Chapter 5. Organization Charts, Diagrams, and Drawing Tools


4.4. WORD, PDFS, AND STUFF FROM THE WEB

4.4.1. Change the Default Paste Action

THE ANNOYANCE: I pasted some text from Word into PowerPoint 2002. I see the paste option to "keep source formatting," but how can I make this the default behavior?

THE FIX: Unfortunately, you can't change the default paste behavior, which formats the text based on the slide template.

In PowerPoint 97 and 2000, pasted text is formatted based on PowerPoint's default AutoShape and font settings, or it conforms to the slide placeholder formatting if pasted into a placeholder. You don't have a choice about how that works.

The default is the same in PowerPoint 2002 and 2003, but in those versions, you can at least choose from some paste actions. After you paste something onto your slide, a Paste Options button will appear (see Figure 4-22). Click the button to see the paste actions available for that particular object.

Figure 4-22. When you paste an object onto a slide in PowerPoint 2002 and 2003, a Paste Options button should appear. Click it to see the various paste options available for the object.


4.4.2. Use Animations from the Web

THE ANNOYANCE: I found this cool animation on the Web and pasted it into my presentation, but it doesn't animate. Why?

THE FIX: You probably pasted in a Java applet. Not to mention that you probably violated every copyright law in the book. Anyway, PowerPoint doesn't support Java applets, so it will be just a pretty picture on your slide.

As an alternative, you can use Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Shyam Pillai's free LiveWeb add-in (http://skp.mvps.org/liveweb.htm) to run the web page in your PowerPoint file. LiveWeb lets you insert web pages into a PowerPoint slide and refreshes the pages in real time during the presentation. Just make sure you can access the web page during your presentation. Select Insert Web Pages to insert a LiveWeb page onto your slide (see Figure 4-23). LiveWeb uses an ActiveX control, so it does not work in PowerPoint Viewer 97 or PowerPoint Viewer 2003.

Figure 4-23. The free LiveWeb add-in lets you place a web page on a slide and refreshes the page automatically throughout your presentation.


4.4.3. What Does the Little Blue Circle with a Question Mark Mean?

THE ANNOYANCE: Sometimes when I paste an object into PowerPoint, I get a little blue circle with a question mark inside it.

THE FIX: This icon shows up when the Office clipboard hasn't been activated or has lost its focus to another application. To activate the clipboard and maintain its focus, open PowerPoint before you copy whatever it is you're copying, and after you've copied it, go directly to PowerPoint and paste. Don't stop anywhere on the way.

4.4.4. Pasted Buttons Don't Work

THE ANNOYANCE: I copied some buttons and drop-down boxes from a web page into PowerPoint, but they don't work.

THE FIX: PowerPoint is not designed to use HTML in this manner. If you really need the buttons from the web site, consider using LiveWeb, a free add-in from Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Shyam Pillai (see "Use Animations from the Web").

4.4.5. Use Animated GIFs

THE ANNOYANCE: I used Insert Picture From File to insert an animated GIF, but it doesnt animate. What gives?

THE FIX: Well, if you're using PowerPoint 97, you're stuck because Microsoft added animated GIF functionality in PowerPoint 2000. However, the company still managed to get it wrong. PowerPoint 2000, 2002, and 2003 all play animated GIFs differently. Go figure.

You'll have to edit the loop flag on the GIF so it plays correctly in your version of PowerPoint. A loop flag is a setting in the GIF header. When set to 0, it causes an animated GIF to animate indefinitely in most web browsers. However, in PowerPoint it can cause different behavior:

  • In PowerPoint 2000, all animated GIFs animate indefinitely, regardless of the loop setting.

  • In PowerPoint 2002, a loop flag setting of 0 causes the GIF to animate just once.

  • In PowerPoint 2003, a loop flag setting of 0 causes the GIF not to animate at all.

To change this setting, open the GIF in a utility such as the $24 GIF Construction Set (http://www.mindworkshop.com/alchemy/gifcon.html).

