Alternative uses for Apple's Keynote

August 8, 2007 3:58 PM

Playing with the new version of Apple's Keynote I'm really impressed with the software. However, I never really have cause to do a presentation needing slides. Still, Keynote being part of the iWork suite I have it anyway, and it seems like a waste not to use it. What other sorts of things, besides, presentations, could an individual use Keynote for?
posted by Gideon to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

- Slideshow of pictures to be played during an event
- many people use powerpoint to layout posters for printing (even though it's not really the right tool for the job)
posted by chrisamiller at 4:21 PM on August 8, 2007

I know some people who use powerpoint as a rudimentary database/index card system (including storing of data in the research lab where i work).

Have your first slide be a 'blank card' containing the fields you want to use., copy and paste it to a new slide and fill in whatever details you like.

Sure there are better options for the more tech savvy, but sometimes simple systems are the best.
posted by TheOtherGuy at 4:38 PM on August 8, 2007

Best answer: Storyboarding movie, video, or commerical shoots. Agencies use it all the time.
posted by visual mechanic at 4:52 PM on August 8, 2007

Giant flashcards for learning things.
posted by djgh at 4:53 PM on August 8, 2007

Funny, this post just showed up in my reader.

Besides slide creation, I find Keynote to be an extremely useful tool for graphics design.

Kind of like a poor man's OmniGraffle. You can see an example of what he means here. He drew a diagram of his Telos layout with Keynote.

As I understand it, the new version has voiceover recording feature which might be handy for screencasts.
posted by squink at 5:00 PM on August 8, 2007

Flash cards seem quite common then. I always thought it was weird when a friend of mine used Powerpoint for all her note reviewing tasks. Turning on the presentation and stepping through gives you a focused reviewing environment.

Also, Keynote has an excellent outlining mode that I love.
posted by raheel at 8:55 PM on August 8, 2007

I've used it to make photo slideshows with music.
posted by inviolable at 12:12 AM on August 9, 2007

Keynote is also usable as a Hypercard / Director replacement - it's possible to use it to make kiosk or self-guided presentations. Check out the iWork Tour under the Help menu - it's nothing more than a Keynote presentation.
posted by nathan_teske at 7:42 AM on August 9, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks for all the feedback!
posted by Gideon at 1:41 PM on August 9, 2007