Key Microsoft PowerPoint Features for Better Presentations
9 minutes read
Learn how to make better presentations with Microsoft’s presentation app. Here are 20 of my favorite MS PowerPoint features and tools features to save you time.
Introduction to Microsoft PowerPoint Features
Presentations take time to build! Even though Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the most user-friendly and popular apps, it has plenty of power hiding underneath the hood. It takes time to find those features and make the most of them.
Every app comes with a learning curve. Wouldn’t it be great to skip that learning curve and know everything you need to build professional presentations?
In this tutorial, you’ll get 20 of my favorite PowerPoint features and tools to build great-looking presentations.
The Best Microsoft PowerPoint Features to Make Better Presentations (Video)
Are you ready to start learning about the features of PowerPoint right now? Get a headstart on six of those features with this quick video:
You just learned about some of the top MS PPT features. Do you want to know more? Continue reading to discover a great source for PowerPoint templates and details on how to use even more great PowerPoint features.
The Best Source for PowerPoint Templates
Envato Elements is the best place to find premium PowerPoint templates. For a low monthly fee, you become a subscriber. Once you become a subscriber, you get access to:
- high-quality and premium templates
- audio
- photos
- fonts
- and much more
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Professionals make every template on Envato Elements. So, when you use a premium template, you end up with an impressive product. Most people don’t use premium templates. This means that your PowerPoint will stand out.
Benefits and Features of PowerPoint
PowerPoint is one of the most popular presentation apps. You can use it to build impressive slide decks to share with the world. If you don’t know PowerPoint, you may have some questions. What are the key PowerPoint features and benefits? How can they help you save time and succeed as you build presentations?
The true power of PowerPoint is unlocked with premium templates. As we saw, Envato Elements is the top source for these. They pair perfectly with PowerPoint functions and features. Together, they help you create winning presentations without breaking the bank or spending a long time at work.
What is the main purpose of Microsoft PowerPoint? It helps you tell stories in visual ways. This is done by the stunning presentation of content—words, images, charts, and more. It’s a multimedia tool that helps you craft and share your ideas with the world.
PowerPoint offers an array of customization features. Every visual element is under your control. Whether it’s text styles, image shapes, or sleek animations, you’re in the driver’s seat. PowerPoint functions and features also help you streamline your workflow. You don’t have to make the same edits over and over. With features like Slide Master and copying, you can reuse designs again and again. This leaves you extra time to focus on creativity without being bogged down in tedious edits.
PowerPoint is built for an audience. With robust collaboration and sharing features, you can work with a team to build slides. And you can share finished presentations in formats that work best for your broader audience. PowerPoint new features are added with each release of the app, downloading as you update PowerPoint.
As you can see, PowerPoint features and benefits are countless! Let’s dive in and explore twenty of the best that you should be using today.
Guide to Making Great Presentations With PowerPoint
Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the MS PowerPoint features and tools you can use to become more efficient.
The tips in this section were written using Windows and Office 365. If you’ve got a different operating system or a different version of PowerPoint, your steps may be slightly different.
1. Build Infographics for Data
Words alone aren’t enough to share data in interesting ways. To wow your audience, you need to use infographics. These are visuals that combine information and graphics together. They help you tell stories with data in creative ways.
Infographics are a hallmark of premium templates. They’re one of the PowerPoint features and benefits that you’ll find most helpful in creating modern, engaging slide decks.
And when you’ve used a premium infographic PPT, built-in features give you unlimited control. You can click and drag to move the infographic into a new position or change its colors using the Shape Format > Shape Fill menu on PowerPoint’s ribbon.
2. Start With a Built-in Layout
There are two directions you can go when building out a new slide:
- Design the slide from scratch, dropping in individual placeholder boxes one after another.
- Try out a built-in layout that includes all the content boxes you need from the beginning.
It’s a time-saver and improves the look of the presentation because all boxes and content are aligned neatly.
From the Home tab, choose a Layout from the menu option:
You can customize the layout, moving boxes around or adding other content placeholders as needed.
3. Use Slide Master View to Update Designs Consistently
Slide masters control the design for more than one slide at the same time. When you adjust a slide master, each slide using that master will reflect the same changes.
