The new user interface that has been implemented in the 2007 version of Microsoft PowerPoint can make the presentation software seem a little confusing at first, especially to long-time users of the product. Once you become accustomed to the “ribbon” that has replaced the standard toolbar menus present in older versions of the software, it really does become a much more intuitive system.
I’ll admit that I was one of those people who opened the application for the first time and had a bit of a time trying to figure out where all my standard features went. New users of the software might actually have an easier time, because they don’t have a predetermined idea in their minds about where a command should be. However, whether you’re a completely new user or someone who has recently upgraded, there is a great add-in available from Microsoft that will help you become acclimated to PowerPoint 2007 in no time.
The Get Started Tab add-in is a free tool that you can obtain from the Microsoft Download Center and install on your computer. Once installed, the add-in will create an additional tab on the PowerPoint ribbon that allows immediate access to training material and other free content from within the application itself.
You can obtain the Get Started Tab Add-In for Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 from the Microsoft Download Center at this link. On this page, click the Continue button to verify your copy of PowerPoint 2007. Following this verification, a new Download button will replace the Continue button. Click this, and you will be walked through a series of steps that will download and install the add-in to your machine.
Once you’ve downloaded and installed the Get Started Tab Add-In, open PowerPoint 2007. You should see the new tab present on the ribbon as in the following screenshot.
From this tab, you’ll have access to links that provide free training, both video and text, for Microsoft PowerPoint 2007. In addition, the Discuss PowerPoint 2007 link will direct you to the online PowerPoint community groups hosted at Microsoft where you can ask detailed questions about specific problems you are having as well as download free PowerPoint templates and backgrounds shared by other members of the community.