People often ask why I love PowerPoint so much, and I always say it’s the versatility of the program.
Over the years, PowerPoint has come a long way, from its humble and somewhat clunky beginnings. There are now so many things that can be achieved solely with the use of PowerPoint, without having to resort to other programs such as Illustrator or Photoshop for example.
Some of my favourite features are new while others have been around for a long time. However, they are as relevant today as they were when they were first introduced.
For this blog post, I have selected features that over the years have made a huge impact on the way I work in PowerPoint and that also save a lot of time.
So, without further ado, here are my top favourite PowerPoint features:
- The guides
- Merge shapes
- Screen recording
- Cameo
- Eyedropper/colour picker
1. The Guides
It’s the very first thing I do when I open up a fresh presentation. When you have a blank canvas to work with you need to set up a layout grid, something that will help with the layout of all your slides.



You get the idea. This will work with any layout grid and you can vary it across the presentation as I have done above.
2. The Merge Shapes Tool
Is it just me that cannot live without this tool? When it was first introduced, I was overjoyed as it meant that many of the tasks I was performing in Illustrator could now be done in PowerPoint – right there on the slide, without having to leave the program. Not only that, they made it so easy to use that I was actually saving time.
I use it to create new shapes, and icons, and to turn text into shapes. The possibilities are endless, you’re only bound by your imagination.

3. Screen Recording
This is another very handy addition to the program which I like to use for demonstrations, either to show a colleague how to do something or as part of an instruction pack for clients. While it’s not as sophisticated as a program such as Wondershare DemoCreator (which has all the bells and whistles), it does do the job of recording the screen in a quick and simple manner.

4. Cameo
This is a brand-new addition to PowerPoint which allows you to insert your live camera feed directly on a PowerPoint slide. Then you can apply the same effects to your camera feed as you can to a picture or other object, including formatting, transitions, and styles. Cameo is available to Microsoft 365 subscribers in the desktop app for Windows or macOS.

5. Eyedropper / Colour picker
I remember the days when we had to take an image into PhotoShop to find out the RGB values of any specific colours within an image. Later came some clever little add-ins created by software developers to make this task much easier. And then finally, Microsoft decided to add the eyedropper, making colour selection and working with brand guidelines a breeze. An absolute must-have for everyday design work in PowerPoint.

In Conclusion
And there you have it, my top 5 favourite features of PowerPoint.
Next time you’re working on a PowerPoint presentation try them out and if you need any further clarification don’t forget to contact the experts at Slidesho.
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