Let's take a closer look at the Prezi online editor and the various tools available to you.
Go to http://www.prezi.com and log in to your Prezi account. You should see your first project in your Prezi library. The Prezi library will contain all the presentations you create in Prezi. In the following example, you can see that I have 35 prezis. At this point, you should have at least one; your first project. Click on your first Prezi project then click on EDIT to launch the Prezi online editor:
Look at the editing tools located on the top menu of your screen. There are 3 icons: Frames & Arrows, Insert, and Template.
Click on Frames & Arrows and then look at the choices in the drop-down menu. Clicking on the first one, + Add Frames, adds a bracket frame on your canvas. The other options are: Draw Bracket Frame, Draw Circle Frame, Draw Rectangular Frame, and Draw Invisible Frame. Use frames to group elements connected to an idea you are presenting. Sometimes, visible frames add an element of interest. Other times, you may find a frame to be distracting, and using an invisible frame may be the better option. The page will look like the following screenshot:
Arrows, lines, and the highlighter are tools you can use to help focus attention on a word or an image. Click on Draw arrow, Draw line, or Highlighter to use any of these tools.
Prezi makes it easy for you to insert items into your presentation. You can insert images, symbols and shapes, diagrams, YouTube videos, music, files, and pre-existing PowerPoint slides. The page will look like the following screenshot:
The third item on the Insert drop-down menu is Diagram... as shown in the following screenshot:
Click on Diagram... and study the different options from the window that pops up. The page will look like the following screenshot:
Diagrams are most useful for showing relationships between ideas. A diagram may have two or more frames. Scroll down to see more options. Look for the Iceberg as shown in the following screenshot:
The Iceberg is great for illustrating your point if you mean to show what the tip of an issue may seem to be and the bigger issue that may be hidden. Look at the other diagrams that are available that you can use to present your ideas visually.
The fourth item on the Insert drop-down menu is YouTube video.... Prezi makes it easy to insert a video in your presentation. These videos will play automatically within your presentation. To insert a video, first look for a YouTube video you want to insert on a different browser window. Copy the web address of this video. Then, return to Prezi. While on edit mode, click on Insert. Select YouTube video... as shown in the following screenshot:
A window will pop up. Paste the YouTube link in the textbox and hit Insert as shown in the following screenshot:
Give it a few seconds to load. Remember to place your video within a frame or to add a path to it so it will play during your presentation. The video will play automatically once you reach the frame or path in which the video is located. It will be a good idea, however, to go through your whole Prezi at least ten minutes before your presentation so that your videos will have time to download. This way, your video will play seamlessly when you present. Then sit back, relax, and watch!
The fifth item on the Insert drop-down menu is Add Background Music.... Adding background music can enhance your presentation, especially if you plan on making the Prezi available for an audience to view at their convenience. If you want to add music, click on Insert and select Add Background Music... as shown in the following screenshot:
A window will pop up showing files on your hard drive. Select the song or sound file you wish to add as shown in the following screenshot:
Once you have selected a file, give it a few seconds to load. You should see the music file being loaded right below the Edit Path button. Click on the play button to listen. Click on Done once you're satisfied that this is the sound file you wanted, as shown in the following screenshot:
If you picked the wrong file or changed your mind, go to your editing tools and click on Insert. Select Replace Background Music... and locate the right file from your hard drive.
Once you are satisfied with the sound file you have selected, click on Present and see how it works!
The seventh item on the Insert drop-down menu is From file (PDF, video).... There are times when you may want to show a document during your presentation. Perhaps it is a form that the audience needs to be familiar with, or it could be a work sample that you want to show. In any case, you can upload documents in many different formats including a portable document file (PDF), videos (.mov, .m4v), and images (.jpg, .tiff). To add a file from your hard drive, click on Insert then select From file (PDF, video)... as shown in the following screenshot:
Locate the file you wish to embed in your presentation. Once you have selected the correct file, allow a few seconds for it to load. You should see a grey window with the word Processing as shown in the following screenshot:
You will soon find the document embedded in your presentation. The document is shown as an image within the Prezi.
To crop, relocate, resize, or delete this image, click on the image to access the edit tools. The page will look like the following screenshot:
What if you have already created a PowerPoint presentation and you don't want to start from scratch? With Prezi, you have the option to upload a presentation you have previously created. Simply click on the last item on the Insert menu, which is PowerPoint..., as shown in the following screenshot:
Locate the specific presentation from your hard drive. Give it a few minutes to process. You should see the contents in your slides appear on the right-hand side of your screen as shown in the following screenshot:
Notice that the text elements have been uploaded, but not the PowerPoint theme or layout. The theme or layout that will be followed will be the one you have chosen for your Prezi. Once uploaded, you can insert selected slides or Insert All.... Click on Insert All.... Once you click, you'll see a window of suggestions for laying out your slides as shown in the following screenshot:
You will have several options of layouts to choose from. Remember to check Add a path between your slides. Then, click on Insert. You'll see a temporary layout on your canvas. If this is as you want it to be, click on the check mark. Otherwise, click on the x mark and start over. After the slides have been embedded, edit the path to your satisfaction. The page will look like the following screenshot:
Now let us go to the third editing tool: Template. When you click on Template, a window of options will pop up with Themes. You are already familiar with Themes. This time, click on Customize Current Theme.... The theme wizard will look like the following screenshot:
You can customize the look of your presentation using the Theme Wizard. The first item you can change is the background color. Select the color you prefer from the color palette. Click on Next to access the options for changing font styles and color. Click on Next again to access the options for changing the color of frames, arrows, and lines. Once you are satisfied, click on Done. The page will look like the following screenshot:
Now it's time to create your second Prezi project using a template! Implement the following steps:
- Go to http://prezi.com.
