For those who don’t know, Diana Wallace Peach is an immensely talented writer in the scifi/fantasy genre, but today we’re not talking books. Today we’re talking book trailers, and the graphical wizardry that Diana achieves with PowerPoint.
I have to tell you that despite knowing how to use Power Point as a presentation tool in business, I never knew it could be used to create something like this:
I wish I could show you the whole trailer, but that won’t be available until Diana’s new book launches in mid August. In the meantime, I’m going to share with you what Diana told me when I asked her how on earth she achieved such amazing effects.
Take it away, Diana. 😀
Hi Andrea, my techie friend. Thanks so much for having me over and asking about trailers and how I make mine. I’ll try to give enough information to get someone started.
I’m pretty clueless when it comes to technology, so I rely on my old business days, and I make my trailers using PowerPoint. Yep, just old-fashioned PowerPoint.
I learned by trial and error and just playing around with the program. It’s fairly intuitive, or I wouldn’t have been able to figure it out. I encourage lots of experimentation, and no one should stress – the undo button is our friend.
Finally, don’t try this if you’re facing a deadline. It’s not hard at all, but it is very time-consuming.
Now, to get started, here are ten basic steps:
- Start with a blank slide, and “insert” a black rectangle that covers the whole thing.
- Choose an image (or 2 or 3) that will work as your background and cover the black rectangle. Use copyright-free images, and stretch them to fit if necessary. Pixabay and Unsplash are great resources for free images. Or use your own! (Example 1)

- Insert the images that you’re going to blend into your final picture. I chose 4 of them for this tutorial, but for some of my slides, I might have many more. Before I can use them, I might need to remove the background. Note that when you double click on an image, a little box appears in your menu bar that says “Remove Background.” (Example 2)

- One at a time I remove the background from the images by marking areas to keep or remove. (Example 3)

- Then I’m going to layer the images, rotate them, resize them, and position them until I like how they look. (Example 4).

- To make them blend a little better, I right-click on each image and click on “Format Picture.” Here, there are loads of options from softening edges to adding a glow, shadow, or special effects. You can lighten, change contrast, or crop. You can also manipulate color. I softened the edges of these flowers a little, but for most of my composite slides for trailers, I do a lot of manipulation to make them blend into one scene. Just experiment until the slide looks right to you. (Example 5)

- Insert text and format it! (Example 6)

