Importing Microsoft PowerPoint files

Windows operating systems only

Use the importer to convert a PowerPoint file into a Notebook file. After the file is converted, you can add new interactive activities, pages, and assessments to complete your lesson.

To import a PowerPoint file

  1. Select File > Import.

    The Open dialog box appears.

  2. Browse to and select the PowerPoint file you want to import.

  3. Click Open.

  4. Select how you want to import the file:

    Option

    Description

    Recommended if

    SMART Notebook pages with images

    Each page is converted to a Notebook page. Although the converted pages are not editable, their appearance matches the original file exactly.

    • You don’t need to make changes to your original file.

    • You just want to add new activities or assessments but don’t need to change the page contents from the original file.

    SMART Notebook pages with editable objects

    Each page is converted to a Notebook page.

    Objects such as lines, images, text, shapes, and so on, are imported and converted to Notebook objects. You can move and edit these objects in Notebook.

    Some adjustments may be required to make the converted pages look the way you want them to.

    • You want to be able to make changes to the lesson’s contents from the original file.

    • If your file has special formats, styles, objects, or animations. Some styles and features may not be supported in SMART Notebook.

    Tip 

    If you selected the SMART Notebook pages with editable objects option, see the table at the end of this section to learn how different PowerPoint objects are handled when they are imported into SMART Notebook.

  5. Click OK.

    SMART Notebook software adds the contents of the PowerPoint file to a new .notebook file.

How PowerPoint objects are converted

Note 

The following table applies when you use theSMART Notebook pages with editable objectsoption when converting a file.

PowerPoint object type

Appears in SMART Notebook as

Notes

Text

Text

Text that uses special styles or fonts, such as a gradient fill or 3D style, is converted to plain text.

The text's size and position appears much the same as it did in the original file. Some minor adjustments may be needed.

Slide transitions

Not supported

None

Object animations

Not supported

Remove animations in the PowerPoint file or rearrange objects if they hide content.

Tables

Tables

Tables are converted to Notebook tables, with text or images inside the table’s cells.

Diagonal borders and custom borders applied to individual cells are not supported.

Images

Images

Pictures are imported as-is. Picture effects and formatting applied in the PowerPoint file (such as drop-shadows, cropping, and offsets) are maintained in the Notebook file.

Smart art

Image

Smart art diagrams are converted as images and are not editable in SMART Notebook. If you need to edit them, do so before importing the file, or recreate the diagram using Notebook’s text and shape tools.

Embedded online video (from YouTube or other online source)

Embedded YouTube videos

OR

Link to online video (for non-YouTube sources)

YouTube embedded videos are imported and embedded using the Video widget.

Videos embedded from other online sources are inserted as links and open the video in a web browser when clicked.

Embedded video (video saved on your computer and embedded in the PowerPoint slide)

An image linked to the video file

Embedded videos are attached and linked to the image of the video and open in an external player when you click on the image.

Links

Text

Full links appear as text. To make them clickable from the Notebook page, copy the link, selectInsert > Link from the Notebook menu, and paste the link in the Address box.

Inline links (links attached to text) are not transferred. You will need to add the link from the original file to the text in the Notebook page again if you want to include it.

Charts / graphs

An image of the chart / graph

None

Equations

An image of the equation

None

Keywords

  • import
  • convert files
  • import PowerPoint
  • convert files to Notebook files