Visual materials such as overheads, slides and computer graphics should be designed in a 3 (height) by 4 (length) ratio. A television screen is a 3-by-4 ratio. Photographic slides are a 2-by-3 ratio. What that means is some material on the edges of a slide will be lost when it is transferred to video.

If there's something on a slide that you need to show, make sure that it is near the center of the screen. Here are some more general guidelines on preparing PowerPoint graphics and slides for video. For information on using PowerPoint in presentations, see Getting the Most Out of PowerPoint.

The following are some tips for creating PowerPoint presentations for use in video-based instruction:

Safe area - The central 80 percent of a computer monitor is the "safe area" for transferring text and graphics to video. Keep all information in this area, or it may be cut off on the edges of the video monitor or television set. Check the IFAS Distance Education Web site for a PowerPoint template to help you design for video.

Number of words/lines - Too many words on a television or computer screen make the information difficult to read. A good rule is to limit words to six per line and six lines per screen. Information is best presented using bullet points or key words.

Letters - It is difficult to read all UPPER-CASE letters. A combination of Lower-Case and Upper-Case letters should be used.

Colors - Bright, saturated colors are difficult to read on a television or computer screen. A blue background with yellow or white text usually looks the best. Avoid red as a text color. Red letters tend to "bleed" into each other, making reading difficult. The text should have a slight drop shadow:

Font size and style - Use a minimum font size of 32 points. Bigger (up to 48-point) is better, especially for videoconferencing. A bold, sans-serif font such as Arial or Helvetica is best for video.

Think visually - Include graphic material that tells your story. Mix different media.

Think "purpose" - What's the purpose of the graphic? Each visual should make a point.

To review information about graphics, see Graphic File Formats and Scanning