Have you been asked to create a PowerPoint presentation during a business meeting or a lesson at school and you, not being particularly familiar with this software, don’t know where to start? Don’t worry: you’ve come to the right place at the right time! In the following lines, in fact, I’ll explain how to make a PowerPoint in a simple way and without wasting time. I guarantee you that you won’t need great computer knowledge to get good results: you’ll just need a little patience and a lot of imagination to infuse into your presentations.
As you can easily guess, the most used program for making presentations is Microsoft Office PowerPoint, which is included in Microsoft’s Office package, but this is not the only tool suitable for the purpose: if you don’t like Microsoft Office PowerPoint and/or you’re not willing to buy a license to use it, you should know that there are other programs that are capable of making impressive presentations. One of them is LibreOffice Impress, which is completely free, open source and compatible with all major PC operating systems. I’ll tell you about it in the second part of the tutorial. Another thing I’ll tell you about later is the mobile version of PowerPoint, which is compatible with most smartphones and tablets and allows you to make complete presentations just like on a PC.
Finally, if you really don’t want to or can’t install programs or apps on your computer and still need to create a PowerPoint presentation, I’ll also explain how to make great slides using some online services. So, what do you say? Are you intrigued? Are you ready to get started? Perfect, then take your time, read the following lines and follow my advice. I assure you that the results you’ll get will surprise you!
How to make a PowerPoint on PC
Creating a PowerPoint presentation on the computer is the most convenient way: the availability of a mouse and keyboard and a larger screen will surely simplify your work. As I explained earlier, I’ll show you two different programs to make a presentation using your PC: the first is the “classic” Microsoft Office PowerPoint, the second is LibreOffice Impress.
There are several differences between these two programs but, to tell the truth, the most important one is the price. In fact, Microsoft PowerPoint requires the payment of a license or subscription and you can use it for free for only one month. LibreOffice Impress, on the other hand, is open source and completely free; that means you pay nothing to install and use it.
I will give you, below, the most important information you need to create a good presentation with both programs.
Microsoft Office PowerPoint
If you haven’t installed Microsoft Office PowerPoint on your computer yet, it’s time to do so. This program is available for both Windows and macOS: the two versions are very similar and, although I’ll use the Windows version, know that the procedures to follow are almost identical on Mac as well.
As I anticipated, PowerPoint is not free, it is paid and there are two ways to get it.
By purchasing the Office 365 Home & Student 2016 package – in which case there is a one-time payment of 149 euros.
By subscribing to the Office 365 service – at a cost of 7 euros per month or 69 euros per year; this program is the only one that allows you to try the program (and all other applications of the Office package) for 30 days for free.
If you have decided to opt for the second solution and try Office 365 for free before subscribing, proceed as follows: connect to the page to download PowerPoint, move your mouse over the Free Trial button and then click on For Home. A new page will open, in which you will have to click on the Free Trial button. At this point, go to Next and sign in to your Microsoft account. Don’t have a Microsoft account yet? No problem: check out my guide on how to create a Microsoft account and you’ll get one in no time.
Now choose your preferred payment method (PayPal or credit card) and fill in the fields with the required information. Please note that this step is necessary to get the trial version, but you will not be charged if you cancel the subscription before the expiration of the free 30 days. Click Next and wait for the program download to start automatically.
The big thing is done: to install the Office suite on a trial basis (or permanently, if you have decided to purchase it), all you have to do is double-click on the downloaded .exe file. On Mac, instead, you have to open the downloaded dmg file, launch the Office Installer executable and follow the on-screen instructions (it’s always a matter of clicking Continue and typing the password of the user account on macOS).
Remember that if you don’t want to purchase Microsoft Office, you’ll have to take care of cancelling the automatic renewal of the subscription from this page before the end of the 30-day trial period. If you have any doubts, you can consult my in-depth guide on how to download PowerPoint in which I explained in more detail the procedure for downloading and installing PowerPoint on Windows and macOS.
Create a presentation with Microsoft PowerPoint
Have you downloaded and installed PowerPoint on your Windows PC or Mac? Perfect: now it’s time to open it and get to work to create the presentation to show off during a meeting at work or the explanation of a research paper at school.
To get started, start PowerPoint by clicking on its icon (the brown one with a letter “P” in the middle). Now you can proceed in two ways: if you want to create a blank presentation, in which you will customize the background and colors, click on Blank Presentation. If you don’t have much imagination or don’t want to spend too much time on choosing colors, you can always use one of the templates already available in the program.
