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4 more PowerPoint Tips
~~Kathryn Jacobs, PowerPointAnswers

I ran short on time this month, so rather than giving you all a full new article, I thought I would share the answers to four questions I have been asked lately. Hope you find the solutions useful!

1. Finding that you can't click empty shapes in the 2003 Viewer?
   It used to be that if you needed an invisible link on your page, you could set up a no line, no fill shape and add the hyperlink to that. Unfortunately, that doesn't work when you use the PPT 2003 Viewer. The fix? Give the shape a 95-100% fill instead of leaving it blank. You won't be able to see the shape, but the Viewer will still be able to find it when you mouse over it.
    

2. Do you need a rolling ToC on all slides?
   Create the ToC on the right side of the master slide and create your links there. To make the link for the current slide inactive, cover the current page link with a filled box. This will highlight where you are in the presentation and also keep people from clicking the link.
   Want a more detailed explanation? Read on...

   • Open your presentation and view the master slide (View--> Master--> Slide Masters).

   • Add a text box on the left side of your master.

   • In this text box,list the names of your slides. (You probably don't want the whole title, just an indication of what is on the slide.)

   • Select the first slide name.

   • Right click and select "Hyperlink".

   • Set the hyperlink to the correct slide.

   • Repeat this for each of the other slides.

   • Close the slide master view.

   The box will now appear on each slide that uses the master you changed, and each slide title will be underlined (indicating it is linked to a slide). To set up the link block for the individual slides:

   • Go to the first slide and (using the drawing tools) create a box that is the size of the slide name.

   • Move the box over the title of this slide in your left hand list.

   • Right click the shape and select Format Autoshape.

   • On the Colors and Lines tab, set the transparency of the box to a fairly high number.

   • Close the Format dialog.

   • Copy the box.

   • Move to the next slide, paste the box and move it over the slide name for this slide.

   Repeat the paste and move step for each slide in your list.
    

3. Need to reset animations on lots of slides? Use a Custom Show.
   Add one blank slide to the end of your presentation. Set up the transition to go automatically after 0 seconds. Now, go to Slide Show--> Custom Show. Create a new show. Add all the slides except the blank one to the custom show. Now, select just the blank slide in the left column and scroll the right column back to the top. Add the blank slide before each of your animated slides. Save the custom show. Go to Slide Show--> Set Up Show. Set the default show to your new custom show. When your run the presentation from now on, the custom show will run and your animations should reset for every slide.
   Learn this and many other Custom Show tricks at one of my sessions at PPTLive 2004.
    

4. Need to save your quicktime movie as an AVI movie so that it can be used in PowerPoint both on the Mac and on the PC?
   Follow these quick steps from IMovie and you will have a movie that you can use in PowerPoint on either platform?
   With the movie project open in IMovie:

   • Select "Share" from the "File" menu.

   • Click the QuickTime icon.

   • In the selection box for "Compress movie for", select "Expert Settings".

   • Click the Share button. You will move to a settings screen.

   • In the selection box for "Export" select "Movie to AVI" and note the new name.

   • The name will default to the same name, but with a three letter extension. You can change it if you wish, but don't change the extension.

   • Continue the save preocess. Your Mac will compress the movie and save it.

   • Exit IMovie, return to PowerPoint and your presentation.

   • Delete the version of the movie that is in the presentation now.

   • Insert the movie you just created.

   • Save the presentation, make your CD and open it on the PC. Your movie should now work on either platform.