1. What is Prezi?

Prezi (http://prezi.com) is a web-based presentation tool that offers an interesting alternative to PowerPoint. Unlike PowerPoint, which uses sequentially arranged slides, Prezi uses a single canvas.

Text, images, videos and other presentation objects are placed on the infinitely expandable ‘canvas’ and may, if you wish, be grouped together in frames. The canvas allows users to create non-linear presentations onto which viewers can zoom in and out. Linearity can be restored to a ‘prezi’ - the name for a Prezi presentation - by creating a ‘path’ through the different objects and frames.

Although prezis are generally developed online via a browser, once complete they can be downloaded for use when an internet connection is unavailable. An ‘embed’ code is available for each presentation allowing them to be integrated into blog posts, web or StudySpace pages. A tool called ‘Prezi Desktop’ is available (for PC, Mac and Linux) enabling you to edit offline as well although after a 30-day trial a licence must be purchased.

2. Why use Prezi over PowerPoint?

There is no reason why you shouldn’t carry on using PowerPoint. In spite of its critics, it is a competent slide organiser with many good features. However, Prezi may be a better option if you wish to create a less linear presentation that allows you a variety

of pathways through different sections of text and media. It’s also potentially a better option for more visual disciplines where Prezi’s capacity to enable users to pan and zoom allows images to be explored more simply and flexibly. Prezi allows users to upload images up to a maximum of 2,400 pixels square. In practice, this is far more than most people will ever need but it does allow large images to be uploaded onto which users can then zoom in.

3. Creating an account

To start building your own prezis you’ll need to have an account. The most basic account is free but you can upgrade to a ‘Edu Pro’ account for around $160 a year. However, if you set up an account using your university email you are eligible for the ‘Edu Enjoy’ account that sits between the basic free and the ‘pro’ accounts in terms of features and storage space. We think the educational account should be enough for most colleagues.

4. Creating your first Prezi

Once you have created you account, you can start building your first presentations. Click the ‘New prezi’ link on the top right

www.kingston.ac.uk

below the Prezi logo then type in a title and, if you wish, a description in the window that appears. Both title and description can be re-edited at a later date. When you’ve finished click on the ‘New prezi’ link at the bottom of the window.

Fig. 1: Create a new Prezi

When your new prezi appears on screen you will see the text ‘Click anywhere & add an idea’ in the centre of the screen. Click twice on this to write over the default text with your preferred text. It’s useful to include the title of your presentation again here with, perhaps, your name and the details of the teaching sessions, module or conference for which the prezi is being used.

5. Adding text

To add more text simply click once on the area of the screen where you would like to place your text and start typing. If you have drafted your text in Word or another text editor, you can paste the text (ctrl C to copy; ctrl V to paste) in the input box that appears.

Fig. 2: Prezi text box

Some formatting can be applied (e.g. bullet points) and the left and right arrows in the

blue circle allow you to stretch or compress the text. Click ‘OK’ when you have finished. If you need to re-edit, simply double-click on the text.

6. Adding images

You may have noticed a circle with a cluster of smaller circles attached in the top left-hand corner of your screen. This is your menu; clicking on different circles brings up different editing options. If you want to upload an image, for example, you click on the ‘Insert’ circle, then ‘Load File’. A window

Fig. 3: Prezi insert menu

then appears allowing you to navigate to the file you wish to upload. The image then appears on your prezi canvas where it can be resized and repositioned. If you want to be able to zoom in on an image, we recommend that you should upload one no smaller than 800 pixels in either height or width. Images smaller than this will appear pixelated when enlarged.

7. Adding YouTube videos

Adding a YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/) video is a similar process.

Fig. 4: Embedding a YouTube video

Click on the ‘Insert’ circle, then ‘YouTube’. A window then appears allowing you to paste in the URL (the web address) of the video you wish to embed. The video will appear in its own player inside your prezi where you can control both volume levels as well as play/pause.

Fig. 5: YouTube video in Prezi

At the time of writing YouTube is the only streamed video-hosting service to work in Prezi. However, Prezi are working on extending this feature to other services such as Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/) or Dailymotion (http://www.dailymotion.com).

8. Resizing and repositioning objects

Once you have added text, images and YouTube videos to your prezi you can easily resize and reposition them. This can be done

by using what Prezi calls the ‘presentation zebra’. Click once on the text, image or video you wish to resize or move. You will see two

concentric rings and a small circle in the middle appear on the item you have selected.

The outer ring allows you to tilt your selected item; the inner ring to resize it; and the centre

circle to move it. Clicking on the ‘+’ sign on the outer circle gives you further options (e.g. delete, duplicate, move forwards, send backwards).

Fig. 7: the presentation zebra

9. Adding shapes

A final option in the ‘Insert’ circle menu allows you to add arrows, lines and fluorescent

marker pen semi-transparent lines over your presentation. These additions are useful for

making connections between different sections of your prezi.

10. Adding frames

Text and media can be grouped together in frames. There is a separate ‘Frame’ menu circle for this on the main menu on the top left. Frames are particularly useful when you

want to create content clusters. For example, if I were to create a prezi on the use of Prezi

I might wish to group together the four to

This resource was created by Kingston University and is released under the terms of Creative Commons Licence.

five YouTube videos I’d added to my canvas of examples by means of a frame. There are three styles of frames which are visible to viewers and one hidden frame style.

11. Creating paths

Although Prezi offers you the opportunity to develop a less linear presentation, linearity can be restored by creating a ‘path’ between different the different text, media and frames

placed on the canvas. There is a ‘Path’ menu circle that allows you to link your text and media.

Fig. 8: paths

12. Colour schemes

At the time of writing this guide, there are ten themes from which users can choose. These are selected via the ‘Colors & Fonts’ menu. It is possible to customise a selected theme by clicking on ‘Theme Wizard’ and modifying the background colour, font style and colour and so on. Those with more advanced knowledge of CSS (cascading style sheets) can define the look of their prezis more precisely. If you’re new to CSS - and we suspect many readers of this guide will be - we’d advise sticking with one of the simpler standard themes (e.g. ‘original theme’ or ‘clean whitepaper’).

13. Adding your own videos

It is also possible to upload your own videos to a prezi. However, the videos need to be in

particular file formats in order to display in

a prezi. Currently, the formats required are .flv, .f4v or .m4v. If you have created a video in another file format then you will need to use an online service such as Zamzar (http://www.zamzar.com/) to convert them.

14. Further reading

• Prezi: the basics:

http://prezi.com/learn/getting-started/

• Our links: http://www.delicious.com/edtechglossary/Prezi

Fig. 9: colours