PPTX Skill

Quick Reference

| Task | Guide |

|------|-------|

| Read/analyze content | `python -m markitdown presentation.pptx` |

| Edit or create from template | Read [editing.md](editing.md) |

| Create from scratch | Read [pptxgenjs.md](pptxgenjs.md) |

---

Reading Content

```bash

Text extraction

python -m markitdown presentation.pptx

Visual overview

python scripts/thumbnail.py presentation.pptx

Raw XML

python scripts/office/unpack.py presentation.pptx unpacked/

```

---

Editing Workflow

**Read [editing.md](editing.md) for full details.**

1. Analyze template with `thumbnail.py`

2. Unpack → manipulate slides → edit content → clean → pack

---

Creating from Scratch

**Read [pptxgenjs.md](pptxgenjs.md) for full details.**

Use when no template or reference presentation is available.

---

Design Ideas

**Don't create boring slides.** Plain bullets on a white background won't impress anyone. Consider ideas from this list for each slide.

Before Starting

**Pick a bold, content-informed color palette**: The palette should feel designed for THIS topic. If swapping your colors into a completely different presentation would still "work," you haven't made specific enough choices.

**Dominance over equality**: One color should dominate (60-70% visual weight), with 1-2 supporting tones and one sharp accent. Never give all colors equal weight.

**Dark/light contrast**: Dark backgrounds for title + conclusion slides, light for content ("sandwich" structure). Or commit to dark throughout for a premium feel.

**Commit to a visual motif**: Pick ONE distinctive element and repeat it — rounded image frames, icons in colored circles, thick single-side borders. Carry it across every slide.

Color Palettes

Choose colors that match your topic — don't default to generic blue. Use these palettes as inspiration:

|-------|---------|-----------|--------|

For Each Slide

**Every slide needs a visual element** — image, chart, icon, or shape. Text-only slides are forgettable.

**Layout options:**

Two-column (text left, illustration on right)

Icon + text rows (icon in colored circle, bold header, description below)

2x2 or 2x3 grid (image on one side, grid of content blocks on other)

Half-bleed image (full left or right side) with content overlay

**Data display:**

Large stat callouts (big numbers 60-72pt with small labels below)

Comparison columns (before/after, pros/cons, side-by-side options)

Timeline or process flow (numbered steps, arrows)

**Visual polish:**

Icons in small colored circles next to section headers

Italic accent text for key stats or taglines

Typography

**Choose an interesting font pairing** — don't default to Arial. Pick a header font with personality and pair it with a clean body font.

| Header Font | Body Font |

|-------------|-----------|

| Georgia | Calibri |

| Arial Black | Arial |

| Calibri | Calibri Light |

| Cambria | Calibri |

| Trebuchet MS | Calibri |

| Impact | Arial |

| Palatino | Garamond |

| Consolas | Calibri |

| Element | Size |

|---------|------|

| Slide title | 36-44pt bold |

| Section header | 20-24pt bold |

| Body text | 14-16pt |

| Captions | 10-12pt muted |

Spacing

0.5" minimum margins

0.3-0.5" between content blocks

Leave breathing room—don't fill every inch

Avoid (Common Mistakes)

**Don't repeat the same layout** — vary columns, cards, and callouts across slides

**Don't center body text** — left-align paragraphs and lists; center only titles

**Don't skimp on size contrast** — titles need 36pt+ to stand out from 14-16pt body

**Don't default to blue** — pick colors that reflect the specific topic

**Don't mix spacing randomly** — choose 0.3" or 0.5" gaps and use consistently

**Don't style one slide and leave the rest plain** — commit fully or keep it simple throughout

**Don't create text-only slides** — add images, icons, charts, or visual elements; avoid plain title + bullets

**Don't forget text box padding** — when aligning lines or shapes with text edges, set `margin: 0` on the text box or offset the shape to account for padding

**Don't use low-contrast elements** — icons AND text need strong contrast against the background; avoid light text on light backgrounds or dark text on dark backgrounds

**NEVER use accent lines under titles** — these are a hallmark of AI-generated slides; use whitespace or background color instead

---

QA (Required)

**Assume there are problems. Your job is to find them.**

Your first render is almost never correct. Approach QA as a bug hunt, not a confirmation step. If you found zero issues on first inspection, you weren't looking hard enough.

Content QA

```bash

python -m markitdown output.pptx

```

Check for missing content, typos, wrong order.

**When using templates, check for leftover placeholder text:**

```bash

```

If grep returns results, fix them before declaring success.

Visual QA

**⚠️ USE SUBAGENTS** — even for 2-3 slides. You've been staring at the code and will see what you expect, not what's there. Subagents have fresh eyes.

Convert slides to images (see [Converting to Images](#converting-to-images)), then use this prompt:

```

Visually inspect these slides. Assume there are issues — find them.

Look for:

Overlapping elements (text through shapes, lines through words, stacked elements)

Text overflow or cut off at edges/box boundaries

Decorative lines positioned for single-line text but title wrapped to two lines

Source citations or footers colliding with content above

Elements too close (< 0.3" gaps) or cards/sections nearly touching

Uneven gaps (large empty area in one place, cramped in another)

Insufficient margin from slide edges (< 0.5")

Columns or similar elements not aligned consistently

Low-contrast text (e.g., light gray text on cream-colored background)

Low-contrast icons (e.g., dark icons on dark backgrounds without a contrasting circle)

Text boxes too narrow causing excessive wrapping

Leftover placeholder content

For each slide, list issues or areas of concern, even if minor.

Read and analyze these images:

1. /path/to/slide-01.jpg (Expected: [brief description])

2. /path/to/slide-02.jpg (Expected: [brief description])

Report ALL issues found, including minor ones.

```

Verification Loop

1. Generate slides → Convert to images → Inspect

2. **List issues found** (if none found, look again more critically)

3. Fix issues

4. **Re-verify affected slides** — one fix often creates another problem

5. Repeat until a full pass reveals no new issues

**Do not declare success until you've completed at least one fix-and-verify cycle.**

---

Converting to Images

Convert presentations to individual slide images for visual inspection:

```bash

python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to pdf output.pptx

pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 output.pdf slide

```

This creates `slide-01.jpg`, `slide-02.jpg`, etc.

To re-render specific slides after fixes:

```bash

pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 -f N -l N output.pdf slide-fixed

```

---

Dependencies

`pip install "markitdown[pptx]"` - text extraction

`pip install Pillow` - thumbnail grids

`npm install -g pptxgenjs` - creating from scratch

LibreOffice (`soffice`) - PDF conversion (auto-configured for sandboxed environments via `scripts/office/soffice.py`)

Poppler (`pdftoppm`) - PDF to images

pptx

PPTX Skill

Quick Reference

Reading Content

Text extraction

Visual overview

Raw XML

Editing Workflow

Creating from Scratch

Design Ideas

Before Starting

Color Palettes

For Each Slide

Typography

Spacing

Avoid (Common Mistakes)

QA (Required)

Content QA

Visual QA

Verification Loop

Converting to Images

Dependencies

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