PowerPoint Tips & Tutorials

Create a slide show that really slides!

Recently, it occurred to me that the words "slide show" came about because the first slides looked like they were sliding as the slides where moved on and off the screen.

Here's a technique that makes your presentation look as if it's sliding. It uses a combination of these features:

• The Push Left slide transition
• A background with no vertical borders
• One or two continuous horizontal borders
• Other optional horizontal elements

Watch a video

Download the PowerPoint file.

Here's how to get this effect:

1. Apply the Push Left slide transition to all the slides. In PowerPoint 2002/2003, choose Slide Show > Slide Transition. From the list, choose Push Left. Make sure the speed is set to Slow; if not, the text will go by too fast for comfort during the transition. Then click the Apply to All Slides button.
2. Apply a background with horizontal elements. I used a horizontal gradient. For the bottom, I found some clip art of books and copied it across the page, stretching as necessary to make it fit perfectly on the slide.
3. Create a horizontal border on the top, bottom, or both. For the top, I used a simple rectangle, with no outline. I removed the outline to avoid having a vertical bar at the left and right side of the rectangle.
4. Then I added a thin, white rectangle (also with no outline) below it.

The borders can be on the master or each slide. I used both techniques. If you put the top border on the master, it could be your title placeholder. Otherwise, add an AutoShape to each slide.

This presentation would work well with automatic timing, displayed on a screen in the company's lobby.

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