Whatever choice you have made, the program will show you the work panel containing the tools you can use to slowly shape your presentation. The tools are enclosed in handy tabs, divided into categories.
Home – this tab contains PowerPoint’s most used tools, including buttons for formatting text, quickly creating new slides, inserting arrows, shapes and whatnot.
Insert – this tab contains tools for inserting elements into the slide: images, shapes, hyperlinks, text boxes, and more.
Design – in this tab there are tools that allow editing the slide structure: color, text size and font, decorations and others.
Transitions – here are the tools for deciding what effect you’ll use to move from one slide to another in your presentation. If you’ve used Movie Maker a few times, you’ll surely know what I’m talking about.
Animation – here you have the tools to decide the effect with which the elements will enter the slide, as if they were “animated”. For example, you can have text enter from the top, images with a magnifying effect and much more.
Presentation – from this tab you can preview your presentation and define its behavior in detail.
Review – here you will find the tools to quickly review the contents of your slides. Also, from here you can add pencilled notes if you wish.
View – this tab allows you to change the PowerPoint slide view interface: it allows you to remove colors, overlay them, show aligned thumbnails, side-by-side, zoom in and out and much more.
Now that you know where to find the tools you need, let’s look at the first steps to creating your presentation. Click on Click to Insert Title to enter the title of your presentation, as well as the subtitle. Now you can let your imagination run wild: through the Insert tab you can add images, backgrounds, shapes, graphics and more. The inserted elements can be moved by dragging them with the mouse.
In addition, you can customize most elements via the fixed toolbar at the top or via other small bars that appear as you insert various elements into the workspace. You can then access further customization options by right-clicking on the element you want to edit.
As I mentioned earlier, each element on your slide can be animated, which means that when you show your slideshow, the element will appear with the animation of your choice. Go to the Animations tab and let your imagination run wild: play the animation preview each time until you get the desired result. Be careful if you decide to animate text: don’t use animations that are too fast or too flashy, you’ll risk making your slide look “ugly”!
Always remember that you can insert new slides by clicking on the New Slide button. If you have chosen a preset template, the slide will follow the same colors and features. You can play all slides of the presentation, or just a part of them, using the buttons on the Presentation tab. This way you’ll see right away if the order of elements, animations and transitions satisfy you and, if not, change them.
With a bit of imagination and a few clicks of the mouse did you get the desired result? Perfect: all you have to do is click on File and then Save As to store the file on your computer. Making a PowerPoint with Microsoft’s program wasn’t difficult, was it?
LibreOffice Impress
Microsoft Office PowerPoint doesn’t appeal to you? Have you used up your trial period and are looking for a free solution that will help you achieve a similar result? If you read the beginning of this guide carefully, you’ll remember that I also told you about LibreOffice Impress, a PC program that costs nothing and does a great job.
LibreOffice Impress is developed and maintained by the Document Foundation, is completely open source and can be freely downloaded and used in both home and business environments. It is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. There are two versions of LibreOffice: Fresh and Still. The Fresh version is the one that receives the most updates in functionality and is more suitable for non-professional users. The Still version, on the other hand, is the one that is more stable and receives fewer updates: it is designed primarily for businesses. In this guide I’ll show you how to use Impress from LibreOffice Fresh but, if you want, you can still download the Still version, which is very similar.
Getting LibreOffice Impress is very simple: go to the LibreOffice Fresh download page and click on the green Download X.Y.Z version button (you’ll find numbers instead of X, Y and Z): the download of the most suitable file for your operating system will start automatically. Alternatively, if you want to download LibreOffice for a different operating system, scroll down the page until you find the heading Operating Systems and click on the file you want to download.
Once the download is complete, click on the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to proceed with the installation of the entire LibreOffice suite. Note that if you use a Mac, in addition to the suite’s installation package you’ll also need to download the Italian language pack by clicking on the Translated User Interface button. If you encounter any difficulty in the installation process of LibreOffice, read my tutorial on how to create PDFs in which everything is explained in detail.
Create a presentation with LibreOffice Impress
Have you finished downloading and installing LibreOffice on your computer? Great, now it’s time to get to work and create the presentation you need. First, open the LibreOffice program and start creating a new presentation in Impress by clicking on the Impress button in the left sidebar.
At this point you can create a presentation from an existing template (you can choose it right away from the window that appears when you first start it, by clicking on its preview and then on Open) or start from an empty presentation by clicking on the Cancel button.
Whatever your choice was, you are now face to face with the slide deck: first, click on the Click to add a title to insert a title in your slide; having done that, you can immediately insert text by clicking on Click to add text.
