LibreOfficeLogo

Impress Guide 7.6

Chapter 1,
Introducing Impress

Presentations in LibreOffice

Copyright

This document is Copyright © 2023 by the LibreOffice Documentation Team. Contributors are listed below. This document may be distributed and/or modified under the terms of either the GNU General Public License (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html), version 3 or later, or the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), version 4.0 or later. All trademarks within this guide belong to their legitimate owners.

Contributors

Contributors for this edition:

Peter Schofield

Contributors for previous editions:

Claire Wood

Dimona Delvere

Gary Schnabl

Hazel Russman

Jean Hollis Weber

Kees Kriek

Linda Worthington

Michele Zarri

Peter Hillier-Brook

Peter Schofield

Rachel Kartch

T. Elliot Turner

Vasudev Narayanan

Feedback

Please direct any comments or suggestions about this document to the Documentation Team Forum at https://community.documentfoundation.org/c/documentation/loguides/ (registration is required) or send an email to: loguides@community.documentfoundation.org.

Note

Everything sent to a forum, including email addresses and any other personal information that is written in the message, is publicly archived and cannot be deleted. Emails sent to the forum are moderated.

Publication date and software version

Published October 2023. Based on LibreOffice 7.6 Community.
Other versions of LibreOffice may differ in appearance and functionality.

Using LibreOffice on macOS

Some keystrokes and menu items are different on macOS from those used in Windows and Linux. The table below gives some common substitutions used in this document. For a detailed list, see LibreOffice Help.

Windows or Linux

macOS equivalent

Effect

Tools > Options
menu selection

LibreOffice > Preferences

Access setup options

Right-click

Control+click, Ctrl+click, or right-click depending on computer setup

Open a context menu

Ctrl or Control

⌘ and/or Cmd or Command, depending on keyboard

Used with other keys

Alt

⌥ and/or Alt or Option depending on keyboard

Used with other keys

F11

+T

Open the Styles deck in the Sidebar

Introduction

Impress is the presentation (slide show) module included in LibreOffice for creating presentations using the Open Document Presentation (ODP) format. Using Impress allows the creation of professional presentations that can include charts, drawing objects, text, multimedia and a variety of other items. Presentations created in ODP format can be opened by other presentation software (for example Microsoft PowerPoint), or exported in different presentation formats (for example PPT).

Slides created for presentations can contain many different elements, including animation, slide transitions and multimedia are a few of the techniques available in Impress. Using these techniques can make a presentation look more professional and interesting for an audience.

Several views are available when designing and creating a presentation. For example, the Slide Sorter displays an overview of slides in thumbnail form, while the Handout page contains both the slide and the notes for distribution to audiences. Also Impress has a Presenter Console that is used when rehearsing a presentation and to show the presentation to an audience.

Using graphics in a presentation does require some knowledge of drawing and it is recommended to refer to the LibreOffice Draw Guide for more information on how to create graphics, including 3D animation.

Notes

When LibreOffice is installed on a computer, a menu entry for each module is added to the system menu. The exact name and location of these menu entries depends on the operating system and graphical user interface being used.

The New icon displayed on the Standard toolbar depends on which LibreOffice module is open when creating a new document, presentation, spreadsheet, or drawing.

Opening Impress

From the LibreOffice Start Center when no other LibreOffice module is open.

From the system menu using a standard menu from which most applications are started. Details vary with the operating system. See the Getting Started Guide for more information, some examples are listed below:

From any open module of LibreOffice.

Figure 1: Main Impress window

Image1

  1. Slides pane

  2. Workspace

  3. Sidebar

Figure 2: Select a Template dialog

Image2

When starting Impress, the main Impress window (Figure 1) opens and, by default, the Select a Template dialog (Figure 2) also opens. Templates included with Impress are designed to fit the two standard sizes of presentation slides: 4:3 and 16:9 ratios. However, templates will adapt to other sizes that are available and can be selected by going to Slide > Slide Properties > Paper Format on the Menu bar, or Format in the Slide panel in the Properties deck on the Sidebar.

Tips

To start Impress without the Select a Template dialog opening, deselect the option Show this dialog at startup in the lower left of the dialog. Alternatively, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice Impress > General (macOS LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice Impress > General)on the Menu bar and deselect Start with Template Selection in New Document.

