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Help - I need to find a template!Please note: As information on template sources are evaluated and updates, this article will be split into multiple articles. If you are looking for a template source that is not listed here, click here to go to the Template Sources page of our site. Looking for places to find great backgrounds and templates? Need to create a one presentation with no time to create it from scratch? After much research I have found the sites with the backgrounds and templates you need. Each of these 15 template resources has been visited and tested by the author. In addition, several of these sites have links to more sites with templates and backgrounds. Be sure to check this page regularly for additional reviews. Graphic GalleryCreated and supported by Sonia Coleman, this site contains 148 templates and backgrounds. Files are grouped into 19 sets of templates. Template sets are grouped by time of creation and are not always themed. However, each template is available for preview on the site. If you are looking for holiday templates, be sure to check sets 17 and 18. Birthday related templates are in set 14. Sets are available for download for no cost. The site is configured to allow you to download the templates one at a time or a set at a time. Sets are delivered as an executable which installs the backgrounds on your machine. Ms. Coleman specializes in artwork related templates. These templates are individually designed backgrounds with graphics ranging from lighthouses to coins, leaves to rainbows. In addition, her site contains samples of her other artwork which may be downloaded as well.Templates from Ms. Coleman's site may be used with no strings attached. However, I recommend you give credit when appropriate. IndeZine TemplatesCreated and supported by Geetesh Bajaj, this site contains 40 to 50 templates designed by Mr. Bajaj, as well as links to many other sites. Mr Bajaj's files are grouped into 5 sets of templates. The links for his templates can be found about halfway down the page. Template sets are grouped by time of creation and are not always themed. However, each template is available for preview on the site. Sets are available for download for no cost. The site is configured to allow you to download the templates one at a time. Templates are delivered by download as ZIP files. You must unzip the files to use them. Files come with an instruction guide. Mr. Bajaj specializes in artwork related templates. These templates are individually designed backgrounds with graphics. The first set contains themes that tend towards the artistic styles of India. Other sets include scanned fabrics, metals and objects, as well as geometric designs. Templates from Mr. Bajaj's site may be used with permission as defined on the Legal Stuff page. Template CentralCreated and supported by Template Central, this site contains hundreds of templates. Files are grouped into themes. Themes contain anywhere from four to 30 templates. The site provides both PowerPoint and FrontPage templates. Included in the 17 themes of templates available from this site are:: Templates from this site are restricted mainly to those who pay for annual subscriptions to the site. Subscriptions cost $49.95USD for 12 months of single user access. Multi-user, corporate and developer licenses are also available. There are three free sample templates available upon registration. Registration involves completing an online form requiring the usual information. Note: You must register every time you wish to view the sample templates page. Templates are delivered as self-extracting ZIP files containing the template. Executing the downloaded file automatically installs the template on your system. Use of these templates depends on the level of your subscription. Developer licenses allow you to manipulate, change, and distribute the templates to your clients. The other subscriptions allow you to use the templates as needed. However, I recommend that you give credit when appropriate. Presenters UniversityRun by Proxima and InFocus, this site currently contains almost 80 templates, with new templates added regularly. Template files are available for viewing by theme or by the entire collection of templates. The site also includes clip art and other resources. Sets are available for download for no cost. The site is configured to allow you to download the templates one at a time. Templates are delivered by download as template files which you must save to the template directory of your PowerPoint installation in order to use. Templates are available on the following topics: Templates are available for downloading upon registration with the site. Registration requires the usual information and gains you access to the monthly e-zine as well. Source information is not required for use. However, I recommend that you give credit when appropriate. Presentation ProCreated and supported by Presentation Pro, this site contains over a thousand templates. Files are grouped into static or animated templates. There are a total of 17 themes. Themes contain anywhere from four to 30 templates. The site also provides 3D clip Art and Photos. Included in the 17 themes of templates available from this site are: Templates from this site are available on a template by template basis or as an annual subscription to the site. Individual templates cost approximately $25USD. Subscriptions cost $99USD for 12 months of limited single user access or $199USD for 12 months of unlimited single user access. There are three free sample templates available upon registration. Registration involves completing an online form requiring the usual information. Upon registering, you are given the option to provide a password and become a member or not provide a password and only have access to the sample downloads. Templates are delivered as self-extracting ZIP files containing the template. Executing the downloaded file automatically installs the template and any related files on your system. Use of these templates is in accordance with the licensing agreement found on the site. A Better PresentationCreated and supported by A Better Presentation, this site contains four sets of templates. Files are grouped into sets of backgrounds and templates. Three fo the sets contain 250 backgrounds or templates, plus a wide variety of textures, 3-D objects and other objects. The fourth set (the Professional set) contains over 1,000 backgrounds or templates, a wide variety of textures, 3-D objects and other objects, and free updates for a full year. The four packages available from this site are:
