Emaze: A New Alternative to PowerPoint & Prezi

Emaze is a new online technology which allows you to create presentations. It is simple to use and it will surely enhance the looks of your presentation dramatically. This is how the site works:

Sign Up
Choose a template
Add a ready-made slide
Type your content, add images and videos
You're ready
Share it with the world

Before getting into details, let me share what I feel is the real benefit of using Emaze. It allows you to make visually good looking presentations quickly. You choose a template and then you add ready-made slides. You have a slide to add quote, one with a timeline, one with a chart, one with a SmartArt kind of image, one with a table and so on.

Some templates of Emaze are like MS PowerPoint and some are like Prezi. When you work on Emaze, your deck sits in the cloud. You can access it from anywhere and on any device.

Watch this short 2 minute video for a crux of what the site does:




Templates
There are 32 templates as of now. The site tries to address all kinds of presenters. From managers to school teachers. From students to professionals. Here are a few samples:

While some templates are simple, some have lots of transitions and some are too much 3D. It totally depends on your situation and need. That should drive your choice of templates. If you keep your mouse over a template, you can get to see a preview of the template.

Slide Layouts
Once you have chosen your template, you can now start adding slides. Again we have a huge choice here. To try this out, I chose the Market Analysis template, since this is more in line with my needs as a manager. There are 22 different types of slides layouts within this template. Here are a few samples:

Once you choose a slide layout, you can start typing out your content in place of the existing content. You can also add a new text box or image (just like you do in PowerPoint). We can also delete existing text/image from the slide layout. The layout can be totally customized.


Pricing
The basic version is free, so you can try it out and see for yourself. The  PRO option is available for $4.90 per month. Click here to know more. Please note: If you sign up for free, your presentation will be public and anyone can see it. Most of the best features are generally reserved for the paid users :)

Caveat (a word of caution)
While Emaze will surely help you make visually good looking presentations faster, it is no substitute for proper presentation planning (hard work). A presentation is successful because of its content. Emaze or PowerPoint is just a tool. The tool will only make your life easier.

Another caveat is to not to get too carried away after looking at all these jazzy templates. Choose the one which meets your needs. The simpler the better. Do not try to impress your audience with your design. Try to get your message to your audience in the least possible time with the least possible noise.

Who is Emaze for?
Emaze is for busy people who need a deck fast. It is for people who do not have mastery over PowerPoint or similar such software. Sign up for free and check it out. It will save a lot of your time.


Watch some presentations created by others using Emaze.
Click here to visit the site.




Disclaimer: I do not get any commission when you sign up on Emaze. However, they did advertise on my blog for sometime.

Presentain: An Amazing Tool for Modern Presenters

Presentain is a great tool for presenters. Check out this 2 minute video and then the interview with Mark Thomas.


Presentain Overview from Presentain on Vimeo.

Vivek: What is Presentain? How does it work?

Mark: Presentain is a great interactive presentation tool that helps speakers engage their audiences more effectively. Here’s how it works: Speaker goes to Presentain.com to sign up and upload his presentation so it sits in the cloud and is always available to him where he presents. 

Then he downloads an iOS or Android app that serves as his smart remote to control the slides during presentation and to also control different interactivity components: like receiving questions from the audience, run real time polls, pull up his profile on the big screen and push it to audience devices so everybody can easily follow the speaker.

When the speaker is done presenting the audience can receive the presentation to their emails. And not just static presentation slides but narrated slides as with Presentain we record speaker’s voice and generate a video of his presentation. 

Vivek: Why Presentain?

Mark: Presentain lets presenters deliver a great interactive experience.

For presenter:
There’s no need to carry a laptop or a stick with a presentation now. It’s all in the cloud and can be controlled from a smart phone. The presenter really looks cool and on a cutting edge with technology when he does a lot of fancy interactivity like real time polls, pushing content to audience devices (slides in real time, his profile etc.) no more need to manually send slides to the audience after the talk – Presentain does it all automatically. 

For the audience:
Audience wants to keep slides or share slides. They usually have to take blurry pictures with their phones and then do many more extra clicks to share this picture. With Presentain they get slides pushed to their devices in real time and can share easily with 2 clicks. 

Asking questions is often an awkward experience: guy running around with a mic, somebody taking too much time promoting himself or asking unrelated questions etc. With Presentain audience can shoot those questions to presenter’s device when they have a question without needing to wait and presenter decides what to answer and when to answer.

Vivek: How much does it cost?

Mark Thomas, Presentain

Mark: The first tier is free and that includes five presentations seven slide cast and three polls. The second tier is $9.99 a month and includes thirty presentations, slide cast and polls. The third tier $24.99 a month and it includes unlimited presentations slide cast and polls.

Vivek: Thank you Mark for explaining to us the benefits of Presentain. It surely is an amazing tool.

Mark: Thanks Vivek. We really appreciate the opportunity to share Presentain with you guys. Happy presenting!

Disclaimer: I do not get any commission from Presentain.

Photograph Tip: Rule of Thirds

In my last post I talked about head room and lead room. In this post, let us talk about a very interesting rule.

The Rule of Thirds

This tip will help you take photographs. To understand this rule, imagine that the photograph is divided into 9 equal parts.

This rule states that the 4 intersection points are the 'power points'. The subject when placed around these areas becomes 'powerful'.

While taking this photograph, if the cameraman had placed the soldier in the middle of the photo, the photo would not look so good.

When you are taking this photo, place the soldier along the Line A or Line B.

Look at another image. See how the animal has been placed on one of the 4 power points.

Imagine you are taking the photo of the horizon. Where will you place the horizon? Along the bottom dotted line (going from left to right).

Look at these two photos taken from unsplash.com:

Did you see the rule of thirds being followed?

The next time you take a photo, follow this rule. You will most definitely come up with a much better looking photo.



Images from: unsplash.com