PowerPoint Template Tips & Tricks: 10 Things You Need To Know To Nail Your Template

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Here are my top 10 tips and tricks for creating a PowerPoint template that actually works for building your slides. #PowerPointTemplates
If you don't get this right, you will have to rebuild your PowerPoint template from scratch.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
0:00 Introduction
0:25 Save your PowerPoint template as a .potx file
1:04 Add guides to your PowerPoint slides
1:27 Include the PowerPoint theme files
1:50 Add specialized placeholders where needed
2:16 Edit the placeholder prompt text
2:45 Don’t delete your bullet points
3:24 Don’t delete the title placeholder
3:56 Don’t embed fonts
4:52 Include your template instructions and sample slides
5:51 Don’t delete the child layouts from the slide master
Need help with PowerPoint Themes, see:
nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com...
Need help with your PowerPoint Backgrounds, see:
nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com...
Have other questions about templates, see:
nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com...
Top 10 PowerPoint Tips and Tricks and common slide master mistakes to avoid.
Did you know that there are many things most PowerPoint template creators (and vendors) get wrong on their slide master?
Believe it or not, how to create the best PowerPoint template possible is not something many people study up on...even though it can be more valuable to the development of a good presentation than even the best imagery on the planet.
But a mistake in a PowerPoint template can not only derail your current presentation - but it can also set up land mines for you, your colleagues, and your clients for YEARS to come!
That’s why I’ve created this quick video with my top 10 tips for working with PowerPoint templates. All these tips work for all versions of PowerPoint.

Опубликовано:

27 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 114

@kimhofmann1513 6 лет назад

Great tips! You, Taylor, and Nuts and Bolts Speed Training have made it easier for me to design better PPTs, and save time doing it! Keep up the great work!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 6 лет назад

Thank you Kim! Sending some love right back at ya!

@dan1guerra 24 дня назад

New to your training in Powerpoint. Will be coming back to take the whole program. Thank you for the information and making it understandable.

@TRDesings 2 года назад

Hey thank you very much just wanted to let you know this helped me a lot. I‘m a designer from switzerland and was asked by a client to make a powerpoint template together with the corporate identity, and I‘m glad I watched this video before I started. Saved me a lot of time and nerves (I guess)

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 2 года назад

Glad it helped and thanks for checking out our video. Good luck with your project.

@taniam6047 3 года назад

I have rewatched this video lots of time because I need a reminder sometimes. Thanks for the awesome content!!!

@EricaDyson 5 лет назад

Thanks. Agree with every word! Well done. Really sound advice. !

@lauraantos3105 2 года назад

Thanks for some great tips for PowerPoint. I loved your suggestion about giving directions on how to use the template and the .potx

@stevepc1651 5 лет назад

Great info Camille. I'm new to PPT templating, so this was a big help. Many thanks.

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 5 лет назад

Glad you enjoyed the tips! If you want to look over my shoulder as I create a template from scratch, you can check out my free video series starting here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oXCjOhlOROw.html

@rachelabrams2445 3 года назад

Thank you Camille! You took the mystery out of the traps I kept running into with templates. I'm going to tackle my first one from scratch now :)

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 3 года назад

High-five! Nailing down your template will save you HOURS of work in the future. If you want to look over my shoulder as I build a template from scratch, check out my video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oXCjOhlOROw.html

@EgoSumLaetus 3 года назад

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!!!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 3 года назад

Glad this helped you out! You might also like my RU-vid series on building a PowerPoint template that you can check out here if you are interested. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oXCjOhlOROw.html

@barbalina9 4 года назад

Wow, thanks, Nuts and Bolts Speed Training! I went from knowing nothing about slide masters to being able to create my own in an afternoon. Excellent training video -- easy to follow with clearly-presented material.

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 4 года назад

Glad to hear we could help you out! PowerPoint templates can be intimidating, but anyone can do it (if they follow the right steps). If you ever want to review these tips, I wrote them all up in the following blog post too: nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/powerpoint-template-tips/

@ittaialtshuler3972 5 лет назад

Great Videos please continue, i saw parts 1-3 and this one mostly recommended.