The Slides pane and/or Sidebar can be closed by clicking the X in the upper right corner of each pane, or go to View > Slide Pane or View > Sidebar on the Menu bar to deselect. To reopen a pane, select View > Slides pane or View > Sidebar on the Menu bar.

To maximize the Workspace area click on the Hide/Show marker in the middle of the vertical separator line (highlighted in Figure 1). Using the Hide/Show marker hides the Slides pane or Sidebar, but does not close them. To restore the Slides pane or Sidebar, click again on its Hide/Show marker.

Main Impress window

The main Impress window (Figure 1) has three main sections: Slides pane, Workspace, and Sidebar. At the top of the main window is the Menu bar and toolbars. Toolbars can be displayed or hidden during the creation of a presentation.

Menu bar

The Menu bar, at the top of the main window, provides several menus common to all LibreOffice modules. The commands may differ between each LibreOffice module for File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, Tools, Window, and Help. Impress has two extra menus for Slide and Slide Show. When a menu is selected, a submenu opens to show the available commands. The Menu bar can be customized and for more information, see the Getting Started Guide.

Workspace

The Workspace opens in Normal view by default and normally in the center of the main window. The Workspace has four standard views, which are Normal, Outline, Notes, and Slide Sorter. Each view is opened by clicking on the tab at the top of the Workspace (Figure 3). For more information on workspace views, see “Workspace views” page 1.

If master slides are being used, then master views become available: Master Slide, Master Notes and Master Handout. There are no tabs for master views and these are selected by going to View on the Menu bar. For more information on master slides, see Chapter 2, Using Slide Masters, Styles, and Templates.

Figure 3: Workspace view tabs

Image3

Slides pane

The Slides pane displays thumbnail images of slides in a presentation in the order in which the slides are shown. Clicking on a slide image in the Slides pane selects it and places the slide in the Workspace where changes are made to the displayed slide. The slide show order can be changed, see Chapter 9, Slide Shows & Photo Albums for more information.

Several additional operations can be carried out on one or more slides in the Slides pane. Also, these additional operations are available from a context menu when right-clicking on a slide in the Slides pane.

Sidebar

The Sidebar, normally located on the right side of the Workspace, is similar to the Sidebar in the other LibreOffice module and consists of eight decks. To display or hide the Sidebar, use one of the following methods:

To open a Sidebar deck, use one of the following methods:

Properties

The Properties deck (Ctrl+Alt+1, macOS ⌘+⌥+1) has ten panels, allowing changes to slide layout and objects formatted on a slide.

Styles

In the Styles deck (Ctrl+Alt+2, macOS ⌘+⌥+2), drawing and presentation styles are applied to a selected object, new styles created for drawing and presentation, and both types of styles can be modified. When saving changes to a style, the changes are applied to all of the elements formatted with that style in the presentation. For more information on styles, see Chapter 2, Using Slide Masters, Styles, and Templates.

Gallery

Using the Gallery deck (Ctrl+Alt+3, macOS ⌘+⌥+3), an object is inserted into a presentation either as a copy or as a link. A copied object is independent of the original object. Changes to the original object have no effect on the copy. A link remains dependent on the original object. Changes to the original object are also reflected in the linked object.

Navigator

The Navigator deck (Ctrl+Alt+4, macOS ⌘+⌥+4) displays all objects contained in a presentation. It provides a convenient way to move between slides in a presentation, or select an object on a slide. It is recommended to give slides and objects in a presentation meaningful names for easy identification when using the Navigator. For more information, see “Navigator” on page 1.

Shapes

The Shapes deck (Ctrl+Alt+5, macOS ⌘+⌥+5) provides panels for quick selection of basic shapes that are available on the Drawing toolbar: Lines and Arrows, Curves and Polygons, Connectors, Basic Shapes, Symbol Shapes, Block Arrows, Flowchart, Callout Shapes, Stars and Banners, and 3‑D Objects.

Slide transition

The Slide Transition deck (Ctrl+Alt+6, macOS ⌘+⌥+6) provides a selection of slide transitions used in a presentation. There are controls to adjust transition speed, automatic or manual transition, and how long a selected slide is shown (automatic transition only). For more information on transitions, see Chapter 9, Slide Shows & Photo Albums.

