Spotlight and Zoom Effects

Presentation Assistant includes features designed to focus your audience's attention on the most relevant part of the screen while reducing visual distractions.

Spotlight Pointer Style

The spotlight pointer style darkens the rest of the screen while keeping the area around your cursor illuminated. This creates a natural focal point that guides your audience's eyes to exactly where you are working.

Configuring the Spotlight

You can adjust the spotlight effect using these controls:

• Size -- Increase the radius to illuminate a larger area, or decrease it for a tighter focus.
• Transparency -- Control how dark the surrounding area appears. A lower transparency creates a more dramatic effect, while a higher transparency keeps the rest of the screen partially visible.
• Blur -- Add blur around the edges of the spotlight for a softer, more natural transition between the lit and darkened areas.
• Colour -- Choose a colour tint for the spotlight effect.

When to Use Spotlight

The spotlight style works best in the following situations:

• Walking through a complex interface where you need to highlight one element at a time.
• Demonstrating a multi-step process and guiding your audience through each step sequentially.
• Recording tutorials where viewers need a clear visual indicator of what to look at.

Desktop Hiding

When presenting, desktop clutter can be distracting. Presentation Assistant includes a desktop hiding feature that covers your desktop icons with a clean overlay. When enabled, your audience sees only your presentation content against a tidy background.

You can toggle desktop icon hiding from the preferences panel.

Combining Features

For the most polished presentation experience, consider combining the spotlight effect with desktop hiding. Enable desktop hiding before you start presenting, then use the spotlight pointer to guide your audience through your content. This combination ensures a clean background and a clear focal point at all times.