PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff

NXPowerLite 11: Conversation with Mike Power

Geetesh Bajaj — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 04:00:42 +0000

Mike Power started Neuxpower 29 years ago, which means a big anniversary is coming up next year! Neuxpower is the company behind the popular file compressor, NXPowerLite, the cool PowerPoint add-in, Slidewise, and the soon-to-arrive Word add-in, Wordwise. Mike loves designing useful software, and right now he’s focused on making Slidewise even more powerful and easy to use.

In this conversation, Mike talks about the new NXPowerLite 11.

Geetesh: Mike, NXPowerLite 11 introduces a more transparent approach to file optimization, particularly with the new View details feature. How does this approach change the way users understand and manage file bloat across formats like PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and PDF?

Mike: The new View details feature in NXPowerLite 11 completely changes how users understand and manage file bloat by giving them clear insights into the size composition of their files. This feature can be used before or after compression and is available from the main toolbar as well as Explorer/Finder.

Where users previously had to guess why a file didn’t compress as expected, View details now serves as a helpful diagnostic tool. This feature enables users to:

Pinpoint Compression Blockers: The tool breaks down the file’s total size, showing which content—such as high-resolution images, embedded videos, or hidden data—is dominating the space and, preventing NXPowerLite from achieving better compression.
Self-Service Problem Solving: Instead of needing to contact support and share the large file for analysis, users are empowered to help themselves. They can instantly see why a file is large.
Access Targeted Guidance: For supported file formats (PPTX, DOCX, XLSX, PDF), the feature links directly to guides (see help link at the bottom of the view details window). These guides offer specific tips for manually reducing file size, based on the content identified as the blocker.
Pre-Compression Analysis: Additionally, the feature can be used to analyse a file before attempting compression. This allows users to quickly determine the likelihood of a successful compression and decide if they want to proceed, saving time and setting realistic expectations.

NXPowerLite 11 shifts the user experience from a blind “try-and-hope” to a well-informed targeted compression process.

Geetesh: With both Windows and Mac versions emphasizing improvements to the compression engine, what were the key technical or user-driven challenges that shaped these enhancements, and how do they translate into tangible benefits for everyday users?

Mike: The latest compression engine improvements primarily address user-driven issues related to modern file features and third-party tools that our previous code couldn’t handle. I can share these three examples of challenges and benefits:

Challenge: Large Excel files from Pictures in Cells. Microsoft’s new insert pictures in cells feature created incompressible images, leading to huge files. Although the feature has been available for a long time, it’s only more recently in the last year that customers started using it more extensively. Neither NXPowerLite nor the built-in Compress Pictures feature could compress pictures in cells, so customers had no good options.

Benefit: The engine now identifies and compresses these images placed in-cells, effectively reducing Excel file size for sharing.

Challenge: Over-compression and blurring of Canva presentation files. Presentations downloaded from Canva (as PPTX) contained an obscure image composition that the old logic miscalculated, causing blurry, low-quality results.

Benefit: A fix to the size-calculation logic specifically for Canva’s grouped shape fills ensures image quality is maintained without blurring.

Challenge: Poor compression for Word documents with Grouped Images. Grouping images triggers a Word compatibility feature that saves each image three times, rapidly inflating file size. We’ve written about how grouped images in Word inflates file size here. Previous versions of NXPowerLite skipped these images.

Benefit: The engine now understands the XML structure of grouped images, significantly boosting compression effectiveness for these Word documents.

Geetesh: How do you approach feature parity between the Windows and Mac releases of NXPowerLite. Could you share the thinking behind platform-specific priorities, and how you see feature parity evolving between the two moving forward?

Mike: A primary goal is to maintain feature and interface parity across the Windows and Mac versions of our software. We recognize that many users frequently switch between operating systems, and a consistent experience is essential to ensure you are always comfortable with our software’s layout, regardless of the platform.

Our development process typically involves completing all work on the Windows version first. This allows us to finalize the UI adjustments that inevitably arise during testing as we identify and resolve minor usability issues. Once the Windows UI is set, we translate those changes to the Mac version, striving for functional similarity while adhering to native Mac design standards.

You can see how similar the application is between Windows and Mac in the images below.

