Creating Slide Shows

When creating a presentation in Canvas X Draw, you can save the presentation in two ways:

• Canvas X file (.CVX): If you save it as a .CVX file, the presentation can be opened by another Canvas X user.
• Canvas X Slide Show (.EXE): An .EXE file is a self-running application that can only be executed on a Windows platform. You don’t need Canvas X Draw to run this file. (See To Play the Slide Show (.EXE).)

Remember to first save your presentation as a Canvas X file so you can make changes to the original file and view the presentation on either platform.

To Create a Slide Show:

1. Choose File | New and select Presentation as the Type of Document.
2. Use the Document Layout palette to add slides, layers, and specify various options that affect how the slide show is played. (See Using the Document Layout Palette and Slide Options.)
3. Open the Slide Show palette by choosing Layout | Slide Show. (See Slide Show Palette.)

Slide Show Palette

You’ll need to access the Slide Show palette if you want to build a slide show or view a slide show. Choose Layout | Slide Show to open the palette. This is a floating palette that can be kept open to create, configure, and play slide shows.

Slide Show Palette Options

Fit to screen	Reduces or enlarges the document’s slides so they fit within the screen area of the system used to play the slide show. Canvas X Draw calculates a scaling factor based on the size of the system’s monitor and the resolution setting.
Loop	Causes the slide show to play continuously until you interrupt it. When Canvas X Draw reaches the end of the document, it begins the slide show from the first slide.
Show Pointer	Displays a pointer on screen during playback. Enable this option and select the pointer from the pop-up menu. You can control the pointer with the mouse during the slide show, so you can indicate important items in the presentation.
Advance Every _ Seconds	Makes the slide show self-running by advancing from one slide to another after a specified interval, without any intervention from the operator. Enter the number of seconds in the text box. The exact timing between slides depends on the speed of the system used for playback and the complexity of the illustrations.
Progressive Build	The Progressive Build option in this palette will allow you to play a self-running slide show either layer by layer or slide by slide. While playing your self-running show, you also have the option to control the progression of each slide in the show. (See To Play the Side Show (.EXE).)
Anti-Aliased Play Quality	Select this option to anti-alias (smooth) vector and text objects during playback. If you select “Vector Quality: Anti Aliased” in the Configuration Center, Canvas X Draw will anti-alias objects in your documents except when playing slide shows.
Build Slide Show	Opens the Save As dialog box. Enter the name of the document in the file name field. Ensure that the (.EXE) extension is kept.

Another way to begin this process is to choose File | Save As. If you choose this method, then your presentation will use the options that have been set in the Slide Show palette.

Adding Speaker Notes

If you are presenting a slide show, speaker notes can help you remember important points of discussion. You can also create these notes for your audience. Each slide can have its own set of speaker notes.

To create a slide show and have access to the Slide Show palette, ensure that you select Presentation as the document type.

To view the speaker notes while showing the slide show, your presentation must be in .CVX format. You must also select Show Speaker Notes in the Slide Show palette.

To Create Speaker Notes:

1. Select the Speaker Notes tool.

   The cursor changes to a crosshair.

2. Click the crosshair in the slide area. A Speaker Notes object appears with a gray circle that indicates that no notes have been entered.

3. Double-click on the Speaker Note graphic to open the Speaker Note dialog box.

   

4. Enter the text in the dialog box and click OK when you have finished. The circle turns green indicating that the Speaker Note contains text.

You can also enter text in the field that appears in the Properties bar when the Speaker Notes tool is selected. Click Create. The Speaker Notes object appears in the upper left corner of the layout area.

You can update or delete the text at any time by selecting the Speaker Notes object and updating the text in the field that appears in the Properties bar. Click in the layout area to deselect the Speaker Notes object. The text is updated.

If you delete the Speaker Notes object, any text that it contains will be deleted.

To Play a Slide Show That Contains Speaker Notes:

1. Choose Layout | Slide Show to open the Slide Show palette.
2. Deselect the Fit to screen checkbox. If this option is selected, the Speaker Notes will not be visible.
3. Click the Play button. The slide show appears on the left side of the screen and the Speaker Notes on the right side.

