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Creating Linked and Embedded Objects in Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to use and create linked and embedded objects within your PowerPoint presentations. A linked object is an object that is created in one file known as the source file and then inserted into another file called the destination file. For a linked object a link exists between the source file and destination file and the object in the destination file can be updated by updating the object in the source file. An embedded object is an object that you create from a source file and embed in a destination file but the difference between a linked object and embedded object is that for an embedded object the changes you make to it in the destination file are reflected only in the destination file.

For a linked file the information of the object exists only in the source file and any modifications that you want to perform on the object ha to be done through the source file. The linked object in the destination file is just a linked representation of the source object in the source files. Whereas, an embedded object exists in the destination file as an individual entity.

To create an embedded object:

1.Open the PowerPoint presentation where you want to insert the embedded object. This would be your destination PowerPoint file.

2.Select Insert  Object option to open the Insert Object dialog box as shown in the following figure:

3.Select the Create new radio button if it is not selected by default.

4.Select an option from the Object type list box to specify the type of embedded object you want to create. This will specify the source file for the embedded object.

5.Click the OK button to open a new source file for the object type that you have selected.

6.You can then create a new object in the file that opens and then save and close it to embed the object to your PowerPoint presentation.

Note

You can also select the Create from file radio button in the Insert Object dialog box and specify the source file from a list of files that you have already created.

To create a linked object:

1.Open the PowerPoint presentation that contains the object that you want to make a linked object in another presentation file. The file that contains the object is the source file.

2.Select the object and copy it using the Copy tool.

3.Open the destination PowerPoint presentation where you want to create a linked object.

4.Select Edit  Paste Special option to open the Paste Special dialog box as shown in the following figure:

5.Select the Paste link radio button and click OK to paste a hyperlink of the selected object in the destination file.

Note

Alternatively, you can also select the Paste radio button and select an option from the As list box to specify the file format for the linked object.

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How to Use Portrait and Landscape Slide Orientation in a Presentation?

When you create a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, all slides you insert to the presentation is of landscape orientation, by default. If you require, you can modify this orientation to portrait. However, you can follow a simple trick to include slides of both types of orientation as a single presentation. To do so you need to follow 5 simple steps:

1. Move slides of one orientation to a separate file
The first step is to move files of which you want to be of one type of orientation, for example, portrait to a separate presentation file. Move the slides, which you want to be in portrait orientation to a new presentation file. To do so:

1.Open the presentation file in Normal view.

2.Select the slides that you want to be in portrait orientation from the Slides tabbed pane in the Normal view.

3.Select Edit Cut option to cut the selected slides.

4.Select File New option to open a new blank presentation.

5.Select Edit Paste option in the new presentation file to paste the cut slides to it.

2. Change the orientation of slides in new presentation.

The second step for this task is to modify the orientation of the slides you want to be portrait. To do so:

1.Open the presentation file that consists of the slides that you want to be in portrait orientation.

2.Select File Page Setup option to open the Page Setup dialog box as shown in the following figure:

Page Setup Dialog Box

This figure shows the Page Setup dialog box with options to modify the orientation of slides from landscape to portrait.

1. Select the Portrait radio button under Orientation from the Slides frame.

2. Click the OK button to apply the selected orientation to the slides.

3. Save the new presentation.

3. Create a hyperlink from original presentation to new presentation
The third step of this process is to create a hyperlink from the original presentation containing landscape slides to the new presentation containing portrait slides. This hyperlink will transfer control from the original presentation to the new presentation. To create this hyperlink:

1.Open the original presentation.

2.Select the text or object on which you want to create the hyperlink.

3.Select Slide Show Action Settings option to open the Action Settings dialog box as shown in the following figure:

Action Settings Dialog Box

This figure shows the Action Settings dialog box that allows you to create hyperlinks.

1. Click the Hyperlink to radio button and select Other PowerPoint Presentation from the drop-down menu. This will open the Hyperlink to Other PowerPoint presentation dialog box.

2. Browse the new presentation in the Hyperlink to Other PowerPoint presentation dialog box and click the OK button. This will return control to the Action Settings dialog box.

3. Click the OK button in the Action Settings dialog box to create the hyperlink.

4. Create hyperlink from new presentation back to the original presentation.

The fourth step to this process is to create a hyperlink in the new presentation that will allow you to transfer control back to your original presentation. To do so:

1. Open the new presentation that you have created.

2. Select the text or object on which you want to create a hyperlink.

3. Select Slide Show Action Settings option to open the Action Settings dialog box.

4. Click the Hyperlink to radio button and select Other PowerPoint Presentation from the drop-down menu. This will open the Hyperlink to Other PowerPoint presentation dialog box.

5. Browse the original presentation in the Hyperlink to Other PowerPoint presentation dialog box and click the OK button. This will return control to the Action Settings dialog box.

6. Click the OK button in the Action Settings dialog box to create a hyperlink from new presentation to original presentation.

5. Save both the presentations.

The fifth and last step of the process is to save both the presentation files to update the changes. You will need both presentation files to present this slide show. Also both presentations must be kept at the same directory locations that you used to create the hyperlinks.

