Intermediate

Creating Presentations

Master canvas design, topic and subtopic structure, content types, zoom path configuration, animations, embedding, and advanced layering techniques.

Canvas Design Fundamentals

The canvas is your unlimited workspace. Unlike a fixed slide, you decide where content goes spatially. Good canvas design follows these principles:

• Logical grouping: Place related topics near each other on the canvas
• Visual flow: Arrange topics in a path that tells a story (left-to-right, circular, radial, etc.)
• White space: Leave breathing room between topics so the overview is clean and readable
• Hierarchy: Use size to indicate importance - larger frames for major topics, smaller for details

Topic and Subtopic Structure

Build your presentation with a clear hierarchy:

1. Add a topic: Click the + on the canvas or use Insert → Topic. Topics are the main sections visible in the overview.
2. Add subtopics: Click inside a topic and use Insert → Subtopic. Subtopics appear when you zoom into a topic.
3. Nest content: Place text, images, and shapes inside subtopics for the deepest zoom level.
4. Reorder: Drag topics and subtopics in the sidebar to change the presentation order.

Adding Content

Zoom Path Configuration

The zoom path defines the order in which your audience sees content when presenting:

1. Open the Path panel from the sidebar
2. Topics and subtopics appear in order - this is your presentation sequence
3. Drag items to reorder the path
4. Add or remove items from the path (content can exist on the canvas without being in the path)
5. Preview the path by clicking Present and using arrow keys

Animations and Transitions

Prezi offers smooth, automatic zoom transitions between topics. You can also add element-level animations:

• Fade in: Elements appear gradually when you zoom to their level
• Zoom in/out: Elements scale up from small or shrink from large
• Slide: Elements move in from a direction
• Sequence: Set the order in which elements within a topic animate (click to reveal)

To add animations: select an element, click Animations in the toolbar, choose the effect, and set the order.

Embedding Content

Enrich your presentations with embedded external content:

Content Type	How to Embed	Behavior
YouTube videos	Insert → Video → paste URL	Plays inline during presentation
Google Maps	Insert → Map → search location	Interactive map with zoom
Websites	Insert → Embed → paste URL	Live webpage iframe
Audio	Insert → Audio → upload file	Background or triggered audio
PDFs	Insert → File → upload PDF	Multi-page document viewer

Custom Frames

Frames define the visible area when zoomed to a topic or subtopic. Customize them to control what your audience sees:

• Circle frames: Round viewing area, great for focus points
• Rectangle frames: Standard aspect ratio, similar to slides
• Bracket frames: Group content with visual brackets
• Invisible frames: Define zoom areas without visible borders

Resize frames to control how much content is visible at each zoom level.

Grouping and Layering

Manage complex presentations with grouping and layering tools:

• Group elements: Select multiple items, right-click → Group. Grouped elements move and scale together.
• Layer order: Right-click → Bring to front or Send to back to control overlap
• Lock elements: Prevent accidental edits by locking items in place
• Align and distribute: Use alignment tools to precisely position elements relative to each other