When we did our user survey last fall, one thing we heard frequently was that you love Haiku Deck, but there are times when you just need a little more control over how the text appears on your slides. Some of you wanted to be able to include a bit more text. Others wanted to change the font color. Many wanted new layout options and more control over where text is placed on the slide, or the ability to show text and image side by side.

Great news! Haiku Deck 2.4 and the latest update to the Web App Beta makes all of these things possible. If you’ve ever felt a bit too constrained by the two-line format, you’ll definitely want to give the new version of the iPad app a try or sign into haikudeck.com and start a new deck.

Here’s how to make use of these powerful new text layout options.

How To Create a Multiline Slide

Select the orange Text icon, then the Multiline Slide type.

Select the orange Text icon, then Multiline Slide

Simply tap and start typing. Your text will automatically wrap from line to line, maintaining a uniform font size for your entire block of text.

You can also tap RETURN any time to control where a line breaks.

Tip: Solid-color backgrounds can really make multiline slides pop!

How To Adjust Text Background and Font Color

As you type your text, you’ll notice some new editing options at the top of your keyboard if you’re using the iPad app.

White font; text background on

From here you can turn your text background on and off and select white or black font (iPad only right now, but we’re working on it!).

White font; text background off

Tip: If you use a photo background, the text background is often helpful for legibility. Be sure to choose an image that reads clearly, even with the text background on.

Black font; text background on

Tip: You can turn the auto-capitalization off (for a mix of uppercase and lowercase) from the Settings gear on the Main Screen of the iPad app.

How To Align Your Text (iPad only)

You can also choose left, centered, right, or full justification, right above the keyboard.

Right justification

How To Control Text Placement

Select the green Layout icon, then the slide layout of your choice. You can center your text block vertically or place it at the top, middle, or bottom of the slide.

Tip: You can also adjust the text background from this screen.

Select the green Layout icon, then a slide layout

To try a side-by-side layout, select one of the small text blocks. You can place your text block top left, center left, bottom left, top right, center right, or center bottom.

Tip: Some themes can accommodate more characters on a line than others — if you’re using the small text blocks, Volterra, Underdog, and Tabletop are particularly good choices. Read more about themes in Presentation Templates with Pizzazz.

White font without text screen; right-justified small text block

Tip: Be sure to play with both text alignment (justification) and layout (text block placement) to explore the full range of options and looks. You may need to toggle between the orange Text icon and the green Layout icon to experiment.

Power Tips

• Multiline slides are ideal for quotes, vision statements, or high-impact paragraphs, but be sure to use them sparingly — you will hold your audience’s attention  (and showcase the beautiful Haiku Deck images) better with minimal text overall.
• Remember that another good way to add supporting information and additional detail, while keeping your slides uncluttered, is with the Public Notes feature.
• Many experts recommend keeping formatting consistent throughout your presentation — so if you’re using the black font, consider using it for all of your slides (and search for images that look good with it.)