👋 Welcome to the Presentation Editing Workshop!

Hi there, IGCSE ICT student! In the previous chapter, we learned how presentations are planned. Now, we move on to the practical, exciting part: editing and polishing your slides to make them look professional and engaging.
Think of editing a presentation like directing a movie. You don't just write the script; you arrange the scenes, add special effects, and make sure the audience stays interested from start to finish!

The skills you learn here are essential for the practical exam (Paper 2) and for creating successful communication tools in the real world. Let's dive in!

1. Using and Editing the Master Slide for Consistency

If you have 50 slides, would you change the font size on all 50 individually? Absolutely not! That's where the Master Slide comes in.
The Master Slide is the main template that controls the look and feel of every slide in your presentation. Editing it guarantees consistency of presentation, which is a major marking point.

What the Master Slide Controls

Any object or format applied to the Master Slide will appear automatically on all slides that use that layout. You need to know how to insert and edit these objects consistently:

  • Text Formatting: You set the font face, size, and colour for all Headings and Subheadings (e.g., making all Title text size 48pt and red).
  • Bullets: Setting a consistent style and indentation for all bulleted lists.
  • Background Colour/Image: Setting a consistent background. If your company uses a specific shade of blue, you set it here.
  • Automated Objects: Inserting objects that need to appear on every slide, such as:
    • A Company Logo or Image.
    • A Footer or Header (e.g., your name, candidate number).
    • Automated Slide Numbering (this is vital for keeping slides in order).
    • Setting the position of placeholders (the boxes where text or content goes).

🔥 Memory Tip: Think of the Master Slide as the Chief Architect. It makes sure every room (slide) in the building follows the original design plan.

Quick Review: Consistency is the primary goal of using the Master Slide. If the task asks you to format the 'Title style', you must do it on the Master Slide, not just the first slide.

2. Structuring Your Content (Slide Management)

Even if your presentation has great content, the audience will get confused if the flow is wrong. We need to be able to manage the slides effectively.

2.1 Inserting, Moving, and Deleting Slides

This sounds basic, but in the exam, you often need to insert a new slide with a specific pre-defined Slide Layout (e.g., Title and Content, Two Content, Comparison).

  • Inserting a New Slide: Always choose the layout that best suits the content you are about to add (e.g., if you are inserting a chart and some text, choose a Two Content layout).
  • Moving a Slide: In the Slide Sorter view or the side panel outline view, you can easily drag and drop slides to change the sequence. Always check the instructions for the correct order.
  • Deleting a Slide: Simple, but essential if a slide is redundant or contains inaccurate information.

2.2 Hiding Slides

Sometimes you create a slide that is useful but only needed for backup or if a specific question comes up during a live presentation. You can Hide these slides.

How it works: A hidden slide will not appear during a normal slide show, but you can still navigate to it manually if needed. This keeps your main presentation streamlined.

Key Takeaway: Use predefined slide layouts to save time and maintain the structure you set up in the Master Slide.

3. Inserting and Editing Objects on Individual Slides

This is where you add the actual data and media that tell your story. You must be confident inserting and modifying all types of objects.

3.1 Text and Data Objects

  • Headings and Bulleted Lists: These are usually formatted automatically via the Master Slide, but you must ensure the content is accurate and clear.
  • Tables and Charts: In IGCSE ICT, you often import tables or charts directly from a Spreadsheet package (Section 20) or a Database package (Section 18).
    • Remember to ensure the chart or table is fully visible on the slide without overlapping or being distorted.

3.2 Multimedia and Shapes

  • Images: You insert still images (like JPG or PNG), video clips, and animated images (like GIFs).
  • Audio Clips (Sound): Inserting background music or voiceovers.
  • Symbols, Lines, Arrows, and Shapes: These are crucial for visually annotating or highlighting important parts of your data or diagrams. A call out box, for example, is great for drawing attention to a specific feature in an image.

3.3 The Power of Presenter Notes

Presenter Notes are text that you, the presenter, can read during the presentation, but the audience cannot see.

Why use them? They allow you to keep your slide clean and concise (following the 'less text, more visuals' rule) while keeping detailed talking points handy. The syllabus requires you to be able to add these notes.

🚫 Common Mistake Alert: Students sometimes forget that charts and tables must be treated like inserted objects—they might need resizing or repositioning to fit the slide well!

4. Making it Interactive (Links and Actions)

A static presentation is boring. You need elements that allow the user (or you) to navigate quickly or access external information.

4.1 Hyperlinks

A hyperlink connects an object (like text or an image) to another location.

  • Linking within the Presentation: Linking to a specific slide (e.g., clicking on a chapter title jumps you to that section).
  • Linking to an External File: Linking to a document (like a PDF report) that is stored on your computer system.
  • Linking to an Email Address: Opens the user's default email program, ready to send an email to the specified address.

4.2 Action Buttons

An Action Button is a specific type of hyperlink, usually a shape (like a home icon or an arrow), set up to perform a predefined navigation task.

  • You must know how to modify the settings of an action button to navigate to a specified slide (e.g., 'First Slide', 'Next Slide') or a specified external file.

4.3 Alternative Text (Accessibility)

You must be able to add alternative text (or a screentip) to an object, usually an image or chart.

What is Alt Text? It's a short description of an image. If the image doesn't load, or if a visually impaired person is using screen-reading software, the Alt Text describes the content.
It makes your presentation accessible and ensures important visual information is not missed.

Quick Review: Hyperlinks and Action Buttons turn your presentation from a linear slideshow into a flexible, non-linear resource.

5. Adding Polish: Movement and Style

To keep the audience engaged, you need to use movement effects correctly and consistently.

5.1 Slide Transitions

A Transition is the visual effect that occurs between one slide and the next.

  • Consistency is Key: The syllabus often requires you to apply consistent transitions (the same type of transition) between ALL slides.
  • Example: Applying a 'Fade' effect to all slides so they smoothly transition, rather than having a different flashy effect for every slide.

5.2 Object Animations

An Animation Effect is the movement applied to a specific object (text, image, chart) within a single slide.

  • You must apply consistent animation effects to objects (e.g., having all bullet points 'Fly In' one by one).
  • Animations can be applied to text, images, charts, and any other object you insert.

Did You Know? Using too many different transitions and animations is often called 'death by PowerPoint' because it distracts the audience! Always follow the rule of consistency unless the task specifically states otherwise.

6. Final Output Considerations

Once you have edited everything, you need to prepare the presentation for its final use (Output the presentation, covered in detail in the next sub-section, but related to editing choices):

  • Display for Variety of Purposes: Be ready to display the presentation as a standard presenter controlled slideshow (where you click to advance) or a looped on-screen carousel (which restarts automatically, often used for display screens).
  • Printing Layouts: You must be able to print the presentation in various layouts:
    • Full Page Slides: One slide per page.
    • Handouts: Multiple slides per page (e.g., 2, 3, or 6 slides per page) for the audience to take notes.
    • Presenter Notes: Printing the slide along with the associated presenter notes below it.

Final Key Takeaway: Editing a presentation is about combining technical skill (Master Slide, Hyperlinks) with audience awareness (Transitions, Alt Text) to deliver a consistent and engaging final product.