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 5 лет назад

Thank you so much, Ittai! Happy you enjoyed them.

@brendaholden8780 6 лет назад

Well done, and useful tips. Thank you!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 6 лет назад

Thanks Brenda!

@chriss2595 5 лет назад

As usual, clear and useful. Thx, Camille!

@camilleholden4874 5 лет назад

Thank you so much, Chris!

@unchaineddreameralpa 5 лет назад

very helpful. I love your videos as they are super clear , to the point and right length

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 5 лет назад

Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for the comment!

@karolinagrygiel178 5 лет назад

Great video, just discovered the channel lately and it is awesome, subscribed! Thank you so much for wonderful tips!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 5 лет назад

Glad to hear you liked the video and excited to have you as a subscriber! If there is anything specific you want us to make a post about, just let us know. Cheers!

@stevenheassler9912 6 лет назад

Tip #1 is excellent, very good advice. It feels so good to get those unused layouts out of the master (don't want the entire office using them.) If you do remove them, there's no safety net when you import multiple speakers' slides the morning before a conference. Not even a life raft for yourself. All ten tips are great.

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 6 лет назад

Thanks Steven, appreciate your comment! And yes, it's oh so tempting...!

@cbcphotography9781 3 года назад

Thank you

@mrcjdunne 6 лет назад

Great tips. You mentioned several things that I am guilty of. Thanks!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 6 лет назад

Ah yes - we've all been there. Thanks for the comment, Chris!

@ChatreVerde 2 года назад

I really like your custom font, great video with great tips.

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining Год назад

Glad you liked the video and the font :)

@Knowdis96 2 года назад

This is what I want. Thanks.

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 2 года назад

We also have a blog post walking you through all the steps to create a PowerPoint template from scratch. Check it out here: nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/how-to-create-a-powerpoint-template/

@nolobeas7120 4 года назад

Fabulous tips!. Thanks.

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 4 года назад

You are so welcome!

@ianverlander5391 4 года назад

Great Tips. All very useful thanks

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 4 года назад

Glad you enjoyed the tips Thanks for the comment. Templates are still one of the most understood aspects of PowerPoint, and why most people's templates don't work the way they are supposed to. I also wrote these all out in a blog post format if you ever want to quickly review them. Check it out here: nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/powerpoint-template-tips/

@alysonwilliams713 10 месяцев назад

Great tips, thnx Camille. ALL new to me!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 10 месяцев назад

Glad to hear it was helpful! Thanks for the comment.

@Awakenbeing 2 года назад

All these tips were really helpful for every slide designer.Thnx.

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 2 года назад

My pleasure 😊 thanks for checking out our channel

@JodiNewell 6 лет назад

Excellent tips Camille!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 6 лет назад

Thanks Jodi, glad you enjoyed the tips!

@standardoperatingexcellenc8423 4 года назад

Thanks for the great tips!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 4 года назад

Glad you enjoyed the tips and tricks, thanks for the comment! If you ever need help building a template from scratch, I wrote up all of the steps in the following blog post: nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/how-to-create-a-powerpoint-template/

@sxmgeneral 5 лет назад

Great Tips on PPT in this video!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 5 лет назад

Glad you enjoyed the tricks, thanks for the comment!

@njysaniallen8663 2 года назад

I really enjoyed all the videos I looked at. Keep up the good work.

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 2 года назад

Glad you enjoyed the video! Cheers.

@muhammadrashidkhan2943 4 года назад

you are awesome great work really really appreciated and taken help from your videos thumbs up for you keep it up

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 4 года назад

REALLY appreciate your comment and feedback. We are doing our best. I also created a full step-by-step template blog post walking you through all the steps if you ever need it. nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/how-to-create-a-powerpoint-template/

@annieshea9289 4 года назад

this is a great video! thank you

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 4 года назад

Glad you enjoyed the tips! Templates are one of the toughest things to get right in PowerPoint, but once you do... they will save you a lot of heartache and frustration. I also have a details blog post on how to create your own template from scratch if you are interested. You can check it out here. nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/how-to-create-a-powerpoint-template/

@mangazico 2 года назад

Amazing content :) thanks I ve learned a lot :)

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 2 года назад

Glad you enjoyed it! If you ever want to review all the steps I recommend for setting up a template (and in the order I recommend setting them up in), you can check out the following blog post: nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/how-to-create-a-powerpoint-template/

@JackyHorn 3 года назад

These tutorials are extremely helpful, thank you so much. Please help me understand the 2 blocks top left, Dark background and Dark text, at 5:29?

