I host a monthly PowerPoint party in a bar. I get a little money from the bar owner, but it really is a labor of love. Does anyone here do host this? Participate in this? Attend this? either in a bar or at a friend's house. I have found that friend party powerpoints are often underwhelming because people aren't afraid of their friends getting up and walking out. And friend PPT parties can rely on in-jokes.

I mainly want funny topics such as: Dumb Things I did as a kid, why Society Expects men to ask women out, and Age Gaps in Relationships.

I will allow interesting, but not necessarily funny ones: alcohols ranked by environmental impact, why it matters in baseball if you are right or left handed. But I really want to encourage people to be funny.

I have done this for 2 years. Sometimes attendance is 50+ and it is hard to get a seat. The last one had 7 people.

Attracting presenters is always a struggle. Most of my presenters are aspiring comedians. And presenters flaking the day-of is a persistent issue. This last one, I was the only presenter, as the only other person I attracted flaked. And yeah, only 7 people in the audience.

I am frustrated that I cannot attract enough presenters, attendees, meanwhile, other PowerPoint events in my city seem to do really well. I wonder why? Also, it is frustrating to see so many people laughing their heads off, and never come back.

Here are other PowerPoint events in my city that do very well:

1. Science-on-Tap: This event is also monthly and really packs them in, standing room only. I have attended twice and the information presented was not new to me, and was dryly presented. The presenters are PhDs. I show people their list of topics, and most people say, "Those topics are really vague and uncompelling." Perhaps I underestimate how much people care about science.

2. Movie PowerPoints: This is part of a Movie Club, who do a variety of events, and their PowerPoint nights are sporadic and rare. The last one had about 80 people. I found it to be very dull, it is hard to imagine many people finding it interesting when a presenter just goes over the plot of a decades old foreign film and points out superficial similarities to modern action films. And their presentations are long, up to 30 minutes. Still, it is officially a film club, so the people are likely to be friends, or at least know each other.

3. Poetry night: This is monthly, and not even PowerPoint. They charge $20 admission, and even charge the poets to submit without any guarantee that they will be selected. It shocks me that they can attract 60 people each month.

4. Pitch-A-Friend: Where people "pitch" their friend, as in, why people should date them. I am not surprised that this is popular. People like dating. It is interactive. And it is encouraged to speak to the people being pitched.

Any experience with PowerPoint parties? Any suggestions? Does it seem like I am doing something wrong?

I advertise on instagram, craigslist, eventbrite, and occasionally I shell out $59 for an ad on a blog, which is a lot more than these other events do for advertising.

I feel like presentations need to have a dedicated subreddit (I couldn't find any good ones)

Like an entire niche msising on reddit. I'm not talking about creating slides or ai slide generator or powerpoint.

Like actual presentation tips, especially the tech part. Like why do most people fumble to operate their laptop during a presentation? It's like ppt is the only way to present, i feel that needs to change

