It's widely known that images can be an appealing way to break up presentations and provide valuable visual support. Almost as important as selecting the right images is their effective presentation. In this article, we'll show you how to achieve this effect by using so-called "peepholes."
Images offer a refreshing change from boring text slides in presentations and, ideally, speak directly to your audience. So-called "peepholes" ( similar to white space ) are one way to showcase visual content effectively. They are easy to create and allow you to highlight specific details within images. This way, you can direct your audience's attention and create slides that captivate and leave a lasting impression.
And here's how easy it is to add peepholes to your presentation:
Option 1:
- Insert an image that fills the entire slide by first clicking Insert and then Picture.
- Drag the selection rectangle across the entire slide and right-click on it. In the context menu, select Format Shape and then Solid Fill, and choose black. Select a transparency level between 30% and 40%.
- Finally, create cutouts, for example in the shape of circles. To do this, select the Merge and Subtract Shapes option under the Drawing Tools menu. Place the cutouts in the desired locations. Of course, you can also use other shapes if you wish.
- Additional lines and arrows guide your audience from the peepholes to the corresponding text fields.
Option 2:
- Follow the first two steps as in variant 1.
- Next, place a shape in the desired location and select a color for the edge of the shape under Shape Outline .
- Then, right-click and select Format Shape, then Shape Outline and Slide Background Fill .
- Text boxes can then be created and lines added again.
Add animations:
To make the slide even more interesting, it can be enhanced with animations. For example, the Fade entrance animation with the On Click start option is suitable for the cutouts, and the Wipe from Bottom animation with the After Previous start option is suitable for lines. The text boxes are further emphasized by the Fade animation, again with the After Previous start option.
The "peephole" method offers several advantages:
- The image shown as a whole immediately provides an overview, then the focus can be directed to important details.
- Text for explanations can easily be added to the image areas, which makes the presentation more engaging and visually appealing.
- By combining different images and shapes, this method offers diverse applications, perfectly tailored to your presentation.
Another advantage is that created prototypes can be easily reused. Simply duplicate the desired slide, choose a new background image, and remove any elements you no longer need. You can then move the shapes as desired, adjust their size, or even rephrase text elements.
Try this simple yet effective method yourself in your next presentation: You will see what a great effect "peepholes" have on your audience and how they help you to get their undivided attention!