I had a dissapointing prolem with Impress

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mistercheesypig
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Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:08 am

I had a dissapointing prolem with Impress

Post by mistercheesypig »

So yesterday I had to make a powerpoint for one of my classes. But then I remembered I dont have powerpoint. SO I looked around the Internet for an alt. I found Impress. I downloaded it and I loved it. I think its better than powerpoint. But, when I brought it to school and loaded it onto powerpoint none of the animations or effects worked it looked like crap. Then I got all off track and frustrated so my presentation was awful. I tested it on powerpoint veiwer at home at it worked perfectly. I dont know why I doesnt work. I saved it as the open doc format, the powerpoint format, and the powerpoint template. I dont know why it turned out like this. Can somebody tell me or teach me how to make the work in the future?
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acknak
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Re: I had a dissapointing prolem with Impress

Post by acknak »

Sorry to hear that--I can't imagine how uncomfortable that was.

Still, being prepared with a fall-back plan is essential, because these things do happen, no matter what software you use. We use PPT often, and on our own system, it's fine. But honestly, 9 times out of 10, when we try to send presentations out, or have visiting speakers come in, there are problems. It's just a limitation of the technology. And it gets worse when you mix in Impress, which adds even more compatibility issues.

What can you do?

I avoid fancy animations and multimedia if at all possible, and I keep slide transitions simple. I always use Impress to export a PDF version of the presentation: it's just static slides, but it will work perfectly almost anywhere. Most PDF readers have a full-screen view that's fine for slide shows. I use that as my safety net, if the "real" presentation falls over. It has saved the day more than once.

You could also avoid having to depend on PPT by making a portable OOo (on a memory stick), including all your fonts. Or possibly a live-CD of some kind. Those would allow you to test at home, then run the presentation in Impress, in (nearly) the same environment for the class.
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mistercheesypig
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:08 am

Re: I had a dissapointing prolem with Impress

Post by mistercheesypig »

alright, thanks. Ill use those tips next time I use impress.
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