We are continuing with our series New Features in Office 2013 and this week , we take a look at PowerPoint 2013. PowerPoint has been redesigned keeping in mind the tablet user, so you’ll find that the interface looks much cleaner than its predecessor. Let’s take a look at what’s new in PowerPoint 2013 and how you can use this powerful application for all your presentation needs.
Top New Features in PowerPoint 2013
PowerPoint 2013’s biggest improvement is in the way you access the application. Today, PowerPoint is used both on tiny screens such as on smartphones and tablets as well as on larger widescreen monitors. PowerPoint has been designed for the user who wishes to work from any such device with access to work from just about anywhere. Although the entire interface is not pretty to look at, there are tons of new themes, easier access to SkyDrive, and better tools to work with.
Widescreen Layouts
The PowerPoint screen is no longer available in the standard layout. Unlike the previous version that featured a squarer layout 4:3, PowerPoint 2013’s default size is now wider at 16:9. To change the layout for wider screens, go to the Design tab, click Slide Size and then choose Widescreen.
Presenting Online
You can now present your content online right from PowerPoint 2013. There are two ways you can accomplish this. Office Presentation Service is a free service that lets others view your presentation from a web browser with only a Microsoft account. Go to File > Share > Present Online, share the presentation link with others and present away! If you are a Microsoft Lync user, you can schedule an online meeting, go to Slide Show > Present Online > Microsoft Lync connect a microphone to your PC and get started right away.
Better Presenter Tools
Presenter View is much simpler to work with now as presenters can get a better view of their notes while also viewing what the audience can see on screen. PowerPoint 2013 has the ability to automatically recognize your computer setup and pick out the right monitor for Presenter view. Also, presenters don’t need the use of additional monitors, can easily zoom in on slides, and navigate more effectively.
Improved Audio and Video Support
PowerPoint 2013 now supports MP4 and MOV with H.264 video and Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) audio, along with more high-definition content. There are also extra built-in codecs saving you the additional work of downloading them from the internet. There’s also a cool Play in Background feature that lets you play music when the slide show runs.
Theme Variations
While in earlier versions, themes were just available pre built, now you can choose a theme and pick a variation of that theme, choosing a different font family and color.
Eye Dropper
Adding colors to objects that match with other objects has always been a tiresome task. The Eyedropper feature in PowerPoint 2013 works like a color picker, helping you pick up colors from any object on the screen and apply it to objects in your presentation.
Adding Web Images
You can now add pictures from online photo services such as Flickr or Instagram into your presentation. You can also find creative commons images from Bing Search and pop them on to your document, just like you would with ClipArt. Unfortunately search is only keyword based and additional filtering tools such as videos, illustrations, and images that were earlier available in PowerPoint 2010 are missing.
Smart Guides
Smart Guides now appear automatically when you work with objects in close range and tell you when the objects are spaced evenly.
Motion Paths
PowerPoint 2013 now lets you see where your motion path objects will end up. A ghost image appears on screen indicating where the object will end up.
Merging Shapes
You can now create custom shapes by combining two or more standard shapes. This is ideal when you cannot find the shape you are looking for in the default library.
Collaborative Tasks
Adding feedback in PowerPoint just got easier. You can use the Comments pane to show or hide comments and revisions. Similarly, when collaborating on a single presentation, you can view the changes made by others.
Have you checked out the latest version of PowerPoint 2013? Which feature excited you the most?
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