Double-click the 1:Header to edit it. Check the Loop box and set the number of iterations somewhere between 1 and 99 (see Figure 4-24).

Figure 4-24. Use a utility like GIF Construction Set from Alchemy Mindworks to correct GIF headers for playback in PowerPoint.


4.4.6. Import a Word Outline

THE ANNOYANCE: When I use Insert Slides From Outline or simply open a Word document in PowerPoint, I get, like, one line of text per slide and it takes me forever to set it right. I even tried using File Send to PowerPoint in Word, but it does the same thing. How can I import a Word document more easily?

THE FIX: If you spend some time in Word applying styles to your text, it will import more easily into PowerPoint.

PowerPoint reads anything using Word Heading 1 style as a slide title. It reads anything using Word Heading 2 style as a primary bullet. It reads anything using Word Heading 3 style as a secondary bullet. And so on. Anything using Normal style in Word will not transfer to PowerPoint.

4.4.7. Insert a Gantt Chart from Microsoft Project

THE ANNOYANCE: I want to insert a Gantt chart from Project into PowerPoint, but I can't figure out how to do it.

THE FIX: In Project, click the camera icon on the toolbar to take a snapshot of the open view in Project and save the image. In PowerPoint, select Insert Picture From File to insert the saved image.

4.4.8. Import PDFs into PowerPoint

THE ANNOYANCE: How in the world do I import PDF content into PowerPoint? When I use Alt+PrintScrn and paste into PowerPoint, everything just looks fuzzy.

THE FIX: In Adobe Acrobat or the Acrobat Reader, use the Snapshot tool on the Basic toolbar to drag a marquee around the area you want to copy (see Figure 4-25); this copies the selected area to the clipboard. Then press Ctrl+V to paste the content onto the PowerPoint slide.

Figure 4-25. Use the Snapshot tool in Acrobat to copy content in the PDF to the clipboard. From there, you can paste the content into PowerPoint.


If the text in the pasted screen grab is fuzzy, zooming in on your selection will sometimes help. Once you've used the Snapshot tool to select the area you want to copy, type in a larger zoom percentage in the zoom box on the Reader toolbar, which increases the resolution of the selected area. Right-click and choose Copy Selected Graphic to copy this new, larger image. Press Ctrl+V to paste it onto the PowerPoint slide. (Don't go too crazy with that zoom percentageif it's too big, you can lock your computer! Start with 200% and move your way up in increments of 100% until you get what you want.)

Once it's on the slide, you can drag the image of the text on the slide so it's a bit smaller. This, in effect, increases the resolution of the image (pixels-per-inch), which makes it look a bit crisper on the slide.

Adobe added the Snapshot tool to Adobe Reader in Version 6.0. In older versions, you'll have to use the Graphics Select tool. It works the same way as the Snapshot tool, except it doesn't make the copy automaticallyyou'll have to press Ctrl+C to copy the area to the clipboard.

If you have the full version of Adobe Acrobat, not just the free Reader, you can also export your PDF as a series of images, and then import those images into your slides using Insert Picture From File or one of the batch import tools (see "Batch Import Images). In Acrobat, select File Save As and choose an image type from the "Save as type drop-down list (see Figure 4-26). The .png file type generally works well if your PDF includes text.

You can protect PDFs from opening and/or copying and editing and/or printing. If you're working with a protected file, many of these techniques won't work.

You can also use screen capture tools such as the $40 SnagIt (http://www.techsmith.com/) to take a snapshot of the content and create an image. Finally, use Insert Picture From File to insert it onto your slide. SnagIt has a handy "scrolling window option for copying entire pages when you're already zoomed in on them.

Figure 4-26. In the full version of Adobe Acrobat (but not in the free Adobe Reader), you can choose an image type to save the pages of the PDF as individual images.





Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things about Your Favorite Presentation Program
ISBN: 0596100043
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 83
Authors: Echo Swinford

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net