PowerPoint (Windows / macOS / Android / iOS)
In a guide on how to create presentations Professional animated slideshows, one can only start by talking about Power point, the famous application integrated in the Microsoft Office suite that offers the possibility to create presentations with slides in a rather simple way.
As you probably already know, since this is a solution used in the professional field, it is paid: you can test its features for 30 days, but then you have to subscribe to one of the subscription plans Office 365 among those available, starting from 7 euro / month (or purchase the Office license, starting with € 149 one-off). The application is available for both Windows that for MacOS. More info here.
To make a presentation with PowerPoint, start the program, click on the button Blank presentation to start creating a new project, open the menu Inserisci and click sul pulsating New slide to add new slides. If you want, you can add new slides to the presentation by right clicking on an "empty" point in the left column and selecting the item New slide give the menu check if you press.
To change the sample lettering that is added by default on each slide, click the testo field you intend to modify (eg. Click to insert text) and type in the custom text you want to insert.
Then proceed enriching the presentation slides with images, graphics and other multimedia elements: click on the tab Inserisci and, in the menu that opens, click on the button Images to add an image, on the button Form to insert a geometric shape or on the button Graphic to insert a graph.
To animate the multimedia elements you have inserted in the project, select the element you want to act on, click on the tab Animations and choose one of the animations among those available. To get the desired effect, then, remember to change the duration direction and any other animation-specific settings you have chosen to use, via the options and text fields located at the top of the PowerPoint window.
As this is a professional presentation, remember to use a sober style, elegant, legible fonts and, above all, to include clear and concise information in the presentation. Maybe you could help with the predefined templates available on the Office home screen or on the Office site.
When finished, click on the button Fillet located at the top left and, in the screen that opens, click on the item Save with name, choose the name, format and position where to export the output file and that's it.
I remind you that, in addition to being available in the form of a desktop program, PowerPoint is also available as an app for Android and iOS (free on devices that are less than 10.1 ″ in size) and also in the form of a free online service (which works in a similar to the desktop program, but integrates a few less functions).
For more information on how to use PowerPoint and how to make presentations with PowerPoint, please read the guides that I have just linked to you: I'm sure that these insights will also be useful to you.
Keynote (macOS / iOS)
Keynote is another solution to consider for making professional slideshow presentations: it is an application that is part of Apple's iWork suite and is included “as standard” on both macOS and iOS. To make professional presentations, however, I recommend you to use the Mac version, which is much more comfortable to use.
To use it, start Keynote from the Launchpad or by clicking on its icon located on the Dock, click here New document located at the bottom left and, in the window that opens, choose the theme you prefer to use (eg. Black, White, Gradient, Exposure, etc.) and then click on the button Choose located at the bottom right.
After selecting the template you like, start customizing its content. Insert new slides into the project by clicking on the button (+) Add slide located at the top left, and select the type of slide you want to add (eg. Title and subtitle, Quote, Gallery, Empty, Alternative vacuum, etc.) from the menu that opens.
After adding one or more slides to the project, you need to modify the example text inside them: therefore, do Double-click to edit the text in question and enter the custom text you want to show. Remember to include clear, concise information and use elegant fonts, as this is a professional presentation.
To insert a table, an graphic, an text, a crafts or multimedia elementInstead, just click on the buttons located at the top right, choose the element to add and place it in the desired point. Using the buttons Formatting e Document (top right), on the other hand, you can act on the layout of the text and images inserted in the slides and on the characteristics of the document.
To insert animations, then, click on the button Animations located at the top right, press the blue button Add effect at the top right and select theaction and the type of effect you want to add in entry and take the exit (uscita) selecting one of the tabs located at the top and modifying the characteristics of the chosen effect using the appropriate buttons and menus.
When finished, select the item Export as from the menu Fillet located in the macOS menu bar (top left), choose the format in which to save the file you created (you can save the slides in the Keynote format, in the PowerPoint format or as a video), indicate the name and the position output and that's it.
LibreOffice Impress (Windows / macOS / Linux)
If you are looking for a free and open source solution to create professional animated presentations, Impress, an application included in the suite LibreOffice, may be the right solution for you. Let me tell you how to best use this software, available for Windows, macOS Linux.
First, download LibreOffice to your computer. Connect, therefore, to the download page of the suite and, if you use a PC Windowsclick on your button Scaricate la versione xxx. If, on the other hand, you are using a Mac, click on the button first Scaricate la versione xxx e poi pigia sul pulsating Translated user interface, so as to download the program and also the package that allows you to translate the interface into your language (on Windows the interface is already translated).
Once the download is complete, if you use Windows, open the file . MSI you got and click the buttons NEXT, NEXT, Install, Yes e end to complete the setup. Up Macinstead, open the package LibreOffice_xx_MacOS_x86-64.dmg you downloaded just now, drag the LibreOffice icon into the folder Applications say macOS, click on destroy the program icon and select the voice apri from the menu that opens, twice in a row. This operation serves to "override" the restrictions imposed by Apple on software from non-certified sources and must be done only at the first start of the program.
After installing LibreOffice on Mac, press the keys cmd + q on the keyboard to close the application and translate the interface: open the package LibreOffice_xx_MacOS_x86-64_langpack_it.dmg, fai clic destro sull'eseguibile LibreOffice Language Pack, select the voice apri from the menu that opens and then click on the buttons apri e Install. Finally, select the item /Applications/LibreOffice.app from the window that opens and press the button again Install.
After installing and starting LibreOffice, click on the entry Impress presentation located in the left sidebar, choose the template that you like best among those available (choose a sober and elegant one, please) and then click on the button apri, located in the lower right corner.
To add new slides to your project, open the menu Slide and select the item New slide from the latter. To change the example text in the text fields inserted by default in the presentation, click in the text field where the wording is Click to add a title / text and write the custom text you intend to use.
Using the menus located at the top, instead, add additional elements to your project: open the menu Inserisci, choose the element you want to insert (ex. Image, Graphic, etc.) and then add an animation via the menu Format> Entrainment . Then change the animation settings you have chosen to apply to the selected element using the toolbar that appears on the right.
When you have finished your work, save the presentation by selecting the item Save with name ... from the menu Fillet and export the file to the format (you can use the LibreOffice or PowerPoint format) and in the position which you prefer most.
Other useful solutions
There are also other useful solutions to make professional presentations. Below you will find listed some that certainly can do for you.
- Google Slides (Web / Android / iOS) - this application offered by Google, available both online and on mobile devices, allows you to create presentations starting from fully customizable templates, which facilitate the work to be completed. A must try!
- canva (Web / Android / iOS) - is a very famous online service, also available as an app for mobile devices, allows you to create presentations with slides to be enriched with illustrations, graphics, drawings and so on (some graphics are paid and, usually, they cost $ 1 each).
- Prezi (Web) - is a Web application that allows you to create presentations directly online using many different ready-to-use templates. It can be used for free, but to break down the limits of the free version (such as the impossibility of making your projects private), you have to subscribe to the Premium version, which starts at 7,99 euros / month.
Did you come to this guide with the aim of making video presentations or photo presentations? Well, then it may be that the solutions I indicated in the previous lines did not come in handy for this purpose.
In any case, don't worry: there are solutions (even free) that can certainly come in handy. Some of these are listed in my insights on how to make video presentations, how to make photo presentations and how to make slideshows: take a look and you will find what is right for you!
How to create professional animated slideshow presentations
