PowerPoint 2008 for Mac template conversionto PowerPoint 2003 for PC and back again

[peakRrr]

Processor: Intel

Hi, I am working on a relatively simple PowerPoint template for a client that was originally created in PowerPoint 2008 for Mac. I work in PowerPoint 2003 for PC. Part of the original Mac template's problem was that there were too many Masters of the wrong kind - there were three body slide templates and no title slide template. On my PC, I began with a new document and created one body slide master and one title master. I copied and pasted the graphics and some autotext layout fields from the original template that had been created on the Mac into the new PC template. When I delivered the PC-created template to the client and she opened it in PowerPoint 2008 for Mac, she saw 12 masters in different formats, some with text fields that had been rotated 90 degrees, some with additional columns. I tried sending .ppt, .pot, .potx, and .potm files all with similar results. When the client delivered my template back to me after she had opened it and deleted the extra masters so that there was again one body slide master and one title master, on my machine I saw three body masters and no title masters. WHat is going on and how can I fix this?

Thanks.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Processor: Intel

Hi, I am working on a relatively simple PowerPoint template for a client that was

originally created in PowerPoint 2008 for Mac. I work in PowerPoint 2003 for PC. Part of
the original Mac template's problem was that there were too many Masters of the wrong kind
- there were three body slide templates and no title slide template. On my PC, I began with
a new document and created one body slide master and one title master. I copied and pasted
the graphics and some autotext layout fields from the original template that had been
created on the Mac into the new PC template. When I delivered the PC-created template to
the client and she opened it in PowerPoint 2008 for Mac, she saw 12 masters in different
formats, some with text fields that had been rotated 90 degrees, some with additional
columns.

Masters are VERY different when you go from PPT2003/2004 and previous to PPT 2007/2008.

Where previously you could have multiple masters, each with a Slide master and a Title
master, plus several hardcoded, uneditable layouts users could choose from, you now have
multiple masters, each with (by default) 11 layouts; you can now edit the layouts and add
new ones.

When newer versions open older version files, they have to convert to the new format, so
they give their best shot at converting the old masters+layouts to the new ones.

Going back and forth is a leap into the chasm of madness. You don't want to do that.



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Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
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