PowerPoint 2013: More Powerful than Ever
QualityLogic’s research into Microsoft Office 2013 applications continues with PowerPoint 2013, part of the new Windows 8 Office 2013 Application Suite-Intermediate Files test suite. ATS-IFs are native application files used for testing printer/MFP drivers with the latest application features. Following are some interesting new features in PowerPoint 2013.
Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 has a new, cleaner look that’s well suited to swiping and tapping through presentations. The new Presenter View adapts to your projection set-up automatically. Variations are now provided for Themes, so it’s easier to get the look you want. When your presentation is a collaborative effort, you can ask questions and get input by using comments.
DESIGN FEATURES
Start: New Themes give your creative processes a head start. The first thing you see when you open PowerPoint 2013 is a start page with your most recently-opened presentations and a theme gallery.
Themes: Themes now come with sets of variations, including varied color palettes and different font families. Also included are new widescreen themes. After you open PowerPoint and get the theme gallery, click a theme to see a preview and a number of variations on the theme’s style and color. Double-click one to create your new presentation.
Shape merge: If the shape you need isn’t built-in, you can use the Union, Combine, Fragment, Intersect, and Subtract tools to merge two or more shapes into the shape you want. Edit Points let you then edit new shape form to fine-tune it.
Video and audio: More high definition content and multimedia formats are supported, including .mp4 and .mov with H.264 video and Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) audio. Also included are more built-in codecs so you don’t have to hunt them down and install them for different file formats to work. Play in Background feature plays music while your slide show is being viewed.
Eyedropper: Use the new eyedropper tool to capture a color from an object on your screen, then apply it to any shape. The eyedropper appears on any dropdown menu that can be used to pick a color.
Motion path: PowerPoint shows you where your object’s endpoint when you create a motion path. The original stays where it is, and a “ghost” image moves along the path to the endpoint.
Alignment and spacing: Smart Guides appear when objects, such as pictures and shapes, are close to being aligned or spaced evenly.
DISPLAY FEATURES
Widescreen: PowerPoint now has a 16:9 layout, complete with new themes designed to take advantage of widescreen display.Touch devices: You can interact with PowerPoint 2013 on just about any touch device. You can swipe, tap, scroll, zoom, and pan through slides.
Touch devices: You can interact with PowerPoint 2013 on just about any touch device. You can swipe, tap, scroll, zoom, and pan through slides.
Presenter View: In Presenter View, it’s easier than ever to see your notes on your monitor while the audience sees the slide. You can now use Presenter View on one monitor – multiple monitors are not required – so you can rehearse without connecting another device. A magnifying glass tool lets you zoom in on areas you want to emphasize. A new Slide Navigator lets you jump to other slides in the presentation. And now, PowerPoint automatically senses your computer setup and selects the correct monitor for Presenter View.
COLLABORATION
Online meetings: PowerPoint 2013 provides ways to share a presentation over the Web: by sending out a link to the slides, or starting a Lync meeting to display the slides with audio and Instant Messaging. You can connect with audiences anywhere, on any device using Lync or the Office Presentation Service.
Cloud: You can save Office 2013 files to your own SkyDrive or to your company’s site. Then you can access and share PowerPoint presentations and other Office files, and you can collaborate simultaneously with your colleagues on the same file. If a coworker doesn’t have PowerPoint, you can project the presentation directly to their browser.
Comments: Offer feedback in PowerPoint with the new Comments pane, and everyone can see when you replied and to whom. You can choose to show or hide comments and revisions.
Work together on the same presentation: Improved collaboration tools make it easier for you and your colleagues to work together on the same presentation, either with the desktop or online versions of PowerPoint, and see each other’s changes at the same time on different PC’s.