what is MS PowerPoint ? | Introduction, uses & elements

 Introduction

PowerPoint is a very popular presentation graphics software package. It has set new standards for the working of presentation graphics. PowerPoint helps you in bringing ideas and information that you want to convey to your audience with no difficulty. With PowerPoint you can:

• Quickly create paper for overhead projector (OHP), 35mm slide, or on-screen presentations.
• Supplement you presentations with speaker's notes.
• Use material you have created in other application packages, such as Word and Excel.

Uses of PowerPoint

Presentations:

You can make presentation in the form of slides, handouts o speaker's notes.

Slides:

Slides are individual "pages" of a presentation. It may contain text, graphs, clipart, etc. You can even print slides for overhead projector transparencies.

Handouts:

Handouts consist of printed versions of your slides - either two, three, or six slides per page.

Starting PowerPoint

⇒To start PowerPoint, do this:

1. Click the start button on the Taskbar.
2. Highlight All Programs menu item and click MS Office and choose MS Office PowerPoint.

When you first start PowerPoint, it displays a blank presentation with a single slide showing. The layout is simple, with a title at the top and a subtitle below.

Understanding the screen Elements

You will notice a close resemblance of the PowerPoint opening screen with the opening screens of Word and Excel. The main elements of the PowerPoint window are shown in figure.

Title bar:

The Title bar is at the top of the screen. It shows the title PowerPoint and the name of presentation. If you have not yet saved any presentation then it displays the default name for the presentation1.

Ribbon:

Ribbon is displayed just bellow the title bar. In Ribbon, commands are organized in logical groups, which are collected together under tabs.

Quick Access Toolbar:

This toolbar is located by default at the top of PowerPoint window. By default, this toolbar displays the save, undo and Repeat buttons.

 

Minimize buttons:

Shrinks the application window to a bar on the taskbar, you can click its button on the taskbar to reopen it.

Maximize button:

A box at the right of a title bar that fills available space with the document or application.

Restore button:

A double box at the right of a title bar that restores an application or document into a sizable window.

Close button:

A box at the right of a title bar (X) that closes the window or dialog box.

Work area:

Where active PowerPoint appear. Figure shows it in Normal view, but other views are available that make the work area appear differently.

Status bar:

It gives the information about the presentation and provides shortcuts for changing the view and the zoom.