I got fed up with the nonstop “AI builds your entire deck in 30 seconds” ads clogging my feed, so I spent weeks running the same standardized prompt through every major AI presentation tool on the market. Same topic, same expectations: real research, clean design, minimal post-editing, and output I’d actually feel confident presenting to clients or execs.
Every tool got the identical brief (“Create a 10-slide presentation on benefits of AI tools”). I scored them on design quality, how much manual cleanup was required afterward, logical flow across slides, research depth (real stats vs. generic fluff), export fidelity to editable PPTX, and whether the result felt like a professional deck or just another templated mess.
The winners (and why)
Gen͏PPT = Best overall in 2026 for research depth + professional substance
This one surprised me the most. Unlike tools that just remix generic bullet points, GenPPT actually researches the topic first (pulling current statistics, examples, and context using top-tier models like Gemini 3.1 Pro and Claude). It then structures everything into a logical narrative and spits out a complete, ready-to-edit native .pptx deck in well under 60 seconds.
In my tests it delivered the highest-quality content with real data and smooth flow. The built-in chat lets you refine specific slides or the whole deck without breaking context. It became the go-to for professionals who need decks that inform rather than just look pretty (pitch decks, strategy updates, investor memos).
Downsides: Template library is smaller (around 15 core professional options) and design customization is lighter than pure design tools. If you want maximum visual flair with zero effort, look elsewhere. But if substance + speed matters most, this is the one I’m still using daily.
Ga͏mma = Best for async sharing and modern web-style decks
Still excellent when you need something beautiful to send via link rather than present live. The scrollable, web-native format feels fresh in 2026 and works great for investor updates, internal reports, or team docs. Generation is lightning-fast (~45 seconds), the free plan remains generous (400 credits), and exports to PPTX/PDF/Google Slides have improved.
The only real friction is the chat-based editing, sometimes one change cascades further than intended. Great if your audience will consume it on their own time.
Pl****u͏s** AI = Best if your team lives inside Google Slides (or PowerPoint**)
Zero learning curve. It’s a native add-on that feels like it was always part of the app. You stay in your familiar environment, iterate quickly, and collaborate in real time. In 2026 the integration is smoother than ever and the output quality has improved, though it still doesn’t match GenPPT or Gamma for creative control or research depth.
Ideal for companies already deep in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
Ca͏nva = Best when you already live in Canva and want endless templates
You probably already have it. The template library is still massive, Magic Studio AI features are solid, and exports are flexible (including video). It’s not purpose-built for presentations the way the others are, it’s a full design platform that happens to do slides extremely well. Great for marketers who want maximum visual variety and brand assets in one place.
The ones you can skip
Beauti͏ful AI templates still look a bit dated in 2026, and the AI content generation feels underwhelming compared to the price ($45/mo Pro). Strong brand controls, but for that cost I expect better substance and less manual polishing.
Gemin****i͏** Canvas ha*s zero meaningful visual control, inconsistent quality, and it requires heavy prompt engineering to get anything usable. Only worth it if you’re already paying for Google AI Pro and refuse to try anything else.
Slid͏esAI is cheap (~$10–16/mo) but you truly get what you pay for. Basic text-to-slide conversion with generic visuals. Expect significant cleanup on every deck.
Pr͏ezi ... So the zoomable storytelling canvas is still genuinely cool for narrative-driven presentations, and AI has improved. However, the learning curve is real and it’s not ideal for traditional linear decks. (Note: PPTX export is now available, which helps.)
The niche picks
Pi͏tch - Best for sales teams that need engagement analytics + CRM integration
Still the gold standard in 2026 for deal rooms and client-facing decks. Real-time collaboration, version history, and detailed viewer analytics (who viewed what and for how long) are legitimately useful. HubSpot and other CRM integrations make it a no-brainer for revenue teams. Pitch Rooms remain one of the smartest features in the category.
Chro͏*nicle - Best for high-stakes, story-first professional decks
This one has leveled up significantly with its major 2026 AI update. It’s use-case aware (pitch decks, board decks, strategy memos, investor updates) and focuses on narrative structure before visuals. The freeform canvas + powerful AI editing gives you fine-grained control without the usual “AI slop.” Great diagrams, on-brand consistency, and interactive elements make it shine for boardroom or client presentations where storytelling credibility matters. PPTX export is now solid.
TL;DR Which tool should you actually pick in May 2026?
Need research-backed quality + speed + editable PPTX: GenPPT (my current daily driver)

Sharing async / modern web-style decks: Gamma

Team already lives in Google Slides: Plus AI

Maximum templates & design freedom: Canva

Sales team with engagement tracking & CRM: Pitch

Tight budget (and okay with cleanup): SlidesAI

Heavy Google AI user who won’t pay extra: Gemini Canvas (barely)

Boardroom / high-stakes storytelling with full control: Chronicle

Happy to answer questions if anyone's deciding between specific tools.

ok so

how do I make it so that you just start playing the game without needing to go to the PowerPoint and clicking "start the presentation"

and also how do I make it so that you can ONLY use the mouse? with out the arrow keys being active

and is there a way to make a PowerPoint game be playable in browsers?

