30. Hyperlinks

Introduction

Whenever you use the Internet, you use hyperlinks to navigate from one webpage to another. If you want to include a web address or email address in your PowerPoint presentation, you can choose to format it as a hyperlink so a person can easily click it. It's also possible to link to files and other slides within a presentation.

About hyperlinks

Hyperlinks have two basic parts: the address of the webpage, email address, or other location they are linking to, and the display text (which can also be a picture or a shape). For example, the address could be http://www.youtube.com, and YouTubecould be the display text. In some cases, the display text might be the same as the address. When you're creating a hyperlink in PowerPoint, you'll be able to choose both the address and the display text or image.

To insert a hyperlink:

1) Select the image or text you want to make a hyperlink.

2) Right-click the selected text or image, then click Hyperlink. 

Alternatively, you can go to the Insert tab and click the Hyperlink command.

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3) The Insert Hyperlink dialog box will open.

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4) If you selected text, the words will appear in the Text to display field at the top. You can change this text if you want.

Type the address you want to link to in the Address field.

5) Click OK. The text or image you selected will now be a hyperlink to the web address.

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To insert a hyperlink to an email address:

1) Right-click the selected text or image, then click Hyperlink.

2) The Insert Hyperlink dialog box will open.

3) On the left side of the dialog box, click Email Address.

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4) Type the email address you want to connect to in the Email Address box, then click OK.

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* PowerPoint often recognizes email and web addresses as you type and will format them as hyperlinks automatically after you press the Enter key or spacebar.

To open and test a hyperlink:

1) After you create a hyperlink, you should test it. Right-click the hyperlink, then click Open Hyperlink.

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2) Your web browser should open and then navigate to the linked page. If it doesn't work, check the hyperlink address for any misspellings.

* To open a hyperlink while viewing your slide show, click the hyperlink.


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To remove a hyperlink:

1) Right-click the hyperlink.

2) Click Remove Hyperlink.

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More hyperlinks

In PowerPoint, you can use hyperlinks to link to resources that are not online. To create a quick way to refer to another slide in your presentation, you can create a hyperlink to that slide. If you need to access a file stored on your computer, you can create a hyperlink to it. Additionally, PowerPoint allows you to format pictures and shapes as hyperlinks.

Using shapes and pictures as hyperlinks

Sometimes you might want to format objects—including shapes, text boxes, and pictures—as hyperlinks. This is especially helpful if you want the object to act like a button. To do this, right-click the desired object and select Hyperlink from the menu that appears. Click the object during the presentation to open the hyperlink.

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To insert a hyperlink to another slide:

Right-click the selected text or image, then click Hyperlink.

The Insert Hyperlink dialog box will appear.

On the left side of the dialog box, click Place in this Document.

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A list of other slides in your presentation will appear. Click the name of the slide you want to link to.

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Click OK. The text or image will now be a hyperlink to the slide you selected.

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Adding a hyperlink to a shape is similar to creating an action button. We'll talk more about how to turn a shape into a button in our Action Buttons lesson.

To insert a hyperlink to another file:

Right-click the selected text or image, then click Hyperlink. The Insert Hyperlink dialog box will appear.

On the left side of the dialog box, click Existing File or Webpage.

Click the drop-down arrow to browse for your file.

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Select the desired file.

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Click OK. The text or image will now be a hyperlink to the file you selected.

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If you plan on displaying your presentation on a different computer than you used to create it, your hyperlink to another file may not work. Make sure you have a copy of the linked file on the computer you are using to present, and always test hyperlinks before giving a presentation.

31. Action Buttons

Introduction

Another tool you can use to connect to a webpage, file, email address, or slide is called an action button. Action buttons are built-in shapes you can add to a presentation and set to link to another slide, play a sound, or perform a similar action. When someone clicks or hovers over the button, the selected action will occur. Action buttons can do many of the same things as hyperlinks. Their easy-to-understand style makes them especially useful for self-running presentations at booths and kiosks.



Inserting action buttons

You can insert action buttons on one slide at a time, or you can insert an action button that will show up on every slide. The second option can be useful if you want every slide to link back to a specific slide, like the title page or table of contents.

