A Powerpoint presentation is usually viewed as a slideshow, which guides us on a specific path through the information presented.
These days, more than ever, we need to share files remotely, either by email or by publishing on the Web.
This can cause issues with Powerpoint: the file can be too large if there is a lot of content or the recipient may not be able to open it because they do not have the Powerpoint application.
To get around this, we can Save As a Powerpoint show or, even better, as a PDF.
A Powerpoint show is a file that automatically runs as a slideshow.
A PDF (Portable Document Format) turns the slideshow into a document with a much smaller file size.
Open the Powerpoint file and press F12 for Save As.
Tab to Save as Type and press the down arrow to find the PDF or Powerpoint Show (ppsx).
Press Enter on the relevant format.
It will be saved in the same location with the same name but as a different format. You can change the name and location in the Save As dialogue if needed by using Tab and Shift + Tab.
F12 can be used to Save As in most applications, and can be much simpler than going through the menus for Saving.
Note: The accessibility of the slideshow for screen reader users, and the resulting PDF or PPS accessiblility, depends on how well structured the slides are. This is the responsibility of the slideshow creator.
Follow this excellent link on Powerpoint Accessibility from WebAIM to learn more.
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