@MikeWilliams-uh8ii 5 лет назад

Hi, Camille. Thanks for this video and for your 3-part walkthrough of creating a PPT template from scratch. I had made what you call a "Fake Template" for my office, which was a great improvement over the inconsistent presentations we had in the past. However, I really wanted to create a true template for my department that functioned the way a true template should. I have been following your walkthrough step by step, and I feel that my final product will now be far superior to the last improvement I made. Thank you so much for sharing these gems of PPT wisdom!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 5 лет назад

Mike, I'm so happy to hear this!!! Yes, even a fake template can be a big improvement in certain situations, and your company is lucky to have you there helping them improve in this area. Nice work! Thanks for sharing your story and best of luck! P.S. If you create a lot of PPT templates, I have a dedicated course that walks you through EVERY step of how to do that right, which I'm happy to share with you if you're interested. Just let me know.

@queenofhearts786 5 лет назад

I watched all 3 of 3 videos of yours on creating a PP template and the tips too, its amazing and I have learnt a lot, thanks a million. I have question in regards to creating a template, I use Illustrator to design the background images (shapes, etc) for the template, is this something you would recommend or advice on what size or file format to use?

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 5 лет назад

Thank you so much for you kind words! And for your question! You're absolutely fine creating backgrounds (or any image for that matter) in Illustrator. My recommendation for the background image (or any image that will appear more than once), is to save it as a PNG because it's a loss-less file format, whereas something like a JPEG will shrink down and lose quality each time you save it. That's why sometimes logos appear blurry in old presentations, even though they were crisp initially. Hope that helps! Also, if you are using PowerPoint A LOT for work, I recommend checking out our free save 40 hours in PowerPoint mini-series. That has some of our best PowerPoint tricks and shortcuts in it that will save you a ton of time when building and editing your slides. You can check out that free mini-series on our website here: nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/save-40-hours-in-powerpoint/ Cheers!

@ajaym6795 3 года назад

Why did I overlook this channel? Perhaps the dull gradient color of the thumbnail made me feel your videos would be too advanced and possibly even boring. This was the best video I've come across about templates because its very practical and talks about real world scenarios. I'm going to like and watch the other videos on your channel. Thanks for the help

@victoriavalenzuela9788 5 лет назад

Great video! Yes, please make more-especially one that focuses on all the ways to test if a template can be broken and the solutions, as you mention in Pt. 3. I do have one question. Is there a way to tag placeholders, so that when copying and pasting from an old document to a new template, contents ends up in the same place? For example, a headline on a content slide from a source file ending up in the headline placeholder in the new template, before or after selecting the new layout and clicking "Reset", rather than ending up in random placeholders? I've searched high and low and your videos are the closest I've gotten to an answer. Thank you!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 5 лет назад

Thanks Victoria! Yes, that's a great subject for the next template tutorial for sure! Unfortunately, your idea about tagging placeholders isn't possible. However, one of the best ways to make sure text goes in the right placeholders when you hit 'reset' is to have the same number and types of placeholders in the original child layout than in the destination child layout. Hopefully that makes sense and helps! Cheers!

@beatalls Год назад

When switching between layouts I have found that PowerPoint transfers placeholder content based on when the placeholders were created chronologically. So even if the amount of placeholders is different between your layouts, the content from the first will go to the first, the second to the second, etc. Hope this helps!

@trilliondollarmind1280 5 лет назад

AWESOME

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 5 лет назад

Glad you enjoyed the tips and thanks for the comment! If you are looking for templates, you can also check out my quick review of some of the best ones I found online here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Z52SLwmWsaw.html

@Michael-ht3ox 6 лет назад

Good job! May I assume that Tip 4 was triggered by my comments to another video a few weeks ago? .... love your video and will distribute it tomorrow.

