Importing PowerPoint slide shows into Director
IssueI made a slide show in PowerPoint, and I would like to avoid entirely recreating it as a Director piece. How can I import it into Director?
SolutionYou can import PowerPoint files into Director versions 6.5 through 8.5.1 provided the PowerPoint file is saved in PowerPoint version 4.0 format. The "Import PowerPoint file" option can be found in Director's Xtras menu. This feature can save a great amount of time as it will convert the PowerPoint file into new cast members, sprites and score elements. Before this feature was available, all these elements had to be authored again from scratch inside Director.
Note:Office XP no longer includes the option to export to 4.0 format for PowerPoint files.
If you created a slide show in PowerPoint, you must save a copy in 4.0 format in order to import it into Director (be sure to make backup copies of your original PowerPoint files before saving them in PowerPoint 4.0 format). PowerPoint 4.0 format does not support many newer PowerPoint features such as digital video, animations, or sounds. These elements may not appear as expected after saving your PowerPoint file to 4.0 format. After saving the file in 4.0 format, you can open and play the file within PowerPoint to get an idea of how it will look once imported into Director. Remember that Director is a powerful animation tool so once the elements are imported, you can modify and animate any of these elements in many different ways. If you are new to Director, check out the tutorials found in Director's built in Help system, and also visit theAnimation area of the Director Support and Developers Center.
Importing very large or feature-loaded PowerPoint presentations may not be successful initially. If you get errors when importing a PowerPoint file, try to import a test file that contains only some of the features of the PowerPoint source file and examine the results. After you know more about the expected results, try to import a section of your PowerPoint source file that has been saved as a separate file.Breaking down the PowerPoint file this way into smaller sections may be necessary for importing larger files.
Additional information
Detailed documentation for the PowerPoint import feature can be found in the Director Help files.
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