Animation

The Animation deck (Ctrl+Alt+7, macOS ⌘+⌥+7) is used to add, change, or remove animations for different elements or objects on a slide and adjust how objects appear during a slide show. For more information on animation, see Chapter 9, Slide Shows & Photo Albums.

Master slides

The Master Slides deck (Ctrl+Alt+8, macOS ⌘+⌥+8) provides access to slide designs for presentations and several designs of master slides are available. The default master slide is blank, but the remaining master slides have backgrounds and styled text. For more information on master slides, see Chapter 2, Using Slide Masters, Styles, and Templates.

Figure 4: Rulers showing object size

Image4

Figure 5: Changing ruler units

Image5

Rulers

Rulers are positioned on the upper and left-hand sides of the Workspace. If the rulers are not visible, go to View > Rulers in the Menu bar. Rulers show the size of a selected object on the slide using double lines (highlighted in Figure 4). Rulers are also used to manage object handles and guide lines when positioning objects.

To change the measurement units, right-click on a ruler and select the measurement unit from the drop-down list, as shown in Figure 5 for the horizontal ruler. The horizontal and vertical rulers can be set to different measurement units.

The page margins in the drawing area are also represented on the rulers. The margins are changed directly on the rulers by dragging them with the cursor. The margin area is indicated by either a grayed out area on the rulers or borders around the unused area of the ruler. This margin indication depends on computer setup and operating system.

Note

The sizes are given in the current measurement unit and might not be the same as the ruler units. The measurement unit on the Status bar is defined in Tools > Options > LibreOffice Impress > General (macOS LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice Impress > General

Figure 6: Status Bar

Image6

  1. Slide number

  2. Information area

  3. Master slide

  4. Cursor position

  5. Object size

  6. Unsaved changes

  7. Digital signature

  8. Text language

  9. Fit slide

  10. Zoom slider

  11. Zoom percentage

Status bar

The Status Bar (Figure 6), located at the bottom of the Impress main window, contains useful information for working with a presentation. To hide the Status Bar, go to View on the Menu bar and deselect Status Bar.

Slide number

The slide number currently displayed in the Workspace and the total number of slides in the presentation.

Information area

This changes depending on the object selected on the slide. Examples of the information displayed are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Examples of information on Status Bar

Example selection

Examples of information shown

Text area

Text Edit: Paragraph x, Row y, Column z

Charts, spreadsheets

Embedded object (OLE) “ObjectName” selected

Graphics

Bitmap with transparency selected

Master slide

The master slide associated with the slide or notes page currently displayed in the Workspace. Right-click to open a list of available master slides and select one to apply it to the selected slide. Double-click to open the Available Master Slides dialog. For more information on master slides, see Chapter 2, Using Slide Masters, Styles and Templates.

Cursor position/Object size

Shows different information depending on whether objects are selected or not. When an object is selected, clicking in either of these areas opens the Position and Size dialog.

Unsaved changes

Indicates if there are any unsaved changes in the presentation. Clicking on the icon saves the document. If the presentation has not been saved before, the Save As dialog opens giving the opportunity to save the presentation.

Digital signatures

Indicates if the presentation has a digital signature.

Text language

Indicates the language used for any text on a presentation.

Fit slide

When this icon is clicked on, the slide in the Workspace zooms to fit in the Workspace.

Zoom slider

When moved, the slide changes its viewing zoom in the Workspace.

Zoom percentage

Indicates the zoom level of the slide displayed in the Workspace. Clicking on zoom percentage opens the Zoom & View Layout dialog where the settings for zoom factor and view layout are adjusted.

Navigator

The Navigator displays all objects contained in a presentation providing a convenient way of moving within a presentation and locating objects in the presentation.

To open the Navigator dialog (Figure 7) go to View > Navigator on the Menu bar (Ctrl+Shift+F5, macOS ⌘+Shift+F5). Alternatively, click on Navigator in the Sidebar (Ctrl+Alt+4, macOS ⌘+⌥+4) to open the Navigator deck. This Sidebar deck is similar in appearance and function as the Navigator dialog.

The Navigator is more useful if slides and objects (pictures, spreadsheets, and so on) are given meaningful names, instead of leaving them with default names, such as “Slide 1” and “Shape 1” and so on (as shown in Figure 7). Using meaningful names allows for slides or objects to be easily identified and located in a presentation.

