PowerPoint and Keynote integration: what do you want?

It seems like you could read the XML from Keynote and PowerPoint including the transitions, couldn't you? I know that it's possible for Keynote to export to PowerPoint format and include those transitions that PowerPoint supports. Not possible for Proclaim?

Hi Bob,

Speaking only for Power Point, I'd vote for all 3 with the default being option 1. I can see times when each would be preferable.

1. Images - would enable quick use with Proclaim controls. Useful when no special transitions, linkages, etc., exist in the Power Point.
2. Import - Handy when we want to convert to proclaim & toss the power point.
3. Shelling Out - handy when we want to show someone else's power point & they have lots of links, transitions, etc. built in.

Option 1 is likely the easiest, and most reliable.

Reading the XML is technically more difficult, but if you set the standard on a specific version, say PPT 97-2003, then that should mitigate some of the issues with versioning. 

Actually, If you went with the OpenDocument format, which PowerPoint can save in, it would also open up the opportunity for using "OpenOffice", an open-source tool, and other tools that can save in the standardized format.  That should eliminate changing XML formats also.

As for transitions using Option 1, its not REAL hard to make separate slides that sets up a 'reveal' for point-by-point presenations...

True... with external/guest folks, we do the same thing with a competing product now, also.  We leave the presentation software on a 'landing' slide for the transition to and from PowerPoint.

Our pastors use Powerpoint, but they're "trained" to use successive slides, rather than use in-slide transitions, because it can cause instability with the presentaiton tool we use.

We use PowerPoint extensively, and our presentations are fairly complicated... lots of animations, transitions, movement, etc. I would prefer to see #3. The first two options are not really integration... more like workarounds.

It depends on how good Proclaim is for creating sermon slides. If proclaim has all the outline, chart/table-creation, animation features of a Powerpoint/Keynote program, then I would #1 might suffice, because the staff would just learn Proclaim instead of Powerpoint, and the only use for powerpoint would be when a guest comes with a pptx file.

If proclaim is only going to have the basic slide editing features needed for song projection/video playback, etc, then it will be completely inadequate for the pastor, and it will likely be inconvenient to always be using more than one program for projection, so #3 would be necessary, but again, unless it works REALLY well and is completely stable, we'll end up hating Proclaim for it. Better not to have a feature than to have a buggy feature.

So if #3 isn't going to work well, then I'd say you just need to make sure using the two programs at the same time is as user-friendly as possible (for instance, ProPresenter has a feature that keeps it on top of the projection screen, but it had a switch to turn this off - crucial if we're going to show PowerPoint presentations seperately -- it would be even better if it could "allow only Powerpoint/Keynote" and not other things to pop up). Having a way to open up Powerpoint Presenter View while still keeping Proclaim visible and only a click away on the control screen would be best in my view (ie. a window within a window).

#2 can be ocassionally handy, but I think for the most part it requires so much re-formatting work that it won't be useful. When we wanted to stick all the names of our volunteers in a PowerPoint presention, I did an excel export from our database, then converted to word outline format, then imported into PowerPoint to avoid typing in several hundred names, but that's about the only time we use an import feature on PowerPoint.

I'd be perfectly fine with Proclaim shelling out to Keynote or Powerpoint.

When I build a PowerPoint presentation (or more likely a Keynote presentation), I hate to see it losing transitions and effects. I don't use them heavily, but when I use them I have a reason. Because there doesn't seem to be a good solution to offering 100% perfect playback of .ppts in Proclaim (or any other product I've tried up to this point), and I know that there isn't really any method to playback a Keynote file in anything other than Keynote, I'd want to see it call up Keynote and/or PowerPoint to play back the appropriate files and then close them out when the presentation comes to a conclusion.

Also, does it offer functionality in the presentation that I DON'T get nativly from PowerPoint like Prezi http://prezi.com/index/ I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE that!!

Honestly, all three options should be available.  Most of the current presentation market provides this already.

Hi,

I was wondering if it can be build in with MS powerpoint and can have a drop box system. as in can be just drop into proclaim and it will be able to read and present it.

As it will be running with MS powerpoint and chinese wording won't be any problem.

As it is now not really working well with chinese input

Why worry about importing at all?  Unless you have Just Plain Slides and Really, Really want them in your Proclaim video feed, why not just launch PowerPoint or Keynote and RUN that?  There are remote control options from your iPhone/iPad as well (well, at least for Keynote, through a common wifi connection) that lets the speaker see his/her notes.

