WordArt and equations are RixSlides' two specialist text tools: WordArt gives you decorative display text for the moments a plain text box cannot carry, and the equation editor puts real math on a slide as a native, editable part. Both round-trip through PowerPoint unchanged, render on the high-fidelity canvas exactly as they present, and behave like ordinary slide elements — movable, alignable, animatable.
WordArt: display text with weight
WordArt is text treated as a graphic — filled, outlined and shaped for emphasis. Use it sparingly and it earns its place: a title splash, a single number made monumental, a word the whole talk hangs on.
- Choose Insert, WordArt.
- Type the display text; it lands on the canvas as an editable object.
- Style it in the sidebar: fill color or gradient, outline, and effects such as shadow or glow.
- Drag to position; snap guides align it with the rest of the slide.
- Double-click any time to change the words — no restyling needed.
Because WordArt is a native .pptx text part rather than a flattened image, the text stays selectable, searchable and translatable, and Find & replace reaches it like any other text.
WordArt taste guidelines
- One WordArt element per slide is usually right; two competing display treatments cancel each other out.
- Let the style template constrain the palette — a display fill picked from the deck's colors looks intentional.
- Keep effects light: a strong fill with a clean outline reads better on a projector than heavy glow.
Equations: real math, editable
The equation editor inserts a native equation part, not a screenshot of math. That matters for academic teaching decks, engineering reviews and anywhere a formula is the content.
- Choose Insert, Equation.
- Type the expression; common structures — fractions, exponents, subscripts, roots, summations, integrals — build as you type.
- Click outside to commit; the canvas renders the equation at presentation quality.
- Double-click to edit; the structure updates without rebuilding from scratch.
Editing a fraction is a structure edit, not a text edit: change the numerator, and the layout holds. Sizing follows the surrounding text scale, so an equation dropped beside body text matches it naturally.
Where both fit on a slide
| Slide moment | Tool |
|---|---|
| Title splash or section opener | WordArt |
| A single emphasized figure or word | WordArt |
| Formula as the content of the slide | Equation |
| Inline reference to a variable | Plain text box with italics |
| Worked example, step by step | Equations stacked with text boxes |
Both elements join the rest of the deck's choreography: group an equation with its explanatory text box so they move as one, and give each an entrance animation so the build matches the narration — the animations guide covers the sequence.
Exports and fidelity
WordArt and equations render identically across outputs because they are native parts rendered by the same engine:
- PDF export embeds them at full quality for handouts.
- PNG export renders per-slide images with the same appearance.
- PowerPoint round-trip keeps both editable — a colleague can reword your WordArt or fix a sign error in your equation without asking for the original file.
That last point is the quiet advantage over exporting slides as images: a deck that stays native stays workable for everyone who receives it.
What to explore next
- Text and shapes editing for the everyday text work around these specialist elements.
- Animations and transitions to reveal equations line by line.
- Export PDF and PNG for handing the deck out with math intact.