- Transition: Transition determines how your slides are going to transition from one to the next. Play with the “how” of the transition (fade or wipe, for example) and how many seconds you want it to take. Your whole slide will transition with all its images.
- Animation: Animation is how to delay the appearance of some images once the transition is underway. Again, you get to play with the “how” and “how fast.” You can have images fade into view or fly in (for example). I will typically create all my slides and then add transitions and animations at the end. You can preview what you’ve done under “Review” and make a hundred adjustments (like I do) until you’re satisfied. (Example 7 – video)
- Audio: You can add copyright-free music or add your own recording. For me, this means more fiddling with transitions and animations to make the slides line up with the music. Once you’re done you can export the entire trailer to an MP4 video. Easy Peasy! And Have Fun!
Easy Peasy she says! -grin- I don’t know about you, but I still think there’s a bit of magic in there somewhere. I also think that Diana is much more of a techie than she gives herself credit for, so…. I’m making her an Honorary Geek, complete with this lovely engraved award to put on her mantle piece:
If you want to know more about Diana’s work, in both words and graphics, pop into her blog at: https://mythsofthemirror.com/ where you’ll find a welcoming community of authors and readers. I know because I did. Or you can visit her Amazon Author page at: https://www.amazon.com/D-Wallace-Peach/e/B00CLKLXP8/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1 to see all the fantastic novels she’s published.
As for me, I’m so revved up I can hardly wait to start playing around with PowerPoint again.
Have fun,
Meeks
January 30th, 2023 at 7:28 pm
[…] You can find step-by-step instructions on how to make these videos in Power Point here: https://acflory.wordpress.com/2022/07/21/powerpoint-master-class-with-d-wallace-peach/ […]
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September 19th, 2022 at 6:51 am
PowerPoint has a remove background feature?!
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September 19th, 2022 at 6:55 am
lol – yes! I know. I was gobsmacked when I found out too. Still wouldn’t know if not for Diana. 😀 I’ve since posted a how-to on how to use it so I won’t have to reinvent the wheel the next time I need it!
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September 19th, 2022 at 7:00 am
I just checked out your demonstration, thanks!
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September 19th, 2022 at 7:21 am
Welcome, Liz. 😀
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September 19th, 2022 at 12:43 am
[…] A short while ago, science fiction author, AC Flory, from Meeka’s Mind blog, shared a step-by-step PowerPoint Master Class post with brilliant writer and YouTube video creator extraordinaire, D. Wallace Peach. You can view this post here: https://acflory.wordpress.com/2022/07/21/powerpoint-master-class-with-d-wallace-peach/ […]
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July 24th, 2022 at 2:30 am
[…] the amazing PowerPoint effects achieved by Diana Wallace Peach in my previous post, I just had to see if I could master some of those techniques myself. The answer is…kind of. […]
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July 22nd, 2022 at 5:25 am
She is wonderful, isn’t she? 😀 … love the ‘honorary geek’ plaque! 😀
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July 22nd, 2022 at 5:34 am
Thanks for stopping by at Meeks. The award is awesome, isn’t it? I wasn’t feeling like a geek yesterday when I deleted my youtube account (oops), but I have my groove back today and all is restored. Yay! Have an awesome afternoon. 🙂
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July 22nd, 2022 at 9:20 am
I’m so glad you’ve got your Youtube channel back! That must have been heart-stopping. 😦
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July 22nd, 2022 at 10:28 am
Piece of cake once I stopped panicking lol
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July 22nd, 2022 at 3:02 pm
I can imagine.
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July 22nd, 2022 at 9:19 am
She certainly is. I think her kindness and willingness to share are at the heart of the community she’s drawn together.
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July 22nd, 2022 at 10:28 am
Aww. You’re too kind, Meeks.
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July 22nd, 2022 at 3:02 pm
Nah. You’re just a nice person. Live with it. Mwahahaha!
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July 21st, 2022 at 2:19 pm
Wow… Thank you for sharing this Andrea and it’s so simple for Diana to say Easy Peasy but honestly speaking, I too am amazed at the final effect there ! Knowing the software and creating magic are two different things and Diana does just that… she creates magic 😀
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July 21st, 2022 at 4:03 pm
Hi Shagun! I couldn’t agree more. I’ve had a little play and I can tell you that my effort looks like…ahem…doggie droppings by comparison! Learning how to use the tools is always worthwhile, but mastering them takes skill!
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July 21st, 2022 at 4:08 pm
I’ll agree to the last line 😂 and just say this… let’s keep the faith. Someday we can also master the skill of creating such magical covers!
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July 21st, 2022 at 4:09 pm
I hear you. 🙂
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July 21st, 2022 at 11:06 pm
I very much doubt your efforts look like “doggie droppings.” Lol. Especially since you’re so good at making and manipulating images. I really can’t wait to see what you come up with. 😀
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July 22nd, 2022 at 9:04 am
Mmm…not so sure about that, my friend. I think my offering is less fantasy and more, um..Stephen King? But I’m quietly pleased with it. 🙂
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July 21st, 2022 at 11:04 pm
