Jul 23 2012

Tips for Removing the Background from Images in PowerPoint 2010

Remove the background from one picture so it can be layered on top of another. (c) Thinkstock

When you use images in your presentations, you might run into scenarios where you want to combine two images. In order to achieve the desired effect you may need to remove the background of one image so that it can sit in front of another image. In a past blog post, I explained how to do this in PowerPoint 2007. You can still use that approach in PowerPoint 2010 (Select image > Format > Color > Set Transparent Color). However, Microsoft offers you a new and useful option in PowerPoint 2010 to actually edit and remove the background of an image. Continue reading “Tips for Removing the Background from Images in PowerPoint 2010”

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May 07 2012

How Recover an Unsaved PowerPoint 2010 File

Ooops. I just closed the PPTX file I was working on that I hadn’t saved in a few hours. (c) iStockphoto / Thinkstock

You’ve been working tirelessly on a presentation. The creativity is flowing, you’re in a groove, and you’re masterfully pulling together what will be an epic PowerPoint presentation. For whatever reason as you juggle various files on your desktop, a part of your brain cramps up and you accidentally close (without saving) your presentation. This may never have happened to you, but it has happened to me a few times, including last Friday. Continue reading “How Recover an Unsaved PowerPoint 2010 File”

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Jun 20 2011

PowerPoint 2010 Paste Options – Love at First Sight

Paste options . . . it was love at first sight. (c) Thinkstock

Whether you’re building a PowerPoint presentation from a few other slide decks or creating charts in Excel to add into your slides, you’re constantly copying and pasting things into PowerPoint. One of the most frustrating things is when you copy something – a slide, chart, or table – and paste it into PowerPoint 2007, all of the formatting changes. Grrrrr. More work that you didn’t need. One of my more popular blog posts is actually how to retain the formatting of a slide when it is inserted into another presentation in PowerPoint 2007.

You'll see other options depending on what you're pasting.

In PowerPoint 2010, Microsoft has combined the Paste Special dialog box with Office Paste Recovery feature so you have easier access to different paste options. Continue reading “PowerPoint 2010 Paste Options – Love at First Sight”

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Apr 06 2011

Bedazzling Presentations with New Transitions in PPT 2010

You can bedazzle your presentations with new transitions in PowerPoint 2010. But should you?

If you’ve used slide transitions in PowerPoint, you’ll be happy to know that Microsoft has upgraded the transition effects in PowerPoint 2010. They’re slicker and smoother than the stale ones that you’ve seen in recent versions of PowerPoint. In fact, if you’ve seen any presentations done on Apple’s Keynote presentation software, you’ll recognize some similar effects in PowerPoint 2010 (e.g., the “cube turn” transition). I believe the 19 new transitions were a direct response to Keynote’s more cinematic, professional-looking transition effects, which put to shame PowerPoint’s transition effects. Continue reading “Bedazzling Presentations with New Transitions in PPT 2010”