Time-Saving Tips for PowerPoint 2007

Is there ever enough time these days for any task? These PowerPoint 2007 time-saving tips will help you speed up production when creating your next presentations.

Tip 1: Coordinate the Look of Your Slides with a Design Theme

Coordinate your presentation by using a design theme, a new addition to PowerPoint 2007. Design themes work in a similar way as the design templates in earlier versions of PowerPoint. A really nice feature of the design themes, is that you can immediately see the effect reflected on your slides, before making your decision.

* Click here for Design Templates in PowerPoint.

Design themes are a new addition to PowerPoint 2007. They work in a similar way as the design templates in earlier versions of PowerPoint. A really nice feature of the design themes, is that you can immediately see the effect reflected on your slides, before making your decision.

Access the Design Ribbon

1. Click on the Design tab to access the Design ribbon.
2. Hover your mouse over any of the design themes shown.
3. The design is reflected immediately on your slide.
4. Click the design theme when you find one that suits your needs.

Tip 2: Let AutoCorrect Work for You

AutoCorrect can be one of those really annoying features within all the Microsoft Office products. AutoCorrect makes a decision for you -- and sometimes it is not the decision you would like. I hate it when that happens. However, AutoCorrect can be a real time saver if you have to make repetitive text entries or type in lengthy text strings. You can tailor it to do your work for you.

* AutoCorrect is a feature in PowerPoint 2007 that will automatically correct a common spelling error. You can also tailor it to use as a quick way to enter repetitive, lengthy phrases.

For Example - You work for the law firm of Wiggencottyl, Blountschoop and Hossenfeffer, and must type that name on the title slide of every PowerPoint presentation. It is very easy to make a mistake typing such a difficult set of names.

Set AutoCorrect to make a quick change for you after you type a few key letters.

1. Click on the Office button in the top left corner of the PowerPoint 2007 window.
2. Click on the PowerPoint Options button in the bottom of the dialog box.
3. Select the Proofing option in the list and then click on the AutoCorrect Options... button.

 Tip 3: Edit the Slide Master to Speed up Production

The slide master is one of several master slides that allow you to make global changes to all your slides at one time.

Using the slide master allows you to ~
• change font colors and styles for every slide
• add a clipart or picture to every slide
• add a footer or date to every slide

Tip 4: Create a Default Presentation Template

If you are in a business, chances are that you might have to create presentations using a standard background -- perhaps with company colors, fonts and even a company logo on each slide. Sure there are lots of design themes in the program for you to use and edit, but what if you must always be consistent and use the same starter presentation?

You can create a new default presentation theme, that will start up immediately when you start PowerPoint 2007, instead of the plain white slide. No more time spent having to search out the company template before you can get started.

Tip 5: Copy a Design Theme to Another Presentation

Rather than recreate the wheel, or locate the specific design theme in PowerPoint, it is sometimes quicker to copy the design theme of a current presentation to a new presentation. This way you can copy the complete color scheme that may have been altered from the original design theme in PowerPoint.

Tip 6: Communicate Visually with SmartArt

Everyone knows that a bulleted list on a slide is a recipe for boredom, but sometimes it’s hard to get away from text. Enter SmartArt in PowerPoint 2007.

Earlier versions of PowerPoint had a diagram feature, but your options were very limited. SmartArt is a tool to automatically turn bulleted lists into graphics.

Tip 7: Create a Photo Album in a Few Quick Clicks

There are many ways to add photos to PowerPoint presentations. However, if your whole presentation is about photos, you can use the photo album feature in PowerPoint, which makes the whole process fast and easy.