When it come on the scene two year ago , Keynote ( , April 2003 ) was really the first viable presentation tool alternative to Microsoft ’s PowerPoint on the Mac . While Apple ’s offering surpassed PowerPoint in some areas ( transitions , graphics handling , professionalism of templates ) , it fell far brusque in others ( detailed information on microscope slide during demonstration , robotic spiritedness options , slide timing ) . Keynote 2 — unveiled at Macworld Expo and now shipping as part of the iWork ’ 05 cortege — aims to narrow the spread , while adding even more compelling features .
Here ’s a first feeling at some of the major changes in the latest version of Keynote .
Themes
Themes have always been a strong point of Keynote ; they are very well designed , and help even the most completely inartistic ( yours truly ) create visually stunning presentations . Apple has added ten new themes to Keynote , while removing Leather Book and Sandstone . ( If you ’d like to keep these nonextant themes , see the hint at the goal of this article ) . As witness in the screenshot , the aggregation of themes is unfeignedly impressive . Some of these themes have been designed to exercise with other fresh Keynote boast to avail make “ non - standard ” presentations . For instance , you could use the Portfolio topic and the fresh hyperlinking feature ( see below ) to create an archive of your paintings or photographs that visitors could but get through through to consider .
Animations, Transitions, and External Media
Animation of both objective and text has improve greatly . In the first liberation , there were just nine option for types of “ builds , ” which is a shortcut term for animating the text edition and graphic on your slides . In the second release , there are now 26 unlike techniques , including choices such as iris , twirl , pop , and block . In addition , some of these physical body types work on case-by-case intelligence or characters within a line , as seen in this movie , which shows the “ character compression ” build working on a character - by - reference base . In the old variation of Keynote , soma gist could only be applied to entire railway line .
The other notable improvement has to do with the timing of the builds . In the first generation of Keynote , you could only pick one of five predetermined speeds for the figure , and only the first build could chance mechanically — any subsequent builds on a microscope slide need a mouse pawl . The new reading lets you designate , down to hundredth of a second , precisely how long each build should take . Even more important for those creating complex presentation , a young robotlike body-build tool let you control just how subsequent builds are add together to the sliding board — either via a shiner click , or automatically after a given holdup , as seen in the screenshot . This gives the presenter a capital deal of flexibility in build complex self - construction chute .
Transitions are visual upshot applied when interchange from slide to slide . The original version was well know for its rotating 3 - D block passage , whereby one slide seemingly rotated around a cube to the next . The raw version adds a very graceful page flip 3 - five hundred transition , and seven additional 2 - five hundred transition , include the cool pool ripple effect seen in this flick clip .
lastly , if you want to incorporate euphony , photos , or videos into your introduction , the new Keynote make it a piece of bar . you’re able to easily set a Sung dynasty to play as a background trail for your entire presentation ( this was n’t well possible in the previous version ) . As determine in the screenshot , a new Media internet browser throw it mere to integrate pictures from iPhoto , music from iTunes , and film from your Movies leaflet . Saving even more time , orotund ikon can be disguise directly in Keynote , permit you decide just which part of the image will be seeable on the microscope slide .
Text, Web Pages, and Other Objects
Text treatment has also gotten some attention in this update . Modern feature allow you to position spare space before and after paragraphs , and bullets and numbering now have their own tab for easier distinction from textbook - deal features .
you’re able to also embed Web pages directly into presentations . Instead of shoot a picture of a Web page and paste the image , just insert a Web View , and you ’ll have the actual page — and an Update Automatically choice will check that it ’s always the latest opinion , assuming you have a electronic connection connectedness .
There are also six new shapes you may sum up to slides , admit two unlike pointer manner , a diamond , swim “ cartoon - style ” quote house of cards , and an octagon . This give you 12 shapes to work with , and with full control over fill colouring or effigy , transparency , and line character , you may get quite creative .
you may also well impart school text directly to an objective ; the previous version require sum a raw text level and positioning it on top of the exist object . Now a simple dual - suction stop on an object put the text insertion point in the center of that object , and you just begin type .
lastly , although board handling was already one of Keynote ’s strengths , it ’s also been improved in this release . The new table tool offers easy creation of row and column headers , precise column and row sizing in pixels , a button to resize cells automatically as content changes , and a readiness of button to quickly select entire rows and tower .