Molly Crocker

Based on the replies so far, it would appear that there is a need for all three, although perhaps not as much for #2.  In our case, we could probably get away from ppt for sermon slides, as our pastor is an enthusiastic Logos user, and I expect the interface between Logos and Proclaim to take advantage of that. However, it would not be a complete solution for us if we could not show a native ppt(x), which we often receive from guest preachers and speakers. Even if we allowed time to import/convert into Proclaim, animations & transition would likely be lost. 

Another issue that I have not seen get much discussion here is the need to upload all files to the cloud.  Again, this is not practical for the late-arriving ppt or video (i.e., large) files.  If storage space is not a concern then I would be all for uploading all content. This would obviously support the core philosophy of Proclaim, allowing anyone to collaborate from anywhere. But, I think there are a number of situations where due to time or bandwidth constraints, or unstable Internet connectivity, it would be advantageous, once the presentation is ready, to run a service from a locally downloaded copy.  For any large media elements, you could provide an option for "streamed" or "local". With the latter, there probably would need to be some way of ensuring that the file actually exists on the presentation pc, or at least a warning that someone needs to verify that. 

That said, I love the 'feel' of the interface, and how quickly I was up and running with it.  I would not have taken the time to post my $.02 if I wasn't hopeful that it could become a viable solution for us!

Option 1 for sure. Would like all three to be a possibility. 

From the usage and migration scenario we'd be in, I think all 3 options are valid.

I'd prefer option 2 for migrating our existing PowerPoint song slides into Proclaim. Personally, we don't use transitions or list reveals, as we primarily project worship songs and videos. So, really all I would want would be the ability to gimport the text, background images, and optionally the font formatting (size/style/color) from a presentation.

For handling guest speaker presentations and such, I could see arguments for either option 1 or 3. However, I think it probably would be easiest to simply hand-off to PowerPoint/Keynote if you wanted to be able to incorporate that content but not import/migrate it.

What I want out of Proclaim - or the Presentation software I use - is to be able to pull together all the different multimedia requirements of a service into one package - video, slides, songs, audio... I only want to have one program open on a Sunday morning, not have to flick back and forth between many programs.

I don't really see it as content creation software - except for the songs (which by the way, I think Proclaim has the best SongSelect integration so far).

I plan to still use PowerPoint or Keynote to create slides because they do that well. I wouldn't expect Proclaim to edit my videos! (except some basic trimming options).

As such option 3 is the only real option for true PowerPoint/Keynote integration. You wouldn't be able to keep up with newer versions with the others.

That's what I currently have in EasyWorship and that's one of the things I'd need to have before considering switching to Proclaim.

you definately need to allow the user to upload multiple images at once.  I had to upload the announcements one image at a time, which was painful.

There are far too many presentations and sub-presentations that we will need to keep the capability to run ppt/key/odp files (see the Voice of the Martyrs ppt presentation today regarding the International Day of Prayer as a for instance).  What would be best IMO, would be the ability to drag a ppt into a slot in proclaim at the point in the service we want it to play and simply have it play as designed.

Another option is to actually improve the ability to make robust and complex formatting and transitions within the "custimize" section of Proclaim...

John David White said:

Another option is to actually improve the ability to make robust and complex formatting and transitions within the "custimize" section of Proclaim...

Whilst that would be useful anyway, it would not solve our need for PowerPoint integration.

Visiting speakers and missionaries often come with ppt or pptx presentations that need to be displayed. Without full integration the workflow would be to take the presentation, export slide images, import to Proclaim, re-insert all the transitions that the speaker wanted, and that's too error prone to be practical!  With integration we would simply import the presentation and be ready to go.

Cheers,
Simon 

well - what's the word?  if i am going to go through the trouble of building a complicated/animated PP, I want it to show as I designed.  I'm tired of inferior presentation products that hiccup on this integration.  I would also think as others have shared that outside presenters want their stuff shown as is - not dumbed down.

i also see that no one has address the post on Prezi.  this is the future or presentation (controlled flash animation) and I would hate to see you aim at the wrong target.  Prezi also offers online and desktop building and would seem to be a natural fit.

I say Shell but work out the kinks with UI and make sure the shell has room for prezi to fit in the glove.

if you don't people will eventually outgrow your product as they seek more customization and functionality.