Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Load OpenOffice
Step1
Download OpenOffice from the Internet at OpenOffice.org (see Resources below). You won't be able to download only Impress. Instead, you must download the other applications within the suite at the same time, such as the word-processing application and the spreadsheet software.
Step2
Choose "Master Pages" if you want a pre-formatted presentation. OpenOffice's Master Pages work the same as PowerPoint's AutoContent Wizards.
Spice Up Your Slides
Step1
Select the style of slide you want to work with from the style menu to the right of the blank slide (which will be at the center of your screen).
Step2
Click "Format" under "Slide Design." This is another way to choose the type of slide with which you want to work. "Format" is found on your primary toolbar at the top of the Impress screen.
Step3
Import a picture from your computer by going to the icon on the bottom of the screen. The icon is composed of a blue triangle, red square and yellow circle. Impress will resize your photo to fit the slide.
Step4
Use the diagramming and drawing functions to personalize your slides, and then "park" the ones you use the most around the edges of your screen for easy access. You can also cut and paste text into your slides using the "Edit" button, just as you would in a basic word-processing program. This makes it easy to copy information from slide to slide.
Step5
Save your work in PowerPoint format if you will be sending your presentation to viewers who need to use Microsoft to open presentations.
Step6
Click the cube icon on the Impress toolbar to create three-dimensional graphics. This icon will be in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.
