New presentation apps like Keynote and PowerPoint still encourage you to think in terms of “ slides ” : distinct , apart objects to be give one after the other , as though we were still using those old slide projectors to show plastic film - in - square - frames slide . Our hearing may even expect to receive printed or PDF copy of our slides , one tidy prototype per Sir Frederick Handley Page .

But that metaphor is a souvenir of an earlier time . Technology has act on , and you could create far more interesting and appeal presentations if you move beyond the idea of “ swoop ” and adopt a more fluid , unlined approach .

The good - known tool for presentations - that - are - not - slides is Prezi ( 4.0 mice ) , which gives you a huge canvas on which you point individual elements ; you then pan , soar , and rotate the view to foreground specific point . It ’s a nifty effect , but I opt to downplay animations and conversion , not to call extra attention to them .

Keynote single-slide builds

I use Keynote most of the time , and here are some of the techniques I employ to make my presentation less slide - like and more like a individual , uninterrupted story .

Single-slide builds

Sometimes the best way to show a sequence of ideas is not to use freestanding slides but rather to reveal successive builds on a single glide .

By layering images in the same locating and using a combination of Build Out and Build In effect , you may replace one with another , without changing anything else on the slide .

For example , presuppose you have a slide with textbook on the left and a pic on the right , and you want to illustrate what take place to the exposure when you apply a filter . Instead of duplicating the text onto a second slide , put the “ before ” and “ after ” images in exactly the same positioning , one on top of the other ( use the instruction on the Arrange menu to adjust layering ) . Apply the Disappear effect as Build Out animation for the first image and , in the Build Order palette , pose it to encounter along with an Appear effect as a Build In vivification for the 2nd . The effect will be that advancing the build merely switch the images .

Keynote magic move

Magic Move

Keynote ’s Magic Move is a coolheaded modulation upshot to move from one slide to the next . ( PowerPoint does n’t really have an analog to it , though you’re able to get sanely close with sufficient effort ) . The idea is that you have two consecutive slideway that share sure element , but in unlike view , orientations , sizes , or even coloring material . Apply the transition and the item-by-item element — object , Bible , and theatrical role — all move to their new locations and country . It looks like you have n’t changed slides at all .

Magic Move transitions by moving , resizing , turn out , and otherwise morph elements that appear on both before and after sloping trough .

To try this result , create a slide with whatever elements you want ( such as school text , images , shapes ) and then duplicate it . On the second slide , make whatever changes you wish — rearrange , resize , rotate , add , or remove items , or change their people of colour . Then , on the first slide , chatter Animate > Add an Effect > Magic Move . snap the Preview push button to see what the transition will appear like . ( For extra crest and details , consult Apple’sAdd a Magic Move transitionpage . )

Keynote object push timeline

So how would you use Magic Move to assert continuity throughout a presentation ? You could divide each slide into two or three regions — say , left and right halves . Put half the microscope slide ’s subject matter on each side . On the left side of the following sloping trough , put a written matter of whatever was on the right on the first slide . Then put your new fabric on the second slide ’s right side . When you gain slides with Magic Move , the issue will be that the left city block slicing out , the right block move over to the left , and a newfangled block fades in beside it .

Subtle transitions

Sometimes it is n’t workable to maintain any elements from one slide to the next , but you may still be able to make persistence in other ways . The key is to choose a compounding of background and changeover such that , when you move to the next glide , only the elements on the slideway ( and not the scope itself ) appear to change . Then you may save the big , flamboyant transitions for those rare times when you need to signal the interview that you ’re strike to an entirely unlike topic .

If you use a strong - color scope or a smooth erect slope ( such as in the Gradient theme ) , transitions such as Dissolve , Push , Iris , and Wipe may appear to strike only the slideway ’s content . However , if your background knowledge is textured or includes a pic or other artwork , you ’ll need to either choose a transition in the Object Effects category that inherently alter only the contents of the slide and not the background knowledge or even — defy I suggest it?—use no transition at all .

For sequence of estimation that can be coiffe like a timeline , the Object Push transition can wield continuity between slides .

As a uncomplicated representative , imagine a horizontal timeline , with each slide showing just a small segment . you may utilize the Object Push conversion to “ push ” the elements from one sloping trough to the leftover while replacing them with new elements from the right ; this make the illusion that the prospect is tear apart to the right to see the next share of the timeline . ( If you favor , you could push from a dissimilar centering . ) This work not only for literal timeline but also for any chronological sequence of text or graphic objects that can be arranged in a argumentation .

With just a fleck of work , it ’s easy to make more unlined , less fragmented presentations , to make them more like mod , almost cinematic events , alternatively of old - fashioned click - and - progress slideshows .