The presentation software landscape has evolved dramatically. It is no longer restricted to PowerPoint, Keynote and Prezi and there’s a great focus towards cloud hosting and sharing.
We are showcasing three of the latest presentation platforms that’ve introduced new features such as explainer videos or simple animated slideshows. Take a look at what’s new, and what you need to know before you decide to use them.
Google Slides
First, let’s talk about PowerPoint’s Google counterpart at Office 365: Google Slides. Like Google Docs, Google Slides is an online based tool that utilises themes, fonts and templates provided by the tech giant. Cloud sharing is an added advantage, so you can access or share your document using any device and work with multiple users in real-time. Google also provides a small library with templates and fonts available via Google Fonts. Since the presentation exists in HTML web format, the assets you can work with are rather limited, although the result is a not-too-heavy presentation that is compatible with any modern web browser.
emaze
Like Google Slides, the final presentation in emaze also exists in a web format, HTML, so you don’t need a dedicated software or video codec to run your presentation: all you really need is an internet browser. Again, being a cloud software like Google Slides, emaze offers a limited library with standard themes and fonts, and you can only use certain available file formats to integrate with your presentation.
The benefits are similar to Google Slides, light-weight presentation, compatible with any internet browser and device.
PowToon
PowToon brings to light everything animated, in both presentations and explainer videos. It’s a web-based video software that allows its users to create and publish video presentations. It has a library of characters and animations to illustrate different scenarios for your explainer videos, with a free version available that leaves a watermark on your final video. Like Prezi, or any other online presentation solution, you have a limited file format list that you can import to your presentation.
Conclusion
While these solutions present some promising advantages of being cloud based and allowing greater scope for animations, surely they come with a cost: limitation on library and assets.
You can’t, for instance, drag a vector file from Illustrator, change the colour and points of the shape as effortlessly as you can on PowerPoint or Keynote.
To have a tailored presentation with rich content and the freedom to integrate assets from different sources and formats, you will still need a dedicated software like PowerPoint and Keynote. Plus, PowerPoint has significantly evolved its cloud capabilities and creative possibilities, making it very much possible to upload, edit and even share your presentations online.
Links
Google Slides: www.google.com.au/slides/about
Emaze: www.emaze.comemaze.com
PowToon: www.powtoon.com