Edit Mode

This Haiku Deck tutorial, the second in a series of three, will walk you through creating, editing, and saving slides.

If you’d like to start at the very beginning, visit Getting Started with Haiku Deck.

Looking for help with the Web App? This post is exclusive to the iPad app, but you can click here to go to our Haiku Deck User Guide, which covers both apps.

Entering Edit Mode

If you’re creating a new deck, you’ll enter Edit Mode automatically once you give your deck a title and tap RETURN. (Tip: Tap the + at the bottom of the screen to start a new deck.)

To edit an existing deck, simply swipe left or right on the Main Menu to select the deck, then tap EDIT.

From the Main Menu screen on the iPad, tap Edit

Choosing a Theme

At the top of your screen, you’ll see the THEME handle. Pull it down and swipe left or right to scroll through the options. Tapping a theme will apply it to your deck. Each theme gives your deck a unique look through font, text size, and color palette, as well as an optional image filter you can adjust with the toggle on the right.

iPad app: selecting a theme and adjusting image filter

Creating Slides

To create your first slide, just tap and start typing your text. Tap the “+” in the lower right corner to add a new slide. On the left, you’ll see a panel with four icons you can use to add and edit text, images, slide layouts, and notes.

Tap the + to create a new slide, then the TEXT, IMAGE, LAYOUT, and NOTES icons to customize it

Adding Text

Tap the orange TEXT icon to add or edit your slide text. You can select a classic one- or two-line text slide, a bulleted or numbered list, a paragraph, or a logo slide. For examples and more info, look here.

(Tip: The default setting is all caps, but you can adjust this setting on the Main Menu screen.)

Tap the orange Tt on the left to choose the type of text you want.

You’ll notice that Haiku Deck adjusts the size of your text automatically as you type. Remember, less is more! If your text starts getting very small, try editing it down (just like you would do for a tweet or a text), or moving some info to Public Notes.

Adding Images

Tap the blue IMAGE icon to search for an image, import one of your own, import multiple photos onto separate slides in one easy step, create a chart, or select a solid color background.

Tap the blue IMAGE icon to add an image, a chart, or a solid color background

More helpful resources for adding images:

• Haiku How-To: Finding, Using, and Re-Using Images (60-second video about the iPad app)
• New! Multiple Image Import (iPad app only)
• Free Photos for All: How Haiku Deck Puts Millions of Creative Commons Images at Your Fingertips
• Import Images to Haiku Deck Like a Pro
• Presentation Images to Order: New In-App Resizing
• Charts and Graphs Made Easy with Haiku Deck
• Presentation Ideas: Lists the Haiku Deck Way
• Pinterest Board of Charts and Graphs

Adjusting Layout

Tap the green LAYOUT icon to adjust how your text will be arranged on the slide.

Tap the green LAYOUT icon to adjust text layout

Tip: Most presentation experts recommend keeping y0ur text layout consistent throughout your presentation. You might use one layout for section headings, and another one for the individual slides.

Adding Public and Private Notes

Tap the yellow NOTES icon to add private notes you can use as a personal teleprompter, or public notes to enrich the web view of your deck with additional detail and supporting links.

Tap the yellow NOTES icon to add public or private notes

More helpful resources for public and private notes:

• Haiku How-To: Notes (60-second video about the iPad app)
• Present Like a Rock Star with Private Notes
• Turn Presentations into Content Assets with Public Notes
• Haiku Deck with Notes: It’s Business Time!

Working with Slides

At the bottom of your screen is the Slide Tray, which displays all of your slides in the order they’ll appear in your final presentation. Swipe left and right, or scroll, to browse your slides.

Swipe left and right to scroll through the slide tray

To edit a slide, simply tap it.

To copy or delete a slide, tap the slide, then the gear in the top right corner, and choose COPY or DELETE. If you copy a slide, the new slide will appear at the far right.

Copy or Delete on the iPad

To rearrange your slides on the iPad, tap and hold a slide, then drag it left or right. On the web, click and drag your slides left and right.

Previewing Your Deck

To preview your final deck, tap the PLAY button in the top right corner. Swipe right or left to advance your slides or go back.

More helpful resources about publishing and sharing:

• How to Adjust Your Deck’s Privacy Settings
• How the Haiku Deck App and Website Work Together
• 23 Ways to Share Your Haiku Deck

More Haiku Deck Help

Remember that you can click or tap the ? any time for onscreen tips and context-sensitive help.

Tap the ? any time for onscreen tips and more help

Once you’ve mastered the basics of editing, check out our power tips for image searching, resizing and positioning images, incorporating video, or making lists. And if you need some inspiration, take a spin through our Featured and Popular Galleries. (Tip: You can also tap GALLERY right from the Main Menu in the app!)

Once you have a gallery-ready Haiku Deck of your own, be sure to email it to gallery@haikudeck.com, or tweet it with the hashtag #hdgallery.

Now….time to set your story free!