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Asymetrix Compel 
Personal Edition
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Tip: Check Word Wrap on the Edit menu to make this file easier to read.

This file contains general information about working in Compel PE and instructions for using the online Help system for more information. Use the Find command to search this file for these topics:

When you upgrade
Overview
Starting Compel PE
Removing the Splash Screen
Where to begin
Using online Help
Using Compel PE views
Creating special effects

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WHEN YOU UPGRADE
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If you enjoy Compel PE, you'll be even more impressed by the full version of Compel. By upgrading to Compel, you'll receive:

o  Additional templates to use with your presentations.

o  Comprehensive library of clip art and clip media, including animation, sound clips, and video clips.

o  A packager feature to copy all necessary files, including Compel Show, and compress them into one package file to distribute on disk, CD-ROM, network, or  over electronic mail. Even people who don't own Compel PE or the full version of Compel can play your presentation.

o  The Up and Running Tour, a self-paced online tutorial.

o  A comprehensive user manual.

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OVERVIEW
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Using Compel PE, you can design and create presentations to suit diverse work needs. A presentation can range from a financial report to shareholders, delivered using a slide projector, to a product demonstration that runs unattended on a computer screen. 

You can use Compel PE to play this presentation file, turning your computer screen into a slide show. In addition, Compel PE can take advantage of multimedia devices you may have installed, enabling you to add sound effects, animation, or video to your presentation. Even if you don't have multimedia, you can add many special effects, such as transitions between slides and Compel animation.

With Compel PE, you can print audience handouts and speaker notes. You can also include in your presentation information created in another program, such as a spreadsheet application. If you upgrade to the full version of Compel, you can even distribute your presentation as a standalone show with Compel Show, the Compel runtime version, so that someone without Compel can play it. (Compel Show is included in the upgrade package for Compel.)

During installation a Compel PE group is created in the Windows Program Manager. A Compel PE directory is also created on your hard disk with subdirectories containing clip art, clip media, templates, and other program files.

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STARTING COMPEL PE
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To start Compel PE and open a new presentation, double-click the Compel PE icon.

When you start Compel PE, it opens a new presentation in slide view. Compel PE inserts one slide using the default template and the Title slide style.

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REMOVING THE
SPLASH SCREEN
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You can remove the Registration Sweepstakes splash screen that appears when you start Compel PE. Select the Compel PE icon in the Program Manager, then choose Properties from the Program Manager File menu. In the Command Line, delete SPLASHE1.CPL.

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WHERE TO BEGIN
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After you have started Compel PE, choose Contents from the Help menu to display the Contents page of the online Help system. Click the topic "Overview of Creating a Presentation." 

You can also learn about Compel PE from these online sources:

Status bar Help

Located at the bottom of the Compel PE window. The status bar identifies items you select such as commands, menus, and objects. The status bar also identifies tool bar buttons when you move the cursor over them.

Right-click Help

Accessed when you point to an object and click the right mouse button. On the right-click menu, click the ? button to get commands and Help for the selected object.

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USING ONLINE HELP
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Online Help is displayed whenever you choose a command from the Help menu or press F1. Help commands display procedures, dialog box definitions, command descriptions, and a glossary of terms.

Choose Contents from the Help menu to display the Contents screen, which contains these topics:

Overview of Creating a Presentation - Basic procedures for creating a slide presentation.

Command Reference - Alphabetic reference of all menu commands.

Step by Step - Complete list of the tasks you use in creating presentations. Includes procedures for more advanced topics, such as animating an object on a slide. 

Map of Screen Elements - Visual guide to the user interface.

Windows Basics for Compel PE - Basic procedures for working in Windows.


The Help menu also contains these commands:

Point & Click - Choose to display the Help cursor, so you can point the cursor at an object, click once, and get the name and other information about the selected object. 

Keyboard - Choose to display keyboard and mouse shortcuts.

Commands - Choose to display a list of Compel PE commands and dialog boxes.

Glossary - Choose to display the Compel PE glossary.

How to Use Help - Choose to display information about Compel PE online Help.

System Info - Choose to display information about your computer setup.

About Compel PE - Choose to display the Compel PE version number and copyright.

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USING COMPEL PE VIEWS
=====================

When you work in Compel PE, you modify and display slides using three screen views.

SLIDE VIEW
Provides tools and commands for creating and modifying objects, slides, and templates. Refer to the topic "Slide view" in the Help Glossary.

SLIDE SHOW VIEW
Shows the presentation either interactively or automatically on the computer screen. Refer to the topics "Slide Show submenu" and "Slide Show Setup" in the Help Command reference, or to "Choosing the presentation format" and "Shortcuts for a slideshow" in Help Step by Step.

SLIDE SORTER VIEW
Shows thumbnails of all slides in your presentation. You can rearrange the slides in slide sorter view. Refer to the topic "Slide Sorter" in the Help Command reference, or to "Rearranging slides" in Help Step by Step.

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CREATING SPECIAL EFFECTS
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You can use Compel PE to create exciting special effects. The list below shows some of the effects you can try and where to look in the online Help for more information.

ANIMATION 
Play animation files in your presentation, or use Compel PE to animate objects. Refer to "Animation, Compel PE" and "Animation files" in Help Step by Step.

AUTOBUILD
Create several slides at once from one source slide. Refer to "Automating slide building" in Help Step by Step.

BULLETS
Use various objects as bullet graphics to emphasize your text. Refer to "Bullets" in Help Step by Step.

BULLET TRANSITIONS
Reveal bullets progressively during a slide show. Refer to "Bullet transitions" in the Help Command reference or to "Bullets" and "Creating a bullet transition" in Help Step by Step.

HOTWORDS
Use text to trigger an event, such as animation, sound, or video. Refer to "Hotwords" in Help Step by Step.

IMPORT
Import graphics, color palettes, and schemes. Refer to "Import submenu" in the Help Command reference.

MEDIA LINKS
Associate a special effect with a particular object on a slide. Refer to "Media Links" in the Help Command reference.

SLIDE TRANSITIONS
Create special effects that occur when moving from one slide to the next. Refer to "Slide Transitions" in the Help Command reference.

SOUND
Play wave audio, MIDI, or CD audio clips in your presentation, depending on your system's hardware and drivers. Refer to "Sound" in Help Step by Step.

TEMPLATES
Create a consistent design for a set of slides that use the same background and design elements. Refer to "Templates" in Help Step by Step.

VIDEO
Add digital video clips to a presentation. Refer to "Video" in Help Step by Step.

