canva-presentation

name	canva-presentation
description	Work with Canva presentations, slideshows, and multi-page documents. Use this skill when user wants to create, edit, or manage presentations. Handles slide operations like adding/removing slides, reordering, editing individual slides, and bulk updates. Follows 3-mode workflow: PLAN, CLARIFY, IMPLEMENT for safe operations.
allowed-tools	["Bash","Read","Write","Edit","AskUserQuestion"]

Canva Presentation Skill

Specialized skill for working with Canva presentations, slideshows, and multi-page documents.

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⚠️ CRITICAL DESIGN PRESERVATION RULES (MANDATORY)

These rules are NON-NEGOTIABLE. Violating them will break the presentation design.

🚫 NEVER DO THESE THINGS:

1. NEVER create new text elements - Only modify text in EXISTING elements
2. NEVER add new shapes or elements - Only modify EXISTING elements
3. NEVER create blank slides - ALWAYS duplicate an existing slide
4. NEVER change font sizes - Unless user EXPLICITLY requests it
5. NEVER change font colors - Unless user EXPLICITLY requests it
6. NEVER change alignments - Unless user EXPLICITLY requests it
7. NEVER change element positions - Unless user EXPLICITLY requests it
8. NEVER change backgrounds - Unless user EXPLICITLY requests it
9. NEVER change the template/theme - Unless user EXPLICITLY requests it
10. NEVER modify decorative elements - Logos, lines, shapes, images that are part of design

✅ ALWAYS DO THESE THINGS:

1. ALWAYS duplicate existing slides to create new ones (preserves theme/design)
2. ALWAYS replace text within existing elements only
3. ALWAYS preserve all formatting when replacing content
4. ALWAYS analyze slide structure first before any modification
5. ALWAYS identify content elements vs decorative elements before editing
6. ALWAYS use the existing slide as template for new slides

Creating New Slides - THE CORRECT WAY:

# WRONG - Creates blank slide, breaks design
add_slide.py --design "ID" --position 6 --template "blank"

# CORRECT - Duplicates existing slide, preserves design
duplicate_slide.py --design "ID" --slide 5 --position 6

# Then modify the duplicated slide's content
update_slide.py --design "ID" --slide 6 --element "headline" --text "New Title"

Updating Content - THE CORRECT WAY:

# WRONG - Might create new element
# Adding text without checking existing elements

# CORRECT - First identify existing elements, then update them
get_slide.py --design "ID" --slide 3  # Analyze structure first
update_slide.py --design "ID" --slide 3 --element "headline" --text "New Headline"

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Scope of This Skill

This skill handles:

• Presentations (16:9, 4:3)
• Slideshows
• Pitch Decks
• Multi-page Documents
• Whiteboards with multiple frames
• Any design with multiple pages/slides

Operations supported:

• View all slides in a presentation
• Edit individual slide content (REPLACE only, not ADD)
• Add new slides → Duplicate existing slides
• Remove slides
• Reorder slides
• Duplicate slides (PREFERRED for adding content)
• Apply consistent styling across slides (using existing styles)
• Export to PPTX or PDF

3-Mode Workflow

MODE 1: PLAN

1. Load Presentation Structure

   # Get presentation overview
   python skills/canva-presentation/scripts/get_presentation.py \
     --id "DESIGN_ID" \
     --include-thumbnails
   

2. Document Slide Analysis

   ## Presentation Analysis: "[Name]"
   
   ### Overview
   - Total Slides: 15
   - Dimensions: 1920x1080 (16:9)
   - Created: 2024-01-15
   - Last Modified: 2024-02-20
   
   ### Slide Breakdown
   | # | Title | Elements | Notes |
   |---|-------|----------|-------|
   | 1 | Cover Slide | Logo, Title, Subtitle | |
   | 2 | Agenda | 5 bullet points | |
   | 3 | Introduction | Text, Image | |
   ...
   
   ### Proposed Changes
   1. Update slide 3 headline
   2. Add new slide after slide 5
   3. Remove slide 12
   4. Reorder slides 8-10
   

MODE 2: CLARIFY

Critical questions for presentations:

1. Slide Identification

   • "Which slide number? Or can you describe it?"
   • "Slide 5 has title 'Q3 Results' - is this the one?"

2. Content Changes

   • "What should the new text say?"
   • "Should I maintain the current bullet format?"

3. Structural Changes

   • "Where should the new slide be inserted?"
   • "This will shift all subsequent slide numbers. Proceed?"

4. Bulk Operations

   • "Apply this change to all 15 slides or specific ones?"
   • "Should I update the master template instead?"

