson Plan Presentation

With this slide deck template, you can build a learning trajectory for your students. It outlines what students need to learn, how lessons will be delivered, and how learning will be evaluated. You can also list resources needed by teachers and students, methods and assignment types.

Change the color, font and logo to fit your brand and your deck is ready for use.

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Template #8: Creative Product Presentation

Weave a captivating narrative about your product with this slide deck template. The template has a dynamic layout, creating room for you to present any information.

It highlights key information like the product mockup, milestones and timelines, revenue projections, product pricing and more. Use this template to visualize the creation process for SaaS-based platforms, cloud solutions and tech products.

Template #9: Financial Report Presentation

Looking to communicate financial activities and performance within your company? This visual-rich slide deck template fits the bill. It contains bars, charts, and graphs, making your data easier to comprehend.

The dark background and bright-colored fonts and elements create the perfect visual contrast. Liven up your presentation with animated icons, illustrations and special effects. Also, incorporate hover effects and clickable pop-ups to make your slides interactive.

Template #10: Parenting Keynote Presentation

Use this appealing keynote presentation template to deliver a powerful presentation on parenting. This colorful slide deck can help you connect with other parents, teachers and child caregivers.

Utilize our crisp stock photos, icons and illustrations to make your audience engagement more rewarding.

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Why Is It Called a Slide Deck?

The term slide decks date back to an old technology where slides were physically inserted into a carousel projector and projected on the wall or screen. These slides were shuffled like a deck of cards to create a presentation. Hence, the name "slide deck" has stuck with the modern age.

Today slide decks are created and projected digitally using software like Visme , PowerPoint, Google Slides and more.

What Is the Difference Between a Slide Deck vs. Powerpoint vs Presentation vs Pitch Deck?

A slide deck is a group of slides put together to tell a story. PowerPoint is a software application used to create slide decks or presentations. A pitch deck is a distinct type of slide deck used to pitch a solution, idea, or product when seeking financing from investors.

How Do You Make a Beautiful Slide Deck?

Whether you're sharing strategies or performance updates, you don't need to build your slide deck from scratch. Visme has a rich library of beautifully-designed slide decks that leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

Now you know what makes a slide deck great. It's time to create one for your business.

Visme presentation software and templates provide everything you need to create beautiful slide decks for any purpose. Our software has helped thousands of businesses and professionals nail their presentations.

Each template comes with pre-designed slides. You can replace your content and customize other design elements according to your preference. With Dynamic Fields , you're sure your personal, company and other critical information will be accurate and updated throughout your presentation in real-time.

Visme lets you download your slide deck in multiple formats or share online using a link . You can generate an embed code and paste it on your website or blog. From your analytics page , you can see who has viewed your presentation and other metrics.

Easily put together winning slide decks in Visme

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Trusted by leading brands

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Recommended content for you:

15 Successful Startup Pitch Deck Examples, Tips & Templates

Create Stunning Content!

Design visual brand experiences for your business whether you are a seasoned designer or a total novice.

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About the Author

Unenabasi is a content expert with many years of experience in digital marketing, business development, and strategy. He loves to help brands tell stories that drive engagement, growth, and competitive advantage. He’s adept at creating compelling content on lifestyle, marketing, business, e-commerce, and technology. When he’s not taking the content world by storm, Unenabasi enjoys playing or watching soccer.

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VideoGamer.com

How to slide in Madden 25 – our complete guide to avoid getting your QB injured

Nico Vergara

Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more

  • You can slide in Madden 25 by tapping Square (PlayStation) / X (Xbox) while running with the quarterback.
  • When rushing with your quarterback, always try to slide at the end of the play to avoid injuries.
  • You can only slide with the quarterback, and not with any other position.

In an era where dual-threat QBs are a boon to any team, designed quarterback runs are part of any decent NFL scheme. But in order to avoid your signal caller from getting injured, you need to know how to slide in Madden 25.

Some, if not all, of the best Madden 25 playbooks include a bevy of read option and zone read plays that are tailor-made to get your speedy quarterback (à la Lamar Jackson) chunk yardage. So, to maximize these calls without placing your most important player in harm’s way, here’s what you need to do to slide in the game.

How to QB slide in Madden 25

Here are the buttons you need to press to slide:

QB SlideTap square while running with QBTap X while running with QB

Remember not to hold the square / X button too long with the quarterback. Otherwise, instead of sliding, you’ll dive, which can cause a turnover if the ball comes into contact with another player. It’s also worth pointing out that you can only perform a slide with the quarterback. If you tap square while running with a wide receiver or running back, you’ll perform a small dive forward instead.

slide show your presentation

Although you probably won’t be using this move in most scenarios, having it in your arsenal is still important, especially if your favorite playbook has plenty of option plays. Schemes like the Ravens, Cardinals, or Cowboys have many of those exact calls simply because of their mobile QBs, and since these are arguably some of the best teams in Madden 25 , learning how to slide becomes even more essential.