The Mac version uses the same NXPowerLite SDK as our other file compressor apps, and we aim for near-identical performance on both platforms. While the use of various third-party libraries for file compression may introduce minor, unavoidable low-level differences, we test a standard suite of files on both platforms. This ensures that the results, in terms of both file size reduction and quality, remain comparable.

For anyone that’s curious about NXPowerLite, it comes with a 14-day trial on Windows and Mac. It’s $59 with volume discounts from 10 users and we also offer a non-profit discount on our website.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post or content are those of the authors or the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.

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PowerPoint and Presenting News: April 21, 2026

Geetesh Bajaj — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 04:30:38 +0000

In this issue, we explore how what you show, and what you choose not to show—shapes every presentation. From the practical skill of hiding and unhiding slides, we learn how to keep content focused while still keeping valuable backup material within reach. Hidden slides act as a “backstage area,” letting presenters stay flexible without overwhelming their audience. Alongside this, we draw inspiration from Isabel Allende’s thoughts on creativity, reminding us that expression thrives on both discipline and imagination. Finally, we revisit the importance of visual awareness through color perception, showing that even small design choices influence how messages are received. Together, these ideas highlight the balance between control, creativity, and clarity.

Stay updated with the latest tutorials, tips, and news on PowerPoint and presentation techniques.

The post PowerPoint and Presenting News: April 21, 2026 appeared first on PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff.

Hide and Unhide Slides in PowerPoint 365 for Windows

Geetesh Bajaj — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:06:29 +0000

Ever created a slide that you just couldn’t delete? It’s like a “just-in-case” drawer in your presentation. You may not use it often, but you know it could come in handy. Now imagine you’re presenting and moving through your slides, and suddenly that drawer opens in front of everyone. Notes, extra data, maybe even unfinished thoughts show up on the screen. Not a great moment. So, in this tutorial, we will explore the entire gamut of hiding and unhiding slides, learn about pro tips, and look at some caveats.

Learn how to hide and unhide slides in PowerPoint 365 for Windows.

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Isabel Allende on Creativity

Geetesh Bajaj — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 04:00:09 +0000

By Jerry Weissman

Isabel Allende, the famous Chilean author whose more than 20 books have sold more than 67 million copies in 35 languages, is an excellent role model for the creative process. I had the rare opportunity to meet and chat with Allende at a book-signing event for her latest novel, Violeta. In an effort to learn from a master writer, I asked her whether she followed Stephen Covey’s advice about beginning with the end in mind. Does she know how her novels will end when she begins to write? Her answer was an emphatic “No! Never! I just start writing; the end comes to me as the process unfolds.”

Image: AI generated

Her words brought to mind a similar approach expressed by Federico Fellini, the legendary Italian film director of such classics as La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2. In Fellini on Fellini, his book about his art, he described how he generates ideas:

I hate logical plans. Myself, I should find it false and dangerous to start from some clear, well-defined complete idea and then put it into practice. The child is in darkness at the moment he is formed in the mother’s womb.

While crafting a presentation is not quite the same as writing a novel or directing a film, it is still a creative process, and you can use the same basic techniques. However, in what has become standard operating procedure in business, the common practice is to reverse Allende’s and Fellini’s approach. Most presenters start with a “clear, well-defined idea,”— usually in the form of a set of company slides—and then “put it into practice” by standing up to present. The result is the predictable data dump.

That’s because this approach reverses the natural functions of the human mind, known among psychologists as “divergent” and “convergent” thinking. Neuroscientist Casey Schwartz described the difference in a blog about creativity on The Daily Beast website.

Divergent thinking is the ability to generate spontaneous, often unexpected ideas or solutions….Convergent thinking, on the other hand, is understood as divergent thinking’s opposite: the kind of thought process that allows you to narrow down your options.

Schwartz’s analysis parallels that of Daniel Kahneman who, in his bestselling book, called the natural processes of the mind as Thinking, Fast and Slow. Both of these estimable experts are describing what happens when human minds set about generating ideas: new ideas will inevitably come tumbling around in the mind in a random, disorganized fashion. The key to managing them is to allow them to run their course before attempting to organize them.

When presenters begin their creative process with slides, they are narrowing their options for ideas. The solution is to do your convergent or slow thinking after your divergent or fast thinking; to let your mind do what it is going to do anyway: generate ideas randomly—and then capture them in brainstorming.

