So I finally got a chance to goof around with Keynote, the third application in Apple’s iWork suite, which also includes the spreadsheet program Numbers and word processor Pages.

As with Apple’s other iWork programs, you can easily apply visual themes to any particular slide or the entire presentation. By having themes separate from the content, you don’t need to recreate your whole presentation to get a different look. This approach also allows one to try a variety of themes before deciding on one. All the themes are obviously designed by graphic designers with some sense of style.

Keynote features several different ways of looking at your presentation accessible through the View menu. Especially useful for writing is Outline view which shows the text on the slides in list form. Light Table allows you to see all your slides in a storyboard sequence, allowing you to quickly rearrange slides to new positions.

Also of note are the “Smart Builds” which allow you to add some extra flair to graphic elements on a slide, such as having an image fade in or rotate into place. Subtle animations, used sparingly, might attract some attention to items that require extra emphasis.

There are also several export options: QuickTime, PowerPoint, PDF, Images, Flash, HTML, and even iPod and even YouTube.

Another cool feature is an easy way to record a narration, which is a most likely requested feature for slideshows. Obviously, you can use the built-in microphone that comes with most Mac computers to do so.

Other features include updated effects and transitions, an easy way to enter in animations by clicking and dragging, and the instant alpha feature that is found in Pages.

As with many of Apple’s other software offerings, I wish I had a reason to create presentations so could make use of Keynote.

Disclosure: I own a tiny amount of Apple stock.

Categories: Apple, Technology :: Tags: iWork, Keynote :: Trackback URL
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