To insert an action button on one slide:

Click the Insert tab.

Click the Shapes command in the Illustrations group. A drop-down menu will appear with the action buttons located at the very bottom.

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Select the desired action button.

Insert the button onto the slide by clicking the desired location. The Action Settings dialog box will appear.

Select the Mouse Click or Mouse Over tab. Selecting the Mouse Click tab means the action button will perform its action only when clicked. Selecting the Mouse Over tab will make the action button perform its action when you move the mouse over it.

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In the Action on click section, select Hyperlink to:, then click the drop-down arrow and choose an option from the menu.

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Check the Play Sound box if you want a sound to play when the action button is clicked. Select a sound from the drop-down menu, or select Other sound to use a sound file on your computer. When you're done, click OK.




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To insert an action button on all slides:

If you'd like to add an action button to every slide, you can do this with a feature called Slide Master view. However, using Slide Master view can be tricky if you've never used it. If you're going to edit your slides this way, you may want to review our Slide Master View lesson first.

Click the View tab.

In the Master Views group, click the Slide Master command. In the left navigation pane, scroll up and select the first slide.

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Go to the Insert tab and select an action button from the bottom of the Shapes menu. Click on the slide to add the action button, and choose the desired options from the dialog box that appears.

Return to the Slide Master tab and click Close Master View. The new action button will now be on every slide.

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* To edit, move, or delete an action button inserted this way, click the View tab, then Slide Master. Click Close Master View after making any desired changes.

* If you notice that an action button isn't appearing on certain slides, you may need to uncheck the Hide Background Graphics box.

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To test an action button:


After you create an action button, you should test it.

Click the Slide Show tab.

In the Start Slide Show group, click From Current Slide.

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Click your action button.

After you have tested it, right-click anywhere on the screen and select End Show.

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If your action button did not work as you intended, follow the instructions below to edit it.

To edit an action button:

Select the action button.

Click the Insert tab.

In the Links group, click the Action command. The Actions Settings dialog box will appear.

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Edit the action or hyperlink, then click OK.

To change the appearance of an action button:

Select the action button.

Click the Format tab.

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To change the button style or color, use the tools in the Shape Styles group.

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To change the shape of the action button, click Edit Shape in the Insert Shapes group. Select a new shape from the drop-down menu.

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32. Rehearsing and Recording Your Presentation

Introduction

There are many things to keep in mind when preparing to give a presentation. How long will it last? What will you say? Fortunately, PowerPoint offers several tools that can help you rehearse your slide show. You can even record a copy with voiceover narration, allowing viewers to watch the presentation on their own.

Rehearsing slide show timings

Rehearsing timings can be useful if you want to set up a presentation to play at a certain speed without having to click through the slides yourself. It also gives you the opportunity to practice your talking points. Using this feature, you can save timings for each slide and animation. PowerPoint will then play the presentation automatically using these timings.

* Rehearsing is often one of the last steps in creating a polished presentation. If you've never presented a slide show, you may want to review our lesson on Presenting Your Slide Show to become familiar with the basics.

To rehearse timings:

Go to the Slide Show tab, then click the Rehearse Timings command.

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You'll be taken to a full-screen view of your presentation. Practice presenting your slide show. When you're ready to move to the next slide, click the Nextbutton on the Recording toolbar in the upper-left corner. You also can also use the right arrow key on your keyboard.

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When you reach the end of the show, a dialog box will appear with the total time of your presentation. If you're satisfied with your timings, click Yes.

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The timings will be saved. The next time you present, PowerPoint will use these timings to advance the slides automatically.

* If you need more than one try to get the timings just right, the Recording toolbarcan be used to take a break or start over on a slide. To pause the timer, click the Pause button. No actions taken while the timer is paused will be included in the timings. To re-record the timings on the current slide, click the Repeat button.

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Recording your slide show

The Record Slide Show feature is similar to the Rehearse Timings feature, but it's a bit more comprehensive. If you have a microphone for your computer, you can recordvoiceover narration for the entire presentation. This is useful if you plan to use your slide show as a self-running presentation or video.

