Keynote '08 Hot Tips

After you've perfected your shape, you can use it to mask any image. The shape will define the boundaries of the masked image. You can still reposition and resize images that you've masked. To mask using a shape, add a shape to your slide. Then open the Media Browser, and drag an image directly onto the shape. You can then edit the mask as desired. You can resize, rotate, and move the mask. When finished, click outside your photo or on "Edit Mask" to reapply the mask.

Once you've added a photo to your slide, you can easily apply a resizable picture frame, or adjust an existing frame included on the Master you're using. To choose a picture frame, select a photo on your slide and open the Graphic Inspector. From the Stroke pull-down, choose Picture Frame. You can then choose a picture frame and easily adjust its size. The picture frame will even adjust automatically if you resize your photo.

You can add hyperlinks to your slides that let you navigate your presentation just like a website. Keynote '08 lets you turn text, images, and other objects into hyperlinks. To create a hyperlink, select the text or object you want to use and open the Hyperlink Inspector. Select "Enable as a hyperlink." Now you can choose whether you want the link to advance your slideshow, jump to a specific slide, or even open a webpage or new email message. Hyperlinks are perfect for creating kiosk-style presentations with Keynote ’08.

Instant Alpha lets you easily remove backgrounds from the images on your slides. Simply select the image you want to edit, and choose Alpha from the toolbar. Then click on the background color you want to remove and drag to expand the affected area. You can then choose additional areas to remove, or click outside the image if you’re done.

Keynote '08 gives you great tools to help pick custom colors for your presentation. To select a color, just click Colors in the toolbar. If you'd like to sample a specific color, for example, from a photo on your slide, click on the small magnifying glass and then on the color you'd like to sample. You can save colors for later by dragging them from the color bar area at the top of the window onto a blank storage square at the bottom. You can expand this area to hold up to 160 custom colors of your choice.

Keynote '08 allows you to combine flexible action builds to animate the position, opacity, scale, and rotation of an object on your slide. For example, you can have an object move across your slide and decrease in scale at the same time. To combine two or more action builds, select an object and open the Build Inspector. Click on the Action tab and choose an effect. Then click Add Action and choose the second effect you want to apply. In the Build Order drawer that opens, drag the builds to set the order in which you want them to occur. You can also decide whether you want your builds to happen simultaneously, or one at a time.