“Templates”

If we do not want to waste too much time in the formatting of our presentation, we can use templates.
In “PowerPoint”, we have hundreds of templates that we can use for free.
To see these templates, we first click on the “Office” button and select “New”.
This opens the “New Presentation” dialog box.
By default, the “Blank presentation” option is selected.
From the list on the left of the dialog box, we can choose from an already installed template or a template that you want to download from the “Office.com” site.
The new list of templates makes it very easy for us to download and use “Templates”.
Select a category on the left of the dialog.
In the middle of the dialog, the different options in this category are displayed.
On the right side of the dialog, we see an enlarged version of the template, that was selected in the middle of the dialog.

Once the template is selected, click the “DOWNLOAD” button at the bottom right of the dialog.
The advantage of using a template in your presentation, is that all the formatting of your slides is done for you and the only thing you have to do is enter information.

“Compatibility Mode”

When we open a “PowerPoint” presentation in the 2007 version, which was created in an earlier version of “PowerPoint”, it opens in “Compatibility Mode”.
This is shown next to the name of the presentation, in the Title bar.

When we work in “Compatibility Mode”, we cannot use the new features of “PowerPoint” 2007.
The “Compatibility Mode” is useful when there are people who do not have the latest version of “PowerPoint”, so that they can still have the opportunity to work with the presentation.

When you are sure that everyone has the 2007 version of “PowerPoint”, you can convert this old version of your presentation to the 2007 version.
Just click the “Office” button and select “Convert” from the drop-down menu.
This opens a dialog box with a message saying that when we convert the file, we have all the new features available in “PowerPoint 2007”.
Click OK when you are done.

Of course, the converse of this is also possible.
Suppose you work with the 2007 version of “PowerPoint” and your colleagues are using an earlier version.
Then you have the option of saving your presentation as a “PowerPoint” 97-2003 presentation.
Just click the “Office” button, select “Save As …” and click on the “PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation” button.
Of course you will lose all the new features of “PowerPoint” 2007.
A warning regarding this, will also be displayed.

Opening “PowerPoint” 2007 in earlier versions:

If you want to open a “PowerPoint” 2007 file in an earlier version of “PowerPoint”, you must have the “Compatibility Pack”.
This converter adds the option of opening, editing, and saving “Office” 2007 files in “Office” 2000, “Office” 2003 and “Office” XP softwares.
You can find this on the “Microsoft” site, if you search for “Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats”.

“Save” and “Save As …”

Once you know what information you want in your presentation and you wish to save it, just click the “Office” button at the top left hand corner of the application window.
In the drop-down menu, we find the “Save” and “Save As …” buttons.
The “Save” option allows us to save a previously saved presentation in which changes have been made.
The “Save as …” option allows us to give an appropriate name to our presentation when we save it. It also allows us to save a previously saved presentation under a new name.

When we select the “Save as …” option, it opens a dialog box.

By default, “Microsoft” “PowerPoint” will save your presentation in the “My Documents” folder.
You can navigate to any folder on your computer to save the file.
Give the file a suitable name and click the “Save” button.
This saves the file in the folder you’ve selected, under the name that you entered.
The name of your presentation is now displayed in the title bar.

To do all this faster and proceed further, click on the “Save” button in the “Quick Access” toolbar. If this is a presentation that you had previously saved, your “PowerPoint” presentation will be saved under the same name but with the changes.
If this is the first time that you are saving this presentation, “PowerPoint” will automatically open the “Save as …” dialog, where you perform the same operations as discussed above.

Saving as a “PDF”

“PowerPoint” 2007 allows us to save our presentation as a .pdf file.
A .pdf file (Portable Document Format) is the standard for the exchange of electronic documents and forms which must be reproduced in their original form .
Fonts, graphics and layouts of each “PDF” document will be retained.
A “PDF” file will look the same on every printer. A “PDF” file is platform independent, in other words, it can work on all platforms (Windows, Linux, …) and be viewed and / or edited. It is ideal for distributing manuals and the like.

The “PDF” format was developed by “Adobe”.
To save a document as. Pdf, simply click the “Office” button, select “Save as …” and click “PDF”.
In the dialog box, select a folder where you want to save the pdf file and click the “Publish” button.

Shortcuts

For those of you who do not know what a shortcut is, a shortcut is a combination of keys on our keyboards that we press simultaneously, to perform a particular function.

If you often work with certain programs, you can save a lot of time when you use keyboard shortcuts.
If you have trouble remembering all the different shortcuts, “PowerPoint” 2007 makes it very easy for you to recall them quickly.

The only thing you should do is press the ALT key on your keyboard.
You’ll be able to see which letter or number needs to be pressed in combination with the ALT key, to run that particular command.

If the shortcuts created in earlier versions of “PowerPoint” were used, they can still be applied.
You can no longer see them now because they have been placed behind the various tasks in the various menu bars.

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