If you’ve read the previous chapter, you’ll notice that Impress’ interface is much less intuitive than Office’s. However, that doesn’t mean that the functionality isn’t just as good – quite the opposite! The toolbar located at the top of the screen allows you to act on your presentation in a very intuitive way: it allows you to launch and play it, insert new objects (such as text, images, audio, etc.), freehand drawing, and much more.
The toolbar immediately below the one at the top of the screen allows you to edit the selected object by changing its color and borders, inserting shapes, 3D objects and much more. You can also access other functions using the menus at the top (Edit, View, Insert, Format and so on).
Now you’re probably wondering if LibreOffice Impress also allows you to add animations: of course it does, although the procedure is a bit more complicated than that of Microsoft PowerPoint. To add animations, click on the Format menu and choose Animation. A small panel will appear: click on the element you want to animate, then on the (+) button located in the middle of the panel and you’re done. Thanks to the drop-down menus, you can also choose the desired effect, the way the animation starts, its direction, and its duration.
These are the basic features of LibreOffice Impress. Now you just have to let your imagination run wild and create a great presentation! When you’re satisfied with the result, click on the File menu (top left) and then on Save As to save the presentation on your computer. Pay close attention to the saving format: if Impress is present on the computer where you will be showing the slide, feel free to use the default .odp format. If, on the other hand, you will be dealing with a computer that only has Microsoft Office PowerPoint installed, I recommend saving the file in .pptx format. You can choose the output format of your presentation using the drop-down menu at the bottom of the file saving window.
Did you see that? You managed to create a PowerPoint using a completely free alternative program!
How to make a PowerPoint on smartphones and tablets
Excuse me? Do you get annoyed using your computer and prefer your smartphone or tablet to make a PowerPoint in no time? As I mentioned at the beginning of my guide I have a solution for that too! In the following lines, you’ll find the best apps to create presentations on smartphones and tablets: thanks to these apps, you’ll have no problems completing your work and, by following my advice, you’ll succeed in the best possible way!
PowerPoint
I’m happy to tell you that it’s possible! Microsoft, in fact, has made a free version of PowerPoint available also for Android, iOS and Windows 10 Mobile smartphones and tablets. However, I must warn you right away that if you don’t have an Office 365 subscription, you’ll be able to insert the various elements but you won’t be able to customize them in detail. In case you need full functionality, you’ll have to choose one of the Office 365 subscriptions that I’ve already told you about in the paragraph dedicated to Microsoft Office PowerPoint for PC. If you decide to subscribe to Office 365 you’ll have many more features in the mobile app: you’ll be able to insert and edit WordArt elements, add shadows and reflections to images, add and edit elements of a chart, add custom shades to table cells, check notes in Rapporteur view and add custom colors to shapes. Besides, it should be pointed out that if your tablet has a screen larger than 10.1 inches, you’ll have to have an Office 365 subscription to use Microsoft Office PowerPoint.
PowerPoint apps for various platforms are very similar to each other, they only differ in a few details. I’ll use the Android app as a reference, but you’ll have no problem repeating the process on an iPhone, iPad or Windows 10 Mobile device. All clear? Good, then you can finally get to work!
If you’re using your smartphone, open the PowerPoint app by tapping on its icon. If you have a subscription to Microsoft Office 365 or want to access your files on OneDrive, you can sign in to your Microsoft account by tapping the Sign In button. Otherwise, to create a new PowerPoint, tap the New button and choose whether to create your presentation from a blank document (Empty Presentation) or using one of the existing templates.
To add new slides to your presentation, tap the (+) button. From the menu that appears, you can choose whether to insert text or other elements by tapping on the pencil, cut the current slide by tapping on the scissors symbol, delete it by choosing Delete, and so on.
When you have achieved the desired result, you can save your work by tapping the (?) button and selecting the Save As item. You can save the presentation to your device or to another location. Remember that if you are logged in with a Microsoft account, the presentation will be automatically saved to the OneDrive cloud.
If you’re using a tablet, you’ll find the same functionality as in PowerPoint for smartphones, but the app’s appearance will be more like that of the PC program: you’ll have a tabbed interface and, by swiping each tab, you’ll access the tools to finish your work. You’ll also have a small toolbar that will let you add a new slide on the fly, change its appearance, format the text and play back the entire presentation.
As I mentioned a few lines ago, the version of Microsoft Office PowerPoint for iPhone is a bit different from the one for Android: at first you’ll see only one slide and, to move between the other slides you’ve created in your presentation, you’ll have to use the handy menu at the bottom. Another small difference consists in the items you’ll find within the context menu, which will come up when you tap on a slide: don’t worry, everything remains intuitive and the various tools are the ones you’ve already learned to know and use.