Figure 7: Navigator dialog

Image7

Toolbars

Toolbars provide several tools that are used for creating slides for a presentation. To display or hide the various toolbars in Impress, go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and select the required toolbar from the submenu that appears. For example, Standard and Drawing toolbars are displayed by default, but Line and Filling, and Text Formatting toolbars are not normally displayed and have to be selected.

To change tools available on any toolbar, right-click in an empty area on the toolbar and select Visible Buttons from the context menu. Installed tools are indicated by a check mark next to the tool name, or the tool icon is highlighted, depending on the computer operating system. Click on a tool name to hide or show it in the toolbar. For more information, see Chapter 11, Setting Up and Customizing Impress, Appendix B, Toolbars, and the Getting Started Guide.

Note

The appearance of toolbar icons varies depending on the computer operating system, and the selection of icon size and style in Tools > Options > LibreOffice > View (macOS LibreOffice > Preferences > Options > LibreOffice > View). For more information about working with toolbars, see Appendix B, Toolbars and the Getting Started Guide.

The following toolbars are normally used when creating a presentation:

Standard toolbar

The Standard toolbar (Figure 8) is similar for all LibreOffice modules and is not described in detail in this user guide. By default, it is docked and positioned below the Menu bar at the top of the Workspace.

Figure 8: Standard toolbar

Image8

Drawing toolbar

The Drawing toolbar (Figure 9) contains all necessary functions for drawing various geometric and freehand shapes, and for formatting objects in a slide. By default, the Drawing toolbar is docked and positioned on the left of the Workspace. For more information on using drawing tools, see Chapter 5, Managing Graphic Objects.

Figure 9: Drawing toolbar

Image9

Line and Filling toolbar

The Line and Filling toolbar (Figure 10) provides tools for modifying the properties of a selected object, for example line color, line style, line width, fill color and style, and other properties. If the selected object is a text box, the Line and Filling toolbar is automatically replaced by the Text Formatting toolbar.

Figure 10: Line and Filling toolbar

Image10

Text Formatting toolbar

The Text Formatting toolbar (Figure 11) is similar to the Formatting toolbar in LibreOffice Writer and only appears when a text object has been selected in a presentation, automatically replacing the Line and Filling toolbar.

Figure 11: Text Formatting toolbar

Image11

Workspace views

The Impress Workspace has four standard views Normal, Outline, Notes, and Slide Sorter. Each Workspace view is designed to make it easier to complete certain tasks. The different views can be selected using one of the following methods:

The Impress Workspace also has three master views available for creating master slides in a presentation. There are no tabs for master views and are opened by selecting the required option in View on the Menu bar. The options available are Master Slide, Master Notes, and Master Handout. For more information on master slides, see Chapter 2, Using Slide Masters, Styles, and Templates.

Note

When selected, each Workspace view displays a different set of toolbars providing a default set of tools for each view.

Normal view

Normal view is the main standard view for creating individual slides in a presentation. In Normal view slides are designed, text or graphics added and formatted, and any animation effects added to text or graphics.

To place a slide in Normal view of the Workspace, either click on the slide thumbnail in the Slides pane, or click on the slide name in the Navigator dialog or Navigator deck in the Sidebar.

Figure 12: Example of Workspace Outline view

Image12

Figure 13: Outline toolbar

Image13

Outline view

Outline view in the Workspace (Figure 12) displays all the presentation slides as a sequential list. It shows topic titles, bulleted lists, and numbered lists for each slide in outline format. Only text contained in the default text boxes in each slide is shown. If text boxes or graphic objects have been added to the slides, then these objects are not displayed. Slide names are not included.

Outline view can be used for the following:

Notes view

Use Notes view in the Workspace (Figure 14) when adding notes to a slide. Notes are not seen when the presentation is shown to an audience on an external display connected to a computer.

1)  Click on Notes in the Workspace to open Notes view.

2)  Select a slide in the Slides pane so that the slide appears in the Workspace.

3)  In the text box below the displayed slide, click on the words Click to add notes and enter the required notes for the selected slide.

Figure 14: Example of Workspace Notes view

Image14

Figure 15: Example of Slide Sorter view

Image15

Figure 16: Slide View toolbar

Image16

The Click to add notes text box can be resized using the resizing handles which appear when the border of the box is selected. Move or change the size of the box click on and drag a selection handle on the box border.