For years, the gold standard in PowerPoint was the McKinsey/BCG/Bain look. Dense slides, action titles, perfect alignment, built by some designer in India...

Now:

• McKinsey's Lilli generates slides from prompts
• BCG's Deckster auto-polishes decks
• Tools like Deckary bring waterfall and Marimekko charts to anyone for $50/yr

Meanwhile, 2026 design trends are pulling the opposite way. Bento grids, huge typography, one insight per slide. More Apple keynote, less consulting report.

• Are you still building in the classic consulting style, or have you moved on?
• For anyone using Copilot or AI deck toolsis the output actually usable, or still 80% rework?

Curious?🤔

just asking

i installed a font with all 9 weights. they show up on other design apps but for some reason PowerPoint only shows 4: normal, italic and italic bold. I haven't been able to fix this. Why am i fighting a design app that costs 100€ a year to add FONT WEIGHTS. IT'S FONT WEIGHTS OMG. does anyone know how to fix this?

Pretty much the title.

I somehow ended up in consulting after a tech stint, but I’ve never been good at making clean or good looking slides. Now after seeing other interns decks, mine honestly looks terrible in comparison.

My final review is in 2 days, so realistically I’m not going to learn slide design from scratch.

Are there any repositories, standard templates, or websites you guys rely on? Or any AI tools that actually help without making it super obvious it’s AI generated shit?

I tried Claude, it’s decent, but you can tell immediately it’s AI. It gives template but I am horrible with the info graphics and alignment ideas.

Would really appreciate any help here.

I am one of those who can't speak a word without notes. I had a very embarrassing encounter today when I shared my screen to a bigger screen in the room; with an offline audience, I also had some folks join via a Teams meeting online. I usually just select share a ppt and have my notes opened to the side, which is not visible to the viewers online, but since I was connected with HDMI, the bigger screen in the room had my notes visible. I had to basically turn off notes and just made a complete mess of my presentation because I didn't remember a damn thing.

I’m building a pipeline that tales structured data (financials) and populates PPTX templates. If I dont template the output becomes too varied.

Hit a few walls: chart XML manipulation breaks easily, replace data resets formatting, think-cell charts are a night mare to strcipt againts, not following rules.

Curious what works for others:
\- best library approach for chart data updates without losing styling?
\- Anyone using a templating layer instead of direct python-pptx?
\- For multi-step generation (data > narrative > slide), are you orchestrating with agents and skills or just sequential scripts?
\- Any pitfalls I should know about before scaling slide creation?

Mostly only python-pptx today. Open to switching tools if there’s something better.

Thanks! Really appreciate all the help!

I seem to have run into the problem of having too many animations in the same place and at the same time.

The troublesome slide in rest state

https://preview.redd.it/7lqa6t2lk40h1.png?width=1394&format=png&auto=webp&s=d94afb9ae133dab856e7e6cfa5bfa76c1c8b3703

The main goal of the slide is to both have the animations of all the magazines' enlargement that occurs on the click of their miniature version:

https://preview.redd.it/fd209u9mk40h1.png?width=1394&format=png&auto=webp&s=c9fa0612a0b0607c75759559315217271871b9a5

And the information leaflet that appears when the "?" button is clicked:

Arrow buttons for navigation, the \"x\" for closing, pretty basic.

At this point, the animation panel becomes crowded due to the sheer amount of dependencies for each piece of text, but to simplify the chain:

text 1 > (upon clicking arrow 1 -> text 1 gets the wipe exit anim. to the left, text appears 2 with wipe entry to the left and a 0.25 sec delay, arrows 2 & 3 appear:

Arrow 2 to the right, arrow 3 to the left

If you click arrow 3 : arrow 2 gets the simple "Disappear" animation, arrow 3 disappears as well, text 2 has the wipe exit animation to the right, text 1 appears with wipe to the right side with the 0.25 sec delay.