Go to the View tab and choose Slide Master. Now, add something that you want to appear on each slide (like a logo or footer text) to the master:
When you return to Normal view, you’ll see the changes on each slide that uses the same master.
4. Layouts to Declutter Slides
Cluttered slide layouts are common in many PowerPoint decks. Use PowerPoint’s Layout option found on the Home tab to declutter your slides.
You’ll see an array of different slide layouts, many with extra room for images and other contents. This is a subtle yet effective way to declutter your slides.
5. Use Someone Else’s Presentation as a Starting Point
There’s nothing wrong with using the hard work of others to build a great presentation. That’s what Envato Elements is for. Elements is an all-you-can-download subscription service made for every creative. For one flat rate, you’ll get access to thousands of PowerPoint themes.
Using one of these pre-built templates isn’t stealing—it just simplifies the process of designing everything from scratch.
6. Rearrange Slides for Effectiveness
Most presentations can become significantly better by simply rethinking the order of your slides. The BLUF principle (bottom line up front) is essential; give your conclusion upfront and then share supporting details.
Switch to Slide Sorter view by clicking on View > Slide Sorter to have all your content in view and rearrange your slides.
7. Work With Design Ideas for Inspiration
Stuck in a rut trying to create a new slide design? With built-in smart Design Ideas, PowerPoint suggests new layouts for each slide in your presentation.
Access this feature by going to the Design Ideas button on PowerPoint’s Home tab. Click it to see layout ideas on the right side sidebar.
8. Follow the Guides
PowerPoint now includes guides that help ensure your objects are aligned nicely. These helper lines show how objects relate to each other and ensure a cleaner slide layout.
9. Set Slide Sizes
To change slide size, go to the Design tab and choose Slide Size, then select Custom Slide Size.
Setting the size of your presentation is crucial for ensuring it fills the screen or projector you’re using.
10. Format the Background
Formatting a PPT background helps you add creative colors and patterns to each slide.
To adjust slide backgrounds, find the Design tab and choose Format Background from the Customize group.
11. Resize Multiple Objects
If you’ve got several images that need to be the same size, hold Control on your keyboard (or Command on Mac) and click on all the images.
Now, under the Shape Format tab, type a number into one of the size boxes, and press enter. All selected images will be resized to that size.
12. Clean Up Tables Quickly
To fix messy tables, highlight the rows and go to the Layout tab, then click Distribute Rows to apply an easy fix to your rows.
13. Learn to Use SmartArt
SmartArt is a feature that allows you to create flexible graphics and diagrams directly within PowerPoint.
SmartArt lets you build various diagrams, such as hierarchies and processes, adapting to include new points as you add them.
14. Try a Theme Variant
If your presentation doesn’t feel right, try a new variant. On the Design tab, click a different thumbnail from the Variants selection to change the entire presentation’s color scheme.
15. Save Slides to Share
PowerPoint offers many ways to save slides. The default is the app’s own .pptx format, but for broader sharing, consider saving slides in PDF format.
To save slides for sharing, go to File > Export and choose Create PDF/XPS.
16. Align Objects
To align objects in your presentation, highlight them, go to the Shape Format tab, and select the Align button.
Choose an option depending on how you want your objects to align.
17. Insert Shapes
To add illustrations, click on the Insert tab, then the Shapes button. Choose your shape and click and drag to draw it.
18. Slide Transitions
To add transition effects between slides, click on the Transitions tab and choose an effect from the menu.
19. Animations
To animate objects, select one and click on the Animations tab. You’ll see various animation options.
20. Inserting a Video
To add a video from the web, hyperlink the video to text on the slide.
Highlight the text, click on the Insert button, then choose the Video option.
5 Top Premium PowerPoint Templates From Envato Elements
Premium Microsoft PowerPoint templates can save you time. Here’s a hand-picked list of the top five Microsoft PowerPoint Premium templates:
1. Streamo
Streamo is a multipurpose minimal style template with 35 editable slides.
2. Fiesta
Fiesta is a colorful template with 30 high-definition slides and 50 color themes.
3. Carnation
Carnation features stylish colors and a nature-themed design with over 50 unique slides.
4. Lolerei
Lolerei is a modern, professional-looking template that comes with a picture placeholder.
5. Flat
Flat PowerPoint is a creative template with 50 slides and 50 premade color themes.