Thanks so much for visiting and checking out the little lesson, Shagun. Powerpoint isn’t hard to learn, but I will admit that it took me a while to figure out all the details. I’d play around while my husband watched boring television. 🙂 One trailer used to take me a week and now takes about 3 days from start to finish. Finding fantasy images is the hardest part, to be honest. So, someday, when you’re bored, just start playing around. It’s relaxing and fun. Have a wonderful day, my friend.
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July 22nd, 2022 at 9:02 am
-grin- it’s definitely fun, and you don’t have to be artist to do it. That said, having a ‘good eye’, like Diana, helps. 😀
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July 21st, 2022 at 11:25 am
I’ll definitely have to try this! Another way to work with images, with the additional element of sound.
Thanks for the info, Diana. And for sharing it here, Meeka!
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July 21st, 2022 at 12:23 pm
You’re already so creative with images, Audrey, that this would be a piece of cake for you. Blending the images is something of an art, and you have that down. Thanks for taking a peek at the instructions and have at it. Happy Creating.
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July 21st, 2022 at 4:04 pm
I agree, Audrey. I can see you creating some spectacular trailers. Do it. 😀
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July 21st, 2022 at 4:05 pm
I think you’ll really enjoy this learning curve, Audrey. 🙂
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July 21st, 2022 at 1:32 am
That was so fun, Andrea. I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Honestly, the hardest part for me is finding the fantasy images, but really the sky is the limit when it comes to what you can do with them. And thanks for the Honorary Geek Award. Lol. I’ll put it on my mantle. 🙂
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July 21st, 2022 at 8:18 am
-grin- I really enjoyed it too, Diana, and the fun continues. I can tell you already that my efforts are going to be awfully crude in comparison, but the tools you’ve given me [us] will be useful for all sorts of things.
Oh, by the way, one added benefit to the Honorary Geek Award…you don’t have to dust it. You’re welcome. 😀
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July 21st, 2022 at 9:00 am
Keep practicing with it and you’ll get better and faster. And thanks for the no-dust award. Lol. That’s key. One of these days I’ll post the trailer for The Bone Wall which is an entirely different way to handle trailers. So much fun!
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July 21st, 2022 at 9:42 am
Oh! The Bone Wall was the first of your books I ever read. Now I’m so curious!
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July 21st, 2022 at 10:28 am
https://youtu.be/zFtusBOwGNI If you want to check it out. Hehe
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July 21st, 2022 at 4:08 pm
Oh you sound so spooky! Well done. The narration and music suit the story perfectly. 😀
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July 21st, 2022 at 11:09 pm
I used a voice-distortion software to get that sound. In real life, my voice makes me sound like I’m ten years old. Ha ha
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July 22nd, 2022 at 9:06 am
LMAO – and you say you’re not a techie? Voice distortion software? I didn’t even know such a thing existed. :p~~~~~
And I know what you mean about your natural voice. When I’m talking just normally and not focusing on my voice, I sound a lot like Alvin from the chipmunk movie. 😉
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July 22nd, 2022 at 10:30 am
Ha ha ha. So funny
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July 21st, 2022 at 1:22 am
Hi Meeks, that you so much for sharing this information of Diana’s with us. I didn’t know you could remove the background in PP and that is so good to know. I am going to try this myself. Thanks for Diana too for her step-by-step instructions.
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July 21st, 2022 at 1:39 am
You should definitely give it a try, Robbie. It’s not that hard at all, and a trailer adds a lot of zing to our marketing options. I do them when my brain is tired of writing. The “remove background” function can be a little annoying as it removes things you want to keep and keeps things that you want to remove, but it works. You just have to keep marking areas to keep or remove until it’s what you want. Then it’s just a matter of blending everything with the formatting options. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy!
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July 21st, 2022 at 8:21 am
Yes, I’m still a bit uncertain of the remove background feature. It does work but felt a little hit or miss. Still miles easier than what I do with Corel though so it’s a tool I intend to keep using.
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July 21st, 2022 at 9:02 am
Yeah, sometimes it’s perfect and sometimes (especially if the background is similar in color) it can take a while to get right.
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July 21st, 2022 at 9:42 am
Yes. Still, it’s the easiest one I’ve found so far. 🙂
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July 21st, 2022 at 8:11 am
Yes. Me too! It’s a little fiddly but actually works surprisingly well. Definitely a good find. 😀
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July 22nd, 2022 at 2:01 am
👍🏻
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July 21st, 2022 at 12:30 am
I remember the first trailer I saw that Diana made–blew me away! And she included instructions which I have faithfully followed since. Congrats, Diana, for that amazing award (of honorary geek). It is to be cherished.
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July 21st, 2022 at 1:34 am
Your PowerPoint trailers have been awesome, Jacqui. You caught right on. They really are pretty easy to make and they’re catchy. I’m so glad you added them to your marketing portfolio. Thanks for dropping by Andrea’s. Happy Writing!
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July 21st, 2022 at 8:09 am
I’ve been amazed by her trailers as well, so this time I made up my mind to get a behind-the-scenes look. So glad I did. 😀
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