# PPTX Creator > Create, edit, and analyze PowerPoint presentations (.pptx files). Covers building slides from scratch with pptxgenjs, reading and extracting text with markitdown, editing existing presentations by unpacking and modifying XML, and converting slides to images for review. Use when the user wants to create a presentation, add slides, modify an existing PPTX file, or generate a slide deck programmatically. - Skill: `jignesh-ponamwar/pptx-creator` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add jignesh-ponamwar/pptx-creator` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/jignesh-ponamwar/pptx-creator/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Docs & Writing - License: Apache-2.0 - Author: Jignesh-Ponamwar (https://skillmd.com/u/jignesh-ponamwar) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/jignesh-ponamwar/pptx-creator --- # PowerPoint Presentation Skill (PPTX) ## Three Workflows | Workflow | When to Use | |---------|-------------| | **Read** | Extract text, generate thumbnails from an existing PPTX | | **Create** | Build a new presentation from scratch using pptxgenjs | | **Edit** | Unpack XML, modify content, repack existing PPTX | --- ## Workflow 1: Reading an Existing PPTX ### Extract Text (requires markitdown) ```bash pip install markitdown ``` ```python from markitdown import MarkItDown converter = MarkItDown() result = converter.convert("presentation.pptx") print(result.text_content) # all slides as markdown ``` ### Generate Slide Thumbnails ```bash # Requires LibreOffice libreoffice --headless --convert-to png presentation.pptx # Generates: Slide1.png, Slide2.png, ... ``` --- ## Workflow 2: Create a New Presentation with pptxgenjs ### Setup ```bash npm install pptxgenjs ``` ### Complete Example ```javascript const PptxGenJS = require('pptxgenjs') const pptx = new PptxGenJS() // Set presentation properties pptx.layout = 'LAYOUT_WIDE' // 16:9 pptx.author = 'Claude' // ─── SLIDE 1: Title Slide ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── const slide1 = pptx.addSlide() slide1.background = { color: '1a1a2e' } // dark navy slide1.addText('Quarterly Review', { x: 1, y: 1.5, w: 8, h: 1.5, fontSize: 48, bold: true, color: 'ffffff', align: 'center', fontFace: 'Georgia', }) slide1.addText('Q1 2026 Results', { x: 1, y: 3.2, w: 8, h: 0.8, fontSize: 24, color: 'e0e0e0', align: 'center', }) // ─── SLIDE 2: Content Slide ───────────────────────────────────────────────── const slide2 = pptx.addSlide() // Title slide2.addText('Key Metrics', { x: 0.5, y: 0.3, w: 9, h: 0.8, fontSize: 32, bold: true, color: '1a1a2e', }) // Divider line (using shape) slide2.addShape(pptx.ShapeType.rect, { x: 0.5, y: 1.15, w: 9, h: 0.05, fill: { color: '4a90e2' }, line: { color: '4a90e2' }, }) // Bullet points slide2.addText([ { text: 'Revenue: ', options: { bold: true } }, { text: '$2.4M (+18% YoY)' }, ], { x: 0.7, y: 1.5, w: 8.3, h: 0.5, fontSize: 18, color: '333333' }) slide2.addText([ { text: 'Users: ', options: { bold: true } }, { text: '142,000 active (+32%)' }, ], { x: 0.7, y: 2.1, w: 8.3, h: 0.5, fontSize: 18, color: '333333' }) // ─── SLIDE 3: Chart Slide ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── const slide3 = pptx.addSlide() slide3.addText('Monthly Revenue', { x: 0.5, y: 0.3, w: 9, h: 0.8, fontSize: 28, bold: true, color: '1a1a2e', }) slide3.addChart(pptx.ChartType.bar, [ { name: 'Revenue ($K)', labels: ['Jan', 'Feb', 'Mar', 'Apr', 'May', 'Jun'], values: [180, 210, 195, 240, 225, 280], } ], { x: 0.5, y: 1.2, w: 9, h: 4.5, chartColors: ['4a90e2'], showLegend: false, valAxisLabelFontSize: 12, catAxisLabelFontSize: 12, }) // Save await pptx.writeFile({ fileName: 'quarterly-review.pptx' }) console.log('Presentation saved.') ``` --- ## Workflow 3: Editing an Existing PPTX PPTX files are ZIP archives containing XML. Edit in three steps: ### Step 3a: Unpack ```bash mkdir unpacked unzip presentation.pptx -d unpacked/ # Slides are in: unpacked/ppt/slides/slide1.xml, slide2.xml, ... ``` ### Step 3b: Edit the XML Slides are in `unpacked/ppt/slides/slideN.xml`. Text runs are in `` elements: ```xml Old Title Text New Title Text ``` Use smart quotes in professional documents: `“` (") and `”` ("). ### Step 3c: Repack ```bash cd unpacked/ zip -r ../output.pptx . -x "*.DS_Store" cd .. ``` --- ## Design Principles ### Color Strategy - **One dominant color** (60-70% visual weight) + 1-2 supporting tones + one sharp accent - Avoid: all-white slides with thin gray text, purple gradients, blue-on-blue ### Typography - Headings: 32-44pt, bold, distinctive typeface (Georgia, Playfair Display) - Body: 16-20pt, clean sans-serif (Calibri, Inter) - Never: Wall-of-text slides, font sizes below 14pt ### Layout Rules - Every slide needs at least one visual element (image, chart, icon, or bold shape) - Text-only slides are boring - add a supporting graphic - Use consistent alignment and margins (0.5in minimum from edges) - One key message per slide - if you have three points, consider three slides ### What to Avoid - Centered body text on every slide - Generic blue/gray corporate palettes - Bullet point lists with 8+ items - Placeholder text left over (`Click to add text`) - Low-contrast text (dark gray on dark background) --- ## Quality Verification After creating slides: 1. Convert to images: `libreoffice --headless --convert-to png output.pptx` 2. Visually inspect: check for text overflow, overlapping elements, low contrast 3. Verify all slides have visual elements - no text-only slides 4. Check font sizes are readable (≥14pt body, ≥24pt titles) 5. Confirm color consistency across all slides --- ## Dependencies | Tool | Purpose | Install | |------|---------|---------| | `pptxgenjs` | Create new presentations | `npm install pptxgenjs` | | `markitdown` | Extract text from PPTX | `pip install markitdown` | | LibreOffice | Convert to images / PDF | System package | | `unzip` / `zip` | Unpack/repack for XML editing | System package |