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 6 лет назад

Thanks Michael! You certainly pointed out some of the top best practices for templates.

@learnspreadsheets 6 лет назад

Nice! I don’t use guides as much as I should. What does office 365 do differently about pasting in slides?

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 6 лет назад

Thanks David. It seems to have internally gotten better about resolving orphan child layouts. Compared to older versions of PowerPoint.

@martincabrejo1024 6 лет назад

Thank you again for your prompt response. I have the following questions: 1. Can I edit my template .potx file (Master Slide and sub-masters)? 2. After I edit my Master slide and sub-masters, Can I save it with same name (replace it)?

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 6 лет назад

Hi Martin, and thank you! Yes, you can absolutely edit your template. To learn how to do that step by step, check out my series on creating a custom PPT template here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oXCjOhlOROw.html Once you make edits to the Masters, you will need to re-save your presentation as a .potx file through PowerPoint. You can indeed use the same name - PPT will say the name already exists and do you want to replace it? Just say yes. FYI - you can't just change the file name to .potx, as PowerPoint won't be able to know that you're setting it as a template. Hope that helps!

@user-fm1bz4on1q 6 месяцев назад

These are great tips, thank you! Where do you suggest to put the instruction slides - in the Slide Master layout or as starter slides in the actual presentation Home view?

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 6 месяцев назад

Great question! I typically prefer to put it in the actual presentation so that it doesn't confuse people or crowd the Slide Master.

@lindamartil2527 4 года назад

Fantstic!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 4 года назад

Glad you enjoyed the tips. If you want to see me build a template from scratch, you can check out my PPT Template series on RU-vid here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-oXCjOhlOROw.html

@geekmeee 5 лет назад

You mean Microsoft doesn't do what it claims?.... Who could've known!. Well done. Great collection of recommendations based on experience...from a 20yr old corporate & government Windows trainer.

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 5 лет назад

Glad you enjoyed the video. Yes... Microsoft has a tendency to keep us on our toes like that. At least now they are making a better effort to listen to users and fix things. Cheers!

@cerenylmaz4098 2 года назад

Hi! Thank you for your content. I have a question about master slide mode. Hope you can answer it. I want to add an icon on a child page for location, and I want the user can add a link to this icon while he/she working on it in normal mode of presentation. Is that possible to do?

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 2 года назад

Great question, unfortunately not. You could add a placeholder so that the user could add the icon AND then add the hyperlink to the icon they insert the Normal view, but the user would have to add the icon themself first. You could not preload the placeholder with a specific icon for them. A potential work around (but still not great) would be to (1) Add the icon to the child slide (2) add a text placeholder on top of the icon (so it would show up in the Normal View) and make the text size 1 and white font (3) your user could then select the placeholder on top of your icon, type something and then add the hyperlink. The reason they would have to type something first (even though it will not show up with your formatting) is that a placeholder cannot take a hyperlink if there is nothing typed into it. Either technique would require some training for your users so they would know what to do.

@cerenylmaz4098 2 года назад

@@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining thank you for your answer! I’m gonna try your suggestion 🙏🏻 If I come up with another idea, I’ll let you know as well 🙂🙏🏻

@n796rmcrew2 4 года назад

How does one edit a .ppt or Powerpointtemplet file if in the future they want to edit the actual template: adding child slides, etc.?

@theodoremavridis7493 Год назад

I have made a template with guides as instructed and saved it as .potx. Now I want to move the boxes around a bit and want to delete the old guides but it does not allow me. Only to add new ones. how can I delete old guides?

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 9 месяцев назад

Hm, you want to make sure you're in the correct view. You can add guides both in the Slide Master View and in the Normal View... you may be trying to delete one kind in the wrong view. Hope that helps!

@galato4234 6 лет назад

Thank you so much for the tips about templates in Powerpoint. I would like to ask you: after I created a master with 6 different sub-master and save it under "My Templates" as .potx file and close it; how can I use every week and adding new information and save it again and again saving it with different name each time. I really appreciate your help.