The same principle is applied to the remainder of the text entries and, on it's own, works wonderfully.

However, that's where the issue shows itself.
The area covered by the text and/or image background is no longer clickable, meaning, the user can no longer interact with the miniature magazines (the ones overlapped by the photo/text at least) (could not capture it, unfortunately, without not loosing the cursor image).

My best guess was because the text blocks appear only after a requisite or requisites have been fulfilled, so they just... linger there.
I drew the conclusion from having made another slide, where upon clicking the book, a bigger version of it appears. On this slide, both the images and the text blocks are directly over the bookshelf, yet they are all tied to the relative book and need no chain of events to appear/disappear.

slide at rest

upon clicking the blue book

I have tried putting text into "Text box" and "Rectangle" with and without fill, but that did not yield any result.

My question is: is there any way of "fixing" the interactability of the first slide without having to resort to the separation of the animation blocks onto two different slides?

If needed, I can provide more information in the text/image format of the issue! Sorry in advance for the potentially incomprehensible phrasing, as English is not my mother tongue and I have never had the necessity to make such a long and detailed issue post previously.

Can someone help me? I made a project on Canva, the bare bones of pages that were going to be duplicated and hyperlinked on PowerPoint. Transferred it from Canva to PowerPoint, no problem. I got through the entire project, which had over 1,200 pages and many hyperlinks. The project is done, and I'm ready to export it from PowerPoint as a PDF that preserves the hyperlinks, but it won't do it. i keep getting an error exporting file as PDF: AN error occurred in the online service. Please try again later. I tried everything. I am also working on a Mac running the latest software: Tahoe 26.4.1 and the latest PowerPoint.

- opening it on PowerPoint online and downloading from there, but it won't do it.

-Try printing as a PDF (this works, but all the hyperlinks go away)

- I tried opening it up on a Windows computer and exporting as a PDF there, and it won't even download.

- making a copy of the project to a new project to root out any corruptions, and it still won't work.

I don't know what else to do anymore. In my file, it says the project is 23.2MB

If you’ve ever spent an hour building a presentation and thought “why is this taking so long,” there’s a good chance the issue isn’t your content... it’s the constant clicking you’re doing to add new slides. That’s where the Ctrl + M shortcut steps in. It’s one of PowerPoint’s simplest but most effective efficiency tools, quietly keeping you in the creative flow.

Below is a full walkthrough of why this shortcut is a game-changer and how it behaves in real-world deck building.

The "Clicking" Trap

Manually navigating to the "Home" or "Insert" tab just to find and click the "New Slide" button might only take a few seconds, but those seconds add up. Every time you move your hand from the keyboard to the mouse, you break your typing momentum and slow down your creative process.

The Solution: Instant Slide Insertion

The fastest way to add a slide isn't through a menu... it's through your keyboard. By using a simple key combination, you can build your deck without ever breaking your stride.

• The Shortcut: Pressing Ctrl + M instantly inserts a new slide into your presentation.
• The Placement: The new slide is added immediately after your currently selected slide, typically adopting the layout of the slide before it.

This ensures that the "flow" of your work remains uninterrupted, allowing you to focus on the story you're telling rather than the software you're using.

To see this shortcut in action with a guided walkthrough, take a look at the video I made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbhXapstCf8&list=PLju7Zi4M1O9b5-VRfN4ykQvFoOM_sq6QP&index=17

Are there any other shortcuts you love using or find intriguing?

I have a presentation wherein there are multiple video slides all of which are set to loop until stopped. The issue I am facing is that when I go back to a previous video slide, the video doesn't start automatically although it has been set to start automatically. Is there any way to fix this?