Each of the smaller packages cost $US49. The Professional set costs $US89. There are two free sample templates available by email each month once you complete the registration form. Registration involves completing an online form requiring the usual information. In addition, there are viewable samples of several of the backgrounds available for viewing from the site Templates are delivered on CD. Custom background and texture development is also available from A Better Presentation. Website EstatesCreated and supported by Website Estates, this site contains thirteen sets of free templates. Each templates is available for download individually. Packages are not ordered by category, but instead by time. The first page of templates shows the 36 newest templates available. Following that, the 13 sets of templates are shown a page at a time. Each of these sets contain 12 templates. In addition to the individual downloads, the site offers an option to do a bulk download of all the templates for a donation through Amazon's website. The final option this site offers is templates by e-mail. If you sign up for the site's email list, you will receive templates by mail on a regular basis. PowerPoint ArtCreated and supported by PowerPoint Art, this site offers about 650 backgrounds for use by subscribers. Many of the backgrounds are in the process of being converted to templates for subscriber use. An index of the classifications of templates is available by clicking here. This page also provides information on the stock photos available from PowerPoint Art as well. Some of the categories of backgrounds available include: Backgrounds and photographs are available by subscribtion only. Subscriptions cost $US4.99 for one month or $US9.99 for 3 months. All backgrounds are available for viewing as samples on the site. The PowerPoint StoreCreated and supported by How to Conquer the World, this site offers about 50 backgrounds for downloading. Many of the templates are available for free download, however some of the templates cost $US4.99 apiece. Download and purchase information is available on the site. Templates are not organized, however they are grouped by pages. To see the full selection, visit the site. All backgrounds are available for viewing as samples on the site. Clicking on the sample for a free template will take you to a page with a larger version of the sample page and download instructions. Clicking on the sample for a $US4.99 template will take you to PixelMill's website, the company which handles the shopping cart for this template provider and others. Global CurrenceCreated and supported by Global Concurance, this site offers about 22 backgrounds for downloading. Each of the templates are available for free download. Sample pictures of each background is available on the site. Most of the backgrounds are basic textures and colors. Global Concurrance also offers sample presentations which they have created for their customers. These samples are for viewing only, not for use by the general public. The real strength of this site comes in their links page. The links page contians an ever growing list of new template sources for you to check out and shop from. An added bonus is the fun page which contains a information on the links the webmaster has found most interesting over the past two years. BrainyBettyCreated by Nan Shastry, the Brainy Betty site has a collection of over 1000 PowerPoint elements available for sale for less than $US40. If you order before September 15, 2001, the price for the set is even lower. The set contains: The site has pictures of several of these templates for you to view. If you wish free templates to download, go here, where you will find 7 templates for downloading. Finally, you can subscribe to Brainy Betty's email service for $US5 per month or $US50 per year. As the site says: When you become a standard subscribing member of our site, every month we will email you: 5 or more new templates, 1 Flash embedded PowerPoint movie, Tips and Tricks for PowerPoint 97, 2000 and XP, 1 special tutorial for learning design tricks in PowerPoint to achieve the best presentation possible to any audience and 1 set of media - either graphics (photos or clip art), or sound or animations. Also you will get: Pixel MillCreated by Pixel Mill, this site has over 247 different collections of PowerPoint templates, by 38 corporations. The templates are broken into 21 themes ranging from business to nature to school. Prices on the templates are set by the devleopers of the templates and are generally competetive with the rest of the industry. Theemplate store Creator of Office Ready templates and other similar products, The Template Store sells packages of PowerPoint, Excel, and Word templates. PowerPoint templates in the main product are in the following categories: The OfficeReady package costs $US79.99 when ordered off the site via the link above. Power2PresentRun by a UK company, this site offers PowerPoint custom designs and templates available via the web. Power2Present has offered PowerPoint consulting and design services for over 20 years. These custom services include both presentation tune ups and personalized presentation backgrounds. For information on the custom services, see the Custom Shop page of the site. When asked to describe their company, the reply was: We have over 20 years experience in providing custom presentation design services to enterprises world-wide from our UK base. We also work extensively in the conference and event industry. We have drawn on this experience to bring templates that we are confident people will want to use. The templates have been themed around popular business metaphors that will add impact and quality to presentations. In addition to consulting, Power2Present offers four sets of templates for sale on the site. Each set contains 4 PowerPoint files and sells regularly for £30UK. If you wish to buy all four sets, that option is available for £79UK. The templates are packaged together as a zip file for downloading purposes after on-line purchase. Each PowerPoint file contains two master file definitions with three implemented slides: These files do not have automation or transitions turned on. However, the masters are designed in such a way that they are fairly easy to animate. Each presentation file is set up with text in Arial. While I found the font sizes used a little small, they are designed so that the text fits well within the background. Backgrounds are very graphically heavy and unique. As an example, let us look at a sample of the "Onwards_Direction" title slide
The colors and text fit well together. In addition, the graphics are not overwhelming. However, I did not find that to always be the case. I was sent four of the files to review. Out of these four, three were very readable as both title and text slide. However, I found the "Keyboard_Input" title slide hard to view and hard to use:
Other than this minor problem, I find these sets of templates very useful and well built. I recommend you take a look at the site and check them out. Copyright 2002 |
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