So, to make sure we're serving members of all skill levels, we're featuring several shortcuts and tips submitted by members that we think meet the needs of higher-end users.
[Alt]IPF
Want to insert a picture in your presentation? This shortcut opens your My Pictures folder so you can quickly select a photo.
[Alt]IVF
Moving images can be perfect to highlight a particular concept or to rouse your audience. If you have a .dat, .avi, or .mov file, use this shortcut to insert a movie into your PowerPoint.
[Alt]IVN
It doesn't take too long to exhaust the default sounds that come with PowerPoint. If you've stored sounds on your computer, you can access them with this shortcut.
B or period (.)
During a presentation, if you want to take a break from your slides, you can press the B key or a period (.) to display a blank screen.
P
You've rehearsed your PowerPoint presentation so you're comfortable giving it to your audience, but what happens when someone wants to look at a chart two slides ago? Do you start the presentation over and look for the right slide? No, just type P to review previous slides.
[Alt]OL
This shortcut opens the Slide Layout dialog box, allowing you to choose a slide style. For example, if you wanted to begin your presentation with an organisational chart, you would press [Alt]OL and choose the appropriate slide.
[Alt]OK
[Alt]OK opens the Background dialog box, allowing you to change the background colors for one or all the slides in your presentation.
/[Alt]DOS
Perhaps you don't have a conference room to show your PowerPoint presentation in or you just want to broadcast your slides to other users on your network. [Alt]DOS opens the Broadcast Schedule dialog box.
[Alt]DT
The [Alt]DT shortcut, from the Slide Show drop-down menu, allows you to select a transition from the Slide Transition dialog box.
[Alt]DM
If you think animation would liven up your presentation, [Alt]DM will give you quick access to the Custom Animation dialog box.
[Alt]TO
If you need to access the Options dialog boxââ,¬"which includes six formatting tabsââ,¬"[Alt]TO will open this from the Tools menu.
[Ctrl][Enter]
Just as [Alt][Tab] allows you to toggle between windows, [Ctrl][Enter] lets you toggle between elementsââ,¬"titles, bullet points, chartsââ,¬"in your slide.
[F4]
Press [F4] to repeat the formatting command you performed last. For example, if you highlight text and make it bold, pressing [F4] after you highlight the next block of text will make it boldface.
Final notes from members
Begin your presentation before you turn on the monitor. Starting your PowerPoint slides with a shot of your desktop can get your presentation off to a poor start.
Remember to bring a CD of your presentation in case your laptop stops working. You may have to scramble to find another computer, but at least you'll still be able to give your presentation.
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