Most of that auto-this and that junk can be turned off. We'd be happy to
explain how; all you have to do is ask. Turning down the attitude a bit would
help ensure a faster and more complete response.

Ok... I am asking... How do I turn that master thing off? How do I set up
PPT2003 so I can get a plain blank slide when I use the keyboard shortcut?

Unfortunately, it'll always give you a Title + Text slide. That's one of the
things you can't turn off (although it'd be possible to create a macro that adds a
new slide of any type you like automatically).

You *should* be able to delete the shapes from the master slide and have PPT
respect that, but it doesn't. That's a pain. F6 will take you to the Slide Layout
tab if it's open, though, so you *can* change the new slide back to a blank layout
w/o having to leave the keyboard.

Alternatively, guesstimate how many new slides you want to add, add one blank one
then make as many copies of it as you need (easiest in Slide Sorter view).

Flash is great for what it does but as you point out, it has a learning curve.
PowerPoint lets you create simple presentations w/o having to climb too far but
if you want to create something special, it has its own learning curve to
scramble around on.


If PPT lets you create simple presentations... Isn't a plain blank slide the
simplest thing?

Perhaps. But it's not what somebody creating the average business presentation is
going to want. There are always tradeoffs. PowerPoint makes it simple to do the
basic stuff and doesn't get too badly in the way for more complex tasks.

Flash seems to be t'other way around. You can do some utterly *amazing* things
with it but how long would it take a newbie to learn how to put together half a
dozen word slides with a stock background? Longer than PPT, I'd guess.

I don't really know ... not a Flash user, just someone who'll occasionally spend
hours on the net tracking down flash movies because they're so much *fun*, some of
them. ( http://whitehouseanimationinc.com/kunstbar.htm fractures me btw)

Flash and PPT are designed for different users; what appeals to one may get in the
way of the other or leave the other staring at a blank screen w/o a clue what to do
next.



Thanks

-----------------------------------------
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================




-----------------------------------------
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================