http://malektips.com/microsoft_powerpoint_2007_help_and_tips.html Tips on configuring and using the PowerPoint 2007 presentation software. en-us Wed, 1 Jul 2009 18:19:56 GMT Wed, 1 Jul 2009 18:19:56 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Custom webmaster@envprogramming.com (Andrew Malek) webmaster@envprogramming.com (Andrew Malek) http://malektips.com/graphics/logo_88x30.gif http://malektips.com/microsoft_powerpoint_2007_help_and_tips.html 88 30 http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-black-white-grayscale.html Make your PowerPoint 2007 presentations appear onscreen similar to how they will look if printed in black and white or grayscale.

To save money (and who doesn't want to do that these days?) you might wish to print draft copies of a Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 presentation in grayscale during the creation process. Or if handing out the presentation to dozens or more people, you may wish to forego color to save some cash. To help ensure your presentation looks good sans color, you can have PowerPoint 2007 render your slides in black and white or grayscale onscreen, simulating how they will look when printed.

1. Click the "View" tab in the Ribbon....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:14:06 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-black-white-grayscale.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-screentips.html Customize or remove the ScreenTips that appear when hovering over the Ribbon and other screen elements in PowerPoint 2007.

When you hover your mouse pointer over screen elements inside Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 such as options in the Ribbon, ScreenTips appear that mention the function of the desired object. Many also include descriptions of the function, and some even show examples.

If you are new to PowerPoint 2007 or have not tried all of its features yet, you may find these useful. Otherwise you may not need all the help ScreenTips provide. You can turn off the full descriptions, showing just the function name, for example "Underline (Ctrl + U)" instead of the seemingly repetitive "Underline (Ctrl + U) Underline the selected text". Or you can turn these off completely....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:04:20 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-screentips.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-spell-check-word-number.html Prevent PowerPoint 2007's spell checker from ignoring mistakes when typing a number instead of a letter in a word.

Like other Office applications, Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 has a spell checker that adds red squiggles underneath misspelled words. However, words containing numbers are not checked, meaning that if you accidentally press a number instead of a letter at the top row of letters on the keyboard, PowerPoint will not mark the mistypes as errors. For example, this would not be considered misspelled, even though the user clearly is moving their fingers too high to type certain letters when touch typing:

F0r 3xam0l3, 5h8s 297ld n95 b3 c9ns8d343d m8ss03ll3d...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 5 Jun 2009 18:34:37 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-spell-check-word-number.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-text-reflections.html Make selected text in a PowerPoint 2007 presentation appear to cause a reflection.

Used in limited amounts, text effects such as glowing text and text shadowing can draw attention to parts of your Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 presentation, such as the presentation or chapter title. One other way to add pizzazz to an otherwise boring presentation is to make some text appear to cause a reflection.

1. Highlight the text you want reflected....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 1 Jun 2009 18:26:44 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-text-reflections.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-hide-recently-accessed-presentations.html Prevent PowerPoint 2007 from keeping and showing a list of the most recently-accessed presentation files.

By default, when you click on the Office button, Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 displays a list of the most recently-accessed presentations. This way you can quickly return to presentation files that you access frequently.

However, for privacy reasons you may wish this list to be disabled. Doing so requires a simple tweak:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 16 Feb 2009 17:11:34 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-hide-recently-accessed-presentations.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-embed-truetype-fonts.html Distribute PowerPoint 2007 presentations that display as intended - embed TrueType fonts into the file.

If you distribute created Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 presentations with non-standard fonts (standard fonts on Windows machines include Times New Roman, Arial, and Verdana), these presentations may not display as intended on other machines since they may not have the same fonts.

To get around this problem, you can include, or embed, TrueType fonts directly into your presentations, helping to make sure your slide shows display correctly. To perform this tweak:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:02:17 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-embed-truetype-fonts.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-inspect-document-personal-metadata.html Before you distribute your PowerPoint 2007 presentations, inspect them for information that may prove embarrassing or violate your privacy.

Think twice before distributing a Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 presentation you or a group of people have created. Presentations may contain all types of information that you may not want third-parties to see, such as:

* Editing notes and comments...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:28:24 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-inspect-document-personal-metadata.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-add-remove-paste-options-button.html Toggle whether the Paste Options button should appear when pasting text from other software into PowerPoint 2007.

Depending on your configuration, when you paste text from other software packages into Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, a Paste Options button may appear in the form of a clipboard icon containing a pull-down menu. Click this icon and you will be able to alter the formatting of text pasted into the presentation, for example either keeping the source formatting or pasting only the text, ignoring its formatting.

Depending on your needs, you may find this button annoying and wish to remove it. Or, this button may not appear, and you may frequently need to remove the formatting of pasted text, such as if you often paste text from Microsoft Word documents. Thus, to toggle PowerPoint's behavior:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 9 Dec 2008 19:08:21 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-add-remove-paste-options-button.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-loop-slideshow-continuously.html Keep looping through a PowerPoint 2007 slideshow continuously until the 'Esc' key is pressed.

Depending on where you plan on presenting your Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 slideshow, if it is set up to automatically advance between slides, you may wish it to continuously repeat. This may be useful, for example, if you are displaying a presentation at a conference while waiting for all of the attendees to show up and take their seats.

1. Click the "Slide Show" tab in the Ribbon....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 9 Dec 2008 14:33:04 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-loop-slideshow-continuously.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-save-older-version.html By default, save PowerPoint 2007 presentations in a format usable by those running older versions of PowerPoint.

