Creating a blank presentation lets you concentrate on textual content without the distraction of design elements. Any time during the process, you can choose a design and color scheme.
Keyboard shortcuts are a big time-saver when creating a presentation. For example: [Ctrl]+[Enter] moves to the next text placeholder; [Ctrl]+[M] inserts a new slide.
When you insert a new slide, you can choose a slide layout. Slide layouts can be either text layouts or content layouts. They contain various arrangements of text and content placeholders.
After a slide is inserted, you choose its slide layout from the Slide Layout task pane. If you change your mind later, you can change the layout of the current slide or of a group of selected slide thumbnails.
Another way to create a new blank presentation is to start with a design template and then insert slides and key text. Choose a design template from the Slide Design task pane.
Each design template has several predefined color schemes associated with it. You choose color schemes by first clicking Color Schemes on the Slide Design task pane.
Design templates and color schemes can be applied to individual slides, to a group of selected slides, or to an entire presentation. To apply to a group of slides, first select their slide thumbnails.
The clipboard can store up to 24 items that you cut or copy from a presentation. The items can be text, entire slides, or other objects. Insert a clipboard item at the current location in your presentation by clicking the item.
Slides can be rearranged by using drag-and-drop or by using the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands. Text can also be moved or copied by using these commands.
The Paste Options button <a onClick="window.open('/olcweb/cgi/pluginpop.cgi?it=gif::::/sites/dl/free/0072254440/169691/Paste.gif','popWin', 'width=NaN,height=NaN,resizable,scrollbars');" href="#"><img valign="absmiddle" height="16" width="16" border="0" src="/olcweb/styles/shared/linkicons/image.gif"> (0.0K)</a> enables you to choose between a pasted item's source formatting and its destination formatting. The source is the slide or placeholder from which the item was cut or copied, and the destination is the location where it will be pasted.
PowerPoint enables you to undo-and if you change your mind, redo-multiple editing actions. The default number of available undos is 20. When you save a presentation, the list of undos is cleared.
Working with multiple open presentations is made easy with the clipboard. Open both presentations; then switch between them by clicking the filename on the Windows taskbar or by choosing the file from the Window menu.
Slides from another presentation can easily be inserted into your presentation by using the Slide Finder dialog box or by using the Cut, Copy, and Paste commands.
Speaker's notes are keyed in the Notes pane, below the Slides pane in Normal view. They can be used as a script for the presenter or as supplemental information for the audience.
Notes pages contain an image of a slide at the top of the page and the speaker's notes associated with that slide at the bottom of the page. Notes pages are printed by using the Print dialog box.