- Log on with your username and password.
- Click on New Prezi.
- Select one template from the options given. Try Reach the Goal, or any other template you like, as shown in the following screenshot:
- Wait for Prezi Editor to launch as shown in the following screenshot:
- Start editing your new Prezi. The page will look like the following screenshot:
- When you're done, click on Exit.
Before we leave the Prezi online editor, look over at the top-right menu. There are three buttons you may wish to be familiar with: a list, Share, and Exit. Click on the list button to find all sorts of support materials such as a manual and video tutorials, as shown in the following screenshot:
The last button is Exit. Click on this whenever you are done editing your work.
The middle button, Share, leads to more awesome Prezi features as shown in the following screenshot:
From the top-right menu, clicking on Share will give you several options for sharing your presentation with others. You can invite others to edit your presentation, start an online presentation, and download a copy of your presentation that you can use if you want to present offline.
Click on Invite to edit if you would like to collaborate with others in real time. When you click on Invite to edit, you will get a link for you to share with your collaborators. They will be able to access and edit your Prezi using this link. The page looks like the following screenshot:
While collaborating, you will see avatars moving around the screen representing each collaborator. There can be up to 10 collaborators. The page looks like the following screenshot:
Click on the second item from the Share menu when you want to Present online. When you click on this button, you will get a link that you can send to your audience so that you can present in real time, and they will see the presentation on their screen even if they are in a separate geographic location from you. The page looks like the following screenshot:
You have control of this presentation. This means your viewers will see what you want them to see. In this way, Prezi is ideal to use for presenting at a distance or during conference calls. You can send the link to your audience and present your Prezi while you're speaking through the phone or through the Internet in real time. They can zoom around and move forward or back, but once you click on a specific frame, it reverts back to the frame that you want them to see. While you're presenting, you will see how many guests are viewing your presentation at the same time. There will also be an indicator that you are the one presenting. You will see these indicators at the bottom of your presentation screen as shown in the following screenshot:
If you want to have a hard copy of your Prezi project, you may want to save it in portable document format (PDF). To do so, click on the third item on the Share menu, Download PDF, as shown in the following screenshot:
Give it a few seconds to process, then select Save PDF. Make a note of the file name and location where you are saving your file so that you can find it. The page will look like the following screenshot:
There are many options for you to choose from once you're done editing your Prezi. Go back to your Prezi library and click on your first project. If you're in edit mode, click on the door button to exit. Take note of the buttons following the presentation: Edit prezi, Present online, Download, Save a copy, and Share as shown in the following screenshot:
The first button is for editing your Prezi. When you click on Edit Prezi, the Prezi online editor is launched and you can make changes to your presentation.
Click on the second button when you want to present online. When you click on this button, you will get a link that you can send to your audience so you can present in real time and they will see the presentation on their screens.
Sometimes, you may not be sure that you will have Internet access during your presentation. To make sure that you have a Prezi to present with, you may want to download a portable copy. You can either export to portable Prezi or download your presentation to Prezi Desktop (using Prezi Desktop is beyond the scope of this book) as shown in the following screenshot:
To present offline on a PC or Mac, click on Download then select the tab labeled Presenting. Click on the blue button, Download portable prezi. Give a few seconds for packaging your downloadable Prezi. The page will look like the following screenshot:
You will be informed when your Prezi is ready to be downloaded. Click on the link to download the file as shown in the following screenshot:
This action will create a folder within your desktop with a Prezi file. Click on the Prezi file to view your presentation offline. This is a portable Prezi. Portable Prezis will play offline. However, it cannot be edited. If there are embedded YouTube videos within a portable Prezi, these will not play unless there is an Internet connection.
The fourth button is for saving a copy of your Prezi. This copy is saved online. You may opt to do this when you want to make changes on a presentation but you're not sure that you would like the changes. If you create a copy, then you're assured of having the original to revert back to in case the changes you made in the copy are not to your liking. The second file will have the words Copy of before the original title as shown in the following screenshot:
You can invite others to view your Prezi asynchronously by clicking on the Share button and selecting the option for Viewing. When you select this option, you will get a web address that you can e-mail to your viewers. When your viewers click on this link, they will be able to see your Prezi presentation. They can move forward or back, or zoom in and out of this presentation in their own time (not real time or synchronous such as in a Prezi meeting). The page will look like the following screenshot:
There are times, however, that you might want to invite collaborators to edit a particular Prezi presentation along with you in real time. Click on Share and select Editing. Copy the link and send it to your collaborators. Or, click on Email and add e-mail addresses to send your Prezi to. Your collaborators will need to log in or sign up for Prezi in order to edit the document with you.
Sharing a Prezi is great not only for co-creating a presentation, but also for brainstorming in real time. Think of it as an online, virtual whiteboard on which your team can write notes and draw figures in real time while discussion is going on, whether face-to-face in a meeting room or collaborating through a telephone conference. Take advantage of the various templates and diagrams available on Prezi and use them for mind mapping ideas. Try it in your next company meeting.
If you have a free Prezi account, all your work is automatically available to the public. If you have a Prezi Enjoy or a Prezi Pro account, your default setting will be private. People will not be able to see your presentation unless you have shared a link with them or you're presenting in person. To make your Prezi more accessible to others, change your privacy setting to Public. To do this, click on the button that says Private at the bottom of your presentation and select your preferred privacy state as shown in the following screenshot:
Finally, if you have created a Prezi that makes you cringe and you absolutely wish to get rid of it, don't you worry for a second! Just click on the trash can button next to the privacy setting button and your presentation will be gone. If you hit the trash can button by mistake, you'll have one chance to cancel. The page will look like the following screenshot:
