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Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Frosted Glass: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Frosted Glass - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Monday, October 30, 2006

Pure Electric: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Pure Electric - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Articulate Updates Engage



Articulate has issued a free upgrade for Engage, their interaction creation tool for e-learning courses. This free upgrade addresses several minor issues.

More on the Articulate site...

Categories: articulate, powerpoint
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Tunnel: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Tunnel - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Monday, October 23, 2006

Spring into Action: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Spring into Action - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Saturday, October 21, 2006

Wireframe: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Wireframe - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Friday, October 20, 2006

Cinematize: Conversation with Naoko Miyazaki



Naoko Miyazaki is one of the founding members and the VP of Marketing and Sales at Miraizon. Before Miraizon, she held various marketing and management positions at software companies in both Tokyo and Silicon Valley, California.

In this conversation, Naoko discusses Miraizon's DVD extraction program Cinematize, and how PowerPoint users can typically use Cinematize.

Geetesh: Tell us more about Cinematize and how it evolved. Also, how does the product work with commercial, encrypted DVDs?

Naoko: Cinematize 2's predecessor, Cinematize 1, was originally released in the summer of 2003. At that time, we noticed that there were already many one-to-one DVD copy tools but no single tool that allowed you to easily and quickly extract editable clips off of DVDs while keeping the original high quality. We also noticed that more and more people were using DVDs purely as a medium of storage, taking advantage of the high capacity to replace tapes and CDs. We saw people creating family videos on DVD. We saw churches using DVDs to capture their Sunday services. Doctors were using DVDs to record their operations. We felt it was necessary to create an easy-to-use tool that allowed not only pros but also amateurs to easily extract audio and video clips off of their DVDs for reuse.

Cinematize 2 and Cinematize 2 Pro evolved to meet the needs of customers who wanted increased control over the extraction process. We also wanted to better handle both the increasingly complex DVDs being produced by professionals as well as the discs produced by popular DVD recorders.

Now the question of commercial encrypted DVDs. First of all, as I said before, many of our customers are using non-commercial DVDs such as those they created themselves or that are created for them by service bureaus. Also, some older commercial DVDs and European commercial DVDs are not encrypted at all. Most of the recent Hollywood blockbusters are encrypted, however, and we cannot avoid addressing the issue of how to handle them. Our software packaging and web site include the disclaimer that "Cinematize extracts from any DVDs including commercial DVDs decrypted with popular ripping tools."

In the US, we have a law called the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) which makes "circumvention of encryption" illegal. This provision of the DMCA, however, contradicts the long-established "fair use" provision of existing copyright law which legally allows duplication and modification of copyrighted materials for non-commercial purposes. The fair-use provision of copyright law is what permits photocopiers and VCRs, for example, to be sold and used freely. We are not legal experts, but as far as we know nobody has really resolved the fundamental conflict between the DMCA and the fair-use provision. It has not been tested fully in courts.

The movie studios seem to prefer the current ambiguity of the law because it allows them to sue any company that includes decryption technology in their products. To avoid these problems, Miraizon as a commercial software company for legal, rather than technical or marketing reasons, does not provide any capability to remove encryption from DVDs. Instead, users must do this on their own and at their own risk. As far as we know, no individual has ever been prosecuted for ripping a DVD. In fact, the process of removing DVD encryption has become rather an open secret these days, covered in mainstream computer magazines. I won't go into any details, but there seem to be plenty of free decryption tools available out there for anyone who cares to look for them.

Geetesh: How do PowerPoint users typically use Cinematize.

Naoko: Teachers are a good example of combining PowerPoint with Cinematize. We have many teachers from the middle school to the college level using Cinematize 2 to create PowerPoint presentations with embedded multimedia clips. Teachers have a limited time to show what they want to their students. Instead of the time-consuming process of playing a DVD, finding the right location, and then switching to another DVD, if you can gather the right movie clips beforehand and put them in your PowerPoint presentation, you can deliver much more efficient and effective lecture.

We also know that many medical doctors use Cinematize to create PowerPoint presentations. They often record surgical procedures and patient interviews on DVDs, extract the highlights, put them into PowerPoint, and use these presentations in medical conferences or for teaching purposes.

Another popular application is creating PowerPoint presentations for weddings and parties. Many people now have a service bureau transfer their old VHS tapes or 8 mm movies to DVDs. Cinematize is very useful in extracting short clips off of those DVDs and converting them into formats compatible with PowerPoint.

