MasterView Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations for International Audiences ________________________________________________ MasterView by IKONOS New Media July 13th, 2001 Issue #2 "MANAGING PRESENTATION SIZE" ..................................................... MasterView is a free monthly newsletter focusing on designing and managing effective PowerPoint presentations for international audiences. Directed to communicators, managers, trainers, presenters and lectures, it provides selected solutions, how-to techniques and resources on effective presentation-making. MasterView is designed for research, education, training, development organizations and knowledge-based institutions. You are receiving MasterView because: a) You are a subscriber of MasterMind and we are sending you a complimentary issue to evaluate. If you feel it does not cover areas of your interest, utilize the "Unsubscribe" link at the bottom of this newsletter. b) You have asked to receive MasterView by participating in one of IKONOS New Media courses on creating effective presentations. c) You are part of a selected list of IKONOS New Media clients, partners and associates who have expressed desire to receive our company publications and new projects. If you feel for any reason that you do not belong to any of these groups, and/or you are receiving this publication by mistake, or wish to immediately unsubscribe from this list, find immediate "Unsubscribe" link at the very end of this newsletter (note that on some email readers the "Unsubscribe" link address will be broken over two lines). In all other cases, "Welcome, and great to see you again!" ************************************************ This issue's theme: PRESENTATION SIZE
=========================================== This second issue of MasterView provides you with a set of unique solutions for managing your presentation files when they are not small enough to fit in a normal 1.44 Mb floppy disk. It's frustrating and time-consuming to spend hours in creating a presentation and suddenly realizing that you need to run it on a computer other than the one where you first created it. You try to copy it on a floppy disk, but it will not fit. You try to send it by email, but your server will reject it since the file is too large. In a few, easy steps you will see how some little-known Windows built-in tools and a few unique software utilities can instantly help you to solve all of the problems connected to the management of any large presentation file. =========================================== 1) * MICROSOFT BACKUP * =========================================== This is a standard Windows utility called Microsoft BackUp: its purpose is basically to create a back up of all your important files, in case you need to restore them after a possible accidental loss. Since Microsoft BackUp allows you to choose exactly which files you want to back up, you can take advantage of this feature to create copies of your presentation files that are automatically saved by spanning as many floppy disks as needed. We will see in detail how this tool works and its specific benefits. To access the back up tool, go to Start >> Programs >> Accessories >> System Tools >> BackUp. If it's not listed there, you might need to install it from the Windows CD-ROM: 1) Go to Start >> Settings >> Control Panel and double- click on the "Add/Remove Programs" icon. 2) Go to the Windows Setup tab and put a tick mark on BackUp (in Windows 95 it's under Disk Tools, in Windows 98/ME it's under Accessories) 3) Then click OK and Windows will install this tool. Once you start the BackUp tool, you will get a few dialog boxes: the first one will explain you the basic features: just click OK. The second one will give information about how to perform a Full System back up: we are not interested in this feature, but you need to click OK to proceed. 1) Click on the first tab, "Backup", and you will see displayed a window similar to Windows Explorer: 2) Browse the folders to locate your presentation file(s) 3) Put a tick mark in the checkbox next to your file and click "Next Step" 4) Select a device where you will copy your backup (A: drive - floppy disk), then click "Backup Now" 5) Give a name to the back up and press OK. This utility will start backing up the file(s) and will ask you for a new floppy disk as soon as the current one is full. This way you can split any large presentation file into several floppies. Remember to label the floppies sequentially from the first one, since you will need to insert them in reverse order when restoring the full presentation file to a different PC. Every floppy will contain a file with a .QIC extension, that cannot be opened by other software. In order to restore your presentation from this .QIC back up file, you need to do the following: a) Insert the last floppy disk and run the BackUp utility on the computer where you want to restore the file (see above) b) Go