Ubuntu - LibreOffice

Ubuntu - LibreOffice Suite

LibreOffice is a powerful and free, open-source office suite, widely used on Linux systems like Ubuntu. It serves as a robust alternative to proprietary office software like Microsoft Office. LibreOffice is a descendant of OpenOffice.org and has been actively developed by The Document Foundation since 2010.

The LibreOffice suite typically comes pre-installed with Ubuntu Desktop. It includes several applications:

• Writer: A feature-rich word processor, similar to Microsoft Word.
• Calc: A comprehensive spreadsheet program, comparable to Microsoft Excel.
• Impress: A presentation application, akin to Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Draw: A vector graphics editor and diagramming tool.
• Base: A database management program.
• Math: An editor for mathematical formulas.

In this chapter, we’ll focus on LibreOffice Impress, the presentation component.

Launching LibreOffice Impress

You can launch LibreOffice Impress by searching for ‘LibreOffice Impress’ or simply ‘Impress’ in the Ubuntu Activities overview (press the Super key, usually the Windows key, and start typing). Click its icon to open the application.

When Impress starts, it may present you with a dialog to select a template for your new presentation, or it might open directly to a blank slide. The interface will feel familiar if you’ve used other presentation software, with a central slide editing area, a slide sorter pane (usually on the left), and a properties/sidebar pane (usually on the right) for formatting and layout options.

Creating and Managing Slides

Adding a New Slide:

• Go to the Slide menu and select New Slide.
• Alternatively, right-click in the Slides pane (the left sidebar showing thumbnails of your slides) and select New Slide.
• You can also press Ctrl+M.

Changing Slide Layout:

• Select the slide you want to modify.
• In the Properties sidebar (usually on the right, if not visible, go to View > Sidebar), you’ll find a ‘Layouts’ section. Click on a desired layout (e.g., Title and Content, Two Content) to apply it.

Adding Content:

• Click on placeholder boxes (e.g., ‘Click to add title’, ‘Click to add text’) to type text.
• To insert images, go to Insert > Image... and browse for your image file.
• You can also insert shapes, charts, tables, audio, or video from the Insert menu.

Saving Your Presentation

Step 1 − Go to File > Save As... (for the first save or to save with a new name) or File > Save (to save changes to an already saved file).

Step 2 − A dialog box will appear. Navigate to the desired location to save your file.

Step 3 − Enter a name for your presentation in the ‘File name’ field.

Step 4 − Choose the file type. LibreOffice Impress defaults to the OpenDocument Presentation format (.odp). This is an open standard. If you need to share the file with Microsoft PowerPoint users, you can select a PowerPoint format (e.g., .pptx) from the ‘File type’ dropdown, though be aware that some advanced features or formatting might not translate perfectly.

Step 5 − Click the ‘Save’ button.

Opening an Existing Presentation

Step 1 − Go to File > Open....

Step 2 − In the dialog box, navigate to the location of your presentation file.

Step 3 − Select the file and click the ‘Open’ button.

LibreOffice Impress provides a comprehensive set of tools for creating professional-looking presentations, including slide transitions, animations, master slides for consistent design, and various export options (like PDF). Exploring its menus and toolbars will reveal its extensive capabilities.