Presenters and Producers can upload slide decks for their event in Webcast Elite. This article contains guidelines and troubleshooting tips, including design specifications for size, animations, transitions, and other presentation elements. The file type must be PowerPoint or PDF. Google Slides and Apple Keynotes must be converted to PDF format before uploading.
 

Slide Design Basics

Webcast Elite allows you to upload slides to your event, as part of your presentation.  Slide decks must be PowerPoint or PDF files.

Advancing Slides

Slide transitions are supported for PowerPoints (except for the MORPH transition exclusive to Office 365). 

Note: ALL transitions need to be set to On Mouse Click under Advance Slide.  The After box should remain unchecked. 

If there is an advance timing set, the slide will move automatically in your event - potentially interrupting the presenter flow.

Check each slide under the Transition tab in your PowerPoint to ensure there are no timings set.  

PowerPoint Animations

Many animations are allowed for PowerPoint decks.  The first Slide Animation must be set to Start on Click.

Unsupported Animations

*Supported on text element only

Slide Dimensions and Aspect Ratio

The slide dimensions are set by the Slides engagement tool in the console. For example, if the Slide tool is set to 640x480, the slide deck will be uploaded at those dimensions. Please check both the height and width are even numbers, or you may encounter problems during slide conversion.

We recommend that everything is finalized on your console and slide deck before uploading it to the console. Use the chart below as a guide to help you determine the proper size for your Slide engagement tool.

Common Slide Engagement Tool Dimensions

Avoid Using

• When saving slide decks, avoid using a period in the file's title (e.g., Sales Kickoff v.2).  Doing so will produce an error message when attempting to upload the slides as a resource to the Resource List engagement tool. Instead of using a period, add an underscore.
• Using PowerPoint and PDF in the same event is not recommended and may result in animation loss and image degradation. We suggest using one format only.
• Type size smaller than 20-point type
• Embellished fonts (text with shadows, angles, special effects, or highlighted)
• Textured or gradient backgrounds
• Slide numbering on the slide Header, Footer, or Master slide
• Slide Timings - slides should only be set to advance slide on mouse click

Tips to Maximize Legibility

• In PowerPoint, check the box for "Do Not compress images in the file" (File...Options...Advanced..Image Size and Quality)
• Use larger font sizes than you would typically (Click here to view the fonts we currently have installed)
• Use simple design elements and solid color blocks
• When needing to present complex graphs, large photos, or screenshots with fine details sharing your screen (using Screen Share ), instead of using a slide is your best option.

PDF Uploads

PDF files are supported and can be uploaded in the same area as PPT files in your event setup or overview page. 

Note: If using PDF, the conversion process to PDF will not maintain any animations, transitions, or animated GIFs. 

Converting Google Slides or Apple Keynote to PDF

Google Slides and Apple Keynotes cannot be uploaded to an event as is - they must be converted to a PDF first.  For help converting to PDF, click on the links below:

• Google Slides to PDF
• Apple Keynote to PDF

Note: When converting Google Slides or Apple Keynote to PDF, custom PDF fonts sometimes may not convert correctly. Try saving the PDF as Press Quality, which may resolve the issue. 
  

Troubleshooting

Under rare circumstances, if a slide deck gets stuck in the conversion process, the system will detect the conversion is stuck. Then, the system will automatically cancel the conversion and email the primary account holder to re-upload the slide deck.

Note: If there is an error when converting the slide deck, an alert will ask you to upload the deck again. A similar warning will also display within Elite Studio.
 

PowerPoint - Deck Flattening and Unselectable Objects

If an uploaded PowerPoint file is corrupted or damaged, the system will email the primary account email address and then re-upload the PowerPoint in a flattened state.  The most common reason for slide decks failing to upload is unselectable objects. The video below reviews deck flattening, what an unselectable item is, and how to find and correct them so your PowerPoint uploads correctly.

Note:  Our conversion servers have to select every slide element to convert them. You may need to reach out to Microsoft Support for help with unselectable content. If this is not addressed, all future attempts to upload this deck will result in the same problem.

• Flattening the slide deck will automatically remove animations - if you wish to keep the animations, you can fix the slide deck in PowerPoint and re-upload the slide deck.
• If you need help identifying the issue(s) with your slide deck, please submit a case for technical support and attach your slide deck to the ticket.
• Note: If your PowerPoint does not upload as expected, please do not continue to upload your PowerPoint as this will exacerbate the issue and prolong the time it takes to resolve. Please submit a case for technical support and attach your slide deck to the ticket so our team can assist you.