When text is inserted in the Click to add notes text box, it is automatically formatted using the predefined Notes style in Presentation Styles in the Styles deck on the Sidebar. The Notes style can be formatted to presentation requirements. For more information, see Chapter 8, Adding and Formatting Slides, and Notes.

Slide Sorter view

The Slide Sorter view in the Workspace (Figure 15) contains thumbnails of each slide used in a presentation. Use Slide Sorter view to work with one slide or a group of slides.

Customizing Slide Sorter view

1)  Go to View > Toolbars > Slide View on the Menu bar to show the Slide View toolbar (Figure 16).

2)  Adjust the number of slides in the Slides per Row box, up to a maximum of 15.

Changing slide order

To change the slide order in a presentation of a single slide or a group of slides using Slide Sorter view is as follows:

1)  Select a slide or a group of slides.

2)  Drag and drop the slide or group of slides at the new position in the presentation.

Selecting a slide group

To select a group of slides in Slide Sorter view, use one of the following methods:

Working in Slide Sorter view

Working with slides in Slide Sorter view is similar to working with slides in the Slides pane. To make changes, right-click on a slide in Slide Sorter view and choose one of the following commands from the context menu:

Table 2: Slide Sorter commands

Command

Action

Cut

Removes the selected slide and saves it to the clipboard.

Copy

Copies the selected slide to the clipboard without removing it.

Paste

Inserts a slide from the clipboard after the selected slide.

New Slide

Adds a new slide after the selected slide.

Duplicate Slide

Creates a duplicate of the selected slide and places the new slide immediately after the selected slide.

Rename Slide

Renames the selected slide.

Hide Slide

Any slides that are hidden are not shown in the presentation.

Delete Slide

Deletes the selected slide.

Layout

Allows changes to the layout of the selected slide.

Move

Allows moving or repositioning of the slide in the presentation order.

Creating presentations

By default, Impress opens with the Select a Template dialog (Figure 2 above) displayed to select a template for a new presentation. To create a new presentation without a template, click on Cancel in the Select a Template dialog and a blank slide opens in the Workspace and Slides pane.

To prevent the Select a Template dialog from opening by default, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice Impress > General (macOS LibreOffice > Preferences > LibreOffice Impress > General) on the Menu bar to open Options LibreOffice Impress General dialog (Figure 17) and deselect the option Start with Template Selection.

Figure 17: Options LibreOffice Impress dialog — General page

Image17

Figure 18: Presentation toolbar

Image18

For more information on creating presentations, slide show options, and presentation settings, see Chapter 9, Slide Shows & Photo Albums and Chapter 11, Setting Up and Customizing Impress.

Tip

Decide on the purpose of a presentation and plan accordingly. Having an idea of audience type, structure, content, and how a presentation is delivered saves a lot of time from the start.

New presentation

When creating a new presentation, Impress shows only one slide in the Slides pane and Workspace.

Inserting new slide

A new slide is inserted into a presentation using one of the following methods.

Note

A new slide is inserted after the selected slide in the presentation. If a slide is not selected, then the new slide is inserted as the last slide in the presentation.

Duplicating slides

To duplicate a slide, select a slide for duplication in the Slides pane and use one of the following methods. A duplicate slide is inserted after the selected slide in the presentation.

Slide format

Click on Properties on the Sidebar and open the Slide panel (Figure 19) to display the format options available for a presentation. The Slide panel allows for quick formatting of all slides included in a presentation and selecting master slides for a presentation. For more information on formatting slides and using master slides, see Chapter 2, Using Slide Masters, Styles, and Templates and Chapter 8, Adding and Formatting Slides and Notes.

Slide layout

By default in Impress, the Title Slide layout is used for the first slide when a new presentation is created. The layouts included in Impress range from a blank slide to a slide with six contents boxes and a title. For more information on slide layouts, see Chapter 8, Adding and Formatting Slides, and Notes.

Figure 19: Slide panel in Properties deck on Sidebar

Image19

The first slide in a presentation is normally a title slide. The layouts Title Slide, which also contains a section for a subtitle, or Title Only are the most suitable layouts for the first slide in a presentation. For the remaining slides, select the most suitable layout to use for the slide contents.

Impress does not have the functionality to create custom layouts. However, the different elements in a slide layout can be resized and moved. For more information, see “Modifying slide elements” on page 1.

