Microsoft Powerpoint 2007 – Creating A Presentation Based On A Template

Presentation Templates


Powerpoint comes with many professionally designed templates on which to base your new presentation. A common approach is to find the template that provides the closest match to the design you need and then amend it. Templates use the .potx extension and provides a specific look consisting of layouts, themes and slide masters.
To create a presentation based on a teplate, click the Office Button > New, and then in the New Presentation window select the appropriate category on the left.

Click to enlarge

On selecting a particular category, all templates within are displayed in the centre of the window. When you select a template you can see a preview over on the right. Click Create to create a new presentation based on the chosen template. In addition to the templates that are provided with Powerpoint, many more are available for download from Microsoft Office Online, Microsoft’s online content library. If you select a template from Microsoft Office Online, you will need to click Download and not Create.
Your new presentation is now ready for you to amend.
When your presentation is complete you can save it as a template itself. This means that you can base new presentations on this design in the future. Click the Office Button > Save As > Other Formats, and in the Save As dialogue box:

• give the template a name
• change the Save as type to Powerpoint Template (*.potx)

Third Party Powerpoint Templates

Although Powerpoint offers a large selection of ready made templates for you to use, you might not find one that fits your requirements. Do not despair; there are third parties out there who supply their own custom made templates for you to take advantage of.
Crystal Graphics, for example, provide a range of stunning Powerpoint templates with which you can energise your presentations.