Presentation Veteran Insight: PowerPoint 2007 Review with Recommendations 3

Continued from previous post

Not Just Smart: Make Other Ways Like A Professional

I don't want to talk too much about the new feature SmartArt graphics, because it's really content design component to preset professional styles, although it helps visually communicate information somehow. Just read more about the visual representation of your information and ideas by yourself: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA100395371033.aspx.

To be really smart and professional to do with PowerPoint 2007, you're supposed to know some must have equipments. With these recommendations, you and your PowerPoint 2007 are really armed to the tooth in any presentation world.

The first one you definitely need to install is the general support for PDF file. Microsoft has an Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=4D951911-3E7E-4AE6-B059-A2E79ED87041&displaylang=en to make your PowerPoint presentations and export as the most acceptable document type PDF files. Despite this Microsoft add-in doesn't have better abilities compared with Adobe Acrobat's add-in (more about Adobe Acrobat at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/), its ease to export really makes sense for most users.

If you still fancy classic menus in previous versions not the ribbon in PowerPoint 2007, the producer of high performance add-ins and tools for Microsoft Office offers Classic Menu for PowerPoint to show classic menus and toolbars on ribbon of Microsoft PowerPoint 2007. See details at http://www.addintools.com/english/menupowerpoint/default.htm. It retains all PowerPoint 2007 features and recalls the classic drop-down menu. You may love this hybrid way to quickly get into PowerPoint.

Regularly your PowerPoint documents will be used for online presentation in the Internet times, and I think most peopel won't believe the feature of directly saving as Web pages in PowerPoint, which generates a bundle of files with unfriendly codes in pages, and no improvements in PowerPoint 2007. Multimedia software manufacturer Wondershare introduces the Flash conversion add-in to make online presentation properly with PowerPoint 2007. More information goes to http://www.sameshow.com/powerpoint-to-flash-pro.html. As SilverLight is under construction, Flash still takes up current Web content authoring. If you have multiple presentations on business or teaching, this one could be a great tool.

With one year evolution of PowerPoint 2007, the baby has been accepted by most of us. We like the Ribbon, hate the incompatibility, and want to be new professors on it. At the end of the common review, I just recommend the last thing: Don't forget to install the 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 1 (218.3 MB, http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=9EC51594-992C-4165-A997-25DA01F388F5&displaylang=en). There're no more secrets from Microsoft, because you've known PowerPoint 2007.

William Peterson Presentation Veteran