| name | pptx |
| description | Use this skill any time a .pptx file is involved in any way -- as input, output, or both. This includes: creating slide decks, pitch decks, or presentations; reading, parsing, or extracting text from any .pptx file; editing, modifying, or updating existing presentations; combining or splitting slide files; working with templates, layouts, speaker notes, or comments. Trigger whenever the user mentions 'deck,' 'slides,' 'presentation,' or references a .pptx filename, regardless of what they plan to do with the content afterward. |
| license | Proprietary. LICENSE.txt has complete terms |
PPTX Skill
Quick Reference
| Task | Guide |
|---|
| Read/analyze content | python -m markitdown presentation.pptx |
| Edit or create from template | Read editing.md |
| Create from scratch | Read pptxgenjs.md |
Reading Content
python -m markitdown presentation.pptx
python scripts/thumbnail.py presentation.pptx
python scripts/office/unpack.py presentation.pptx unpacked/
Design Ideas
Don't create boring slides. Plain bullets on a white background won't impress anyone.
Before Starting
- Pick a bold, content-informed color palette: The palette should feel designed for THIS topic
- Dominance over equality: One color should dominate (60-70% visual weight)
- Dark/light contrast: Dark backgrounds for title + conclusion slides, light for content
- Commit to a visual motif: Pick ONE distinctive element and repeat it
Color Palettes
| Theme | Primary | Secondary | Accent |
|---|
| Midnight Executive | 1E2761 (navy) | CADCFC (ice blue) | FFFFFF (white) |
| Forest & Moss | 2C5F2D (forest) | 97BC62 (moss) | F5F5F5 (cream) |
| Coral Energy | F96167 (coral) | F9E795 (gold) | 2F3C7E (navy) |
| Warm Terracotta | B85042 (terracotta) | E7E8D1 (sand) | A7BEAE (sage) |
| Ocean Gradient | 065A82 (deep blue) | 1C7293 (teal) | 21295C (midnight) |
| Charcoal Minimal | 36454F (charcoal) | F2F2F2 (off-white) | 212121 (black) |
| Teal Trust | 028090 (teal) | 00A896 (seafoam) | 02C39A (mint) |
| Berry & Cream | 6D2E46 (berry) | A26769 (dusty rose) | ECE2D0 (cream) |
| Sage Calm | 84B59F (sage) | 69A297 (eucalyptus) | 50808E (slate) |
| Cherry Bold | 990011 (cherry) | FCF6F5 (off-white) | 2F3C7E (navy) |
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
- Half-bleed image with content overlay
Data display:
- Large stat callouts (big numbers 60-72pt with small labels below)
- Comparison columns (before/after, pros/cons)
- Timeline or process flow (numbered steps, arrows)
Typography
| Header Font | Body Font |
|---|
| Georgia | Calibri |
| Arial Black | Arial |
| Cambria | Calibri |
| Trebuchet MS | Calibri |
| Palatino | Garamond |
| Element | Size |
|---|
| Slide title | 36-44pt bold |
| Section header | 20-24pt bold |
| Body text | 14-16pt |
| Captions | 10-12pt muted |
Avoid
- Don't repeat the same layout across slides
- Don't center body text -- left-align paragraphs and lists
- Don't default to blue -- pick colors that reflect the specific topic
- Don't create text-only slides
- NEVER use accent lines under titles -- hallmark of AI-generated slides
QA (Required)
Assume there are problems. Your job is to find them.
Content QA
python -m markitdown output.pptx
python -m markitdown output.pptx | grep -iE "xxxx|lorem|ipsum"
Visual QA
Convert to images and inspect:
python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to pdf output.pptx
pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 output.pdf slide
Verification Loop
- Generate slides -> Convert to images -> Inspect
- List issues found
- Fix issues
- Re-verify affected slides
- Repeat until clean
Dependencies
pip install "markitdown[pptx]" - text extractionpip install Pillow - thumbnail gridsnpm install -g pptxgenjs - creating from scratch- LibreOffice (
soffice) - PDF conversion
- Poppler (
pdftoppm) - PDF to images
