PowerPoint 2003 - create a template

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LadyWolf
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PowerPoint 2003 - create a template

Post by LadyWolf »

I've been tasked with creating a template in PowerPoint 2003. I can do templates in Word with my eyes closed... PPT on the other hand has been a struggle as I've found there is a different philosophy when working with decks and slides and design templates and such... (no styles? really? Gah!)

I'm using the term "template" loosely since there are Design templates and Master slides. Feel free to scold and clarify if I use the term incorrectly. This "template" will fill two needs...

One, to get the color schemes, bullets, fonts, etc. consistent on all slides in the Design template. I think I get this part.

The other, and never really mentioned in any tutorial I've seen thus far, is to make more master slides than I think PPT is used to. This is not for a straight up presentation deck, it will be used for online classroom training (utilizing Articulate and/or LiveMeeting). This means multiple types of standard slides that may or may not be used in creating a deck. A few stock slides in the beginning, a Title slide, and different designs to change up the look and feel of each slide in order to keep the learner interested. For example, a graphic element on the left and text box on the right then have them switched up on the next slide. I've yet to see a tutorial to edit the Slide Layout Task Pane... I could put them all in there I would assume but everything I've seen is how to edit the Slide Design Task Pane.

Since think a true template should never add too much bulk to the overall size of the finished file, I don't want to add all these different types of slides into the Masters as I'd have users forgetting to delete those they did not use and have a much larger file than necessary. It needs to be a bit on the user friendly side as this may be handed off to SMEs who are as the acronym spells out, subject matter experts, NOT PowerPoint experts (nor should they be). But everything they do I have to clean up... :hairout:

I think I'm going to create a Design Template with a Master Title Slide and Master Slide. This will store the main elements, color, fonts, etc. And, using that template (.pot), create a PPT file (.ppt) that houses all the different types of slides available to a designer so they can pick an choose which layouts they would like, copy/paste ones they like for new slides (adding content as they go), and delete the ones they don't want.

My ultimate question... am I approaching this in the "right" way? Is there a better way that won't result in a HUGE .pot with a zillion master slides that may or may not be used?

I appreciate any suggestions you can offer.
Love...
KT Wolfman

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HansV
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Re: PowerPoint 2003 - create a template

Post by HansV »

The Slide Layout task pane can't be edited in PowerPoint 2003 - the first version allowing this is PowerPoint 2007.

You could create a big presentation with one slide of each type that your users will need.
Teach the users to use Insert | Slides from Files to insert slides from this big presentation into their own one.
Best wishes,
Hans

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DaveA
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Re: PowerPoint 2003 - create a template

Post by DaveA »

Check out http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/power ... 21033.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Create a design template
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LadyWolf
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Re: PowerPoint 2003 - create a template

Post by LadyWolf »

Thanks Hans... that's what I figured when I didn't find anything about it.
Thanks Dave... that's where I got the idea of creating a Design Template. Went through the whole thing. It actually had some good tips in there that I probably wouldn't have done otherwise.
Love...
KT Wolfman

WebGenii
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Re: PowerPoint 2003 - create a template

Post by WebGenii »

Hi KT
Just some random thoughts here, possibly of some things you've already considered.
The other, and never really mentioned in any tutorial I've seen thus far, is to make more master slides than I think PPT is used to.
Since think a true template should never add too much bulk to the overall size of the finished file, I don't want to add all these different types of slides into the Masters as I'd have users forgetting to delete those they did not use and have a much larger file than necessary.


There is a difference between dummy slides stored in the presentation and layouts that are stored within the master. Certainly the dummies (need a better term) allow you to include text prompting the user on what needs to be done. (You can replace the "Click and Type Here" text in the layouts with your own prompting text).
My initial tests using PPT 2007 comparing a template with dummy slides vs a template with the same number of layout slides show that; the dummy template is larger than the layouts.
The other advantage of editing the layout is that it can contain default animation (something I don't often see discussed). My feeling is that every element that you include at the layout level gives you a file size advantage (similar to using styles vs directly applied formatting).
PPT 2003 is also the first version of PPT that allows you to include more than one design template within a presentation and I think also within a template (I'm sitting at a 2007 machine today - so I can't concretely confirm this). But imagine that: templates within templates.
But why (It took me a while to figure out a scenario where this would be useful). A lot of people confused this ability with the ability to change up design elements (which I thought made for some god-awful presentations).
I think if you have a presentation where different kinds of visual info are going to be presented. For example - text heavy slides vs graphics/diagrams. You may want behaviours of these slides to be very different. For example the text will animate on a line at time, dimming after each point vs the graphic slides which would have NO animations. (example only).
By creating more than one template (BTW, the language changes in 2007 - and thankfully they call it a Master not template) within the template you can give the users more options when they are looking at layouts.

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DaveA
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Re: PowerPoint 2003 - create a template

Post by DaveA »

Also do a Google on "PowerPoint templates tutorial" without the quotes and you will find several tutorials that may be of help.
I am so far behind, I think I am First :evilgrin:
Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living