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Prepare PDFs for presentation

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Enhance PDF Presentations with full-screen mode and page transitions

Full-screen mode allows you to set PDFs for Presentations, filling the entire screen and hiding Acrobat's menu bar, toolbar, and window controls.

You can establish consistent initial views for your documents or collections of documents.

Page transitions can be added to create visual effects as viewers navigate through the document.

Set initial view

When users open your PDF document or Portfolio, they see the initial view. You can set the initial view to your desired magnification level, page, and layout.

In Acrobat Pro, Action wizards enable changing default settings for multiple documents.

To set the initial view:

  1. Go to  > Document properties.
  2. From the dialog, select the Initial View tab.
  3. Modify the settings as desired:
    • Navigation tab - Determines which panels are displayed in the navigation pane.
    • Page layout - Determines how the document pages are arranged.
    • Magnification - Sets the zoom level for the document after it's opened. The default uses the magnification set by the user.
    • Open to page - Specifies the page that appears when the document opens.
    • Window Options - Determines how the window adjusts in the screen area when a user opens the document. These options apply to the document window itself in relationship to the screen area of the user’s monitor.
    • Interface Options - Determines which parts of the interface—the menu bar, the toolbars, and the window controls—are hidden.
  4. For Presentations:
    • Select Open in Full Screen mode check box.
    • For the Navigation tab, select Page Only.
    • For Page layout, select Single Page.
    • Set Open to page to the page where you want to start the presentation.
  5. Select Ok.
  6. Save and reopen the file to view the effects.
presentation-initial-view

Note:

In full-screen mode, users can press the "Esc" key to exit if their preferences permit it. However, users can only execute commands or choose tools using keyboard shortcuts. To maintain functionality, consider setting up page actions within the document.

Note:

Two factors can alter page layout and magnification:

  •  A PDF has a distinct initial view set in  > Document properties > Initial View.
  • The option "Restore last view settings when reopening documents" might be selected under  > Preferences > Documents.

Selecting Default for the Magnification and Page Layout options will follow the user's settings in the Page Display preferences.

If you hide the menu bar and toolbars, users can only use commands or select tools with keyboard shortcuts. Consider creating page actions that temporarily conceal interface controls while the page is visible. See Add actions with page thumbnails.

Add page transitions

You can create engaging effects when advancing pages by using page transitions. Acrobat Pro's Actions wizard allows you to set page transitions for multiple documents.

  1. From the All tools menu, select Organize pages > Page transitions.

    Or select the desired page thumbnails in the Page thumbnails panel, then choose Page transitions from the Options menu.

    presentation-2

  2. In the Page transitions dialog, pick a transition effect from the Transition menu. These effects are identical to the ones in the Full Screen preferences.

  3. Select the direction and speed of the transition effect. Options vary based on the transition.

  4. Select Auto Flip and enter the time interval in seconds for automatic page turning. If this option isn't selected, users must turn pages using keyboard commands or the mouse.

  5. Specify the Page Range to which the transitions should apply.

    Note:

    If the 'Ignore All Transitions in the Full Screen' setting is enabled in Document preferences, users won't see the page transitions. Acrobat also supports PowerPoint's page transitions and bullet fly-ins.

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