to Settings >> Options >> Restore tab and select where it says: "Restore backed up files to" >> "Alternate location" and click OK c) Go on the second tab, "Restore", and select from the list the drive A: (the floppy disk drive), then select your file d) Click "Start Restore". You will be asked where you want to restore the file e) Choose the desktop for simplicity or your preferred folder f) Click OK and Windows BackUp will start restoring, asking you for all the floppies, one by one. At the end of the process Microsoft BackUp will have restored your .ppt file to its correct size and format. You can now safely show your presentation. !!!PROS: - This backup utility is available on all Windows 95/98/ME computers, even though it might not be installed by default. - It can create backup copies of all file sizes, since it splits the big files in chunks that can fit on several floppy disks. - You can eventually save the back up chunks on your hard drive and then email them to your destination. CONS¡¡¡: - It slightly increases the overall file size since it saves also data required for the final restore. - The new files created can be read, opened and restored only by the same BackUp tool in Windows 95/98/ME. There's no interchangeability with other operating systems or different versions of Windows (E.g. between Windows 98 and NT, or with a Macintosh computer) *Hint* - Before bringing with you your copy of a backed up presentation, be sure that you will be able and confident on how to restore it by trying out the whole procedure on your computer. Never rely on chance, always test everything and double- check even the tiniest details. =========================================== 2) * COMPRESSING FILES USING WINZIP * =========================================== A very popular software that does a great job in compressing files is WinZip. I will review this tool, its pros and cons, and everything else you should know to best use it. I am sure some of you already know it and use it when dealing with large files. In fact, WinZip is a very popular software utility that reduces file size by being able to squeeze the same information in a smaller file. The compression ratio varies according to the type of file being used. For instance, a Word document, with a .doc extension, can be reduced up to 16 times, while a sound file with a .wav extension or an Acrobat file (.pdf) can barely be reduced, since their standard file format already compresses files during the standard "saving" procedure. In our case, PowerPoint files can be reduced proportionally to the number of different elements (sounds, images, movies) that we have used to create the presentation. WinZip works by creating a new compressed file with a .zip extension that cannot be re-opened unless WinZip (or a WinZip-compatible program) is available. You can download the basic WinZip software from the Internet at http://www.winzip.com/downauto.cgi?winzip80.exe WinZip became the most used and popular format for compressed files, and you can find it installed on almost any computer. WinZip, now in its latest release, version 8.0, can be downloaded for free as an evaluation copy. The price for the license is as little as 29 USD. You can find more information at: http://www.winzip.com Once you have downloaded it to your hard disk, you only need to double-click the file (WinZip.exe) and WinZip will automatically install. From now on, you will able to compress your own files and to decompress all the .zip ones you receive from other people. If you want to be sure you have WinZip properly installed, go to Start >> Programs and check if you see WinZip listed. If you haven't purchased the full version, but you still use the evaluation one, every time you use it you get a dialog box that reminds you that you are using an unregistered copy and that you can use it only for evaluation purposes. Let's see step by step how easy is to use this tool. *To decompress a zipped file: A) Right-click on the file B) Select "Extract to folder <pathname>" C) Click "I Agree" on the license information window WinZip in a few seconds will have decompressed the file in the same exact location as the compressed file was stored. In case you have a zipped file on a floppy, copy it to the hard disk of your PC first, then right-click on the copy so WinZip will decompress the file on the same folder. *To compress your files: If you want to create your own zipped files, since for instance the presentation you want to carry with you doesn't fit on a floppy disk, you have to do one of the following: a) Open Windows Explorer and locate your presentation file b) Right-click on it. If you have WinZip properly installed, you will find the option to "Add to <filename>.zip" c) Click "Add to <filename>.zip" d) Click on "I Agree" on the license information window e) Search for your zipped file, that has been created in the same folder where the original file was located. The new zipped file will have the WinZip icon and the name will be the same as the original file plus a .zip extension. Your compressed file is now ready to be copied on a floppy disk or sent by email like a normal file. If you want to check the new size of this compressed file (to see for instance if it fits in a floppy disk), right- click on it and choose "Properties": it will tell you exactly how many bytes it is (consider that a standard floppy disk capacity in bytes is around 1,4 Mb). *Advanced features* *Self-extracting file: You can create, using WinZip, a file that can decompress itself without having WinZip installed. What is the advantage? If you are not sure whether the person who will receive your zipped file has WinZip installed or not, you can use this feature to create a file that will be able to decompress itself automatically. The new type of file, technically called a "self-extracting" file, will have an .exe extension, and not the typical .zip extension. As soon as you double-click it, it decompresses itself automatically. Pretty smart, isn't it? Do you want to know how to create a self-extracting zipped file? 1) Zip your file first (see above) 2) Once the zipped file has been created, right-click on it and choose "Create Self-Extractor (.EXE)" 3) Click "OK" to the license information box 4) Click "OK" also to the next dialog box so you will create a self-extracting file on the same directory where you have your original file 5) Once the file is created, WinZip asks you whether you want to test your new self-extracting file: choose NO and close the little window. 6) A new file with the same name but a different extension will be created in the same directory as the original zipped file was. If you want to be sure your new self-extracting file is working, you can now double-click it and see if extracts automatically the file that was previously zipped in it. Now that you know this, if you're not sure whether your email recipient has WinZip installed or not, you can send a self-extracting zipped file instead and be sure that s/he will be able to decompress it. *Disk spanning: When you have a presentation file bigger than a standard floppy disk (1.44 Mb) you can utilize WinZip to split your original file across several diskettes. What to do: 1) Go to Start >> WinZip and run the program 2) Click "I Agree" on the license information box 3) Drag your file (or even a whole folder) from Windows Explorer or My Computer directly into the WinZip main window 4) Where it says: "Add to archive:", clear the box and type exactly as from this example (A:\filename.zip) replacing "filename" with the real name of your presentation 5) WinZip will start compressing the file, and as soon as the first floppy is full, it will ask you to insert the second one, and so on (Remember to label one by one all the floppies with a progressive number. When decompressing the file you will need to insert them once again in the proper order) It's done. You have now compressed your original file and copied it across several diskettes. To decompress your file(s), insert the last floppy, and utilize the same method we have seen at the beginning of this article. !!!PROS: - The software can always be downloaded for free from the Internet, so even if you have to show your presentation on a computer that has no WinZip installed, you can download it in 5 minutes and install it in even less. And what if the computer does not have an Internet connection? I would suggest you to bring with you a floppy with the downloaded WinZip program (the installation files). WinZip fits exactly on a floppy disk, so in case you cannot access the Web, you can always install it in a few minutes from your own floppy. - You can compress single files or even entire file folders. - It's easy to use, quite intuitive and user-friendly. - It is the standard for compression, it's used all over the world. - It's good also for saving space in your hard drive since you can keep your data in this compressed format, especially old data that you rarely use. - It even lets you compress files bigger in size than a floppy disk, spanning them among several diskettes. CONS¡¡¡: - It cannot compress all file formats, since some of them are already compressed (e.g. PDF, GIF, JPG, BMP, etc.). - Sometimes, depending on the file type, the compression rate may be low or anyway insufficient to compress your file(s) in one floppy disk. In this case you need to use the disk spanning function and zip again your file saving it directly on a diskette. - WinZip must be installed on the PC where you want to decompress the file. So, in case you don't have it installed, you will not be able to unzip the compressed file unless you created before a self-extracting zipped file (see above). If you still have problems with file size and neither the back up tool nor WinZip helped you, there's something else you might want to try out to work around these problems... =========================================== 3) * EASY AND AUTOMATED FILE SPLITTING WITH CHAINSAW * =========================================== I'd like now to share with you a real problem that one of our fellows, Tomoko from Japan, had a few weeks ago. She was desperate since she was not able to fit her presentation in one floppy. She told me that she had tried to zip the file, but the file size was still too big to fit in a standard floppy disk. She needed to bring with her the presentation file to Malaysia, and she needed to use floppies and not CD- ROM since on her old laptop the CD-ROM device was temporarily out of order. I wrote her a few lines that I decided later to polish and expand a bit, and publish in this newsletter since other readers may be interested in this easy solution. Let's have a closer look at the tool I suggested her to download (for free) and use. It's called Chainsaw. Chainsaw will split your file in small chunks whose size you can set manually. You can just copy the different chunks in separate floppy disks and carry them with you. Chainsaw is a very easy program to use, small in size and free to download. You can find it at: http://www.schmeusser.siw.de/software/chainsaw.html or also at: ftp://ftp.sohard.de/pub/NewBago/chainsaw.zip The software is available only for Windows-based PCs. The download is relatively small, since the installation files have been previously zipped (see previous article #2) and they total only 96 KB in size. Once downloaded, save the zipped file on your hard disk, double click it and it will be extracted by WinZip (see article #2). Chainsaw is now ready to be used. To gain faster access to it, just copy or drag the file chainsaw.exe on your desktop: you will see its funny icon and from now on you can start using it. You will see right away how easy it is to use this simple tool due to its user-friendly interface. Let's see how to use Chainsaw in detail: What to do if I want to split a big file? 1) Double-click on the Chainsaw icon (Chainsaw.exe) on your desktop to start it up 2) Define the chunk size (you can set it manually) or select one of the standard ones 3) Clear the box where it says: "Redirect output to directory" 4) Drag your PowerPoint file (from the desktop or Windows Explorer) on top of the icon where it says: "Drop files here" and release the mouse If you have soundcard and speakers installed, you'll be delighted with the funny sound Chainsaw plays when splitting any file! Chainsaw splits your file while it creates a set of numbered chunks and one .bat file. What is the purpose of this .bat file? It is a file that contains a command, so when you "execute" this file (e.g. you double-click on it) it starts a series of actions. In this case, the batch file (with the .bat extension) that is created, will recompose for you all the chunks once you want to have back your entire original file. Chainsaw does everything automatically, you only need to bring with you, or send by email, all the chunks created and automatically numbered plus the batch file. As soon as all these files are placed in the same directory you can double-click the batch file and it will re-create for you the original file. !!!PROS: - It's a free tool - It's fast to download and does not require installation: once you have extracted it, it's ready to work - Chainsaw does not need to be installed on the PC where you need to rebuild your file - You can manually set the maximum size of the chunks according to your needs CONS¡¡¡: - It cannot "chunk up" directories (folders) but only files =========================================== 4) * HOW TO REDUCE FILE SIZE IN POWERPOINT: FOUR UNIQUE TECHNIQUES TO QUICKLY OBTAIN A SMALLER FILE SIZE WHEN SAVING YOUR PRESENTATIONS * =========================================== PowerPoint is a very complex application with very powerful features. Most of the time we just want our presentations to be in size as small as possible so they can easily fit in a floppy disk. Another added benefit of small file size is that the lighter the file, the less computing and display power is required from the PC that will run your presentation. So your presentation can run reliably even on older, short on memory PCs, without slowing down your performance or the speed of your transitions. What you can do to your presentation, in order to reduce its file size, is the following: 1) Save your presentation a second time With your presentation open, go to File >> Save As... and give it another name or just put a progressive number before the title. Then click "Save". Doing this you will have a second presentation that most of the time is smaller than the original copy. This happens since PowerPoint usually stores a lot of redundant information (formatting commands, earlier drafts, previous used images and so on). Each time you do a new "Save As..." the unnecessary redundant information is automatically purged, reducing as a consequence file size. 2) Go to File >> Properties and in the "Summary" Tab clear the box that says: "Save preview picture". This way you will not be able to see the little image preview when opening a presentation from PowerPoint, but your file size will decrease according to the "weight" of the images used in the first slide (the one that would be previewed as a miniature) of your presentation. 3) Work on the images Your presentation might be very big due to the use of many images in graphic formats like bitmap (.bmp) that you automatically obtain when you paste a screenshot on the slide. The suggestion is to open every bitmap image you have with a program that converts images (ACDSee, Microsoft Photo Editor, PaintShop) and save that image in one of the following graphic file formats: jpg (a compressed format where you can set the compression/quality ratio according to the quality of the original image), gif, tif, wmf (Windows Meta File, a very common standard for Windows applications). Once your image has been saved under another format, you can reinsert it into your slide. *Free Image Editor I take here the opportunity to let you know that you can find a very reliable and professional image-editor software on the Internet. It's a free download and if you want to know more about it and other similar programs, go to http://www.masternewmedia.org/ and subscribe for MasterMind newsletter. In the release, issue#9, you will find a detailed review of image-editing software. If you do this for all your images, your presentation will be much smaller and it will run smoothly and fast. 4) Logo and Master Slide If you insert a logo or a background picture in the Master Slide, be sure it is a jpg or gif and not a bitmap. Be sure also that what is in the Master Slide has not been re-inserted accidentally also on the single slides (logo, images and so on). The jpg format will give you the best balance of file size and quality. Besides, when you resize an image within PowerPoint and scale it to a lower dimension, PowerPoint keeps the same file size of the original image. Thus an image that was for instance 200 Kb, will still be the same size even if you make it smaller. If you want to reduce also the file size when using a smaller picture, you should first scale your image down in any image editing software (Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft Photo Editor, Adobe PhotoShop, Corel Draw). Then, you can import it again into PowerPoint. 5) In case you have a lot of images that you have embedded in the file, you can opt to link the presentation to them. I explain: when you insert an image, you have the option to insert it either as an embedded object, that will become part of the final presentation file, or as a linked file. In this case the file will not be part of the presentation, since this will only contain a link to that separate file. You always have to remember, when you use linked files, to bring them with you and be sure that in the computer where you will run the presentation the linked files are present. If you want to insert an image as a linked object, instead of as an embedded object, do the following: 1) Go to Insert >> Picture >> From File... 2) Select the image you want to insert 3) Click the little down arrow besides "Insert", and choose "Link to File" The positive side of this is that the presentation file alone will have a smaller size, since the images will not be stored inside the presentation itself. So, even though you must remember to carry with you those other linked files, you can use more than one floppy to carry all the separate files to be copied in the hard disk of the computer where you will run your presentation. You have to remember that file size can also affect the speed of your presentation, the animation effects and the transitions. If you want some additional tips on what you can do to speed up your presentation, do the following: Within PowerPoint, go to Tools >> Options and in the "Save" tab turn off the voice: "Allow Fast Save". For PowerPoint '97 only: go to Tools >> Options, "Advanced" tab. Clear the box that says: "Render 24- bit bitmaps at highest quality". This might decrease the quality of your presentation images, but will speed up a bit the show. Remember that those last two features are computer- related, not file-related, so you need to change those settings in the computer where you will run the show, not in the one where you created the presentation. =========================================== 5) * YAHOOGROUPS - ONLINE STORAGE AND COLLABORATION * =========================================== Looking for a way to carry with you some large presentation files? Need to put your presentation files online so that you can pick them up from anywhere you go? Want to put a backup of your presentation files online, for any unforeseen emergency? Want to share your presentation files after a workshop with your participants, but you do not have your own web site? Here is the solution for you. http://www.yahoogroups.com