Products, Vendors, CAD Files, Spec Sheets and More...
Sign up for LAWeekly newsletter
The Software Alternatives Series of articles planned for the upcoming months will present a variety of free and low-cost software alternatives for office use. The focus for this article is alternative options for presentation software. Several possibilities are discussed, but the article focuses on Prezi, an online tool that provides some useful features for landscape architecture presentations.
While Microsoft PowerPoint remains pervasive within the industry, it is far from the only option for creating presentations. If you like the functionality of PowerPoint, but not the cost, Open Office Impress (www.openoffice.org) is a good alternative. The Impress interface is very similar to PowerPoint (see Fig. 1) and has a minimal learning curve. Impress runs on Windows, Linux, and MacOS X and it is free. Impress can open and save to the PowerPoint format, facilitating interoperability. It should be noted, however, that inconsistencies can be introduced when saving to different formats, so review of documents is necessary to ensure successful conversions.
Fig. 1, left: The Impress interface is very similar to PowerPoint, can open and save to the PowerPoint and it?EUR??,,????'?????< Google Presentations If you are willing to go a little further, Google Presentations (docs.google.com) may appeal to you. This web-based product facilitates creation of PowerPoint style presentations, but allows interaction with other users. For example, multiple users can simultaneously edit slides together if working collaboratively, which can help avoid creating multiple versions of the same file as each author independently modifies it. Additionally, Google Presentations facilitates online presentation. The presenter provides attendees with a URL and each attendee can simultaneously view the presentation on their own web browser. One user controls the presentation, and the attendees can follow that user or flip through the slides at their own pace. An online chat session is also open in the browser window, to allow attendees to post questions and comments throughout the presentation (see Fig. 2). Google has implemented the ability to import and export PowerPoint files and also allows export to PDF or TXT formats. Again, this tool is free and the web-based nature of the product makes it accessible on all operating systems. Fig. 2: Google Presentations facilitates online presentations. The presenter provides attendees with a URL, which allows each attendee to simultaneously view the presentation on their own web browser and post questions and comments throughout the presentation. Prezi If you are looking for a fresh approach to presentations, it is worth taking a look at Prezi (www.prezi.com). Prezi is another web-based tool that has a free version, although a Private and a Pro version with additional features are available for purchase. Prezi avoids the slides, a format they claim can obscure ideas. As such, their product is a refreshing change to the traditional PowerPoint presentation. Specifically, it includes two new features that are well suited to landscape architecture presentations: an alternative ?EUR??,,????'?????< Prezi departs from the traditional linear flow used in most presentations software. Instead, it uses the mindmap concept. Each presentation is a map that consists of a set of objects. Objects are a combination of text, images, or videos. The creator defines a path through the map?EUR??,,????'?????< Figure 3 shows a path definition within the Prezi editor. This presentation visits a central map, then examines specific regions, returning to the central map after each regional analysis. The blue circles in the top right are the part of the editor interface that is used to define the path. Fig. 3: This presentation in Prezi editor visits a central map, then examines specific regions, returning to the central map after each regional analysis. The blue circles in the top right are the part of the editor interface that is used to define the path. Another very useful Prezi feature is the ability to pan and zoom within the presentation. This is particularly applicable to landscape architecture presentations where it is often necessary to look at an overview map and then zoom in to examine details. Additionally, the ability to pan through the presentation is often very useful when addressing audience questions and seems to work more naturally than flipping back through a large number of slides. Figure 4 depicts the Prezi viewer playing the presentation shown above. Note the Prezi logo on the lower right?EUR??,,????'?????< Another strength of the product is its simplicity. It is evident that considerable effort went into the creation of an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. While learning the product, not once did I think, ?EUR??,,????'?????< While Prezi presents a fresh perspective on presentation software, there are several drawbacks. Currently, a limited number of templates are available and designers will not find the versatility in selecting fonts and colors they are accustomed to in other software packages. Future versions are expected to address these shortcomings. Also, users of the free version should be aware that showing an online presentation can fail if the online connection fails. Pesentations can be downloaded and viewed with an offline viewer to avoid this, but users of the free version have a limited number of downloads.
If you are willing to go a little further, Google Presentations (docs.google.com) may appeal to you. This web-based product facilitates creation of PowerPoint style presentations, but allows interaction with other users. For example, multiple users can simultaneously edit slides together if working collaboratively, which can help avoid creating multiple versions of the same file as each author independently modifies it. Additionally, Google Presentations facilitates online presentation. The presenter provides attendees with a URL and each attendee can simultaneously view the presentation on their own web browser. One user controls the presentation, and the attendees can follow that user or flip through the slides at their own pace. An online chat session is also open in the browser window, to allow attendees to post questions and comments throughout the presentation (see Fig. 2). Google has implemented the ability to import and export PowerPoint files and also allows export to PDF or TXT formats. Again, this tool is free and the web-based nature of the product makes it accessible on all operating systems.
If you are looking for a fresh approach to presentations, it is worth taking a look at Prezi (www.prezi.com). Prezi is another web-based tool that has a free version, although a Private and a Pro version with additional features are available for purchase. Prezi avoids the slides, a format they claim can obscure ideas. As such, their product is a refreshing change to the traditional PowerPoint presentation. Specifically, it includes two new features that are well suited to landscape architecture presentations: an alternative ?EUR??,,????'?????<
Prezi departs from the traditional linear flow used in most presentations software. Instead, it uses the mindmap concept. Each presentation is a map that consists of a set of objects. Objects are a combination of text, images, or videos. The creator defines a path through the map?EUR??,,????'?????<
Figure 3 shows a path definition within the Prezi editor. This presentation visits a central map, then examines specific regions, returning to the central map after each regional analysis. The blue circles in the top right are the part of the editor interface that is used to define the path.
Another very useful Prezi feature is the ability to pan and zoom within the presentation. This is particularly applicable to landscape architecture presentations where it is often necessary to look at an overview map and then zoom in to examine details. Additionally, the ability to pan through the presentation is often very useful when addressing audience questions and seems to work more naturally than flipping back through a large number of slides. Figure 4 depicts the Prezi viewer playing the presentation shown above. Note the Prezi logo on the lower right?EUR??,,????'?????<
Another strength of the product is its simplicity. It is evident that considerable effort went into the creation of an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. While learning the product, not once did I think, ?EUR??,,????'?????<
As technical problems during a presentation are undesirable, professional users may choose to purchase a Pro license (approx. $175), which allows for unlimited offline use.
More information on these products can be obtained online. OpenOffice Impress, part of the OpenOffice suite, can be downloaded from www.openoffice.org. Google Presentations (docs.google.com) and Prezi (www.prezi.com) are both online tools that require no installation. The Prezi site has many sample presentations and several good online tutorials that showcase the product on their website.
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
Sign up to receive Landscape Architect and Specifier News Magazine, LA Weekly and More...
Invalid Verification Code
Please enter the Verification Code below
You are now subcribed to LASN. You can also search and download CAD files and spec sheets from LADetails.