pptx

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 (even if the extracted content will be used elsewhere, like in an email or summary); 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. If a .pptx file needs to be opened, created, or touched, use this skill. license Proprietary. LICENSE.txt has complete terms metadata {"builtin_skill_version":"1.1"} Important: All scripts/ paths are relative to this skill directory. Run with: cd {this_skill_dir} && python scripts/... Or use the cwd parameter of execute_shell_command . PPTX Skill Prerequisites markitdown[pptx] : text extraction from presentations Pillow : thumbnail grid generation pptxgenjs ( npm install -g pptxgenjs ): creating presentations from scratch LibreOffice ( soffice ): presentation-to-PDF conversion pdftoppm (poppler-utils): PDF-to-image conversion for thumbnail/visual workflows If pdftoppm is unavailable, a Python fallback path may use pdf2image . On Windows, dependencies must be installed and available in PATH ; if missing, report the dependency issue and stop (do not keep retrying). 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 # Text extraction python -m markitdown presentation.pptx # Visual overview python scripts/thumbnail.py presentation.pptx # Raw XML python scripts/office/unpack.py presentation.pptx unpacked/ Editing Workflow Read editing.md for full details. Analyze template with thumbnail.py Unpack → manipulate slides → edit content → clean → pack Creating from Scratch Read pptxgenjs.md for full details. Use when no template or reference presentation is available. Design Ideas Don't create boring slides. Plain bullets on a white background won't impress anyone. Consider ideas from this list for each slide. Before Starting Pick a bold, content-informed color palette : The palette should feel designed for THIS topic. If swapping your colors into a completely different presentation would still "work," you haven't made specific enough choices. Dominance over equality : One color should dominate (60-70% visual weight), with 1-2 supporting tones and one sharp accent. Never give all colors equal weight. Dark/light contrast : Dark backgrounds for title + conclusion slides, light for content ("sandwich" structure). Or commit to dark throughout for a premium feel. Commit to a visual motif : Pick ONE distinctive element and repeat it — rounded image frames, icons in colored circles, thick single-side borders. Carry it across every slide. Color Palettes Choose colors that match your topic — don't default to generic blue. Use these palettes as inspiration: 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 (image on one side, grid of content blocks on other) Half-bleed image (full left or right side) with content overlay Data display: Large stat callouts (big numbers 60-72pt with small labels below) Comparison columns (before/after, pros/cons, side-by-side options) Timeline or process flow (numbered steps, arrows) Visual polish: Icons in small colored circles next to section headers Italic accent text for key stats or taglines Typography Choose an interesting font pairing — don't default to Arial. Pick a header font with personality and pair it with a clean body font. Header Font Body Font Georgia Calibri Arial Black Arial Calibri Calibri Light Cambria Calibri Trebuchet MS Calibri Impact Arial Palatino Garamond Consolas Calibri Element Size Slide title 36-44pt bold Section header 20-24pt bold Body text 14-16pt Captions 10-12pt muted Spacing 0.5" minimum margins 0.3-0.5" between content blocks Leave breathing room—don't fill every inch Avoid (Common Mistakes) Don't repeat the same layout — vary columns, cards, and callouts across slides Don't center body text — left-align paragraphs and lists; center only titles Don't skimp on size contrast — titles need 36pt+ to stand out from 14-16pt body Don't default to blue — pick colors that reflect the specific topic Don't mix spacing randomly — choose 0.3" or 0.5" gaps and use consistently Don't style one slide and leave the rest plain — commit fully or keep it simple throughout Don't create text-only slides — add images, icons, charts, or visual elements; avoid plain title + bullets Don't forget text box padding — when aligning lines or shapes with text edges, set margin: 0 on the text box or offset the shape to account for padding Don't use low-contrast elements — icons AND text need strong contrast against the background; avoid light text on light backgrounds or dark text on dark backgrounds NEVER use accent lines under titles — these are a hallmark of AI-generated slides; use whitespace or background color instead QA (Required) Assume there are problems. Your job is to find them. Your first render is almost never correct. Approach QA as a bug hunt, not a confirmation step. If you found zero issues on first inspection, you weren't looking hard enough. Content QA python -m markitdown output.pptx Check for missing content, typos, wrong order. When using templates, check for leftover placeholder text: python -m markitdown output.pptx | grep -iE "xxxx|lorem|ipsum|this.*(page|slide).*layout" If grep returns results, fix them before declaring success. Visual QA ⚠️ USE SUBAGENTS — even for 2-3 slides. You've been staring at the code and will see what you expect, not what's there. Subagents have fresh eyes. Convert slides to images (see Converting to Images ), then use this prompt: Visually inspect these slides. Assume there are issues — find them. Look for: - Overlapping elements (text through shapes, lines through words, stacked elements) - Text overflow or cut off at edges/box boundaries - Decorative lines positioned for single-line text but title wrapped to two lines - Source citations or footers colliding with content above - Elements too close (< 0.3" gaps) or cards/sections nearly touching - Uneven gaps (large empty area in one place, cramped in another) - Insufficient margin from slide edges (< 0.5") - Columns or similar elements not aligned consistently - Low-contrast text (e.g., light gray text on cream-colored background) - Low-contrast icons (e.g., dark icons on dark backgrounds without a contrasting circle) - Text boxes too narrow causing excessive wrapping - Leftover placeholder content For each slide, list issues or areas of concern, even if minor. Read and analyze these images: 1. /path/to/slide-01.jpg (Expected: [brief description]) 2. /path/to/slide-02.jpg (Expected: [brief description]) Report ALL issues found, including minor ones. Verification Loop Generate slides → Convert to images → Inspect List issues found (if none found, look again more critically) Fix issues Re-verify affected slides — one fix often creates another problem Repeat until a full pass reveals no new issues Do not declare success until you've completed at least one fix-and-verify cycle. Converting to Images Convert presentations to individual slide images for visual inspection: python scripts/office/soffice.py --headless --convert-to pdf output.pptx pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 output.pdf slide This creates slide-01.jpg , slide-02.jpg , etc. To re-render specific slides after fixes: pdftoppm -jpeg -r 150 -f N -l N output.pdf slide-fixed