Optimal digi-slide show methods

[simonpg]

I'm hoping someone here has experience in setting up and running digital slide shows - Using a laptop to run a slide show presentation with a projector on a large screen.

I have been asked to do a presentation/talk at a local photography club, which is relatively new and gifts its annual profits to a community charity.

I will be presenting a topic that will include some words as well as many pictures.

So, I am planning to do this with MS PowerPoint - slides with pictures (scanned 6x6, XPan and 35mm images) as well as some written material.

MY QUESTIONS ARE:

Is PowerPoint the optimal software to use for presenting the photos?

If not, what is and why?

What is the optimal resolution / compression to use?

I plan to size the images to enable the viewers to see the relative size comparison of the various formats.

Would using PS Elements for the slide show present the images in a better quality manner versus using MS PowerPoint?

Thanks for taking the time to help.

Simon.

 

[wbulte]

I'm hoping someone here has experience in setting up and running digital slide shows - Using a laptop to run a slide show presentation with a projector on a large screen.

I
Simon.

Simon,

What I would do as someone who on a semi-regular basis does business (Powerpoint) presentations: get hold of that darn projector you will be using. Then do some inhouse testing using the PC/laptop you will be using "live".

I have been bitten far too often by projectors that just did not want to work with my laptop (and I used a few, trust me..), gave horrendous color rendering (yellow-brown can sure be rendered in red or??) etc.

I would think that the projector is key to you getting what you want. Not PPT versus PS-Elements, the projector can (and likely will...) fubar things if you have not tested it before. As for resolution, most projectors do not have an all too grandiose resolution. Keep in mind most are designed for PPT poisoning (== presenting silly pie charts from business apps like Excel). Color rendering quality or resolution is not key there.

Wilko

 

[simonpg]

Thanks Wilko.

Yes I agree with you about PPT and darn projectors.... especially when using a PC (laptop or other). The PCs seem never to b e able to sync with the projector's resolution etc.

However, since we dumped PC notebooks (due to physical reliability issues (hard drives, motherboards etc) no matter what brand of PC, and now moved over to Apple notebooks, everyone I work with says that wherever they go and use clients' projectors, the Mac sorts our the settings itself and no stress is caused!

I suppose the answer is that PPT or PS Elements makes no difference?

 

[polypal]

Simon,

The wonders of modern technology never stop to amaze me.
Especially modern technology that sorts out any compatibility problems itself.

I just had a perfect sample of that at home. Amazingly machines that give the impression they can actually think and have some form of intelligence.

Paul