Working with PowerPoint Views

Until this point, we've been working in PowerPoint's Normal view (refer to Figure 2.1). In the center of Normal view is a large version of the slide you're working on. At the left is either an outline of the text of the slide show or thumbnail or miniature versions of the slides in the slide show (see Figure 2.6). To see the thumbnail list, click the Slides tab at the top of the column. To see the text, click the Outline tab at the top of the column.

Figure 2.6. The Normal view includes a variety of tools for creating and editing slides.

Depending on the features you've been working on, the right side of the Normal view might display certain options and helps, although that is not necessarily part of the Normal view. And of course, as always in PowerPoint, there are various menus and toolbars.

There are two other views besides the Normal view:

• Slide Sorter view To open this view, choose View, Slide Sorter, and PowerPoint displays a page of thumbnails (miniature pictures) of slides at least as many as fit on the screen (see Figure 2.7). Double-click a slide to return to the Normal view of that slide.

  Figure 2.7. You can see a whole range of slides at a time, and easily rearrange them in the Slide Sorter view.

  

• Slide Show view To open this view, choose View, Slide Show or press F5. This view allows you to view the slide as it will appear when you play the slide show, starting with the first slide (see Figure 2.8). To return to your Normal or Slide Sorter view, simply press the Esc key.

  Figure 2.8. The Slide Show view takes up the whole screen and lets you preview how a slide will look when you play the slide.

  

You may have noticed a short bar with some tiny icons down at the lower left of your screen (refer to Figure 2.6). These are the view buttons found on the Views toolbar. Click them to quickly go to the Normal, Slide Sorter, and Slide Show views.