keynote woes

May 15, 2008 7:02 AM

Keynote presentation: how to set up presenter display so that I see it, and in the projector is the normal presentation? Also any way to launch the presentation without launching the editor?

I have to give a presentation at a conference soon and I may not have time to mess with this before it starts. Last time I gave a presentation with keynote, the audience saw the presenter view (preview of coming slides) and on my laptop was the normal presentation. I ended up just turning the presenter view off since I couldn't get it working.

Also, any way to click on the keynote file and have it go straight to full screen presentation? Like in powerpoint, changing the extension from ppt to pps. Otherwise it opens the editor, which then shows the last slide.

posted by sero_venientibus_ossa to computers & internet (6 comments total)

Did you check this question/answer? Did it help?
posted by jessamyn at 7:09 AM on May 15

Didn't see that question, thx. I think it answers the first part of my question, although I'll have to wait to try it
posted by sero_venientibus_ossa at 7:35 AM on May 15

There are two places in your Keynote preferences you have to check to set up your presenter display: First, under Presenter Display, check the box that reads "Use alternate display to view presenter information". Second, under Slideshow, you probably want to select the radio button that reads "Present on secondary display". (The primary display is the one with the menu bar on it -- usually the laptop. You can go to System Preferences > Displays > Arrange to change the primary display.)

In the earlier case you described, it sounds like you turned on the presenter view, but didn't switch the presentation to the secondary display, so it put the presentation on the primary and the presenter view on the secondary.

As for your second question: I think the way Apple expects you to do this is to export the presentation to QuickTime or Flash. You don't get presenter notes that way, though. Also, when you open a Keynote file, it shows the last slide you had selected, not the last slide in the file. So if you can remember to click on your title slide before you save the document, that's what will always show up when you re-open it.
posted by jjg at 9:08 AM on May 15

Thanks for the info. I found I actually had "Use alternate display to view presenter information" checked under Presenter Display. I guess that's probably what the problem was. Just wanted to be a bit more sure so I'm not up there trying to get it working when I should be presenting. :)
posted by sero_venientibus_ossa at 12:15 PM on May 15

No no no! You want that box checked -- otherwise you won't see the presenter view at all. What you want to do is make sure you're presenting on the secondary (i.e. external) display, so the presenter view shows up on the laptop, not on the big screen.
posted by jjg at 10:20 PM on May 15

Ahh.. got it. Thanks!
posted by sero_venientibus_ossa at 4:22 AM on May 16