TJ

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PowerPoint Presentation Handouts – how to create one for your presentation

The Notes feature of Microsoft PowerPoint is very handy especially when you want to create handouts for your audience’s reference. You can insert the notes to your slides while working in the normal view of PowerPoint. The Notes pane appears at the bottom of the PowerPoint work area when you are in the Normal view and you can simultaneously insert notes as you create your slides. Another option is to open the Notes page and exclusively work on inserting notes. You can open the Notes page by selecting the Notes Page option from View menu. The following figure shows the Notes pane in Normal view and the Notes Page:

Notes Pane and Notes Page

This figure shows the Notes pane that appears in the Normal view for inserting notes. It also shows the Notes page for inserting notes.

The notes page displays a small slide preview and the notes for that particular slide. Some features of the Notes page view are:

• It includes all notes for each slide in the PowerPoint presentation.
• Each slide consists of a Notes Page.
• Notes are part of the PowerPoint presentation and follow the slides.
• You can use the Notes Page to add pictures and objects to your presentation.

The Notes page view in PowerPoint allows you to add pictures, charts and other objects to your presentation notes. An object such as picture or chart that is added to the Notes Page appears in the printed notes but cannot be a part of the Normal view. Also, if you save your presentation as a Web page, the picture or objects that you add to the Notes Page do not appear when you display your presentation in the Web browser along with your notes. The modifications you make to the notes are applied only to the Notes Page and the Notes Pane in normal view.

You can type and format notes working in the normal view. You can also see how your notes will look when printed in the print preview. You can also check and modify your notes headers and footers in print preview. You can print the notes pages and use them as notes with your presentation for yourself and your audience.

Also, Microsoft PowerPoint provides you with a Notes Master. Any modifications that you want to perform to all the Notes Pages in a presentation can be done to the Notes Master. When you insert an object such as a picture or auto shape to the Notes Master, it is automatically inserted to all Notes Pages for all slides. You can use the Notes Master to change the position of the slide area, position of the notes area, header, footer, and page number etc. of the Notes Page.

TJ

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Tips for successful PowerPoint Presentation.

If you think about business it is about selling products and services to the buyers. So when you are planning to make a business presentation it is all about knowing your presentation topic. If you understand everything about the product or services you are selling, it can make your audience happy and more likely to buy your products or services.

To achieve this goal you need to keep your audience focused on to your presentation and keep them interesting. To make an effective presentation take time and practice, here are few tips which helps you in to creating a successful business presentation.

1) Identify your topic very well and use important phrases in your presentation:
Professional presentation expert always you important phrase and provide essential information on their slides. Make your presentation slide simple and specific to the topics with limited number of words. Don’t use more than 3 to 4 bullet lines per slide. Make your presentation slide easy to read for the audience.

2) Presentation slide layout: Layout in PowerPoint is key in making the audience focused and interested. Place your title at the top of the slide where people expect to find it. Key phrases should be used in proper order from left to right don’t overcrowd the slide with phrases keep the key phrases to 3-4. Keep the important key phrase at the top of the slide and less important at the bottom, this make audience at the back to understand the presentation better even if they are not able to see the complete slide.

3) Avoid Caps and Use simple Font: Finding the right font for your PowerPoint presentation is key while you’re present to audience. It is better to use common fonts like Ariel, Times New Roman and Verdana rather than using Script created font which looks odd on the screen. Make sure the fonts are large enough to read preferably 30pt so that everyone in the presentation room can read it easily.

4) Use light Text color and Dark Background: Having light colored text on a Dark background makes it easy to read for the audience. It also blends in with your company logo and color. Using textured and pattern design at the background of the slides can cause poor readability of the content present on the slides and another tip which I would suggest is to keep the color of the slides consistent all through the presentation.

Proper use of Images, Charts and Graphs: When you make a presentation to your business clients make sure to embed relevant photos, charts and graphs to illustrate your presentation. These additions can make your audience to be focused and make the presentation interesting for the audience; text only slides can be boring so mix the presentation with graphics and attractive illustration if possible add videos with text. Reduce the number of the slides used for the presentation too many slides can be boring to the audience as well as you can avoid the hassle of changing the slides often.

The Final tip which I suggest is to do a test of the presentation to check the spelling on the key phrases and make sure the presentation are running properly and burn that to the CD and also keep a copy of the PowerPoint viewer is also added into the CD in case the presentation computer doesn’t have a PowerPoint plug-in installed.

TJ

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How to simplify creating presentations in PowerPoint?

You create a presentation in PowerPoint by starting with a basic outline and building on it by adding new slides and content. You decide the layout and color scheme and format and design of the content. Then to enhance your presentation you add advanced elements such as animations, images, media clips and so on.

Here are a few pointers that I find useful while creating presentations. These are not guidelines but just a few basics that I feel makes my life easier while creating presentations:

• I start with a blank presentation file when my presentation needs minimal design and color application. A blank presentation file contains a single slide when created and provides me with a great variety of scope to use my imagination when I like to use my creativity in the few number of slides that I am creating.

• I create a presentation from an existing presentation that I have already created when I feel that I would be using most of the design and content of my existing presentation. Any changes I need to make I do to the existing presentation making my life easier.