MODE 3: IMPLEMENT

# Get slide details
python skills/canva-presentation/scripts/get_slide.py \
  --design "DESIGN_ID" \
  --slide 3

# Update slide content
python skills/canva-presentation/scripts/update_slide.py \
  --design "DESIGN_ID" \
  --slide 3 \
  --element "headline" \
  --text "New Headline"

# Add new slide
python skills/canva-presentation/scripts/add_slide.py \
  --design "DESIGN_ID" \
  --position 6 \
  --template "blank"

# Remove slide
python skills/canva-presentation/scripts/remove_slide.py \
  --design "DESIGN_ID" \
  --slide 12

# Reorder slides
python skills/canva-presentation/scripts/reorder_slides.py \
  --design "DESIGN_ID" \
  --order "1,2,3,4,5,8,9,10,6,7,11,12,13,14,15"

# Duplicate slide
python skills/canva-presentation/scripts/duplicate_slide.py \
  --design "DESIGN_ID" \
  --slide 5 \
  --position 6

Available Scripts

Analysis Scripts

• get_presentation.py - Full presentation overview
• get_slide.py - Detailed info for one slide
• analyze_structure.py - Template and master analysis
• extract_all_text.py - Get all text from all slides
• compare_slides.py - Find similar/duplicate slides

Edit Scripts

• update_slide.py - Modify slide content
• add_slide.py - Insert new slide
• remove_slide.py - Delete a slide
• duplicate_slide.py - Copy a slide
• reorder_slides.py - Change slide order
• batch_update.py - Apply changes to multiple slides
• update_master.py - Modify master template

Creation Scripts

• create_presentation.py - New presentation
• create_from_template.py - From Canva template

Slide Types

Common slide layouts:

• Title Slide: Main title and subtitle
• Title + Content: Header with body text
• Two Column: Side-by-side content
• Image + Text: Split layout
• Full Image: Background image
• Quote: Featured quote
• Chart/Graph: Data visualization
• Comparison: Two items side by side
• Timeline: Sequential events
• Team: Profile cards
• Thank You: Closing slide

Presentation Dimensions

Type	Dimensions	Aspect Ratio
Widescreen	1920x1080	16:9
Standard	1024x768	4:3
Portrait	1080x1920	9:16
Square	1080x1080	1:1
A4	595x842	~1:1.4
Letter	612x792	~1:1.3

Bulk Operations

For changes across multiple slides:

# Update all headlines
python skills/canva-presentation/scripts/batch_update.py \
  --design "DESIGN_ID" \
  --element-type "headline" \
  --font "Montserrat" \
  --slides "all"

# Update footer on specific slides
python skills/canva-presentation/scripts/batch_update.py \
  --design "DESIGN_ID" \
  --element-type "footer" \
  --text "Confidential" \
  --slides "2,3,4,5,6,7,8"

# Apply color scheme
python skills/canva-presentation/scripts/batch_update.py \
  --design "DESIGN_ID" \
  --primary-color "#2E86AB" \
  --secondary-color "#F4D35E" \
  --slides "all"

Safety Guidelines (DESIGN PRESERVATION)

1. Confirm slide numbers - Always verify which slide before editing
2. ANALYZE STRUCTURE FIRST - Identify placeholders vs decorative elements
3. Document before removal - List slide content before deleting
4. Backup for reorder - Note original order before reordering
5. DUPLICATE, don't create - New slides must be duplicated from existing ones
6. Check dependencies - Some slides may reference others
7. NEVER add new elements - Only modify existing ones
8. PRESERVE ALL FORMATTING - Font, size, color, position must stay the same

Example Interactions

"Show me the slides in my pitch deck"

[PLAN]
- Retrieve presentation structure
- Generate slide overview with titles

[CLARIFY]
- None needed for read-only operation

[IMPLEMENT]
- Display slide list with thumbnails

"Update the Q3 numbers on slide 7"

[PLAN]
- Get slide 7 details
- Identify which elements contain numeric values (EXISTING elements only)
- Document current values and their formatting

[CLARIFY]
- "Slide 7 shows: Revenue $1.2M, Growth 15%"
- "What are the new numbers?"
- "I will update ONLY the values, keeping all formatting intact"

[IMPLEMENT]
- Update specified values IN EXISTING ELEMENTS
- Verify formatting maintained (font, size, color, position unchanged)
- ⚠️ DO NOT create new text boxes

"Add a new slide about our team after the intro"

[PLAN]
- Identify intro slide (slide 2)
- Find a suitable slide to DUPLICATE (slide with similar layout)
- New team slide will be slide 3 (DUPLICATED from existing)
- All subsequent slides shift by 1

[CLARIFY]
- "I'll DUPLICATE slide 2 to preserve the design theme"
- "What team info should replace the existing content?"
- "This will renumber slides 3→4, 4→5, etc."

[IMPLEMENT]
- DUPLICATE slide 2 to position 3 (preserves theme/design)
- REPLACE text in existing elements with team content
- ⚠️ DO NOT add new text boxes or shapes
- Confirm new structure

❌ INCORRECT: "Add a new slide with custom layout"

[RESPONSE]
- "I cannot create slides with custom layouts as this would break the design"
- "Instead, I can DUPLICATE an existing slide and modify its content"
- "Which existing slide's design would you like to use as the template?"

Export Options

For presentations:

• PDF - Static document
• PPTX - Editable PowerPoint
• PNG/JPG - Individual slide images
• Video - Animated slideshow (if applicable)

Use canva-export skill for actual export operations.

Output Files

• output/presentations/ - Presentation data
• output/slide_thumbnails/ - Slide images
• output/logs/presentation_edits.json - Change history