PowerPoint (PPTX) Skill

Overview

This skill provides comprehensive PowerPoint presentation creation, editing, and automation capabilities using Python's python-pptx library. Create professional presentations programmatically with full control over layouts, themes, content, charts, and visualizations.

Core Capabilities

• Presentation Creation: New presentations, templates, metadata, page configuration
• Slide Management: Add, duplicate, delete, reorder slides with predefined layouts
• Content Types: Text, shapes, images, tables, charts, SmartArt, hyperlinks
• Design & Formatting: Themes, color schemes, fonts, fills, borders, effects
• Advanced Features: Transitions, animations, embedded objects, video/audio, comments

Installation

Install the required library:

pip install python-pptx
# or with uv
uv pip install python-pptx

Basic imports:

from pptx import Presentation
from pptx.util import Inches, Pt, Cm
from pptx.dml.color import RGBColor
from pptx.enum.text import PP_ALIGN, MSO_ANCHOR
from pptx.chart.data import CategoryChartData
from pptx.enum.chart import XL_CHART_TYPE

For complete library setup and supporting packages (Pillow, pandas, matplotlib), see references/library-setup.md.

Core Workflows

Workflow 1: Creating a Business Presentation

Goal: Create a professional presentation with title slide, content slides, and conclusion.

Steps:

1. Initialize Presentation

   • Create new presentation object
   • Set slide dimensions (standard 16:9 or 4:3)
   • Configure metadata (title, author, subject, keywords)

2. Add Title Slide

   • Use title slide layout (typically prs.slide_layouts[0])
   • Set title and subtitle text
   • Apply formatting (font size, color, bold)

3. Add Content Slides

   • Use appropriate layouts (bullet, two-column, title-only, blank)
   • Populate placeholders or add text boxes
   • Format text with proper hierarchy

4. Add Visual Elements

   • Insert images with proper sizing and positioning
   • Add charts with formatted data
   • Create tables with cell styling

5. Save Presentation

   • Save to .pptx format
   • Verify file creation

Quick Example:

from pptx import Presentation
from pptx.util import Inches, Pt

prs = Presentation()
prs.slide_width = Inches(10)
prs.slide_height = Inches(7.5)

# Title slide
slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[0])
slide.shapes.title.text = "Q4 Business Review"
slide.placeholders[1].text = "Prepared by: Jane Doe\nDate: October 25, 2025"

prs.save('presentation.pptx')

See examples/business-presentation.md for complete implementation.

Workflow 2: Adding Charts

Goal: Create data visualizations with bar, line, and pie charts.

Steps:

1. Prepare chart data using CategoryChartData
2. Define categories and series
3. Add chart to slide with positioning
4. Format chart (legend, gridlines, labels)

Quick Example:

from pptx.chart.data import CategoryChartData
from pptx.enum.chart import XL_CHART_TYPE

chart_data = CategoryChartData()
chart_data.categories = ['Q1', 'Q2', 'Q3', 'Q4']
chart_data.add_series('2025', (9.5, 10.8, 11.2, 13.1))

chart = slide.shapes.add_chart(
    XL_CHART_TYPE.COLUMN_CLUSTERED,
    Inches(1), Inches(2), Inches(8), Inches(4.5),
    chart_data
).chart

See examples/chart-examples.md for all chart types.

Workflow 3: Working with Images

Goal: Add, position, and format images in presentations.

Steps:

1. Add image with slide.shapes.add_picture()
2. Specify position (left, top) and size (width, height)
3. Calculate centered positioning if needed
4. Optimize images before adding (use Pillow for preprocessing)

Quick Example:

# Add image with auto-scaled aspect ratio
pic = slide.shapes.add_picture('logo.png', Inches(1), Inches(1), height=Inches(2))

# Center image on slide
pic.left = int((prs.slide_width - pic.width) / 2)
pic.top = int((prs.slide_height - pic.height) / 2)

See examples/image-handling.md for advanced techniques.

Workflow 4: Creating Tables

Goal: Add structured data tables with formatting.

Steps:

1. Define table dimensions (rows, cols)
2. Add table with positioning
3. Set column widths
4. Populate headers with bold formatting and background color
5. Fill data cells with proper alignment

Quick Example:

table = slide.shapes.add_table(4, 3, Inches(1.5), Inches(2), Inches(7), Inches(3)).table

# Header formatting
cell = table.cell(0, 0)
cell.text = "Product"
cell.text_frame.paragraphs[0].font.bold = True
cell.fill.solid()
cell.fill.fore_color.rgb = RGBColor(0, 51, 102)

See examples/table-examples.md for advanced formatting.

Workflow 5: Editing Existing Presentations

Goal: Modify existing PowerPoint files.

Steps:

1. Open presentation with Presentation('file.pptx')
2. Iterate through slides to find content
3. Modify text, shapes, or add new elements
4. Save with same or different filename

Quick Example:

prs = Presentation('existing.pptx')

# Find and update text
for slide in prs.slides:
    for shape in slide.shapes:
        if hasattr(shape, "text") and "Old Name" in shape.text:
            shape.text = shape.text.replace("Old Name", "New Name")

prs.save('updated.pptx')

See examples/editing-presentations.md for slide copying and advanced editing.

Workflow 6: Using Templates

Goal: Apply consistent branding with master slides and templates.

Steps:

1. Start with template file: Presentation('template.pptx')
2. Examine available layouts
3. Add slides using template layouts
4. Apply brand colors consistently

Quick Example:

prs = Presentation('corporate_template.pptx')

# Use template layouts
title_slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[0])
content_slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[1])

# Layouts inherit master formatting
prs.save('branded_presentation.pptx')

See references/templates-and-themes.md for master slide customization.

