hands on 2002
Present it with style
Michael Vallance

AppleWorks 6.2 for OS X helps you make a presentation quickly. Here's how.

AppleWorks is a powerful suite of office and educational tools that is ideal for schools, businesses and consumers. It is also free on new iMacs and iBooks.

You can update to AppleWorks 6.2 for Mac OS X at www.apple.com/appleworks

AppleWorks has all the tools most people are likely to need and the interface is simple, user-friendly, cheerful and effective. You can also save and open Microsoft Word and Excel files.

Unless you are a trained multimedia author, AppleWorks' new Presentation module will allow you to impress your clients or your teacher.


AppleWorks presentation just as capable as PowerPoint.

Let's create a basic presentation with AppleWorks.
First, open AppleWorks and select Presentation from the Starting Points. To create a basic presentation, first go to Starting Points and select "Show Presentation Controls".
If you are already in AppleWorks, then select Starting Points from the File menu.

There are a number of templates you can use (or even download free extras from Apple's website), but let's click the Presentation button to begin.

At Starting Points: First, create a Master slide. Go to the Window menu and select Show Presentation Controls, if necessary. Click the black star at the bottom of the Controls Panel. AppleWorks has all the tools you're likely to need, and the interface is user-friendly and effective.


Starting Points

At Controls panel: Use the rectangle tool and fill the presentation slide. Click Window and Show Accents.
You can now select a colour gradient. Click the Text tool 'T' Option, then drag onto the slide to create a text box.
Now, input a title by first clicking the word processor button (capital A icon) and then format using the Text menu.

Click on the yellow icon beside the black star and then the plus sign for a copy of your Master slide.

Return to the Controls Panel and click your Master slide once to highlight it. Now click the yellow icon next to the black star.
Click the plus sign and a copy of your Master slide will appear.
You can create any number of master slides and use the same technique to select different slides for different purposes, such as landscape or vertical photos.
To add and delete slides, simply click the plus/minus signs respectively.

Go to File and Insert to add images or graphs. Browsing through the menus, you can add equations, conduct a spell check and much more. The Help menu is very friendly.

Finally, add a transition. Click Slide 1 and then select a transition from the menu (it probably reads None to begin).
To view your slide show on full screen, click the play button in the Controls Panel. Some further customisation is offered

Go ahead, impress your clients.

Michael Vallance is from the Mac Users Group of Singapore. Its website is at www.macuser.org.sg