| name | pptx |
| description | Use this skill any time a .pptx file is involved -- as input, output, or both. This includes creating slide decks, pitch decks, or presentations; reading or extracting text from .pptx files; editing or updating existing presentations; combining or splitting slide files; working with templates, layouts, speaker notes, or comments. |
PPTX Skill
Quick Reference
| Task | Guide |
|---|
| Read/analyze content | python -m markitdown presentation.pptx |
| Edit or create from template | Unpack -> manipulate slides -> edit content -> pack |
| Create from scratch | Use pptxgenjs (npm install -g pptxgenjs) |
Reading Content
python -m markitdown presentation.pptx
python scripts/thumbnail.py presentation.pptx
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: If swapping your colors into a different presentation would still "work," you haven't made specific enough choices
- Dominance over equality: One color should dominate (60-70%), with 1-2 supporting tones and one sharp accent
- 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 |
| Forest & Moss | 2C5F2D (forest) | 97BC62 (moss) | F5F5F5 |
| Coral Energy | F96167 (coral) | F9E795 (gold) | 2F3C7E |
| Warm Terracotta | B85042 (terracotta) | E7E8D1 (sand) | A7BEAE |
| Ocean Gradient | 065A82 (deep blue) | 1C7293 (teal) | 21295C |
| Charcoal Minimal | 36454F (charcoal) | F2F2F2 (off-white) | 212121 |
Typography
| Header Font | Body Font |
|---|
| Georgia | Calibri |
| Arial Black | Arial |
| Cambria | Calibri |
| Palatino | Garamond |
| Element | Size |
|---|
| Slide title | 36-44pt bold |
| Section header | 20-24pt bold |
| Body text | 14-16pt |
| Captions | 10-12pt muted |
For Each Slide
Every slide needs a visual element — image, chart, icon, or shape.
Layout options:
- Two-column (text left, illustration right)
- Icon + text rows
- 2x2 or 2x3 grid
- Half-bleed image with content overlay
Avoid
- Don't repeat the same layout across slides
- Don't center body text — left-align paragraphs
- Don't default to blue — pick topic-specific colors
- 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
Visual QA
Convert slides to images, then inspect:
python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to pdf output.pptx
pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 output.pdf slide
Look for: overlapping elements, text overflow, low-contrast text, uneven gaps, insufficient margins.
Verification Loop
- Generate -> Convert to images -> Inspect
- List issues found
- Fix issues
- Re-verify affected slides
- Repeat until clean
Dependencies
pip install "markitdown[pptx]" - text extractionnpm install -g pptxgenjs - creating from scratch- LibreOffice - PDF conversion
- Poppler (
pdftoppm) - PDF to images