In the Suasive story development process, we add an important preliminary step: establish the context of every presentation by defining the goal and its importance to the audience–then begin the brainstorming.

Before you even consider your slides, consider all the ideas you want to discuss, but treat them as words, not images. If you start with your slides, you front load your mind with everything from the color or size of the font to a pre-existing sequence. Instead, start with your ideas and write them on paper, or on a computer screen, a whiteboard, or sticky notes. Then look at all of the ideas objectively and decide which ones you need and—more importantly—which ones you don’t need.

Do the data dump in your preparation not in your presentation.

Do your divergent thinking before your convergent thinking.

Get creative.

This blog is an excerpt from my book Winning Strategies for Power Presentations, published by Pearson. Also, check out my newly released Presentation Trilogy—Presenting to Win, The Power Presenter, and In the Line of Fire—available on Amazon and other retailers.

Jerry Weissman is the founder and president of Suasive, Inc., formerly Power Presentations, Ltd. Jerry founded Suasive in 1988 and quickly established himself as the coach for Silicon Valley CEOs delivering critical presentations for their IPO roadshows. He taught them to tell their company stories through the eyes of their investors, and in so doing, significantly increased the valuations of their companies. He amassed an elite client list and soon widened his focus to helping public and privately held companies develop and deliver all types of business presentations.

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PowerPoint and Presenting News: April 14, 2026

Geetesh Bajaj — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 04:30:45 +0000

In this issue, we explore how efficiency, automation, and visual consistency come together to elevate everyday presentation workflows. We begin with simple yet powerful techniques like duplicating slides—small actions that can significantly speed up creation and experimentation within your deck. From there, we look at innovations such as ToolsToo 12.1, where automation reduces repetitive tasks and allows you to focus on thinking rather than clicking. Finally, we turn to creating color-coordinated, branded slides using PresenterMedia, ensuring that every presentation not only works efficiently but also looks cohesive and professional. Together, these ideas show that great presentations emerge when smart processes meet consistent design.

Stay updated with the latest tutorials, tips, and news on PowerPoint and presentation techniques.

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Duplicate Slides in PowerPoint 365 for Windows

Geetesh Bajaj — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 03:45:07 +0000

Duplicating slides in PowerPoint 365 for Windows is a simple yet powerful technique that can dramatically speed up your workflow. Whether you’re building a presentation from a consistent template, reusing layouts, or experimenting with variations of a design, duplication helps you work smarter with minimal effort. This guide walks you through the different ways to duplicate slides: using right click menus, keyboard shortcuts, and the Ribbon, so you can choose the method that fits your style. Mastering this small skill can make a big difference in how efficiently you create, refine, and deliver your presentations.

Learn quick methods to duplicate slides in PowerPoint 365 for Windows.

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ToolsToo 12.1: Conversation with Gil Segal

Geetesh Bajaj — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 04:30:59 +0000

Gil Segal is the creator of ToolsToo Pro for PowerPoint and an expert technologist with a deep understanding of a wide range of architectures, tools, and technologies and their impact. Gil is always on the lookout for ways to automate manual tasks in any software he uses and has been a PowerPoint power-user since the mid 90’s.

In this conversation, Gil discusses the new version 12.1 of ToolsToo Pro for PowerPoint.

Geetesh: Gil, ToolsToo 12.1.0 introduces smaller but very practical tools such as the new Chain tool for Select All, and the Flip Shape Direction and Flip Slide Direction options. Can you explain these options?

Gil: The new tools in ToolsToo Pro for PowerPoint V12.1.0 are primarily intended to tackle flipping shapes and slides from left-to-right orientation to right-to-left orientation or vice versa. There are a lot of adjustments needed when performing these flips, so we’ll delve into the details of what the tools do.

Flip Shape Direction: This tool does the following for each selected shape:

Changes text direction from left-to-right to right-to-left or vice versa
If the shape is a chart:

Changes plot order of x-axis
Changes series order
Changes text direction
Changes legend location

If the shape is SmartArt, reverses direction
If the shape is a table:

Changes column order
Changes cell text direction

Changes animation wipe direction
Flips gradient direction

Flip Slide Direction: This tool flips slides by calling the Flip Shape Direction tool for each shape on each selected slide. However, instead of changing gradient direction, the Flip Slide Direction tool mirrors the position of each shape on the slide, adjusting motion paths for the new location, and then flips the shapes themselves.