• But it is the Design templates and templates on the Web that I use most frequently while creating presentations. The reason is that templates come with a predefined design concept, fonts, and color scheme. I just have to type in the content make a few minor adjustments and my presentation is ready.

Also, if you want to create presentations that you want to distribute to lot of people over the Web, there are a few things that you want to remember:

•Use fonts that are available installed with Windows. If you use fancy fonts that are available on your system, they may not be displayed correctly when your presentation is distributed over the Web because these fonts may not be available on the system where your presentation is viewed.

• You should avoid embedding sound and video files that are not compatible with different operating systems. For example you may embed a sound file to your presentation on Macintosh that a person using Windows may not be able to play.

• And finally, try and view your presentations on different platforms to understand the visual changes that may take place to your presentation. This will help you to understand the PowerPoint features that are supported on different platforms. You can then judicially use the features supported by all platforms or come up with separate presentations for separate platforms.

TJ

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What are smart tags in PowerPoint?

We all see them while working with PowerPoint but most of us rarely use them. These are the smart tags available in Microsoft PowerPoint. Smart tags are tool icons that appear on the screen after certain actions such as, copy and paste or auto correction of text is made by you. Smart tags make life easier. These smart tags display a list options as a popup menu, when clicked. These options help you to control the output of the action performed by you. For example, if you have programmed the software to autocorrect the word ‘Power’ into ‘PowerPoint’ every time you type it but at a particular instance if you want to type the word ‘Power’ you can use the AutoCorrect smart tag icon options to undo the change. PowerPoint provides several smart tag icons. All smart tags icons vary in their appearance but their functions are more or less similar to each other. Some smart tag options available in PowerPoint are:

AutoCorrect Smart Tag Icon

The AutoCorrect smart tag icon appears after any automatic correction or modification takes place. For example, lowercase alphabet being corrected to uppercase. The AutoCorrect smart tag displays a small blue box icon next to the autocorrected text when you place the mouse pointer near it. When you click the AutoCorrect smart tag icon it displays a popup menu. You can use these options to undo or modify the changes that have been automatically performed.

Paste Smart Tag Icon

The Paste smart tag icon appears when you paste a copied icon on the work area. The Paste smart tag icon provides you with the option of selecting from the various formats of the pasted object. The smart tag icon appears after the pasted object, which can be text or slides or tables. Click on the smart tag icon to display the options to modify the paste formats. For example, if you copy and paste a slide and insert it after a slide that uses a separate design template, you can select the original design for the newly pasted slide or let it assume the design of the slide it now follows.

AutoFit Smart Tag Icon

The AutoFit smart tag icon appears when Microsoft PowerPoint resizes the text that you are typing and fits it in its placeholder. You can select from the options available in the popup menu of the AutoFit smart tag icon to undo the resizing. The AutoFit smart tag icon also allows you to modify column layouts and also split text between slides.

Automatic Layout Smart Tag Icon

The Automatic Layout smart tag icon appears after you insert objects such as pictures, graphs, organization charts and tables, that modify the layout of the slide. PowerPoint automatically modifies the slide layout to fit the object that you have inserted. You can use the Automatic Layout smart tag icon to undo the changes or to turn it off.

- Thomson Chemmanoor

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Sending PowerPoint Presentation for Review

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to send your PowerPoint presentation for review. When you send your PowerPoint presentation for review the reviewer can add comments and make modifications of their choice to their copies of the PowerPoint presentation. As an author of a presentation you would want to send your presentation to reviewers online. Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to send your PowerPoint presentation for review using Microsoft Outlook. You can also use other e-mail programs that are compatible with the Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), a Microsoft Exchange server or network server.

When you send your PowerPoint presentation for review, the reviewer can also use a separate version of the Microsoft PowerPoint software to review your presentation. After, a review is completed by the reviewer, the reviewed copy can be sent back to you. You can then use the reviewed copy together with your original copy of the PowerPoint presentation to apply or reject the changes suggested by the reviewer. Microsoft PowerPoint provides reviewing tools for you to apply or reject the suggested changes.

If you use Microsoft Outlook to your PowerPoint presentation for review then Microsoft Outlook automatically tracks changes made by reviewers. Outlook generates a review request e-mail message is automatically when you send your presentation for review. This e-mail message includes a copy of the PowerPoint presentation and a follow up flag. It also includes a brief text message, which is a request for your presentation to be reviewed. If you are not using Microsoft Outlook but some other e-mail program or a network server to send your presentation for review, you need to find out whether or not the program is able to accept attachments through e-mail. If it does not accept attachments then you need to manage the review process by tracking it manually.

To send a presentation for review using Microsoft Outlook:

1.Open the presentation that you want to send for review.

2.Select the File  Send To  Mail Recipient (for Review) option to open Microsoft Outlook Compose window that consists of the PowerPoint presentation as an attachment. The following figure shows the window that s to send the PowerPoint presentation for review:

4.Click the Send button to send the PowerPoint presentation for review.

If you want reviewers to view your presentation and just add comments to it then you can send the presentation as an attachment in an e-mail message.

Happy Blogging.

Thomson Chemmanoor

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