I have read, reviewed and edited many books on the topic of software and design. This is one of the most engaging and practical software books I've read on the specific subject of a specific application.

Bajaj and Swinford have used an engaging "makeover" approach to demonstrate the features of PowerPoint. This gives the reader an unusually (and welcome) practical application of the concepts--much more useful than reading a technical manual.

The ideas and lessons in the book are not limited to PowerPoint 2007! The design concepts are sound. (Just because you have a design tool doesn't mean you design well, so learn about both!)

If you use PowerPoint to communicate, influence or entertain, get this book.

As a program director for a university that presents conferences and seminars, it is my responsibility to review powerpoint presentations given by our speakers. To be perfectly frank, the majority of the presentations are "borrrrrrrrrring". This kit is the perfect tool needed to turn the presentations into presentations that are not only easier to read, but much more interesting to view. The easy to follow exercises make even a "newbie" to powerpoint look like a pro. It's "hands-on" approach is by far the best teaching tool I have encountered. Kudo's to the authors - GREAT JOB!

Where Cutting Edge PowerPoint 2007 For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)) ends PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit begins. This book is a wonderful addition to any library for those who want to quickly design exceptional PowerPoint presentational slides. Each section is thorough and complete in its content and detail. The authors show both before and after images and instructions to enable the novice to easily gain the talent to completely revamp their own projects.

Whether you envision a simple presentation or a complex Trade Show Loop with all the capabilities PowerPoint has to offer you will find the tools you are looking for within the contents of this edition.

This is a excellent compliment to my own, Presentational Skills for the Next Generation, self-help book.

I own and operate a presentation design and training company. With my responsibilities, it never hurts to stay up to speed with anything related to PowerPoint. This is an excellent resource and I have recommended it to my entire team. In addition, the CD which is included is a great value added item. Overall, this is a great read and resource.

I have been using PowerPoint since it was first introduced, and have literally done hundreds of presentations. Most consider me a power user. But this book taught me a lot.

In fact, I can safely say that I have never learned so much, so quickly, as I did with this book. The makeover concept is an awesome educational tool. The makeovers gave me insight not only into the powerful new features in PowerPoint 2007, but also into the sort of things that make one presentation stand out from the rest.

Animation for the sake of emphasis, not just for its own sake.

Subtle timing techniques, and a host of other useful information.

I would recommend this book for anyone. I am not exaggerating when I say that working through these makeovers is more fun than a videogame...

And the bonus material on the CD that comes with the book just adds to its value.

My team builds presentations to support instructor-led courses, so we're often asked by other organizations to help with their PowerPoint decks to support their various presentations. Most presentations we're given are just plain TERRIBLE! We're brought into the projects way too late to do anything more than keep the presenters from embarrassing themselves. We do this with some quick and dirty tricks (applying backgrounds, arranging contents to basic grids, swapping out the horrible clipart they've swiped illegally from Google Images, revising terrible titles, & editing grammatical errors). I've been looking for a book to help our internal partners build better presentations from the start (i.e., beyond the quick tricks!).

The Complete Makeover Kit is EXACTLY what it says it is - a makeover kit! Some of the books I've reviewed go deep into why this or that presentation "sucks," then provide a lengthy textual description of how they saved the day. This MAY be followed by some quick after shots OR before shots (I ask you, was that SUPPOSED to be helpful???).

In a welcome contrast, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit starts with a quick walkthrough the new interface (for more detail, use Geetesh Bajaj's other books on using PowerPoint 2007), then dives deep into the makeover. The authors don't waste your time telling you how hard they worked on the transformation - they open the presentation and start working on it. The step-by-step procedures are given enough detail that a newbie can open PowerPoint and follow along. Each key step is supported with a color screen capture from the PowerPoint tool, and there are before and after color shots of the slides throughout the book.

The book is beautifully designed and executed, and well worth the $30 price tag (although on sale for $20 at this time on Amazon), "BUT WAIT - THERE'S MORE!" The book comes with a CD containing the before & after versions of the presentations in the book (use them for practice while you walk through the book!), a host of templates, various images, demos of helpful utilities, and two additional chapters for the book (more resources and a basic intro to SmartArt) - that's what makes this a "kit."

Even if your team is still using a previous version of PowerPoint, most of the techniques can be applied to your presentations (you just can't use the power features the authors walk through). I highly recommend buying this book for yourself, your team, and your peers (especially the ones who come to you for help!). (Oh yeah, and subscribe to Indezine - Geetesh' awesome free website and newsletter! The link appears in the "About the Author" section of the Editorial Reviews.)

In terms of getting up to speed on the more significant features of PowerPoint 2007 - those having to do with formatting and effects - there is no better way than to apply these principles in a "makeover" of previously crafted presentations. This book provides excellent source material on CD and takes you step by step through the process using a variety of common but practical presentations.

My team builds presentations to support instructor-led courses, so we're often asked by other organizations to help with their PowerPoint decks to support their various presentations. Most presentations we're given are just plain TERRIBLE! We're brought into the projects way too late to do anything more than keep the presenter from embarrassing themselves. We do this with some quick and dirty tricks (applying backgrounds, swapping out the horrible clipart they've swiped illegally from Google Images, revising terrible titles, & editing grammatical errors). I've been looking for a book to help our internal partners build better presentations from the start (i.e., beyond the quick tricks!).

The Complete Makeover Kit is EXACTLY what it says it is - a makeover kit! Some of the books I've reviewed go deep into why this presentation "sucks," and provides a lengthy textual description of how they saved the day. This MAY be followed by some quick after shots OR before shots (I ask you, was that SUPPOSED to be helpful???).

In a welcome contrast, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit starts with a quick walkthrough the new interface (for more detail, use Geetesh Bajaj's other books on using PowerPoint 2007), then dives deep into the makeover. The authors don't waste your time telling you how hard they worked on the transformation - they open the presentation and start working on it. The step-by-step procedures are given enough detail that a newbie can open PowerPoint and follow along. Each key step is supported with a color screen capture from the PowerPoint tool, and there are before and after color shots of the slides throughout the book.

The book is beautifully designed and executed, and well worth the $30 price tag (although on sale for $20 at this time on Amazon), "BUT WAIT - THERE'S MORE!" The book comes with a CD containing the before & after versions of the presentations in the book (use them for practice while you walk through the book!), a host of templates, various images, demos of helpful utilities, and two additional chapters for the book (more resources and a basic intro to SmartArt) - that's what makes this a "kit."

Even if your team is still using a previous version of PowerPoint, most of the techniques can be applied to your presentations (you just can't use the power features the authors walk through). I highly recommend buying this book for yourself, your team, and your peers (especially the ones who come to you for help!). (Oh yeah, and subscribe to Indezine - Geetesh' awesome free website and newsletter! The link appears in the "About the Author" section of the Editorial Reviews.)