Selecting slide layouts

The available layouts are shown in the Layouts panel on the Properties deck on the Sidebar. After selecting a slide, select the slide layout using one of the following methods:

Figure 20: Layouts panel in Properties deck on Sidebar

Image20

Figure 21: Example slide using content boxes

Image23

Note

The icons in the center of a content box allow, if necessary, the insertion of tables, charts, images, audio, or video into a content box.

Changing slide layout

After selecting a slide in a presentation, change the slide layout using one of the following methods:

1)  Select a slide in the presentation.

2)  Select a new layout for the slide using one of the methods available in “Selecting slide layoutsabove.

Slide contents

Several layouts can contain one or more content boxes, as shown by the example in Figure 21. After selecting a content box, it can be configured to contain the following elements:

Slide title

Click on Click to add Title and type a title in the text box. Impress enters text editing mode and the Text Formatting toolbar automatically opens. For more information on formatting text, see Chapter 3, Adding and Formatting Text.

Text

Click on Click to add Text and type the contents into the text box. Impress enters text editing mode and the Text Formatting toolbar automatically opens. For more information on formatting text, see Chapter 3, Adding and Formatting Text.

Table

Click on Insert Table in the center of the content box to open the Insert Table dialog. Enter the number of columns and rows, then click OK. The dialog closes and a table is inserted into the content box. For more information on inserting tables, see Chapter 3, Adding and Formatting Text.

Chart

Click on Insert Chart in the center of the content box and the Impress default chart is placed in the slide. The Chart Type panel opens in the Properties deck on the Sidebar allowing editing of the chart to the presentation requirements. For more information on using charts, see Chapter 7, OLE, Spreadsheets, Charts, and Other Objects.

Image

Click on Insert Image in the center of the content box and a file browser opens. Navigate to the location of the required image. Select the file and click on Open. The image is placed into the slide and the file browser closes. The Image panel opens in the Properties deck on the Sidebar allowing editing of the image file. For more information on using images, see Chapter 4, Adding and Formatting Images, and Chapter 7, OLE, Spreadsheets, Charts, and Other Objects.

Audio or Video

Click on Insert > Audio or Video in the center of the content box and a file browser opens. Navigate to the location of the required audio or video file. Select the file and click on Open. The audio or video file is placed into the slide and the file browser closes. The Media Playback toolbar opens allowing operation of the audio or video file. For more information, see Chapter 7, OLE, Spreadsheets, Charts, and Other Objects.

Note

Text and graphic elements can be readjusted at any time when creating a presentation. However, changing slide layout that already has contents can have a dramatic effect. If the layout is changed after contents have been added, the contents are not lost, but they may need to be reformatted.

Modifying slide elements

When a slide is inserted into a presentation, it contains elements that were included in the selected slide layout. However, it is unlikely that the predefined layouts suit all requirements for a presentation. Elements required maybe removed or objects inserted such as text and/or graphics.

Although Impress does not have the functionality to create new layouts, it allows for the resizing and moving of the slide elements. It is also possible to add slide elements without being limited to the size and position of content boxes.

Note

It is recommended that changes to slide elements in the layouts included in Impress are only made using Normal view. Attempting any changes to a slide element when in Master Slide view is possible, but may result in unpredictable results and requires extra care as well as a certain amount of trial and error.

Moving contents box

1)  Click on the outer frame of the contents box so that the selection handles are displayed.

2)  Place the cursor on the frame so that the cursor changes shape. This is normally a clenched hand, but depends on the computer setup and operating system.

3)  Click and drag the contents box to its new position on the slide, then release.

Resizing contents box

1)  Click on the outer frame so that the selection handles are displayed.

2)  Place the cursor on a selection handle the frame so that the cursor changes shape.

3)  Click and drag the selection handle on the frame to resize the contents box, then release.

Removing elements

1)  Click a contents box or an element to highlight it and the selection handles are displayed.

2)  Press the Delete (macOS Ctrl+D) or Backspace key to remove the contents box or element.

Adding text

There are two ways of adding text to a slide – contents box or text box. For more information on text, see Chapter 3, Adding and Formatting Text.

Contents box

Click Click to add Text in the contents box and type the text. Outline styles are automatically applied to the text as it is inserted. If required, change the outline level of each paragraph as well as its position within the contents box by switching to Outline view and using the arrow buttons on the Outline toolbar.

