March 2004
© 2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
This document provides late-breaking information about Microsoft PowerPoint 2004 for Mac and is current as of the date above. After that date, you can find more current information and resources at the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com/mac/.
1 System requirements and installation
2 Working with different versions of PowerPoint
2.1 Opening files in PowerPoint 98
2.2 Opening and saving PowerPoint 4.0 files
2.3 Using animation effects created in PowerPoint for Windows
3 Importing clip art from Clip Art Gallery X
4 Importing advanced audio coding or variable bit rate MP3 files into PowerPoint 2004
5 Using design templates
5.1 Selecting custom design templates that do not appear in the Formatting Palette
5.2 Copying design templates from Office v. X to Office 2004
6 Using transition effects
7 More help
For information about system requirements and installing PowerPoint 2004, open the Installation Read Me file from the Microsoft Office 2004/Read Me folder on the Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac CD-ROM or on the PowerPoint CD-ROM.
2.1 Opening files in PowerPoint 98
To open files created with PowerPoint 2004 in PowerPoint 98, download and install the Microsoft Word 98/PowerPoint 98 Updater from the Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com/mac/.
2.2 Opening and saving PowerPoint 4.0 files
PowerPoint 2004 cannot open files created with PowerPoint 4.0 and cannot save files in PowerPoint 4.0 format. You can work with PowerPoint 4.0 files in PowerPoint 2004 by opening the files in a version of PowerPoint later than PowerPoint 4.0 and earlier than PowerPoint X, and then saving the files.
2.3 Using animation effects created in PowerPoint for Windows
PowerPoint 2004 supports most of the animation effects created in PowerPoint 2002 for Windows or later. However, PowerPoint XP for Windows and PowerPoint 2003 for Windows offer motion path animation effects that cause text or objects to move across the screen. PowerPoint 2004 cannot create or edit motion path animations or triggers. However, if these animation effects are used in a presentation in a Windows version of PowerPoint, the effects will play in PowerPoint 2004 for Mac. In earlier versions (for both Windows and Mac), these animation effects won't play.
To import clip art from Clip Gallery X, copy the Personal folder from Microsoft Office X/Clipart/ to Microsoft Office 2004/Clipart/.
To import an advanced audio coding (AAC) or variable bit rate (VBR) MP3 file into PowerPoint 2004, insert the file as a movie. To do this, on the Insert menu, point to Movies and Sounds, click Movie from File, locate the AAC or MP3 file you want to insert, and then double-click it.
5.1 Selecting custom design templates that do not appear in the Formatting Palette
Some templates that you import no longer appear in the Formatting Palette as they did in Microsoft PowerPoint X. To select a design template that does not appear in the Formatting Palette, on the Format menu, click Slide Design, and then click the design template you want.
5.2 Copying design templates from Office v. X to Office 2004
To copy design templates from Microsoft Office v. X to Microsoft Office 2004, copy the design template from Microsoft Office X/Office/Templates/Presentations/Designs to Microsoft Office 2004/Office/Templates/Presentations/Designs.
QuickTime transition effects are no longer available in PowerPoint 2004. QuickTime transition effects applied in Microsoft PowerPoint 2001 or PowerPoint X for Mac are not supported in PowerPoint 2004. PowerPoint 2004 substitutes another transition effect for the one that is not supported. As long as you do not change the transition in any way, the original transitions play when the presentation is opened in PowerPoint 2001 or PowerPoint X for Mac. The following list shows the QuickTime transitions and the transitions substituted for them by PowerPoint 2004:
The following 3-D transitions play in PowerPoint 2004 but appear as Cut in all other versions of PowerPoint for Mac and PowerPoint for Windows:
For additional technical assistance, you can get support information on the Web at http://support.microsoft.com. You can also contact Microsoft Product Support Services in the United States by phone at (425) 454-2030 for standard support, and (800) 936-5700 for paid assisted support. In Canada, call (905) 568-2294 for standard support, and (800) 668-7975 for paid assisted support.