Of course, if you prefer old-fashioned, downhill running, check out our guides on how to stiff arm and how to juke in Madden 25 instead. This way, you can run over defenders and break their ankles like prime Derrick Henry.

About the Author

Nico vergara.

Nico Vergara is a Trends Writer for VideoGamer.com. When not writing about or playing RPGs, he spends time playing basketball, watching the latest movies, and brooding about his favorite sports teams.

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IMAGES

  1. How to Start a Slideshow in PowerPoint

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  2. Presentation slide template for your company with infographic elements

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  3. PowerPoint 2016: Presenting Your Slide Show

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  4. 25 Great Presentation Examples Your Audience Will Love

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  5. 30 Free Google Slides Templates For Your Next Presentation

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  6. 51 Stunning Presentation Slides You Can Customize [Plus Templates

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COMMENTS

  1. How to Make a Slide Show

    Six steps for creating a slide show. 1. Plan your slide show. Before getting too deep into your slide show project, it's a good idea to select and save the photos and videos you want to use. This helps you create a slide show more efficiently and purposefully, ensuring a better outcome. 4.

  2. Google Slides: Online Slideshow Maker

    Use Google Slides to create online slideshows. Make beautiful presentations together with secure sharing in real-time and from any device. Use Google Slides to create online slideshows. ... Access, create, and edit your presentations wherever you are — from any mobile device, tablet, or computer — even when offline.

  3. Google Slides: Presentation Slideshow Maker

    Generate a slide with a simple prompt and your Drive content. Easily generate unique images, and visualize something that never existed. Try Gemini for Google Workspacetoday. Polished presentations, made easy. Bring your presentations to life in Google Slides with enhancements like videos, animations, smooth transitions, and more.

  4. How to Make a Slideshow on PowerPoint

    Start by deciding whether to show the slideshow in a window or full screen. To set up the slideshow, select Slide Show > Set Up Slide Show and choose one of the following: Browsed by an individual (window): Run the slideshow automatically and inside a window. This option works best when you save the slideshow to a CD.

  5. PowerPoint: Presenting Your Slide Show

    In this video, you'll learn the basics of presenting your slide show in PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, and Office 365. Visit https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/...

  6. How to Present a PowerPoint Slideshow (w/ Shortcuts)

    Navigate to the Slide Show tab. Hold down the Alt key on your keyboard. Click From Beginning. Holding down the Alt key and clicking From Beginning, the Presenter View will launch from the very first (non-hidden) slide in your presentation.

  7. Free online presentation maker and editor

    Free online presentation maker. Try our new tool to edit this selection of templates for people that want to let their creativity run free. Create interactive resources easily, quickly and without the need for any software. A really useful tool for teachers and students. Move the content, add images, change colors and fonts or, if you prefer ...

  8. Free Online Slide Presentation: PowerPoint

    Share and collaborate. Start with Microsoft Copilot. Generate a presentation outline instantly with Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365. Expand your ideas. Ask for more information or a new slide on your topic directly through Copilot in PowerPoint. Use a free template. Choose from thousands of customizable templates to kickstart your slideshow.

  9. Slideshow Maker Software Guide

    With AI revolutionizing content creation, using a slideshow maker that has AI capabilities will enhance efficiency and innovation. Depending on the slideshow app you have, creating an entire slideshow could be as easy as a quick prompt, like "Make a presentation about the benefits of sustainable fashion that has 15 slides.". Animations.

  10. Present your slide show

    Open the presentation that you want to play as a slide show. Select the slide that you want to start the slide show from. On the. button, and then click Custom Slide Show on the menu. In the Custom Shows screen, click the custom slide show you want to present. To end the slide show when you finish presenting, press ESC .

  11. How to Make a Slideshow Online for Free (& Free Templates)

    Before you create your slideshow, figure out what goals you want to achieve. Take advantage of professionally-designed templates from Visme's library to start creating your slideshows. Customize your slideshows using photos and videos, stylish fonts, colors, 2D and 3D graphics, animations and other stunning design assets.

  12. PowerPoint: Presenting Your Slide Show

    Slide show setup options. PowerPoint has various options for setting up and playing a slide show. For example, you can set up an unattended presentation that can be displayed at a kiosk and make your slide show repeat with continuous looping. To access slide show setup options: Select the Slide Show tab, then click the Set Up Slide Show command.

  13. How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation (Step-by-Step)

    To do that, simply go up to the Home tab and click on New Slide. This inserts a new slide in your presentation right after the one you were on. You can alternatively hit Ctrl+M on your keyboard to insert a new blank slide in PowerPoint. To learn more about this shortcut, see my guide on using Ctrl+M in PowerPoint.