To record a slide show:

From the Slide Show tab, select the Record Slide Show drop-down arrow, then choose either Start Recording from Beginning or Start Recording from Current Slide.

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A dialog box will appear. Select the desired options, then click Start Recording. Remember, you can only record narration if you have a microphone attached to your computer.

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Your presentation will appear in full-screen view. Perform your slide show. Make sure to speak clearly into the microphone if you're recording narration.

When you're ready to move to the next slide, click the Next button on the Recording toolbar or use the right arrow key.

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When you reach the end of the show, PowerPoint will close the full-screen view.

Your slide timings and narration are now part of your presentation. The slides with narration will be marked with a speaker icon in the bottom-right corner.

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In recorded slide shows, the mouse pointer isn't visible in the finished product; therefore, if you want to point something out, you'll need to use the laser pointerfeature. Simply hold Ctrl on your keyboard while you click and hold your mouse. The cursor will appear as a small red dot.

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To remove slide timings or narration:

If you change your mind about including slide timings or narration, you can easily remove one or both. You can clear them from the entire presentation or just the current slide.

To do this, simply go to the Slide Show tab, click the Record Slide Show drop-down arrow, hover over Clear, then choose the desired option from the menu.

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33. Sharing Your Presentation Online

Introduction

PowerPoint offers several options to enhance or even totally change the way you deliver presentations. Instead of presenting your slide show normally, you can choose to present it as a video, or you can even present it live online so others can view it remotely. No matter how you choose to give your presentation, you can enhance it by customizing your slide show to remove or reorder slides. All of these options can help you give a polished and professional presentation.



Exporting a presentation as a video

The Create a Video feature allows you to save your presentation as a video. This can be useful because it lets your viewers watch the presentation whenever they want. To make sure your viewers have enough time to view each slide, you might want to rehearse the timings or record your slide show before using this feature.

To create a video:

1) Click the File tab to access Backstage view.

2) Select Export, then click Create a Video. Video export options will appear on the right.

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3) Click the drop-down arrow next to Presentation Quality to select the size and quality of your video.

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4) Select the drop-down arrow next to Use Recorded Timings and Narrations. Choose Don't Use Recorded Timings and Narrations if you don't have or don't want to use recorded timings. You can also choose Use Recorded Timings and Narrations if you have already recorded timings and narrations and want to use them in your video.

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5) Click Create Video. The Save As dialog box will appear.

6) Select the location where you want to save the presentation, then enter a name for the presentation.

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7) Click Save. As PowerPoint creates your video, a status bar will appear at the bottom of the PowerPoint window. When the bar is complete, your video is ready to view, send, or upload.

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* In addition to emailing your video, you can upload your video to free video-sharing sites like YouTube. Once your video is uploaded, you can give the link to anyone you want to see it. To learn more about using YouTube to share videos online, visit our YouTube tutorial.

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Presenting your slide show online

Presenting a slide show online is surprisingly easy. All you and your viewers need is an Internet connection—they don't even need PowerPoint. Once your viewers are connected, you can start the presentation as you normally would.

Please note that you cannot edit your presentation or mark it with a highlighter or pen while you are presenting a slide show online. You also cannot use PowerPoint to speak to your audience. Plan to communicate with your viewers through teleconferencing, or pre-record your narration.

To present online:

Select the Slide Show tab, then locate the Start Slide Show group.
Click the Present Online command.

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A dialog box will appear. Click Connect. A status message will appear as PowerPoint prepares your online presentation.

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A link will appear. If it's not already selected, select the link.

Click Copy Link to make a copy of the link, which you can paste just about anywhere—including Facebook, a blog, or an email. You'll just want to make sure each of your viewers receives a copy of the link before you begin your presentation.

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Click Start Presentation.

Present the slide show as you normally would, using the mouse or keyboard to advance the slides.

When you are finished, click End Online Presentation.

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A dialog box will appear to confirm that you want to end the presentation. Click End Online Presentation.

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