Workflow 7: Bulk Slide Generation

Goal: Generate multiple slides automatically from data.

Steps:

1. Load data from CSV, JSON, or database
2. Create presentation object
3. Iterate through data records
4. Generate one slide per record
5. Populate slide with record data

Quick Example:

import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_csv('employee_data.csv')
prs = Presentation()

for _, row in df.iterrows():
    slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[1])
    slide.shapes.title.text = row['Name']
    # Add employee details to slide body

prs.save('employee_directory.pptx')

See examples/bulk-generation.md for complete implementations.

Design Principles

Color & Typography

• Use 60-30-10 color rule (60% primary, 30% secondary, 10% accent)
• Ensure WCAG AA contrast ratios (4.5:1 minimum)
• Limit to 2 font families maximum
• Minimum body text: 18pt for readability

Layout & Composition

• Follow rule of thirds for element placement
• Maintain minimum 0.5" margins on all sides
• Limit to 5-7 elements per slide
• Use consistent alignment (snap to grid)

Visual Hierarchy

• Size indicates importance (larger = more important)
• Use color contrast for emphasis
• Follow Z-pattern for content flow

Chart Best Practices

• Choose appropriate chart type (bar for comparison, line for trends, pie for parts-of-whole)
• Limit to 3-5 colors maximum
• Always label axes and include data labels
• Use gridlines sparingly

For complete design guidelines, see references/design-best-practices.md.

Common Patterns

Brand Color Application

BRAND_COLORS = {
    'primary': RGBColor(0, 51, 102),
    'secondary': RGBColor(0, 153, 204),
    'accent': RGBColor(255, 102, 0)
}

# Apply to text
shape.text_frame.paragraphs[0].font.color.rgb = BRAND_COLORS['primary']

# Apply to fill
shape.fill.solid()
shape.fill.fore_color.rgb = BRAND_COLORS['secondary']

Centered Element

def center_shape(shape, prs):
    """Center shape on slide."""
    shape.left = int((prs.slide_width - shape.width) / 2)
    shape.top = int((prs.slide_height - shape.height) / 2)

Text Auto-Fit

from pptx.enum.text import MSO_AUTO_SIZE

text_frame = shape.text_frame
text_frame.auto_size = MSO_AUTO_SIZE.TEXT_TO_FIT_SHAPE  # Shrink text
# or
text_frame.auto_size = MSO_AUTO_SIZE.SHAPE_TO_FIT_TEXT  # Expand shape

Troubleshooting Quick Reference

"ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pptx'"

pip install python-pptx

"AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute..."

• Check placeholder indices: [p.placeholder_format.idx for p in slide.placeholders]
• Verify layout has expected placeholders

Images not found

• Use absolute paths: os.path.abspath('image.png')
• Verify file exists: os.path.exists(img_path)

Text doesn't fit

• Enable auto-fit: text_frame.auto_size = MSO_AUTO_SIZE.TEXT_TO_FIT_SHAPE
• Truncate long text with ellipsis

File size too large

• Compress images before adding (use Pillow)
• Resize images to presentation dimensions (1920x1080 max)

For complete troubleshooting, see references/troubleshooting.md.

Helper Scripts

The scripts/pptx_helper.py module provides utility functions:

• create_presentation(): Initialize with defaults
• add_title_slide(): Add formatted title slide
• add_bullet_slide(): Add slide with bullet points
• add_image_slide(): Add slide with centered image
• add_chart_slide(): Add slide with chart
• add_table_slide(): Add formatted table
• apply_brand_colors(): Apply consistent color scheme
• optimize_images(): Batch optimize images

Usage:

from scripts.pptx_helper import create_presentation, add_title_slide, add_chart_slide

prs = create_presentation(title="My Presentation")
add_title_slide(prs, "Main Title", "Subtitle")
add_chart_slide(prs, "Sales Data", chart_type='bar',
                categories=['Q1', 'Q2', 'Q3', 'Q4'],
                values=[10, 20, 15, 25])
prs.save('output.pptx')

Additional Resources

Documentation

• python-pptx: https://python-pptx.readthedocs.io/
• API Reference: https://python-pptx.readthedocs.io/en/latest/api/
• GitHub: https://github.com/scanny/python-pptx

Detailed References

• Library Setup & Installation
• Design Best Practices
• Templates & Themes
• Advanced Techniques
• Common Pitfalls

Examples

• Complete Business Presentation
• Chart Examples (Bar, Line, Pie)
• Image Handling
• Table Examples
• Editing Existing Presentations
• Bulk Generation from Data

Design Resources

• Microsoft Design Templates: https://templates.office.com/powerpoint
• Color Palette Tools: Coolors.co, Adobe Color
• Free Stock Images: Unsplash, Pexels

Best Practices Summary

1. Always use templates for consistent branding
2. Optimize images before adding to presentation
3. Limit text on each slide (5-7 bullet points max)
4. Use high contrast for readability
5. Test on target device before presenting
6. Keep file size manageable (<20MB for email)
7. Use speaker notes for detailed talking points
8. Follow 6x6 rule: Max 6 bullets, max 6 words per bullet
9. Validate data before creating charts
10. Use consistent spacing and alignment

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When to Use This Skill:

• Creating business presentations from data
• Automating report generation
• Bulk slide creation from databases
• Template-based presentations
• Educational content with charts/images
• Converting documents to slides