Importing from AppleWorks

AppleWorks, Apple's integrated software package, is a bit long in the tooth, but it's still popular in schools , easy to use, and it comes with every iMac and iBook. AppleWorks is made up of several modules, but two are of special interest to Keynote users: the Presentation module and the Draw module.

The AppleWorks Presentation module ( Figure 11.1 ), while adequate for the simplest presentations, is hardly a competitor to Keynote or PowerPoint. But don't despair if you happen to have a bunch of presentations already created in AppleWorks; the good news is that Keynote will read your AppleWorks presentations and convert them seamlessly.

Figure 11.1. The AppleWorks Presentation module isn't very powerful, but it will do for very simple presentations. It's better to use Keynote.

The AppleWorks Draw module ( Figure 11.2 ) is useful to Keynote users because it can create graphic objects that are beyond the capabilities of the simple Shapes in Keynote. For example, AppleWorks can create polygons with an arbitrary number of sides, which Keynote cannot. You can then copy the objects in AppleWorks and paste them into Keynote. Because the object was created as a vector shape in AppleWorks, you'll be able to scale and make other adjustments to the object without loss of quality while working in Keynote.

Figure 11.2. The AppleWorks Draw module allows you to build graphic shapes that Keynote can't; this octagon is one example.

To import an AppleWorks presentation

1.	In Keynote, choose File > Open . The Open dialog appears ( Figure 11.3 ). Figure 11.3. You'll need to find the AppleWorks presentation file so that you can open it in Keynote.
2.	Navigate to the AppleWorks presentation file, then select it.
3.	Click Open. Keynote converts the presentation file and opens it as a new untitled document ( Figure 11.4 ). Figure 11.4. Here is the AppleWorks presentation in Keynote.

To use AppleWorks graphic objects in Keynote

1.	Open the Keynote presentation that will receive the graphic object from Apple Works, and display the slide where you'll want to place the object.
2.	Launch AppleWorks.
3.	From the Basic tab of the Starting Points palette ( Figure 11.5 ), click Drawing. Figure 11.5. Select the Drawing icon in the Basic tab of the AppleWorks Starting Points palette to begin a new drawing document. AppleWorks opens a new drawing document ( Figure 11.6 ). Figure 11.6. The AppleWorks Drawing canvas is ready for you to create the shape that will end up in Keynote.
4.	In the new document, create the graphic that you want to use in Keynote. You can use any of AppleWorks' graphic tools.
5.	Select the graphic that you created.
6.	Choose Edit > Copy, or press .
7.	Switch to Keynote.
8.	Choose Edit > Paste, or press . The graphic appears in Keynote.

Tips

• Besides the polygon tool in the Apple Works Draw module, AppleWorks supports many other graphics tools not found in Keynote, such as the regular polygon, arc, freehand drawing, and Bezier tools.

• Unfortunately, even though AppleWorks' Word Processing module has a fairly capable outliner, Keynote cannot read AppleWorks word processing documents, so you can't use AppleWorks to write your presentations.

• Once a graphic object created in Apple Works is in Keynote, you can treat it as you would other graphic objects. Using the Graphic and Metrics Inspectors, you can apply a drop shadow, change its opacity, scale it, rotate it, and flip it horizontally and vertically.

• If you import the AppleWorks file into Keynote, shapes created in AppleWorks keep the ability to change their fill and stroke once they are in Keynote. Shapes copied and pasted from AppleWorks into Keynote lose this ability. If you think you'll need to change a shape's fill and stroke, use Keynote's Import capability.