Displaying a Slide Show on Two Monitors

In order to use this function, you must have the necessary hardware to support two monitors. Refer to your system documentation.

If using two monitors, Canvas X Draw displays the slide show on the full screen of the primary monitor. The slide show and speaker notes are shown in normal view on the secondary monitor.

If you do not know which monitor is primary and secondary, use the Display Options in the Control Panel.

Slide Options

In the Options dialog box, you can define slide properties such as names and transitions. To access the Options dialog box, open the Document Layout palette (Layout | Document Layout). Then open the palette menu and select Options.

To Set Slide Transitions:

You can set transitions for the current slide or multiple slides. To apply a transition effect to multiple slides, select the slides in the Document Layout palette and open the Options dialog box as previously explained.

1. To use a transition effect (such as Dissolve or Iris In), select Transition to next slide. If you do not select this option, the slides simply appear in sequence.
2. Select a transition effect in the pop-up menu. If there are options for the transition effect, the Options button is available. Click the button to open the Transition Options dialog box.
3. In the Transition Options dialog box, drag the slider to adjust the transition speed from Min (slowest) to Max (fastest). Select a Direction (if available) and then click OK to return to the Options dialog box.
4. To preview the transition effect, click Try.

5. Click OK in the Options dialog box to apply the settings to the selected slides.

   Once you have finished setting your options, you are ready to save your presentation as either a Canvas X file (.CVX) or Canvas X Slide Show (.EXE).

Remember to first save your presentation as a Canvas X file so you can make changes to the original file and view the presentation on either platform.

6. Choose File | Save As to open the Save As dialog box.
7. Enter a name in the File Name field.
8. Select either .CVX or Canvas X Slide Show (.EXE) for the file format.
9. Click Save.

Viewing Slide Shows

Canvas X Presentations that are saved as Canvas X files (.CVX) can be viewed within Canvas X Draw. When you play a Canvas X Presentation, Canvas X Draw displays the document’s slides in order, using the specified transition timing and effects.

A presentation slide show can be set to automatic mode, in which the slide show plays once and stops or repeats continuously. Slide changes also can be controlled by an operator. Canvas X Draw can show slides using a time interval that you specify, or you can control the pace by clicking the mouse to switch to the next slide whenever you are ready.

To Play a Slide Show in Canvas X (.CVX):

1. Choose File | Open and find the Canvas X Presentation document (.CVX).
2. Choose Layout | Slide Show to view the Slide Show palette.
3. Click Play on the palette. If Advance Every _ Seconds is selected, Canvas X Draw changes slides at the specified interval. Otherwise, click to change slides. Ctrl-click to go back one slide.
4. To stop the slide show, right-click.

While playing a Slide Show within Canvas X Draw, you may view each layer in reverse order. To do this, you must press Ctrl+Shift and click the mouse.

To Play the Slide Show (.EXE):

If the slide show was saved as an .EXE file, you can view it as a self-running application on a Windows platform.

1. To run the program, locate the application (.EXE).
2. Then double-click the icon or right-click and select Open from the context menu. The slide show will open.
3. Now right-click on the screen to access the Slide Player menu. This gives you various options for playing back your slide show using your mouse and keyboard.
   • Quit: Exits the slide show.
   • Next Slide: Advances to the next slide.
   • Previous Slide: Goes back one slide.
   • First Slide: Goes to the beginning of the slide show.
   • Last Slide: Goes to the end of the slide show.
   • Toggle Playing: Alternates between playing the slide show or pausing the slide show.
   • Toggle Full Screen: Alternates between a full-screen presentation and a window-sized presentation.

To view the slides in reverse order, Ctrl-click the mouse. To advance the viewing of the show, Alt-click the mouse.

Slide Show Menu Bar

If you choose to view a window-sized presentation, at the top of the window is a menu bar that basically has the same functions as the Slide Player menu, except for the Slide Show Properties and Thumbnails option.

Click on the Slide Show Properties button to open the Slide Show Properties dialog box. Use these options to control how the slide show is presented.

If you want the slide show to loop while playing, you must select both Play in loop and Auto advance every _ sec and enter a number in the field. Otherwise, you’ll have to click the mouse to advance the slides.

See also:

• Using the Document Layout Palette