Text box

Click on Insert Text Box on the Standard toolbar or Drawing toolbar to select text mode, then click on the slide. A text box is created and the Text Formatting toolbar automatically opens. Type the text and click outside the text box to end text mode.

Adding images or objects

To add images or objects to a slide, for example a picture, clipart, drawing, photograph, or spreadsheet, click on Insert on the Menu bar and select in the drop-down menu the image or object type required. For more information on adding objects, see the following chapters:

Chapter 4, Adding and Formatting Images

Chapter 5, Managing Graphic Objects

Chapter 6, Formatting Graphic Objects

Chapter 7, OLE, Spreadsheets, Charts, and Other Objects

Modifying slide appearance

To change the background and other characteristics of all slides in a presentation, the master slide has to be modified, or a different master slide selected.

A master slide has a specified set of characteristics that acts as a template and is used as the starting point for creating other slides. These characteristics include slide background, objects in the background, formatting of any text used, and any background graphics.

Impress has a range of master slides, found in the Master Slides deck on the Sidebar. Additional master slides can be created or and saved, or added from other sources. See Chapter 2, Using Slide Masters, Styles, and Templates for information on creating and modifying master slides.

For example, to change the background of an individual slide or a master slide:

1)  Right click on a slide or master slide and select Slide Properties from the context menu to open the Slide Properties dialog (Figure 22).

2)  Select Background and then select the type of background to use from None, Color, Gradient, Bitmap, Pattern, and Hatch.

Figure 22: Slide Properties dialog — Background page

Image21

3)  Make a selection from the various properties available for each type of background.

4)  Click OK to apply save the changes and close the dialog.

Note

Inserting and correctly formatting background is beyond the scope of this chapter. For more information, see Chapter 6, Formatting Graphic Objects.

Modifying presentations

By default, a presentation displays all the slides in the same order as they appear in Slide Sorter view on the Workspace. It is recommended to review the entire presentation before finally creating and saving the presentation. Run the presentation at least once (see “Running a presentation” on page 1), then answer the following questions. Also there maybe more questions after running a presentation for the first time.

Once the questions have been answered, make the necessary changes. Making changes can be carried out in Slide Sorter view on the Workspace.

Tip

If one or more slides are unnecessary, hide the slide or slides, then view the slide show again to make sure they are not required. To hide a slide, right-click the slide in the Slides pane and select Hide Slide from the context menu. Do not delete a slide until this is done or the slide may have to be created again.

Slide order

Change the slide order in a presentation using one of the following methods:

Animations

If animations are going to be added to slides in a presentation, click on Animation on the Sidebar to open the Animation deck giving access to the various animation options as follows:

Animation category.

Animation effect.

How the animation starts.

Animation direction, duration and delay.

Automatic preview.

Animation is an advanced technique and is beyond the scope of this chapter. For more information on animation, see Chapter 9, Slide Shows & Photo Albums.

Slide transitions

To give a presentation a professional look, it is recommended to add transitions between each slide in a presentation. Click on Slide Transition on the Sidebar to open the Slide Transition deck giving access to the various transition options as follows:

Transition type.

Modify the transition.

How the slide advances in the presentation.

Automatic preview.

Adding slide transitions is an advanced technique and is beyond the scope of this chapter. For more information on slide transitions, see Chapter 9, Slide Shows & Photo Albums.

Running a presentation

When a presentation is completed, it is recommended to test run the presentation and make sure that everything is correct before showing the presentation in front of an audience. To display a presentation in front of an audience, a Presenter Console is available in LibreOffice Impress. However, the Presenter Console does require multiple displays to be connected to the computer for it to function.

Figure 23: Presenter Console

Image22

For more information and details about running a presentation and showing it to an audience, see Chapter 9, Slide Shows & Photo Albums.

Single displays

1)  Start the slide using one of the following methods:

2)  To display each slide in the presentation during the slide show, use one of the following methods:

3)  When the slide show has ended or to exit the slide show before it has finished, press the Esc key to close the slide show and return to Impress.

Multiple displays

When multiple displays are connected to a computer, the Presenter Console (Figure 23) in LibreOffice Impress becomes available providing extra control over a presentation as follows:

Contents