With Cinematize, you can extract audio, video, and subtitles, alone or together as a movie. You can also create a still image off of DVDs. So PowerPoint users can choose just the right format for their presentations.

Categories: add-in, powerpoint, movies, interviews
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Cinematize 2 Pro



Cinematize extracts movie clips from a DVD -- then it saves those extracts into different movie file formats that can be inserted in PowerPoint. And now the folks who create Cinematize have launched a Professional version of the same product. So what does it do better than the basic version?

Read more here...

Categories: add-in, powerpoint, movies
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Digit Spheres: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Digit Spheres - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Thursday, October 19, 2006

PowerShrink: Conversation with Bronwyn Lane



Bronwyn Lane is from TopByteLabs, a Germany based company that creates several optimization programs including a PowerPoint file optimization software called PowerShrink.

In this conversation, Bronwyn tells us more about the need for PowerShrink, and how it performs.

Geetesh: Tell us more about yourself and PowerShrink.

Bronwyn: PowerShrink was founded in early 2004. At that time, the product's main aim was to compress a PowerPoint document, while keeping the presentation itself at its best. Since 2004, we at TopByteLabs have made many upgrades to make the product more specific and unique. We now provide free templates, trial versions and even other software programs to complement PowerShrink.

I joined TopByteLabs Ltd. in July 2006 -- my responsibilities are in helping market all their programs -- something that suits my marketing background immensely. I wanted to work with a self driven, qualified team that would help me as much as I could help them. In TopByteLabs, I have found that. Not only are they a energetic fun team, they also inspire each other.

Geetesh: How does PowerShrink evaluate the presentation, and compress it.

Bronwyn: PowerShrink starts with evaluating the Microsoft PowerPoint file, looking for embedded pictures and objects. This is important for file security so that no data gets lost.

When this is done, the pictures and objects are optimized to the user specifications set in the program settings. At this point, PowerShrink creates a copy of the presentation never putting the original file at risk, also saving a copy of the original. The copy is created with embedded images that are optimized (shrunk). At this stage, embedded objects are converted to pictures, if this option was chosen.

PowerShrink also has the option to batch-shrink multiple files. The average compression rate for PowerShrink is 62%. This saves time and space for everyone using PowerShrink.

Categories: add-in, powerpoint, interviews
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Blue Sandstone: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Blue Sandstone - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Placid Reflection: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Placid Reflection - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Bring Training to Life with Avatars



Corporate trainers and salespeople are now discovering that they can sustain attention -- and ensure a higher content retention level -- by using animated characters called avatars that talk, sing, dance, gesture, tell jokes and generally liven up the proceedings.



Learn more with Tom Atkins...

Categories: add-in, powerpoint
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PowerPoint Ezine: Issue 71



Giveaways and More
Champagne RemotePoint Promo
Focus on SlideShare
Articulate Presenter 5
News and Happenings

Read more here...

Categories: ezine, powerpoint
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Cobweb: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Cobweb - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Monday, October 16, 2006

Textured 17: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Textured 17 - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Saturday, October 14, 2006

Textured 16: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Textured 16 - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Friday, October 13, 2006

Wooden Drapes: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Wooden Drapes - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Thursday, October 12, 2006

Office 2004 for Mac Also Gets Patched



In addition to four security bulletins issued Wednesday for Office on Windows, Microsoft has released Office 2004 for Mac version 11.3. The update includes undisclosed security fixes, along with bug fixes in Word and PowerPoint.

More on the BetaNews site...

Categories: powerpoint, office_mac
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Mud Pool: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Mud Pool - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Columbus Day Free PowerPoint Templates



These free templates were created for a Columbus Day theme.




At Indezine.com, we love your feedback - if you want to share your stories about how you use our templates, send them through our feedback form...

You can also suggest a template theme, but be aware that we already have a long list of requested themes that we are working on.

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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SlideShare: Sharing Slides and Presentations



In this series of posts on SlideShare, I have shown you how you can get an invite and join SlideShare -- and also how you can upload your PowerPoint presentations to the SlideShare server. In this post, I'll explore how you can share your SlideShare slides and presentations.

Follow these steps to share your uploaded slides and presentations:
  1. Log into SlideShare, and click the My Slidespace tab to get into your Slidespace area.
  2. Click the title of any one of your uploaded presentations to bring it up in slideshow mode, as shown in Figure 1.


