General Information
How to Create Content
Here are some of the ways you can create content:
- create slides in PowerPoint files and export as images
- create graphics in a web-based tool usually used for social media content creation, like Adobe Creative Cloud Express (licensed by Brown) or Canva
- create graphics files in a layout program like Photoshop or InDesign
Size and Aspect Ratio
- Aspect ratio: Unless your sign has a special setup, create your slides in a 16:9 aspect ratio, for example, 1920w x1080h pixels.
- Image size: For most screens, 1920x1080 is a good size. You can upload larger images, but they will take longer to load.
Designing an Effective Slide
Also consult Screencloud's 10 Rules for Designing Digital Signage Content
- Amount of text: Think of the 3x5 rule: slides should include at most 3 lines with 5 words each, or 5 lines with 3 words each.
- Size of text: 20, preferably 30, points is the smallest text you should use. If your sign is mounted far from where people stand, you should use even larger text.
- Font: Use an easily legible font, like sans-serif fonts. Don't use more than two fonts per slide.
- Contrast: Make sure there is enough contrast between text and backgrounds. Use a contrast checker to see if your colors have enough contrast. If using a background image behind text, put a semi-transparent color over it to decrease the contrast of the image and make text more legible.
- Links: If including a link on a slide, shorten it with a URL shortener or include a large, easy-to-scan QR code.
The biggest mistake we see is too much text on slides, which inevitably means it is also too small. If you want to include a lot of text, consider creating multiple slides or including a link. For example, if your slide has a list of several events, consider creating a slide per event instead.
PowerPoint Instructions
Setting the Aspect Ratio
- On the Mac version, go to File > Page Setup, and choose the 16:9 ratio.
- On the Windows version, go to the Design tab and click Page Setup or Slide Size (depending on version), then 16:9.
This help article by Microsoft has some tips for resizing slideshows if you already created your content in an incorrect ratio.
Saving Images
When creating content in PowerPoint, you must save your slides as images in order to upload to Axis TV. These instructions are different for each version of PowerPoint.
- 2016: File > Export, then choose JPG format and desired size
- 2011: File > Save as Pictures
- 2010, 2007: File > Save As, then choose JPG format from the drop-down menu (defaults to .pptx format)
Adobe Creative Cloud Express Instructions
(formerly Adobe Spark)
Photoshop Instructions
If you haven't used Photoshop, PowerPoint may be a better, easier option. However, if you're already familiar with Photoshop, you may prefer to use it.
What's next?
Once you have your content, you can import it following the instructions in our article: