Prototype: iStockphoto/viktorcap

Microsoft PowerPoint offers several tools to effort to help you lot create a more than engaging, interesting, and persuasive presentation. One tool available in both the desktop and online flavors of PowerPoint is Designer or Blueprint Ideas. This feature analyzes the content of your presentation. It so suggests pattern and layout changes to your slides along with relevant images to enhance the visual appeal of your presentation.

Y'all can use Design Ideas to spruce up an existing presentation or try it on your first slide to create an highly-seasoned presentation from the outset. But y'all may detect it more effective with an existing presentation every bit it has and then more content on which to base of operations its design recommendations. The tool works similarly in PowerPoint for the desktop and PowerPoint Online. Withal, the online edition as well offers a new characteristic known simply as Ideas. Also bachelor for Excel, Design in PowerPoint suggests layout changes and lets you search for and insert images related to your topic. Let's meet how this all works.

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Launch PowerPoint, either the desktop or online edition. Open a presentation you lot'd like to enhance with a ameliorate layout and images. Select the first slide or the slide yous want to modify. Click the Pattern tab and then click the button for Pattern Ideas. The outset fourth dimension you access the Designer tool, you may be asked to give it permission to advise design ideas for you. Select the selection to turn on Designer. From the Designer pane on the correct, scroll through the layout and design suggestions. Click a specific design to use information technology to your slide (Figure A).

Effigy A

Click on the second slide or the next slide yous wish to change. Once more, review the pattern suggestions and select the ane you want to apply. After you lot've called a specific design, additional suggestions will use the aforementioned color scheme so that your presentation remains visually consistent. Your task is to select the layout you wish to use on each private slide. Continue until you've changed each slide in your presentation to adopt the new look and layout (Figure B).

Figure B

Now, maybe you like the new layout of your presentation but aren't happy with the color theme. No problem. You can change the theme while retaining the new layout. Hover over the thumbnails for each theme in the Themes section of the Blueprint Ribbon. If you lot notice a theme y'all like, only click information technology to apply it to your entire presentation (Figure C).

Figure C

Afterward you've applied a new theme, review each slide to make sure no content has been obscured. If you find any slides that need further tweaking equally a result of the new theme, return to the Blueprint Ideas pane and select a different layout (Effigy D). When finished, resave your presentation with the latest changes.

Figure D

Beyond using the Pattern Ideas tool, you lot tin can attempt the new Ideas feature in PowerPoint Online. Currently, in preview mode, Ideas suggests layout changes merely likewise finds relevant images for your presentation. Launch PowerPoint Online and open up a presentation. From the Abode Ribbon, click the Design icon. The Pattern pane on the right suggests design and layout changes (Figure East).

Effigy E

If you don't see a layout you lot like, click the link for More pattern ideas. Select the layout you want to apply (Figure F). Click the link at the top for Go To Ideas to return to the chief Ideas pane.

Figure F

To find an image to add together to a slide, click any of the search terms in the Search for pictures section (Figure G).

Effigy 1000

The tool triggers a Bing search to find relevant images. By default, the images that appear are all licensed under Creative Commons so they're freely available. Yet, depending on how and where you program to use your presentation, you nonetheless should bank check the specific Creative Commons license for whatsoever images you lot include. To add an image, click it (Figure H).

Figure H

You tin then movement and resize the prototype in your slide (Effigy I). When washed, resave your presentation to comprise all the changes.

Figure I