By default, Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 saves presentation files in a native format that can prove problematic for those running Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 or earlier. Those users will not be able to view or edit PowerPoint 2007 presentations without add-ons or additional software.

If you frequently share files with users of older versions of PowerPoint, you can make the default save format one that is viewable by PowerPoint 1997-2003 users. Note that if you save files in the older format, if you happen to use features new to PowerPoint 2007 and not in the older versions, you will be notified....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 8 Dec 2008 14:31:30 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-save-older-version.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-default-file-location.html Change the folder that PowerPoint 2007 opens by default to load or save presentations.

By default, Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 expects to open and save presentation files in your default Documents folder, which on Windows Vista is normally C:\Users\YOUR_USER_NAME\Documents\. This keeps your presentation files in the same folder where, by default, word processing, spreadsheet, and other Office files are stored.

If desired, this location can be changed if you want to keep presentation files in a separate folder....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 3 Dec 2008 18:04:02 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-default-file-location.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-adjust-character-spacing.html Adjust spacing between letters in selected text in a PowerPoint 2007 presentation.

In some situations when designing a presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, you may wish to adjust the spacing between characters in a line of text. For example, you may wish to fit a few more characters in a particular line, squeezing / tightening the characters together. Or, conversely, you might want to loosen the spacing to make text easier to read, especially for those in the back of a conference room.

1. Select the text you wish to adjust....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:49:57 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-adjust-character-spacing.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-slide-number.html Add the slide number to the bottom of each slide in a PowerPoint 2007 presentation.

Larger Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 presentations may benefit from slide numbers. If you wish to present a slide show and have the audience hold all questions until the end, adding slide numbers lets the audience and you more easily recall particular information.

1. Make sure no text box or other element is selected....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:05:09 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-slide-number.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-prevent-online-help.html Prevent PowerPoint 2007 from going online when you search for help.

By default, when you search for help in Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 and happen to be online, PowerPoint will access the Internet for updated help documents from Microsoft. This way you can get more complete, up-to-date help content.

For privacy reasons, you may wish to only display help content available on your computer and not send help queries over the Internet. If so, there are a couple of ways of disabling this feature:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:38:04 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-prevent-online-help.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-prevent-select-text-whole-word.html Prevent PowerPoint 2007 from trying to select whole words when you select text.

In Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, when you select text with the mouse, you may note that as you start to select multiple words, entire words get selected via minor mouse movements instead of individual characters. PowerPoint does this as a "convenience", thinking that if you are selecting large groups of text, entire word selection will be quicker than character selection.

Many people find this automatic word selection an annoyance and would rather have finer control over the text they wish to select. If you fall in this category, this 'feature' can be disabled:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:23:56 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-prevent-select-text-whole-word.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-prevent-text-drag-drop.html Prevent mistakes in PowerPoint 2007 that result from accidentally dragging and dropping text.

By default, when you select text in Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, you can click and hold on the text, dragging and dropping it to another part of the current slide.

While many people appreciate this editing convenience, others, especially those using a laptop touchpad / trackpad, might grow frustrated when accidentally moving text they do not wish to move. Thus, this option can be disabled if desired....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:27:02 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-prevent-text-drag-drop.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-prevent-popup-toolbar.html Prevent the popup toolbar from appearing at the bottom of PowerPoint presentations when moving the mouse.

Depending on your Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 configuration, when you display a slide show and move the mouse pointer, a popup toolbar may appear at the bottom-left of the presentation. This lets you navigate forwards and backwards through the presentation without using the keyboard. Plus, you can add ink annotations or bring up the right-click popup menu.

In some circumstances this toolbar may be appreciated. However, this toolbar may greatly contrast from darker presentation backgrounds, and can make the presentation look less than professional, especially if the mouse movement to access this toolbar was unintentional. Thus, it can be disabled....

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 4 Nov 2008 19:18:00 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-prevent-popup-toolbar.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-disable-live-preview.html If your computer is slow running PowerPoint 2007, disabling Live Preview may make it more responsive.

Whenever you hover over different choices of formatting, fonts, design, or other features in the Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 Ribbon, such as when you add shadows to text, PowerPoint performs what is called a Live Preview. As you hover over options, selected text, graphics, or other elements automatically change to preview what would happen if you selected the desired option.

Look at the below screenshot for an example. As you hover over shadow types, such as "Outer - Offset Top", selected text in the current slide automatically changes to show you how it would look if you selected the effect. While this visually makes modifications easier in that you can see how different effects would change your presentation, for those with older machines or graphics cards, Live Preview may slow down PowerPoint 2007 every time you try changing a particular text or graphics effect. Thus, this can be disabled:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Mon, 3 Nov 2008 16:03:41 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-disable-live-preview.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-rulers.html Add rulers to PowerPoint 2007 to aid in lining up presentation elements.

To help you line up elements such as text boxes, photos, shapes, and charts in your presentations, Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 can display horizontal and vertical rulers around your slides.

Via the Ribbon:...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:12:54 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-rulers.html http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-add-shadow-text.html Add outer, inner, or perspective shadowing to text.

Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 offers many ways to make text such as titles, bulleted lists, or other important points stand out. One way to do so is to add shadowing effects to certain text. Shadows can appear around or inside letters, or you can add perspective shadows around text.

Two ways to add shadowed text are as follows. First, select the text you wish to shadow. Then: ...

Read more at MalekTips.]]> Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:08:39 GMT http://malektips.com/powerpoint-2007-add-shadow-text.html