>I'm trying to produce an interactive PDF presentation which would be >used instead of Powerpoint. Does anyone have any suggestions for this? > >I am using CS3 and would convert to a PDF and make the final >interactive changes there.
I started using PDF for presentations with Acrobat 3 in 1997 and so never bothered with PowerPoint. More work but more flexible. At the time I used PageMaker and did the interactive parts later. If (now) I had been using PowerPoint for years I might would go for Presenter in Acrobat 9 Pro Extended.
>So far, I have set the pages (and the master page) up landscape fashion and >am using 8.5" x 11" (US standard legal width).
As an asideÂ… Any PDF I make that is intended for screen viewing more than printing I do in lanscape and set to open in Fit Page view. If people need to print it I recommend two-up through the Reader's multiple-page-per-sheet print option. Before&After magazine publish in landscape and at the end of the document include the same content in two-up on US Letter pages.
For presentations with Fit Page the page size is irrelevant and I commonly use 240x180 mm to match the old 4:3 aspect ratio. If a presentation is put on a web page 280x180 mm can work better for users with browsers having multiple toolbars.
Some of your video questions have been added.
If I used PowerPoint I would avoid animated text flying as it only creates interest in the animation not the content, so that is no loss. Read "Beyond Bullets" from Microsoft Press if you can get your hands on it. I borrow from public libraries where possible. Even before that book I reduced dependence on buttet points which can be too much of a crutch for presenters—time is better spent on the two powerful tools a presenter has—his/her voice and body language.
I rarely use a single PDF. A master file has links from most pages, sometimes more than one link, to other PDFs. As necessary I link to other PDFs, Word documents and videos. Linking videos keeps the main file small and fast.
This approach makes it easier to have several links from a page in the master and during the presentation make on the spot changes, or skip bits for time control. My links ars are usually hidden from the audience.
Back in 1997+ a PDF was Mac/Windows and projector resolution friendly.
Many of my presentations are about software programs and screen captures are common. I have used special capture programs but on the PC now typically grab with PrintScreen or Alt+PrintScreen and open (the clipboard) in Photoshop with the resolution set at 144 dpi and sometimes transparent. If I need to enlarge a small part (too icon) is resample with Nearest neighbour. My PDFs are generated with ZIP compression. I've never had pixellation problems on large screens.
On a few occasions I use layers in InDesign and export them to PDF. This is for cases where I want to show something complex in various stages. Or to label diagrams bit by bit. I don't open the Layers Panel but use hidden buttons to show/hide layers.
Some times I keep notes on each slide in a layer and turn this off when generating the PDF. For handouts I usually distribute a trimmed-down PDF and add notes on the slides (box text or yellow stickies) to compensate for the missing patter. I've endured decades of being given photocopies of presentations in the overhead projector era where a few weeks later the bullet points have largely lost their meanings.
There's my two cents worth.
And I smile when I'm thankedÂ…for my "PowerPoint presentation".
Regards Merv Leeding
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