[Tex/LaTex] the easiest way to mimic an existing PowerPoint template using Beamer

beamerpresentations

For my thesis defense I am required to adhere to my university's official PowerPoint template. Because I have a lot of equations and PowerPoint is a pain, I would like to do my presentation using Beamer or another LaTeX-based solution. What is the easiest way to do this?

My most basic requirement is to use the same background image, while an ideal solution would preserve as many of the theme's features as possible (e.g.: fonts, bullets, decorative elements, title page, etc.).

Note: I am aware of the possibility to render equations separately and then include them in PowerPoint. This is not the kind of solution I am looking for because I like working with Beamer in particular.

Examples of design features:

Page number with short title in the lower left corner of every slide
Page number with short title in the lower left corner of every slide

Custom bullets only for the table of contents
Custom bullets only for the table of contents

Best Answer

preserve as many of the theme's features as possible (e.g.: fonts, bullets, decorative elements, title page, etc.).

fonts: if the font is installed in your system already compiling with Xe(La)TeX might be an option to access those fonts. \fontspec{UniversityFontName} Be aware that beamer is not optimized to work with XeLaTeX. (Mileage may vary.)

decorative elements: Use the \logo{} from beamer, it will put something as the background on each slide: \logo{\includegraphics[height=\paperheight,keepaspectratio]{backgroundornaments.pdf}} (Export an empty PowerPoint slide as pdf.)

\logo{% % percent signs are important, sometimes
  \makebox[\paperwidth-10pt]{%
    \includegraphics[height=0.5cm,keepaspectratio]{logoleft.eps}%
    \hfill%
    \includegraphics[height=0.5cm,keepaspectratio]{logoright.pdf}%
  }%
  %\vspace{\paperheight}
}%

title page: Workaround: Make it in Power Point, export to .pdf and \includegraphics[clip, width=\textwidth, keepaspectratio, page=1, viewport=33pt 54pt 682pt 459pt]{titlepageppt.pdf} Use Ghostview or similar to find the coordinates where to crop the pdf, or crop the pdf with another tool.

Colors: The EBS uses #0D4882; as their primary color on their website. Check if this is the correct one also for the powerpoint template. Convert hex to decimal RGB values:

\definecolor{EBScolorRGB}{RGB}{13,72,130}
\setbeamercolor{palette primary}{bg=EBScolorRGB}
\setbeamercolor{structure}{fg=EBScolorRGB}

in preamble will make your beamer color scheme more similar to the PowerPoint one.

Page Number + Short title at lower left: You might have to define your own "outer theme". Or change an existing one. \useoutertheme{infolines}

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