Customer Reviews

Special Edition Using Microsoft PowerPoint 2000

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a comprehensive book on PowerPoint. It shows you not only how to use the product including its new features, but also gives advice on design, giving presentations, etc. I'm a business professional, not a designer or speaker and I found this info an added bonus.

The reviewer just before this review stated that this manual has an error in that it leaves out instructions on adding pictures to the PowerPoint. The reviewer was in error, as pages 284-285 discuss formatting a picture and page 279 describes how to apply a picture fill. The entire chapter 11 deals with inserting clip art, including WMF, CGM, BMP, PNG, GIF, and JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Groups) formats. This chapter clearly describes how to insert these types of images into a PPT presentation.

Its a very good book in the sense that it clearly explains how to use powerpoint2000 and how to design presentations and present them. It does not however give you assignments to do, not does it give you questions to test what you've learned.

I teach others how to use PowerPoint. I design and sell PowerPoint templates. I would say that this is the perfect desk reference for anyone who has to give presentations. In clear, step-by-step instructions, this book tells you how to do everything off the shelf. I use it often. The only downside is that macros and VBA are not addressed. However, I appreciate a book that also gives tips on making the actual presentation as well as how to use PowerPoint. After all, making slides is only half the battle.

I thought I was going to like this book, and in fact it does cover most of the topics fairly well. It is well-organized and includes a useful CD. But it has one GLARING omission: no discussion, not even a mention, of inserting pictures. So if you have scanned images or images from a digital camera, you won't get any help from this book. This is such a common use for Powerpoint that I kept thinking I was mistaken, but it's just not there. Animation, sound files, clip art, Word Art, graphics you draw -- all are covered, but photographs and scanned images (i.e., JPEGs, GIFs, TIFFs, etc.) don't get a mention. This powerful capability of Powerpoint is my associates' (university faculty and physician-educators) stock in trade, and the real reason they use Powerpoint. Sadly, the book spends a huge amount of space on what is really trivial decoration - clip art images and Word Art. What do the author's think is important? Why do they think we use Powerpoint?