Creating Cool PowerPoint 97 Presentations [Paperback]

Glenn E. Weadock (Author), Emily Sherrill Weadock (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764530178 | ISBN-13: 978-0764530173 | Publication Date: January 21, 1997 | Edition: 1

Whether it's your ideas for a new product, results from the latest sales promotion, or employee training material, Microsoft's PowerPoint presentation software can make all the difference between a ho-hum presentation and an engaging, informative one. It takes more than software, though, to make your slide, transparency, or electronic presentation a successful one. Here, in Creating Cool PowerPoint 97 Presentations you get the techniques used by the experts -- from creating graphics, charts, borders and backgrounds to adding action to complex data and dull statistics, from integrating multimedia clips to producing handouts that are useful to your audience long after the show is over. Plus, Creating Cool PowerPoint 97 Presentations includes a bonus CD-ROM containing valuable demonstration slide shows, clip art and background samplers, and try-out versions of programs such as Photoshop, Painter, Streamline, and Flying Fonts. Get Creating Cool PowerPoint 97 Presentations -- your audience will thank you.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Whether you want to graphically depict experimental results or merely convey abstract concepts, such as "nine," to your boss, you pretty much have to understand Microsoft PowerPoint. In Creating Cool PowerPoint Presentations, Glenn and Emily Weadock show how to get the most out of this ubiquitous presentation graphics software.

While you can use this book if you're completely new to PowerPoint, Creating Cool PowerPoint Presentations will serve you better if you have some knowledge of the program's means of operation. The authors spend most of their time detailing how to elicit neat effects--such as undulating text and embedded sound effects--from PowerPoint. They give attention to related software, such as Kai's Power Tools and Adobe Photoshop, as well. On top of its explanations of techniques, this book includes a fair amount of subjective advice on how to design an attractive presentation.

There's a good-looking, full-color section in the middle of the book that shows how certain effects look in real life. While this section is helpful, it might have been better used to explore the specifics of using color effectively in presentations. This book ships with a CD-ROM containing the authors' examples, plus clip art, some backgrounds, and a handful of evaluation software. --David Wall

From the Back Cover

Creating Cool PowerPoint^® 97 Presentations Create Powerful Presentations — Fast! People are bombarded by news, information, and sales pitches every day. To get — and hold — their attention, you must do better than a stale slide show and some ho-hum handouts! This practical resource helps you move beyond the basic, built-in PowerPoint formats to create presentations packed with sound, striking images, and action! Impress your boss, motivate your team, and make your customers eager to buy. Best of all, you'll get your point across — with power… PowerPoint 97 power! Master the Ins and Outs of PowerPoint with Expert Techniques

• Create graphics, charts, borders, and backgrounds
• Add action to complex data and dull statistics
• Integrate multimedia clips like a pro
• Incorporate advanced bitmap programs, such as Photoshop, Kai's Power Tools, KPT Bryce, and trueSpace
• Learn about and produce 3-D effects

State-of-the-Art Software on CD: PowerPoint slide shows demonstrate book concepts Demos and tryouts of top graphics programs — including Photoshop, Painter, Streamline, and Flying Fonts Clip art and background samplers System requirements PowerPoint 4 running on Windows 3.1, or PowerPoint 7 or 8 running on Windows 95 http://www.idgbooks.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (January 21, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764530178
• ISBN-13: 978-0764530173
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,984,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Book lacks focus, February 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Creating Cool PowerPoint 97 Presentations (Paperback)

Even though the title says PowerPoint 97, the authors spend a great deal of time on PowerPoint 4 (the version for Windows 3.1) and PowerPoint 95. So, no matter what version you own, almost one-third of this book isn't for you. And the step-by-step directions are littered with interruptions for the different versions.

Also, the authors skimp on describing and teaching the cool tools built-in to PowerPoint itself, focusing instead on how to use things like KPT Bryce, Photoshop, Flying Fonts, and others - tools which you may or may not own.

In general, there's a great deal more power to be harnessed inside PowerPoint itself, and unless you have these other tools, this book will not be of much help.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very well organized and easy to follow - highly recommended., November 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Creating Cool PowerPoint 97 Presentations (Paperback)

For basic instructions on using PowerPoint, the user can refer to on-line help ... for information on developing good presentations, any level of user can benefit from this book. It is so well organized that I can find what I need when I need it, without having to wade through a lot of elementary material. The design procedures are broken down into steps that any level of user can follow. The chapter summaries help to tie the information together and serve as a quick memory/idea jogger before I start developing a presentation. I've had the book less than a week, and already I can see a big improvement in the design and content of presentations I've created. Get this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful for the intermediate user, December 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Creating Cool PowerPoint 97 Presentations (Paperback)

The book clearly describes techniques for maximizing the potential of Powerpoint. The book is filled with directions for using many of the less-used but powerful tools found in Powerpoint. It was really helpful when setting up Master Slides, dealing with graphics and working with animations. Some information is given about enhancement software, but the majority of the information is based on Microsoft's Powerpoint.