5. Creating a presentation with slides and scenes

Mitesh Rathod

June 15, 2022 00:09

It’s your show.

Hi there! If you’re like us, you’re spending a lot more time on video than ever before. With mmhmm, we’re trying to make that a bit more fun and engaging. Clear, compelling video communication should be easy for everyone.

This article is meant to be a user manual of sorts, so read it in its entirety or use the table of contents to jump around. Check out other articles in this user manual on the right-hand side of this page.

Don’t see the answer to your question? If you’re having technical difficulties or want to suggest a topic for this guide, click here to submit a request or email us at help@mmhmm.app.

Overview
How to add slides
Types of slides in mmhmm
Controlling your slides
How to reposition slides
How to remove slides
How to use scenes
How to import your deck

Overview

It’s not a presentation if nothing’s being presented. As common as slides are in presentations, they can also be dull and uninspired. That’s why mmhmm lets you add some fun and spice to the way you share information with slides.

How to add slides

Mac	Windows

Use the "New Slide" button on top of the slide tray to add new slides.

Types of slides in mmhmm

You can create different types of slides in mmhmm:

Text
Presenter
Media
GIPHY
Screenshare
Camera (only on mmhmm for Mac)
Presentation slides (importing your deck)

Text slides

Create simple slides with text title and body text. They’re simple on purpose, so your audience doesn’t have to read a lot of text while you're speaking.

Here's how to create a text slide:

Click the "New Slide" button and then click on the "Text" icon.
In the window that appears, type in your text in the "Title" and "Body" fields, and click "Done". The text slide will now appear in your slide tray.

Some rooms come with default slide settings that are designed to match the look and feel of the room you are using. To override the Slide appearance settings, click on the "Appearance" dropdown on the bottom right-hand side of the mmhmm window. Choose your preferred slide design from the list and your preferred color.

Mac	Windows

Note: The "Billboard" text slide appearance is only available on Mac.

You can also customize the room and presenter settings for individual slides by using scenes.

Presenter slides

Choose this slide if you want to have your audience focus on you. You'll be the only thing on the mmhmm stage.

Media slides

To add a media file from your hard drive, click on "New Slide" and choose "Media".

You can then navigate to the file on your hard drive and select one to add to your slide tray. To add multiple files simultaneously:

On Mac, hold the Shift key down while you click the files you want.
On Windows, hold the Ctrl key down while you click the files you want.

Alternatively, you can add files from your computer by dragging and dropping your files into the slide tray located at the bottom of the mmhmm window.

If you are adding video slides and wish for the audio that's in the video to be audible to your audience, you will need to make a slight configuration to your audio environment.

GIPHY slides

Mac	Windows

To add an animated GIF to your presentation, start by clicking the "New Slide" button and selecting GIPHY to find an appropriate GIF by keyword. For more information on GIPHY slides and how to use them, click here.

Screenshare slides

Mac	Windows

Show your audience what’s happening on your computer by selecting the "New Slide" button and then the "This Mac or iOS Device" on Mac, or "Screenshare" on Windows. You can then choose to share a specific application window, your entire desktop, or even your iOS device (click here to learn more about sharing your mobile device's screen).

Keep in mind:

Screen share slides must be added from within the menu. They can’t be dragged and dropped into the slide tray as you can with image files and movies.
If the window you choose is minimized, you must display it on the desktop before it shows up in your slide tray correctly.
If your audience says your screen share looks blurry, your video conferencing platform has lowered your bandwidth automatically in response to the network speed. To address this issue, instead, share the Broadcast window with the video conferencing system’s screen sharing tool. Click here to learn how to use the Broadcast window.
If sharing a document such as a Google Doc, consider zooming into the content or making the text larger to make it easier for your audience to read.
If you are experiencing a permissions loop, restart your computer.

Camera slides

Note: This slide type is only available on mmhmm for Mac.

Camera slides allow you to connect a second camera to your computer and use it as a slide input. This feature is ideal for teachers who want to do a live demonstration or whiteboard session, for example, using a document camera or additional webcam.

Controlling your slides

You have total control over how your slides are displayed:

Mac	Windows

Change visibility – The three buttons in the center of the slide tray control slide visibility. By default, your slides are not displayed in full screen, but you can make them full screen by clicking "Full". You can also turn slides off or put them over your shoulder again with this toolbar.
Resize your slides – While your slides are in the "Shoulder" visibility (this is the default setting), move the mouse pointer over your slide. You will see the border of your slide appear with blue grab handles that you can drag to set the height and width maximums for your slide display area.
Advance slides – When you have more than one slide in your tray, you can move through slides in sequence using your keyboard left and right arrow keys.
Slides on top (only on mmhmm for Mac) — To change whether your slides are in front of the presenter or behind the presenter, go to the slide tray, go to the menu bar under "Slides" and check "Slides on Top".
Slide transitions (only on mmhmm for Mac) — To turn slide transition animation on, go to the menu bar under "Slides" and check "Slide Transitions". To turn the transitions off, uncheck "Slide Transitions".

How to reposition slides

To change the order of your slides, click the slide you want to move and drag it to a new position in the slide tray. When it is in the correct position, let go of the mouse button or trackpad to drop it into place. This works on both mmhmm for Mac and mmhmm for Windows.

How to remove slides

To remove a slide, right-click the slide in the slide tray and select Delete Slide to delete it. This works on both mmhmm for Mac and mmhmm for Windows.

You can also use the following keyboard shortcut to delete slides:

How to use scenes

You may want to position yourself front and center, you may want to switch quickly to a different room, or you may want to get out of the way of your content. To put your content and yourself in the perfect place every time, you can change the room and presenter presets for individual slides.

Mac	Windows

To achieve this, click on your desired slide and then select the "New Scene" button above the slide tray. This will create a new scene for your slide and will allow you to change the room and presenter controls for this slide.

Watch the video below to see how scenes can be used effectively in mmhmm.

Presentation slides - how to import your deck

You can import your existing slide decks into mmhmm to enhance your mmhmm presentation. To import your presentation from PowerPoint, Keynote, or a PDF, read How do I use mmhmm with presentation slides from Google Slides/Keynote/PowerPoint?