The big day
Spel checking Keynote has Apple’s spell checker built-in. It won’t catch errors in linked documents like JPEGs, but for text entered straight into Keynote it’s a very quick and handy way to fix those glaring typos.
D’oh. Better hope your CV’s up to date.
Crash? Test, dummy
Let’s get spaced, maaaan Layout: it’s all about lining things up, innit? Don’t overlook “Align Objects” and “Distribute Objects” in the “Arrange” menu for instant gratification. Try turning on “Show guides at object edges” under the preferences for more guidey goodness.
A potent visual metaphor.
Get the preso onto the laptop and test it out sooner rather than later. If there are any problems (transitions that are too slow, missing fonts, lack of disk space etc), you’ll need time to fix them up. If you have access to the projector and a bit of time up your sleeve, plug it in and run it through. Projected images and type can look very different than they do on a lappie.
Flirting with disaster
Let icons be icons Keynote has some nifty little icons to provide feedback. These indicate whether a slide has a transition, or if elements on a particular slide have builds appiled to them. Use “Light Table” view to see all your slides at a glance.
The immutable rule of presenting: if something can go wrong, it will. Provide a print out of the presentation so that if the projector explodes on the first slide, the show can go on. You can export to a variety of formats directly from Keynote; PDFs are great for emailing, and Flash SWF will run on Windows PCs even without the fonts installed.
Please, won’t anyone think of the presenter?
1. No builds or transitions applied. That’s some dull ass slide.
2. Triangle in the corner: slide transition applied. Mmm...tasty.
Presenting for Fun and Profit
3. Dots in the corner: builds applied. Fasten your seatbelts.
4. Dots and triangles: transitions and builds. Client weeps with joy.
You’ll find “Presenter Display” under the Preferences menu. This is where you set up what the presenter will see on the laptop (as opposed to what’s being projected). People have different presentation styles; they might want to see their notes, a countdown timer, the next slide etc. You can turn the different components on or off, and change their size and layout.
Set up the “Presenter Display” so the presentation giver knows what hot slide is coming up next.
Keynote – Page 7