New features in PowerPoint 2007
Changes are more than skin-deep in PowerPoint 2007; there are plenty of new features as well.
New file format
Under the hood, one the biggest changes to PowerPoint is the new Office XML format -- all Microsoft Office applications now use it. By default, PowerPoint saves in this new format, which has the .pptx extension, or the .pptm extension if the document contains macros.
For businesses, this can be a big plus, because it allows for easier integration with enterprise-level applications and for exchanging data. In some instances, it also creates files of a smaller size, because files are automatically compressed when they're saved to disk and then automatically uncompressed when you open them.
In addition, the new format makes it easier to recover damaged files because it saves different data components -- such as tables and charts -- separately from one another. This means files can be opened even if an individual component, such as a chart, is damaged.
That's the good news. Here's the bad news: Most of the world doesn't use the new format and won't for some time. If you create a presentation and save it in the PowerPoint 2007 format, no one with a previous version of PowerPoint will be able to view it.
To save your presentations for these users, click the Office button and choose Save As > PowerPoint 97-2003 Presentation.
To save all your presentations in that format by default, click the Office button, select PowerPoint Options > Save, and from the drop-down list at the top of the page, choose PowerPoint Presentation 97-2003, and click OK. From now on, any presentation you create will be saved in the older format.
Themes
One of the most welcome new features is Themes, which allows you to quickly apply common colors, backgrounds and fonts to all elements of a presentation for a unified look. In previous PowerPoint versions, you had to make those changes separately for charts, tables and slides, which was time-consuming and difficult and could lead to errors.
To apply a theme to a presentation, click the Design tab and roll your mouse over each theme in the Ribbon to see how each will look. Each theme will be applied to the main document itself as you roll your mouse over it. When you find a theme you like, click it to keep it.
Be aware that Themes only work if you're using PowerPoint's new Office XML format; they won't work on old-style .ppt files.
Custom slide layouts
You can now create and save customized layouts for your presentations, including charts, movies, tables, pictures, SmartArt, clip art and other elements. You can also create and save multiple slide master sets that contain different customized layouts for different topics. You get to it from the View tab by clicking on Slide Master. From there, you can create and save new custom layouts.
SmartArt
In PowerPoint 2007, you get far better prebuilt diagrams and charts via SmartArt. From the Insert tab, click SmartArt, and you'll be able to insert a wide variety of diagrams and charts, as you can see in the figure below. Click any of the available diagrams or charts, and you'll get a description of what it's best used for and how to use it.
In addition, you can add a variety of effects, such as gradients and 3-D effects, to SmartArt and other PowerPoint graphics. You can also convert existing content to SmartArt, for example, by right-clicking a bulleted list and selecting "Convert to SmartArt." You'll then be able to port the list into a prebuilt SmartArt template.
Better multimedia integration
It's now easier to incorporate multimedia into your presentations. Go to the Insert tab, choose either Movie or Sound from the Media Clips group, and insert your multimedia object.
From here, you can also play a CD audio track during the presentation. And you can even record audio directly from within PowerPoint and embed it in your presentation. New effects
There are a slew of new and better effects in PowerPoint 2007, including warp, bevel, shadow, reflection, soft edges and rotating 3-D shapes. You can get to these effects in a variety of ways, depending upon where you're using the effect.
For example, if you're using an effect on a picture, put your cursor on the picture, select the Format tab under Picture Tools (this appears only when you've selected a picture). From the Picture Effects drop-down list, select the effect you want to use.
Discontinuous text selection
OK, this one isn't earth-shaking, but it's an example of a very small change that can save lots of time. You can now select multiple pieces of discontinuous text and then make changes to them en masse, such as applying a font or size change.
Do it the same way you do it with Word -- hold down the Ctrl key as you select text. Then apply changes to all the text simultaneously.
Get going
As you can see, PowerPoint is full of new features, even if you may have a hard time finding your way to them. But armed with our cheat sheet and a little elbow grease, you can get to the good stuff in no time.
For more tips and help on PowerPoint 2007, head to Microsoft's PowerPoint 2007 site.