Make a Powerpoint Template
Microsoft PowerPoint offers a wide variety of pre-installed templates to use in creating your presentation document. However, PowerPoint also allows for users to create their own templates for repeated usage and for sharing with others. Here are some simple steps you can take in order to create your own Template.
Steps
- Open PowerPoint on your computer and open a blank presentation if one is not already on your screen to create a template.
- Click on the "View" menu at the top, followed by "Master" and then "Slide Master."
- This is the master slide and all edits that are made on this slide will appear on all slides in your presentation. A number of changes can be made on this slide.
- Select a background color by clicking on "Format" at the top followed by "Background."
- Select a color to use as your background on all slides, or if you prefer a design click on "Fill Effects" and a number of design options will be available. You can also preview your selections before deciding to apply your changes to the slide master.
- Select a font for your entire presentation by again clicking on "Format" and then "Font."
- Arial font is the default font for Microsoft PowerPoint but many other fonts, including some more visually appealing, are available from this list. The font size and font style can also be selected from this screen.
- Decide if you want a footer on all slides. If so, select "Insert" from the top menu followed by "Header and Footer�"
- Common text to place in a header a footer includes the date, slide numbers, or the name of the presentation.
- Determine whether an image would add to the visual appeal of the presentation, such as a company logo. Keep in mind this will appear on every slide so the image should not stand out too much when you make a template.
- To include an image in your template, you must first click on "Insert", followed by "Picture�" and then "From File." From this screen you can select an image that's saved on your computer to include in your template.
- Images pre-installed in PowerPoint can also be used. Go to "Insert", then "Picture" followed by "Clip Art." A box called "Clip Art" will appear on the right of your screen where you can search for a wide variety of drawings and pictures.
- Determine if additional features offered by PowerPoint would be appropriate to include in your template.
- While PowerPoint offers a number of features, including graphs, diagrams, and animation, many of these features would not be appropriate for a template, since all of those items would be viewed on every page of the presentation. A logo is an appropriate selection to be seen on every slide (perhaps in the background), but a detailed graph should not be included on each slide.
- Ensure you preserve your newly-designed template by saving. Click on "File" followed by "Save As." Next to "Save as type" there is a pull down menu. Click on that and select "Design template" and give your template a name. Now you can open your template to use for future presentations.
