Choosing the format of your slides

In the task pane on the right side of the screen in PowerPoint 2003, click on Create a New Presentation. (If you have PowerPoint 2002, skips to the next paragraph. If you have a really old version, use >File - New).

You should now see several options in your task pane. If this is your first time using PowerPoint, choose Blank Presentation. You will then see a list of possible formats for your slides.  (If not, use >Format - Slide Layout).   For the first lecture slide, you will probably want a basic layout with a title, like the first choice on the top left under Text Layouts.  If you have an image to include as well, you could choose a simple template in the Content Layouts section.  Here are two layouts that work well as opening slides:

You can choose different formats for later slides, and adapt existing formats at any time, so don’t worry if there isn’t a layout that is perfect for you.

(A brief note on the other formatting options: Do not choose AutoContent Wizard. It is designed for corporate presentations and is guaranteed to come up with some inappropriate “autocontent” for you. Existing Presentation allows you to open an old PowerPoint presentation as a new file, which is good if you want to use the same basic format as a previous lecture. Design Templates are pre-set designs that can be frustrating to edit or get rid of, which is why I have decided to steer clear of them in this manual. With a bit of effort, they can be customised much like any slide – some basics are explained in the Background section. If you are comfortable with PowerPoint, you may also find the “Colour schemes” in the Design Template view useful.)

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