This document provides guidance on using basic 2D tools and PowerPoint for presentations. It outlines several 2D drawing techniques students will learn, including Bezier curves, splines, and layering. For PowerPoint, it recommends keeping slides simple with no more than 6 lines, 6 bullets and 6 words per sentence. It also provides tips on backgrounds, fonts, colors, and animation to improve readability and engage audiences.

1. 2D Software and Their Basic
Applications
Guilford County SciVis
V104.05

2. Basic 2D Tools
 Select Tool – allows you to
select an object or selection.
 Knife Tool – allows you to
cut a selected object into
two sections.

3. Basic 2D Tools
 Magnify or Zoom Tool –
allows you to zoom in on an
object so you can see the
detail of the object.
 Text Tool – allows you to add
text to the design.

4. Basic 2D Tools
 Fill Tool – allows you to fill a
closed object with a fill. The fill
may consist of a color pattern,
bitmap, or other acceptable
fill.
 Pan Tool – allows you to move
the page around to view
different parts of the layout.
The object does not move.

5. Basic 2D Tools
 Eyedropper Tool – allows you
to copy color or fill attributes
from a selected object for
further use.
 Gradient Tool – allows you to
blend form one color to
another. Linear gradients
blend from one side toanther
while radial gradients bland
one color around another.

6. Basic 2D Tools
 Blend Tool – allows you to
blend from one object to
another with the number of
steps chosen by the designer.
 Crop Tool – allows you to select
specific area of an image and
remove the unwanted parts of
the image.

7. 2D Drawing Techniques
 Students will be able to master and
demonstrate the following 2D drawing
techniques by the end of the course.
 Bezier curves
 Closed and open splines
 Control points
 Layering techniques
 Welding and grouping
 Contour effects

8. 2D Drawing Techniques (cont.)
 Students will be able to master and
demonstrate the following 2D drawing
techniques by the end of the course.
 Working with a desktop
 Grids and snaps
 Brushes and brush effects
 Line thickness
 Rotation
 Transparency techniques
 Printing techniques

9. PowerPoint Techniques
 Students will be able to master and
demonstrate the following PowerPoint
techniques by the end of the course.
 Create slides.
 Use backgrounds and master slides.
 Insert images and movies from a file
into slides.
 Include slide transitions.
 Navigate within slide views.
 Use the drawing tool bar effectively.
 Set up the PowerPoint show
including timing
 Know your audience

10. PowerPoint Techniques
 Students will be able to master and
demonstrate the following PowerPoint
techniques by the end of the course.
 Use a common background on each slide. Be
careful with pictures in backgrounds.
 Use the 6,6,6 rule.
 For example:
 no more than 6 lines
 6 bullets
 6 words in a sentence

11. PowerPoint Techniques (cont.)
 Students will be able to master and
demonstrate the following PowerPoint
techniques by the end of the course.
 No more than 2 images per page.
 Use white space properly.
 Follow the SAFE design methods.
 Follow the principles and elements of design.
 Use appropriate text size for slides.

12. PowerPoint Pointers
What are the rules?

13. Things to Consider In PP
Presenting to the TV Generation
 State presentation's objective in one simple
sentence.
• Don't skimp on pictures--each one paints a
thousand words.
• Keep presentations moving along--one idea
at a time.
• Use color.
• Consider it a compliment if people say
presentation is too short.
page 1

14. Things to Consider In PP
Creating the Outline (storyboard)
• Organize flow of major thoughts and sub-
points.
• Keep text short and simple.
• Use consistent grammatical structure.
• Remove every unnecessary word.
• Write to be heard. Make sure the material
makes sense when you read it aloud.
page 2

15. Things to Consider In PP
Backgrounds
• Only use one per presentation.
• For interest, add a subtle graphic and use a
background with a graduated color.
• Remember the correct color selection
• Be careful of large images
• Keep it simple
page 3

16. Things to Consider In PP
Type
• Keep it simple and consistent.
• Use at most two fonts per presentation. Stick
with one, if possible.
• Use bold type to improve readability.
• Use big type. Body text 18-22 points.
Subtitles 24-28 points. Headlines 36 or more
• Check readability during development by
stepping back 5-6 feet from you monitor.
page 4

17. Things to Consider In PP
• Drop shadows can help text stand out from
the background.
• Provide space between the lines. Increase the
"line spacing" and/or "paragraph spacing" so
that the text is not too tightly packed. The
viewer needs help going from the end of one
line to the beginning of the next without
getting lost.
• Use bullets, but consider using something
other than a round dot. Some fonts offer
alternatives.
• Only consider using all uppercase for a title if
the title is one or two words.
page 5

18. Things to Consider In PP
Color
• In a dark room, use light type on a dark
background.
• In a well-lighted room, use dark type on
a light background.
• Be aware of human reactions to various
colors.
page 6

19. Things to Consider In PP
• Red: Danger, Stop
• Dark Blue: Dignity
• Light blue: Cool energy, Calm
• Gray: Neutral, Mature
• Purple: Royal, mystery
• Green: Life, Health
• Orange/Yellow: Outgoing, Sunny
• White: (Use only for text on a dark
background)
• Black: Serious
page 7

20. Things to Consider In PP
Color
• Contrasting colors help the eye focus.
• Colors classify information. Be consistent.
• No more than 4-5 colors on a chart.
• No more than 10 colors in a presentation.
• Subtle colors for large graphics.
• Bright colors for small graphics.
page 8

21. Things to Consider In PP
 Match the presentation to the projector
 If the projector is 640x480 (standard VGA),
make sure your presentation is the same
size. If not, the right side and bottom of the
presentation will be clipped from the screen.
page 9

22. Things to Consider In PP
 Toggle the lights
 Use PowerPoint to explain a concept, then
turn on the lights to discuss the concept.
Intersperse active learning activities with
the usually passive PowerPoint activity.
page 10

23. Things to Consider In PP
 Use dissolves judiciously
 Find a dissolve and stick with it. If the viewer is
aware of the dissolve, they are distracted from
the content, and the content is king.
 Use one dissolve for transitions within a section
and one dissolve when moving on to another
major section. Vary the effect and/or the speed.
page 11

24. Things to Consider In PP
 Display bullet lists in steps
 If you have a slide with a number of points,
make each point appear in turn, reducing
the intensity of the other points as you
move on.
 Select the bullet , go to the menu named
"Slide show" and select "Custom
animation."
page 12

25. Things to Consider In PP
 Have a "Plan B" ready
 Be prepared for the case where you can't
show the presentation.
 bring a printout
 overhead transparencies
 Other Activities
page 13

26. References
 PowerPoint notes Bill Vilberg
Instructional Advancement Center
University of Miami Last updated
10/22/99
 Greg Bandy, Multimedia Presentation
Design for the Uninitiated