How to use Apple’s Keynote presentation tool

Take your presentation skills to the next level by getting to grips with Apple’s slideshow tool

KEYNOTE IS THE THIRD application in Apple’s iWork suite of tools. And of the three, it’s the one that’s probably most viable as an alternative to its Microsoft rival. While Pages is a very different beast to Word, and Numbers is not considered to be a serious rival to Excel in business use, Keynote can go toe–to– toe with PowerPoint, albeit with Apple’s unique focus on slick design.

Keynote’s interface is similar to those in Pages and Numbers and uses many of the same tools in the Inspector (the sidebar on the right). If you followed our guides to the first two applications, then Keynote will feel very familiar. You start by choosing a template, then add your own words, pictures, and videos to customize it for your own needs. Templates can be either 16:9 widescreen, or 4:3 for use with old school projectors.

While built as a traditional slide presentation creator, Keynote can also be used to create animated videos. Presentations can be standalone kiosk– style, timed, or controlled by the presenter. And they can be delivered to a screen, in a file, or as an online live presentation. Over the next few pages, we’ll walk you through creating your first Keynote presentation, then show you some neat tips to make it stand out.