Before Flip Slide Direction

After Flip Slide Direction

Select All: This tool selects all the shapes on the current slide. It can only be used a part of a tool chain – a series of tools invoked with a single click. You can easily build chains by selecting tools in a simple dialog – no programming required – and can run the chain at any time with your current shape selection or iteratively on all selected slides. The Select All chain tool works particularly well with Flip Shape Direction tool, essentially adding a tool that can flip shape direction for all shapes on all selected slides.

Geetesh: Were these additions driven by specific user requests or by patterns you noticed in how people build diagrams and templates in PowerPoint?

Gil: These additions were driven primarily by nearly identical requests from multiple users and the observation that a sizable portion of the ToolsToo Pro for PowerPoint customer base is in countries with right-to-left languages.

Geetesh: ToolsToo has steadily evolved over many versions, with each release addressing small but meaningful PowerPoint workflow challenges. As you continue to refine the add-in beyond version 12.1.0, are there particular areas of the PowerPoint experience where you still see significant opportunities for ToolsToo to improve productivity?

Gil: There are many significant opportunities for ToolsToo to further improve PowerPoint productivity. For example, two areas that could use significant improvement are slide reusability and ease of changing designs.

Everybody is talking about AI these days. It is yet unclear what impact AI will have on the kinds of things ToolsToo does but I can imagine a “fix my slide” feature that will just automatically do alignments, resizing, spacing, make lines horizontal/vertical, make same rounded corners, etc. to just make a slide look good with a single click. As to how much of that Microsoft does vs what is left to tools like ToolsToo Pro for PowerPoint, that is yet to be seen.

Another expansion area for ToolsToo would be a Mac version. ToolsToo has always run on Windows-based PCs only, but I do get a large number of requests for a Mac version.

Lastly but perhaps most importantly, there’s always customer requests. Keep them coming!

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PowerPoint and Presenting News: March 24, 2026

Geetesh Bajaj — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 04:30:33 +0000

In this issue, we explore how timeless principles meet modern presentation practice. Drawing inspiration from lessons as far back as 1832, we see that clarity of thought and purpose has always been at the heart of effective communication. That same discipline applies today when you reset slides to restore structure and consistency, ensuring your content aligns with the intended design. We also look at applying theme colors and fonts—small choices that create a cohesive visual identity across every slide. Together, these ideas remind us that while tools evolve, great presentations still rely on clear structure, thoughtful design, and enduring principles of communication.

Stay updated with the latest tutorials, tips, and news on PowerPoint and presentation techniques.

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Applying Theme Colors and Theme Fonts in PowerPoint 365 for Windows

Geetesh Bajaj — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 03:45:32 +0000

Applying Theme Colors and Theme Fonts in PowerPoint gives you a quick, precise way to refresh your presentation’s look without committing to a full theme or template overhaul. Whether you want a subtle visual update or need to match brand guidelines, PowerPoint lets you mix and match coordinated color palettes and font pairs with ease. This tutorial walks you through where to find these options, how to preview them, and the best ways to apply them across your slides. With a few thoughtful choices, you can elevate clarity, consistency, and visual impact in minutes.

Learn how to apply Theme Colors and Theme Fonts in PowerPoint 365 for Windows.

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PowerPoint and Presenting News: March 17, 2026

Geetesh Bajaj — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 04:30:04 +0000

In this issue, we explore how presentations evolve when ideas, tools, and inspiration come together. We begin with practical skills such as selecting slides in PowerPoint—small techniques that dramatically improve how you organize and manage large decks. We then look at innovation in presentation workflows through conversations with creators like Andreja Zujkovic of DeckFinder and Kartik Sundar of TeamSlide, whose tools help teams find, reuse, and even generate slides faster. These advances reflect a broader shift toward smarter presentation ecosystems where content is searchable, reusable, and increasingly AI-assisted. Finally, we turn to storytelling and influence, drawing inspiration from the Cyrano parable and Rodney Saulsberry’s exploration of the mogul mindset of Michael Jackson—reminding us that great presentations blend technology with timeless narrative power.

Stay updated with the latest tutorials, tips, and news on PowerPoint and presentation techniques.

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