Smoothing the Show
One area where Keynote trail PowerPoint was in shaft for presenters . The old rendering could show your presentation on the projector while you watched a view with notes on your laptop ’s screen . But that was it . As seen in the screenshot , the Modern Presenter Display option gives you thoroughgoing control over what you see on your laptop ’s screen door . you may see some or all of the survey : current and next microscope slide , your annotation , as well as a clock and a timekeeper counting either pass or remaining fourth dimension . you may even cut the layout of these objects on the laptop computer ’s screen . If you give farsighted presentations , the ability to have your banknote , a peep at the next slide , and feel for your timing available with a straightaway glimpse at the screen in an priceless gain to Keynote .
Beyond Basic Presentations
The new reading of Keynote has a few neat features that make it worthy for more than just standard “ soul talking to crowd together ” usage . First off , you’re able to set any slideshow to automatically enter maneuver mode when it ’s opened , and you’re able to put it in closed circuit modality , so it just replicate over and over . If you also adjust the presentation way to Self - Playing , then the total presentation will run without any drug user intervention — all material body and transition occur without any interposition , with the timings that you set for them . But if you had them set to happen on a mouse click , then you ’ll also have to lay the two new top - level scene for Build and Transition holdup ; these timing will then take the place of the mouse click . When combine with Keynote ’s amazing 3 - D modulation and great handling of images and movies , you could create a self - bring photography portfolio , a video display of your sketchwork , or collection of classical pic clips — all of which will just be shown to passersby without any intervention on their part .
The other cool new feature article in Keynote is the ability to make anything a hyperlink . The examiner has a new Hyperlink section , as seen in the screenshot ; you may hyperlink any text or object to an external web page , to an email content , or to one of a numeral of slide options ( previous , next , first , last , last viewed , or a specific glide numeral ) . you may even hyperlink to another Keynote presentation . Using these features together with a raw Hyperlinks Only slideshow manner , you could build interactive presentations . For example , put your company ’s product catalog into a hyperlinks only introduction , then load it up on an iMac in your lobby , and you ’ve got a groovy mode for visitant to lapse the metre while waiting for an appointment .
Sharing With Others
display often necessitate to be shared — attendees want a copy of your slides , you ’d like to make your presentation available via the entanglement , or someone on a PC needs to cut your work . Keynote has always offer the ability to export to QuickTime , PDF , and PowerPoint , but the young release total two more — Flash , for easy internet display , and Images , which saves each slide as a disjoined image file ( PNG , TIFF , or JPEG ) . In addition , a few teasing hemipteran from the original ’s export tools have been fixed . PDF export now in full supports foil , and embedded QuickTime movies no longer cause remaining problem when exporting to QuickTime .
Wrap Up
Keynote was a impregnable introduction creation software in its 1.0 release . With the new interpretation , it ’s become an even stronger competitor to PowerPoint . From its unseamed desegregation with iPhoto and iTunes to its greatly improved brio and slide timing feature , the new version of Keynote looks like a achiever .
Sidebar: Save the Leather and Sandstone
As noted in the Keynote 2 prevue , the raw version adds ten theme , but kill two ( Sandstone and Leather Book ) in the process . If you have the first rendering of Keynote , you may well resurrect these root word from the dead .
In the Finder , control - snap on the first interlingual rendition of Keynote and select Show Package Contents . In the new windowpane that opens , pilot to substance : imagination : Themes . Open a new Finder windowpane , and navigate to the top - level Library : diligence backup : Keynote : Themes . If you do n’t see the Themes brochure , just make a raw brochure in the Keynote booklet , name it theme , then open it . ensure both the fresh and sure-enough Finder windows are seeable . Hold down the mastery key , and in the first window you opened , flick on the four themes we ’re get going to “ economise : ”
Release the command cay , click and accommodate on any of the four foreground items , pressure and hold the alternative key ( which will wedge a transcript of these file ) , and then drag and drop them into the unexampled leaflet you create . If you ’re doing it right , your CRT screen should look something like this just before you drop the copies :
That ’s it ! The next meter you launch the unexampled Keynote , you ’ll have 22 root to prefer from , with the two scavenge themes appearing at the remainder of the list .
