Using PowerPoint

What is PowerPoint?

• PowerPoint is a Presentation Graphics

program

– used to create and show a series of

―slides‖ to illustrate a message

• Very powerful and can seem daunting

– actually reasonably easy once you know

how

PowerPoint Versions

• There are several versions of

PowerPoint currently being used

• The commonest are:

– PowerPoint 2007

– PowerPoint 2003

– PowerPoint 2000

– also PowerPoint 2008 for the Mac

PowerPoint Versions

• If you buy a Windows computer today

and install Microsoft Office you will get:

– PowerPoint 2007

– It looks very different to previous versions:

PowerPoint anatomy—2003

CURRENT SLIDE

TITLE BAR MENU TOOLBAR

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T S

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PowerPoint anatomy—2007

CURRENT SLIDE

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SID

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(S)

TITLE BAR RIBBON TOOLBAR

Saving

• Save your Slideshow as soon as you have

created the first slide

• Choose a meaningful name and save it where

you can find it

• Do not save it onto a memory stick

– copy it across when you have completely finished

Saving

• Save your Slideshow after every significant

edit e.g. creating a new slide

– the quickest way is to press Ctrl+S on the

keyboard

Making mistakes

• DO NOT PANIC when you make a

mistake

• Click Undo on the Edit menu

• Easier is to press Ctrl+Z on the

keyboard

What are we trying to

achieve?

• Display the words to the hymns

– accurately

– legibly

– legally

– consistently

– robustly

– tastefully

– without creating distraction

Accuracy

• It is essential that the words on the

screen match those in the hymn book

Legibility

• Size of text

• Font

• Colours

• Spelling

Size of text

• Font size is measured in points (pt)

• For projection aim to use at least 32 and

preferably 36

Font

• Choose your font carefully

abc abcArial—Sans serif Times New Roman—Serif

Font

• Sans serif typefaces are generally good

choice as they are easy to read

– Arial

–Verdana

– Tahoma

• Decorative typefaces are difficult to read

– Curlz

–Jokerman

Font

• You may be surprised about:

–Comic sans• Which is a very popular font but reviled

by many

– try Googling “I hate comic sans”!

Colours

• Choose contrasting colours for

background and text

• Up to 10% of the male population are

red-green colour blind

Can you read this?

• Use lighter text on a dark background

or

• Use darker text on a light background

How to change colours

• Colour scheme—can be unreliable

How to change colours

• Slide master—probably the easiest

How to change colours

• Font colour

• Background colour

Spelling

• It’s very esay to make a msiatke

• Unfortunately, it isn’t so easy to spot it

yourself!

• If you use the spellchecker make sure

the language is set to English(U.K.)

Legality

• The vast majority of songs in Hymns

and Psalms, Songs for Worship and

elsewhere are covered by our Christian

Copyright Licence

©

Legality

• In PowerPoint typing (c) will

automatically insert the copyright

symbol

©

Legality

Legality

• Be very sure that you have permission

to use a picture or other media

– acknowledge where required

– useful sources

• free image websites e.g.

– www.freefoto.com

– www.reelworship.com

– www.morguefile.com

• Wikipedia (many images are public domain)

• American Government agencies (media are

usually public domain by default)

Consistency

• To avoid confusion keep the same basic

font and layout for each verse

• If you use picture backgrounds it might

be appropriate to change the picture if it

supports the verse

Robustness

• Don’t make things so complicated that

the slideshow fails

– especially applies to animation triggered by

mouse-clicks

– remember that whoever operates the

projector is a participant in the service and

should not lose out

Taste

• A very personal matter!

– putting extras on a slide is fine if it supports

the message

Distraction-free

• Remember why we are producing the

slideshow

• We do not want anyone’s eyes to ―trip‖

over any of the elements on the slide

Distraction-free

• Even subtle layouts might distract

– inappropriate animation

– inappropriate sound effects

– ―breaking the fourth wall‖

• aim to make the congregation unaware of the

computer

• simplest way is to make the whole service into

one slideshow

Avoiding distractions

• A matter of taste and judgement

• A pure black background

– will not project the edge of the slide

– all the congregation will see is your content

– alignment problems with the projector are

less noticeable

Putting it all together

• Start with a blank slide

– Right click on the slide

– Choose (Slide) Layout and then Blank

(options appear in the right sidebar in

2003)

• Decide if you want to use a background

picture

Pictures

• Adding pictures

– choose a picture which is reasonably

simple

– needs a large area of uniform colour

– the font colour will need to contrast with the

picture

Pictures

• Adding pictures

– If possible reduce the size of pictures you

have taken yourself

– If you insert the picture after having done

the text you will need to ―send the picture

to the back‖

Pictures

• Adding pictures

Pictures

• Adding pictures

Adding text

• Once you have your background sorted

out add the hymn text

• You may be able to copy the text from

somewhere else (e.g. Family Friendly

Churches website) and paste it in

– use Paste Special and then ―Unformatted

Text‖ rather than just plain Paste

Test text

Test text

Test text

Test text

Test text

Test text

Test text

Test text

Test text

Test text

Test text

Test text

Duplicating slides

• Once you have created the first slide of

a hymn duplicate it however many times

is needed

– remember to create enough copies for

each verse and an extra copy if there is a

chorus

– perhaps do an extra copy to use as a blank

after the hymn

Duplicating slides—2003

• Select the slide in the left sidebar

Duplicating slides—2007

• Select the slide in the left sidebar

• Right click on the slide and click on

―Duplicate Slide‖

Duplicating slides

• In any version you can select the slide

and press Ctrl+D on the keyboard

– this is actually the quickest and easiest

Duplicating slides

• Then edit the words on each slide to

match the verse

– if you use a counter update that as well

• Make sure the last slide has the

copyright acknowledgement

Duplicating slides—chorus

• On the chorus copy edit the words to

match the chorus

– change the counter to say ―Chorus‖

• Then duplicate the Chorus slide for

however many choruses there are

Sorting the slides

• After all that duplicating you need to get

the verses and choruses in the right

order

• Change to ―Slide Sorter‖ view

Slide Sorter

Slide Sorter

• In this view select the slide you want to

move and drag it to where you want it

• You can select multiple slides (e.g. a

whole hymn) and move the whole group

– click on the first

– press Shift on the keyboard

– with Shift still pressed down click on the

last slide then release the Shift key

– then drag the whole group of slides to

where you want