Other apps to make PowerPoint
Microsoft Office PowerPoint for smartphones and tablets didn’t satisfy you? Are you looking for other apps that allow you to create a presentation using your mobile devices? Then let me give you some tips to best guide you in your choice.
AndrOpen Office – is basically LibreOffice adapted to work on Android. Its interface can be a bit awkward to use on smartphones, since it’s very similar to the one for PC (menus included!), but the tools offered are really many and worth using. A special feature of AndrOpen Office is that it can be enriched with add-ons that can be downloaded from the Play Store, which allow, among other things, to add spell checking and install new fonts.
WPS Office – is definitely a great app for creating PowerPoint using smartphones and tablets. Its operation is very simple and the tools are stripped down to the bare minimum, however it’s a really stable and fast app that deserves a try. In addition to creating presentations, WPS Office also allows you to quickly create spreadsheets and spreadsheets. WPS Office is available for Android, iPhone and iPad.
Polaris Office – Polaris Office is also an app that lets you create PowerPoint from mobile devices. Very similar to Microsoft Office, its strong point is the presence of numerous tools with a practical interface designed specifically for use with on-screen taps. Polaris Office is available in both free and paid versions (€29.99/year or €4.19/month): the latter adds the ability to export documents as PDFs, protect files, use handwriting and more. Polaris Office is available for Android, iPhone and iPad.
Google Presentations – is a very handy tool for creating PowerPoint from smartphones and tablets. In addition to being feature-rich, it allows you to import documents created with Microsoft Office and edit them in collaboration with other colleagues or fellow students. To use this app you must have a Google account. Once authenticated, it is possible to work even without an Internet connection. Google Presentations is compatible with Android, iPhone and iPad.
How to make a PowerPoint online
Don’t want to install any programs or apps and would like to make a PowerPoint using only your browser? I’ll satisfy you right now: Microsoft offers a free web version of Office PowerPoint, which you can use for free from any browser.
Before going any further, I must warn you that this version is very limited in functionality: although its interface is very similar to that of the computer program, you won’t find many tools to customize your objects, insert animations or transitions. In short, if you don’t need particularly complex things but just want to create a basic PowerPoint, this version is for you.
To use Microsoft PowerPoint online, all you have to do is connect to the website of the web application and enter the credentials of your Microsoft account (which in this case is mandatory; if you don’t already have one, I’ve explained how to create a Microsoft account in one of my tutorials). At this point, click on the PowerPoint icon and choose whether to create a blank document (New Blank Presentation) or start from one of the available templates. That done, you can access the various features of the app using the available tabs.
Home – contains the most used tools: you can insert new slides, format text, insert shapes and styles.
Insert – contains tools for inserting elements outside the slide such as images, shapes, graphics, text boxes and comments.
Design – allows you to change the style of your presentation on the fly.
Transitions – allows you to set the type of transition between slides.
Animations – contains tools for adding animations to objects.
Revision – contains tools for general content control (e.g. grammar check).
Display – allows you to change the display style of the presentation.
When you are satisfied with your work, you can save it to your computer or device by clicking the File button and then the Download As option. You’ll be able to choose whether to download your document in Microsoft Office .pptx format (by clicking on Download Copy), save it as a PDF or as an ODP file (the Open format that is also compatible with LibreOffice). In all cases, always remember that your file is continuously saved on the OneDrive cloud.
Excuse me? PowerPoint online didn’t fully satisfy you? Then I suggest you take a look at Google Presentations: it’s a Google service that allows you to create PowerPoint directly using your browser. It’s completely free and integrated with Google Drive. Using it is very simple: first connect to its main page and enter the data to access your Google account. Then, to create a presentation, click on the big red (+) button you’ll find at the bottom right.
Follow the on-screen directions and click on the various items to add a title and subtitle. Keep in mind that, at any time, you can change the theme of the slides using the panel on the right, or play them back using the panel on the left. You can find all the tools in the menus at the top: the most important are Insert, which allows you to insert new elements to the slide, and Slide, which allows you to define the general aspects of your presentation. Also, if you right-click on each element, a handy context menu will appear that will let you edit it. Your work will be saved in real time on Google Drive but, if you want, you can download it to your computer by clicking on the File button, then on the Download as item and, finally, on the format in which you want to download your presentation.
Did you see that? It’s possible to create satisfying PowerPoints even without installing anything! At this point, if you’ve followed my advice, I’m sure you’ve done a great job while also having a lot of fun.