PowerPoint Compatibility

I currently use PowerPoint 2007. The one question I always ask my clients before I begin creating their presentations is “what version of PowerPoint are you using and what version will the presentation be projected with the day of the presentation?”. This is very important because of compatibility issues. Even though you can save to an earlier version of PowerPoint (97-2004) there are some formatting limitations that won’t work at all within these versions.  Here are some of the formatting attributes within PowerPoint 2007 that won’t work in or will need to be addressed in older versions:
• Transparency
• Shadows
• Shapes
• Animations
• Picture rotation
• Charts and graphs

It is always best to find out which version of PowerPoint is being used first before working on the presentation. This will save time knowing that the file will open and convert properly in earlier versions.