(1888PressRelease)
October 29, 2007 - Steve Hards, of SteveHardSoft, noticed that an essential visual effect which presenters should use is missing from all versions of PowerPoint. To make up for this lack, he developed and has just launched an add-in named Opazity. System requirements are: Windows 98 Second Edition or later (including Vista) and PowerPoint 2000 or later (including PowerPoint 2007).
Opazity helps presenters focus an audience's attention by blurring, and therefore hinting at, something to be revealed. This effect is important because it is becoming harder and harder these days to catch, hold and maintain a presentation audience's attention.
Opazity works by creating PowerPoint shapes with fuzzy images of the underlying parts of the slide. This is the first time this effect can be created without leaving PowerPoint.
Uses for Opazity
An obvious use for Opazity is by teachers, church leaders, or anyone who wants to make a fun quiz: audience members compete to see who can answer the question before the blurred image is removed and the clear image is revealed.
What is more, the Opazity effect can be used by anyone who wants to introduce more subtlety into their presentation visuals. It has been known since the beginning of photography that throwing the background slightly out of focus brings attention to the foreground. Until Opazity, this effect was missing from PowerPoint, which is all 'hard edge'.
Steve developed Opazity because he used to set up this effect for his presentations but it was a tedious process to copy an image, export it from PowerPoint to Photoshop, apply the blur and import it back again. More often than not he had to repeat it several times to get the exact effect he wanted, so one slide could take hours. Now, with Opazity, it takes seconds.
Apart from the time saved, Opazity encourages experimentation because it is so easy to use. Steve has already discovered several uses he had not originally thought of, such as creating sophisticated transitions between slides and making a feathered shadow for text.
How Opazity works
Once Opazity is added into PowerPoint, the presenter first develops his or her slide and then, where the opaque glass effect is required, overlays the area with a standard or hand-drawn PowerPoint shape. With a few clicks in the Opazity dialog box, the shape is converted into a transparent but blurred image of whatever is underneath. The presenter then applies a PowerPoint animation, such as an exit-fade, to the shape to reveal - at the appropriate moment - the image below. Steve has helpful demo videos on his website for people who have yet to learn the simple techniques for applying PowerPoint animations to shapes.
Demonstration slides
A short demonstration of effects created by Opazity in can be viewed on:
http://www.opazity.com.
Availability
Opazity is on sale from Steve's website: http://www.opazity.com. It costs US $47. To celebrate the launch, the price will be discounted to US $37 until November 8.
Review copies
Please email Steve with your request. steve.hards ( @ ) stevehardsoft dot com
Notes
1) Opazity is the first software production of SteveHardSoft, a new trading entity for Steve Hards.
2) Steve is a presenter and consultant. In developing Opazity he drew on his experience as Sales and Operations Director for Visual Exemplars Ltd, the producers of Perspector (http://www.perspector.com) which is a sophisticated 3D add-in for PowerPoint. Steve is also part of the Aspire Communications Relational Presentation Team, (http://www.aspirecommunications.com) and has another website for helping PowerPoint presenters: http://www.we-who-use-presentation-software.co.uk.
3) Steve's contact details:
Email: steve.hards ( @ ) stevehardsoft dot com
London Phone: +44 20 7870 1053
Mail: Calle Matia 17-4C, 20008 San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain
