If you're looking for a manual to help you navigate a specific software program, this database might have what you need:
Get product reviews for many useful, mostly free, programs for presentations, videos, and more through TechRadar.
There are hundreds of presentation-style software programs available. Cost and quality vary across platforms. We've listed some recommendations below:
Canva is a browser-based presentation tool, so you'll need to have an Internet connection in order to use it. It does not support PowerPoint files. Some layouts are free, while others charge for their use. Sign up is free, but required for use. Canva also serves as a good editor for images.
Tiffin University is in partnership with Google for its email service and, by extension, has access to the wide range of Google office products. One component of that Google Suite is Google Slides, the Google version of presentation software. With a bit of work, you can import PowerPoint slides to edit in Google, save your work, collaborate and share with others... all for free. Slides can be saved in other file formats to create handouts or make presentations compatible with other software programs, like Microsoft PowerPoint, or you can keep it in the web-based version and present directly from your Google Drive.
Microsoft PowerPoint is part of the Microsoft Office Suite of software products. This software program is the standard program you're most likely to encounter if you're using a Windows-based platform, and is not available for free.
Prezi uses animation techniques in non-traditional formats, so it doesn't create a presentation in a series of "slides." There is both a paid and free version. Everything that you create in the free version becomes public. It is also not compatible with PowerPoint.
This web-based platform is about as close to Microsoft PowerPoint as you'll get, and it's completely free. It is also compatible with PowerPoint, so you can download your files and run them on any system containing the paid PowerPoint software program. (There is a Word and Excel version in this package as well.)
There are numerous video creation and editing programs available online at varying levels of cost to the user.
Check out a few of these tutorials to help you record live-action videos from common handheld devices:
If your project requires you to purchase a video camera, Consumer Reports contains reviews for new products. Use the "search within this publication" option to look for articles which discuss specific products.
Anyone with a handheld device can likely take a video, but editing and cropping can sometimes be difficult if you want a bit of polish before you make your work public. These video editors might help:
If you're trying to build a "how to" type video, where you have to show something on your computer screen, some platforms will allow you to capture and edit your work in one place. Here are a few such programs:
Face-to-face presentations come with their own set of challenges, but what if you're presenting something ONLINE?
Presenters no longer need to be in the same room as the audience! The following platforms work well for group meetings, and are FREE.