  14. Free Online Presentation Maker

    With Visme's Presenter Studio, you can record your presentation and share it with your audience. Record your screen, audio, and video, or switch off your camera for an audio-only presentation. Present asynchronously on your own time, at your own pace. Let your colleagues watch it at their convenience. Create Your Presentation.

  15. Free Slideshow Maker

    Slideshow Maker. Online to Collect Your Best Moments. Craft unforgettable memories by seamlessly merging your best moments into dynamic and lively slideshows, enhancing their memorability tenfold. The intuitive tools of our online slideshow maker made the process as effortless as possible to create slideshows with text and music within minutes.

  16. How to Start a PowerPoint Slideshow

    Spacebar or Right Arrow Button: Go to the next slide in the presentation. Left Arrow Button: Go to the previous slide in the presentation. Esc: End the show. W: Hide your current slide and display a white screen. Press the same key again to bring back the slide's content. B: Hide your current slide and display a black screen. Revert back to the ...

  17. The 5 Best Slideshow Template Resources I Trust for My Presentations

    You've reached your account maximum for followed topics. These four key features have simplified the slideshow template process for me. Canva's drag-and-drop feature simplifies the template customization process. This feature makes it easy to add and arrange elements (e.g. text and images) and ...

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    Get your main point into the presentation as early as possible (this avoids any risk of audience fatigue or attention span waning), then substantiate your point with facts, figures etc and then reiterate your point at the end in a 'Summary'. 2. Practice Makes Perfect. Also, don't forget to practice your presentation.

  19. Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view

    Start presenting. On the Slide Show tab, in the Start Slide Show group, select From Beginning. Now, if you are working with PowerPoint on a single monitor and you want to display Presenter view, in Slide Show view, on the control bar at the bottom left, select , and then Show Presenter View.

  20. Presentations and videos with engaging visuals for hybrid teams

    Save time, amplify your ideas, and elevate your presentations. The specialists on visual storytelling since 2009 From TED talks to classrooms. In every country across the world. Prezi has been a trusted presentation partner for over 15 years. 180+ countries. 140,000,000+ 140M+ people who ️ Prezi. 25%. more effective than slides* ...

  21. 105+ Creative Presentation Ideas to Engage Your Audience

    2 Be Minimal. Using a minimal design composition is one of the unique presentation ideas. The trick is to have just enough information and visual details for the viewer to feel comfortable seeing the slides. A minimal design can instill calm and awe in your audience when done right.

  22. The 10 Best Presentation Websites To Build Stunning Slideshows

    Next on our list of the best presentation websites is SlidesAI, a site that uses AI to help create eye-catching presentations quickly. It uses a text-to-presentation AI that converts all the text provided into stunning slideshows. This lets you save time on designing your own presentation and focus on your delivery and presentation skills. 5.

  23. 15 Presentation Tips For Captivating Your Audience And ...

    2. Find A Way To Actively Engage The Audience. Be prepared with ways to get your audience engaged and keep their focus. Whether that's relating to your audience, telling a joke or asking questions ...

  24. 10 creative ideas for presentations

    Choose your desired slideshow size and add transition effects to your slides. 5. Upgrade your slideshow with fun effects, music, text, and stickers to engage your audience. 6. When you're finished, click the arrow in the top right corner. Choose the frame rate and resolution, and tap Save to download your slideshow. Create at the Speed of Culture

  25. How The Brain Works. Free PPT & Google Slides Template

    SlidesCarnival templates have all the elements you need to effectively communicate your message and impress your audience. Suitable for PowerPoint and Google Slides Download your presentation as a PowerPoint template or use it online as a Google Slides theme. 100% free, no registration or download limits.

  26. Death By PowerPoint: Tips To Avoid In Your Presentation

    The Role of Visual Design in Presentations. Using effective visual design in your presentation makes it more engaging and memorable. A poorly created slide could be confusing and tedious to your audience, on the other hand, a well-designed slide will clearly communicate the actual information quickly and clearly.

  27. How to use Gemini AI to create presentations in Google Slides

    To begin, open a new or existing Slides presentation, then click the Ask Gemini button in the top-right corner of the screen (to the right of the share button).

  28. How To Create a Slide Deck: Templates & Tips

    How you craft your slide deck can play a big role in the success of your presentation. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create an effective slide deck. Step 1: Build Your Deck Around Your Story. Want to up the value of your presentation? Start by focusing on your core message.

  29. presentation not loading correctly while recording

    I am trying to record my presentation using the "record slide show" button under slide show tab. When I launch the presentation using this button/tool, some of elements of my presentation (such as arrows, text boxes) are not loading. When I run the presentation using a normal slide show view, it appears as it should inclusive of all elements.

  30. How to slide in Madden 25

    You can slide in Madden 25 by tapping Square (PlayStation) / X (Xbox) while running with the quarterback. When rushing with your quarterback, always try to slide at the end of the play to avoid ...