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 6 лет назад

Hi Galato. Once you've saved a template as a .potx file, you can always make changes it to it and then re-save it as a .potx template file with a new name. That will create a different version of the same template file. However, if you mean that you want to create a .pptx presentation based on your template, all you have to do is open up PowerPoint (go the the Start Menu) and find your custom template. Click to open and then you will begin a new presentation (.pptx file) based on that template. Hope that answers your question!

@galato4234 6 лет назад

Thank you so much for your information!

@galato4234 6 лет назад

I have a Mac Powerpoint 2008, and I looked under my templates but I cannot find my template that I saved as .potx. How I can get it from here...? Thank you again.

@galato4234 6 лет назад

You have been very helpful to me in working with my project. I really appreciate your support and knowledge. Thank you! I found out where is my file now. But I have another question: When I make changes to my slide master (template .potx saved under My Templates), Why do I need to change the filing name with .potx...? Can I just replace it...? It is easy to remember only one name. Thank you again.

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 6 лет назад

Hi Galato! Glad you sorted out your template location. And thanks for all the kind words - I'm happy to help! As for making changes to your template - yes, you will need to re-save it as a .potx file through PowerPoint. You can indeed use the same name - PPT will say the name already exists and do you want to replace it? Just say yes. You can't just change the file name to .potx, as PowerPoint won't be able to know that you're setting it as a template. Hope that helps!

@warrendent421 4 года назад

first I'd like to say thanks for the great videos! question please: no. 8 - include font and colour files with the template, i understand how to include a font file, what is a colour file and how do i make one please to include please? thanks!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 3 года назад

Hi Warren - both the font file and the color file I mention are the ones that are part of your theme. They are .xml files and then need to be saved in a particular location. You can learn about how to find them and where to save them in my article here: nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/custom-powerpoint-theme/#how-to-share-a-powerpoint-theme

@taniam6047 3 года назад

I would probably rename this tutorial with something like “best practices when creating a template” is it possible to show us how you can “embed” the template so that the entire organization has it as a possible default selection when opening PowerPoint? Thanks

@CountyofYuba 9 месяцев назад

How do you send custom theme files?

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 9 месяцев назад

Hi there! Yes, to send them to someone else, you'll first need to find where they're located on your computer. To do that, inside PowerPoint, go the Design tab and click on the little arrow in the Themes area to open the dropdown, and then select Save Current Theme. That will open up the place on your computer where those files are saved. On my PC, it looks like this: C:\Users\Camille\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\Document Themes. I recommend saving that location address (you can select it and copy it). Then, close PPT and open a File Explorer window. Type or paste in that address. And there you should find your files! After you share them with someone, you'll need to tell them how to find their computer's theme location (you can give them the instructions I just shared so they can find where that is on their computer) so they can save them there. Hope that helps!

@indian6179 4 года назад

Mam how to save teplet please help me

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 4 года назад

To see how to save a PowerPoint template, check out my blog post below. nutsandboltsspeedtraining.com/powerpoint-tutorials/create-powerpoint-template/

@chriss2595 5 лет назад

Q about Tip#1: can't we avoid a bloated slide master by clicking on 'Preserve'? (it's marked by a pushpin icon).

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 5 лет назад

Hi Chris, and you're right, sort of. If you take a default child layout that you haven't changed much (ie. you've kept the same placeholders and kept the title the same) and then preserve it, you make it harder for a user to delete it down the road. However, if you preserve a layout that you've radically changed, that won't affect the bloating as PowerPoint still won't know what layout to refer back to. Does that make sense? So essentially, preserving it just makes it harder for someone to delete it, but doesn't inherently prevent bloating.

@chriss2595 5 лет назад

@@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining Interesting! Indeed, this makes sense. You guys are the best. Thx, Camille!

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 5 лет назад

@@chriss2595 My pleasure, Chris!

@syedalimehdinaqvi1 4 года назад

How can i share my template with my company so that they can access it anytime and edit it. I do not want to do it personally. It must be done online in everyone powerpoint

@Nutsandboltsspeedtraining 3 года назад

Hi Ali - You'll need to talk with your IT department, and find out how to best share files throughout your company, as it's different in every organization. Just make sure you're sharing the .potx file, which is the actual template file.