    Figure 1: An open presentation

  3. Click the share button which is at bottom left of the slideshow player (see Figure 1) -- this opens the share window, as shown in Figure 2.


    Figure 2: The Share window

  4. Provide one or more e-mail addresses, add an optional message, and click Send.
Note: Shared presentations can be viewed by SlideShare members.

Categories: slideshare, powerpoint
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Textured 15: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Textured 15 - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Articulate Presenter 5



Articulate Presenter enables you to convert a PowerPoint presentation to a Flash SWF based online rich media content -- Presenter also includes several bells and whistles such as the ability to insert quizzes, Flash animations, narrations, and web objects. The output is entirely customizable, includes interactivity, and reduces the file size so that the content can also be sent by e-mail.

Read the full review here...

Categories: add-in, powerpoint, powerpoint_flash
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SlideShare: Uploading Presentations



In the last SlideShare post, I showed you how you can join SlideShare and get an invite. In this post, I'll show you how you can upload a presentation to the SlideShare site. In the next SlideShare post, I will show you how you can share the uploaded presentation slides with others.

Follow these steps to upload your presentation slides:

  1. Once you have logged in to SlideShare, click the Start sharing your slides now button, as shown in Figure 1.


    Figure 1: Start uploading your slides

  2. This brings up the upload page that you can see in Figure 2. Click the Choose button, and locate a presentation file located in your system. As of now, SlideShare accepts PowerPoint (PPT and PPS), and OpenOffice (ODP) files only -- Apple Keynote users can save their presentations to PowerPoint files and then upload.


    Figure 2: Provide upload details

    Enter a title, description and tags for the presentation you are uploading -- then, click on the Upload button.

  3. The uploading can take a while, depending upon the size of your presentation and the speed of your Internet connection. Behind the scenes, SlideShare also converts your entire presentation to a Flash SWF file that's more compact than your original presentation slides.

    Once this is done, the uploaded presentation can be viewed as an online Flash-based slideshow. Click the Title link, as shown in Figure 3 to see the slideshow of the uploaded presentation.


    Figure 3: The uploaded presentation

In the next post on SlideShare, I will show you how you can share your uploaded slides.

Categories:
slideshare, powerpoint
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Green Rays: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Green Rays - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Monday, October 09, 2006

SlideShare: Joining SlideShare



There are so many site that let you upload and share photos and videos -- it was only a matter of time before you had one that lets you upload and share slides and presentations. And that's exactly what SlideShare is -- simple, easy to use, and effective.

In a series of posts, I'll explore SlideShare, which I must add is in beta now. To join SlideShare, you need an invite -- that's something you can request on the SlideShare site itself (see Figure 1 below). Or get hold of an existing SlideShare member who can send you an invite.


Figure 1: Get an invite

Joining SlideShare

Once you have an invite, click the link in the invite email to get to the sign up form that you can see in Figure 2 below.


Figure 2: Signup for SlideShare

Fill in all the form fields as required -- do choose a username and password -- and click the Sign Up button. The next time when you will log into the SlideShare site, log in using your username and password. In my next SlideShare post, I'll teach you how you can upload your presentation slides.

Categories: powerpoint, slideshare
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Place Text Over Video in PowerPoint!



PowerPoint MVP Austin Myers loves to work with all sorts of multimedia issues in PowerPoint and now with a simple piece of code that he is giving away for free, you can place text over video in a PowerPoint slide! I have lost count of how many times I have told users that this is not possible -- and now I'm changing my response on this one to tell users that it can be done!

As Austin mentions "...I happened across something that made the little light go on, I gave it a try, and believe it or not the result was I discovered how to display text over video. The key to doing this is to use "controls" to hold the text".

Take a look here to see Austin's tutorial...


Austin also makes the amazing PFCMedia, PFCExpress , and PFCPro products -- do download trial versions of these products at his site while reading his text over video tutorial!

Categories: movies, powerpoint, tutorials
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Microsoft To Release PowerPoint Patch



Together with a not so serious flaw in the .NET framework, Microsoft will issue 11 patches in all, including six for Windows and four for the Office suite, including flaws in PowerPoint and Word 2000. These patches are expected to be released on Tuesday, the 10th of October.

More on the iTWire site...

Categories: powerpoint
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Ornamentia: Free PowerPoint Template of the Day



Today's free template is Ornamentia - download here...

Categories: templates, powerpoint
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Saturday, October 07, 2006