PowerPoint Master Template

Last month I received a call from an investment advisory group located in New York city. I was asked to redesign the layout for their PowerPoint presentations and apply it to six upcoming slide shows they had scheduled. The first thing I noticed was the original files weren’t set up using master slide templates. Once I had the master template I designed ready to go, I needed to reapply the slide layouts to all presentations for any future editing. Doing this to all slide shows, which totaled over one hundred slides, added to production time. It is always best to create a PowerPoint template with master slides first which will save time during the production phase. Below is the before and after layouts. Due to privacy issues, the company logo and name have been replaced with a generic stock image.

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.

Why My Blog is Called “The Salty Dog”

I wanted to have something catchy that relates to me instead of just “My Blog” . The one thing that came to mind is salt. Why salt? Having the last name Morton conjures the brand Morton Salt. I’m also a U.S. Navy veteran who served on board a guided missile destroyer and a rescue salvage ship. I’m also an active member of my American Legion Post, a veterans organization. I once was a “Salty Dog” sailor. I also love dogs and have two, Daisy and Abby. So there you have it.

Morton Sea Salt

First Ship I Served On – Guided Missile Destroyer USS Preble DDG 46

Second Ship I Served On – Rescue/Salvage Ship USS Opportune ARS 41

My Dogs – Daisy and Abby

My Beautiful Wife, Celine

Widescreen Presentations

Times have certainly changed. I remember when I was younger you actually had to get up off the couch to change the channel on the square shaped television, all eight of them. Today, movies and television episodes are in high-definition, widescreen ratio. So, if everything that we watch is wide format, what about presentations? PowerPoint and Keynote both have widescreen settings. Here’s some advantages of using widescreen for your next presentation:

• Presentation will be more visually appealing
• Takes on a higher production value
• More real estate for charts, text and graphics

Don’t’ forget to have custom background images created at the same size of your presentation for the master slides.