# Using LaTeX for a Powerpoint presentation...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-latex-for-a-powerpoint-presentation/104708>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 20, 2002, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-latex-for-a-powerpoint-presentation/104708 "2002-04-20T20:18:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![KarmaComa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@KarmaComa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarmaComa)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2002, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-latex-for-a-powerpoint-presentation/104708/1 "2002-04-20T20:18:37Z")

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Warning: Computer problem.

Ok, so I have to do a presentation on work that is best prepared as postscript or pdf from LaTeX. My presentation will have ‘animations’ of algorithms, and because of the huge number of slides it will require, I’ll be using Powerpoint straight from a computer. How can I put my stuff into a Powerpoint presentation properly? pppp…:rolleyes:

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**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-latex-for-a-powerpoint-presentation/104708/2 "2002-04-21T01:40:14Z")

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I entered:  
pdf latex powerpoint  
into Google and got this:

[http://www.ma.umist.ac.uk/kd/latextut/pdfbyex.htm](http://www.ma.umist.ac.uk/kd/latextut/pdfbyex.htm)

Seems to show some of the basics of what you want to do.

BTW: We _are_ entering the “post-powerpoint” era in talks in CompSci. (I.e., it no longer is considered “cool”.) But you’re animations presumably need something extra.

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**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-latex-for-a-powerpoint-presentation/104708/3 "2002-04-21T02:33:45Z")

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Powerpoint won’t display postscript. You can use Ghostview to add a preview to the postscript file, and Powerpoint will display that, but it looks like crap.

What I do, which is lame but works, is to display the postscript image in ghostview as big as will fit on the screen, and then screen capture it, so I can save it as a .gif. (On Unix, xv works well for this, as you can crop the image and save in a variety of formats.)

**ftg** , out of curiosity, what are you CompSci folks using these days for talks, if not Powerpoint? Have you found a better Powerpoint alternative, or do you just print to transparencies?

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**Author:** ![Omphaloskeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bcef8e/32.png) [@Omphaloskeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omphaloskeptic)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2002, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-latex-for-a-powerpoint-presentation/104708/4 "2002-04-21T04:12:41Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by KarmaComa \*  
> \*\*Warning: Computer problem.
> 
> Ok, so I have to do a presentation on work that is best prepared as postscript or pdf from LaTeX. My presentation will have ‘animations’ of algorithms, and because of the huge number of slides it will require, I’ll be using Powerpoint straight from a computer. How can I put my stuff into a Powerpoint presentation properly? pppp…:rolleyes: \*\*

There’s a neat plugin called [TexPoint](http://raw.cs.berkeley.edu/texpoint) that lets you insert, edit, and render LaTeX from within Powerpoint. (It works by converting the DVI to a bitmap, kind of like **giraffe** suggests, but automatically.