Formerly called Egroups, this FREE online service offers the possibility of: a) Creating a personal mini community website online in 1 minute. b) Having an online storage space of 20 MB per web site (you can have unlimited in which you can place files of any type). Limitations are max 5Mb per file. c) Controlling access by allowing all visitors in or restricting the view to selected invited people. d) Sending an invitation to a selected list of people announcing the availability of your presentation files online. e) Extra features including: a Polling service, a web Calendar, an area for Links to share and more. To use it, here is what to do to register for the FREE service: 1) Go to: http://www.yahoogroups.com Sign in as a new user. Find the box to do this on the left side of the screen, under the word "Sign In". You will see a link labeled "New users Click here to register". Click there. 2) Fill in the few required fields in this form. 3) Done. You are now a yahoogroups member and you can start as many 'yahoogroups' as you want. How do you create a yahoogroup? 1) Go to: http://www.yahoogroups.com 2) Sign in as a registered user 4) Click on the link labeled "Start a Group", which is the first link on the horizontal navigation bar, under the banner advertisement 5) Provide a name, an email address for this new yahoogroup, and a description. Select if you want it to be private or public. Select the category in which it should be placed by the yahoogroups service 6) Done! How do you post your presentation files on your yahoogroup? 1) Click now on the home page of your newly created yahoogroup (e.g.: groups.yahoo.com/group/masterview/) 2) Once logged in, click on the left column on the "Files" link 3) Once in the "Files" area, you are ready to "upload" or transfer to your yahoogroup online storage area your presentation files. Click on the "Add File" button on the main horizontal navigation bar 4) Click now on the "Browse" button, and select on your computer the file that you want to upload 5) Click OK 6) Repeat it and enjoy as many times as needed. Contributed by Luigi Canali De Rossi MasterMind Explorer http://www.masternewmedia.org =========================================== Next Issue Topics: * TEMPLATES * *How can I customize the original Microsoft PowerPoint templates?* Step by step guide to modify standard templates * CLIP ART * *Is it possible to customize Clip Art?* Tips and suggestions on how to add a personal touch to standard Clip Art * BACKGROUND * *How to use an image as a background?* * WEB RESOURCES * *Where on the Web can I find suggestions and ideas for my presentation layout?* *What help can I get from the Web in looking for nice and effective templates?* A review of the best Web sites that let you download additional templates for free =========================================== -------------------------------------------------------- Send your presentation questions in: -------------------------------------------------------- MasterView is an open discussion forum for many of you having specific questions about making presentations. These can be addressed to ask-masterview#yahoogroups.com. I and everybody at IKONOS New Media will be happy to provide you with best advice, tools and resources. Who am I? I am the Executive Editor of this electronic publication, my name is Simone Luchini and I am a presentations specialist and trainer for IKONOS New Media (http://www.ikonosnewmedia.com) We specialize in empowering international organizations, grow and prosper online through the effective use of new media and ICT(Information & Communication Technologies). Founded in 1988, IKONOS New Media is an electronic publishing and distance learning company serving education, research and development organizations. If you would like to know something more about me, come and check out my page at: http://www.ikonosnewmedia.com/people/simone.htm Sincerely, Simone Luchini - Executive Editor Presentations Specialist, Trainer IKONOS New Media Rome | Washington (Simone.Luchini#ikonosnewmedia.com) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Feedback Direct feedback: Simone.Luchini#ikonosnewmedia.com IKONOS New Media Via P. Giannone 10 - 00195 Rome, Italy ........................................................ MasterView Editorial Staff Luigi Canali De Rossi - Editor-in-chief luigi.canali#ikonosnewmedia.com Simone Luchini - Executive Editor Simone.Luchini#ikonosnewmedia.com MasterView Expert Contributors Antonella Pastore antonella.pastore#ikonosnewmedia.com ........................................................... Subscription Information To subscribe to request your free copy, simply go to the following URL: http://masterview.ikonosnewmedia.com, type your email in the box and click the "Subscribe" button ........................................................ (C) 2001, Simone Luchini IKONOS New Media (c) 2001 http://www.ikonosnewmedia.com
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