Font sizes

Don't go below 14 point font size if possible. Below that size the edge-smoothing in the Flash Player can start looking a little "blurry".

Text formatting

The HTML rendering engine used by Powerbullet allows for unlimited complexity in text formatting. However, sometimes when several changes are made to different, overlapping selections, or when formatted text is mixed in with existing formatted text, it can become easy to get lost. The best escape route in this case is to select the offending text and choose "Remove formatting" from the Text menu and start afresh.

Images

Use JPEG files for photographic material, GIF files for flat-colored graphics, and PNG when you want high quality graphics with transparency. When you insert (or drag) an image into a Powerbullet project, a copy is made in the local project folder, so there is no need to keep the source image intact.

Creating and saving

When choosing a name to create a new project or saving an untitled one (or copying a project with save as) make it descriptive. There is no need for file extensions, as Powerbullet manages it. A folder will be created with the same name as the contained Powerbullet project file, which has the .pbt extension and the movie reel icon.

Output

If you need to access your project files directly, such as copying output to a web site, Look for a folder named after your project. Within that folder - assuming you have done an Export, there will be an HTML file and a SWF file named after your project. For instance, if your project was called "Oceans of the World", the playback files are "Oceans of the World.htm" and "Oceans of the World.swf". Confirm this by opening the HTML file. The presentation should start. Of course if the SWF (Shockwave Flash) file is destined for an existing web site, you don't need the HTML file. If your HTML editor understands Flash, then it will generate the code to embed the Flash movie. Otherwise you could copy and paste the code generated by Powerbullet in the HTML. Select everything in - and including - the <OBJECT> tag. That is, >OBJECT>.....</OBJECT> and paste this in the body of any HTML page, ensuring the corresponding SWF file is in the same directory. If a user has the standalone Flash Player on their machine they can simply double-click the SWF file, but more commonly they will have the Shockwave Flash browser plug-in. A self-contained executable is also created that will play on any Windows platform from 95 onwards.

Undo/Redo

There is virtually unlimited Undo and Redo, but once you change pages you cannot go back and Redo. This is because the data file is saved to disk and closed before moving to another page.

Preview

Preview your work regularly by selecting Preview from the View menu. This will ensure that the output is as expected. The Flash Player engine is different from the HTML rendering engine in Powerbullet, so it's important to regularly check that layouts and effects look as you intended.

Cancel operation

When doing a lengthy export operation, the quickest way to terminate it is to hit the Escape key. Hold it until the operation stops.

Multiple instances of shapes

To create multiple instances of a shape in parallel, the easiest way is to do the following:

1. Copy the selected item.
2. De-select the item by clicking elsewhere in the layout window.
3. Do a Paste for each copy you want (you won't see them as they are directly above the original).
4. Select the constrain tool and drag the new items from above the original one by one.

If you just want to do a simple duplicate, use Ctrl+D or Duplicate from the edit menu. The new copy will be slightly offset from the original.

Using keys instead of mouse

More accurate positioning can be done using the arrow keys. Moving from one object to another can be done with the Tab key (Shift-Tab to move backwards). When a text item is selected you can enter edit mode by pressing the Return key. Hitting the Escape key exits edit mode and returns to Selected mode. See keyboard shortcuts.

Creating a template

If you want each page of your project to have some sort of common theme, such as a logo in the corner and a background image, set it out in page 1, then choose Select all from the edit menu (or use Control-A shortcut), then click the New page button (or Control-+, that is Control and the plus key on your numeric keypad) and do a paste for each additional page in your project.