Keynote 3 makes the process of creating a presentation about as easy as it gets. The package includes a collection of more than two dozen themes from which to choose. Once you select a theme, adding text is a simple matter of double-clicking the heading or body text, and typing your information.

If you change your mind after you start, you can select a different theme from a dropdown menu, and your text will be automatically reformatted to fit the new theme. If you prefer to choose your own color scheme, you can select one of the masters, which offer different arrangements of text and image placeholders, but without any pre-applied colors, or start with a blank canvas. You can also mix and match masters and themes.

A row of icons across the top of the window provides easy access to most tools and options. You can also access tools and additional options from the menus. An Inspector palette provides information about and options for masters and themes, slideshow settings, special effects, shapes, charts, tables, links and QuickTime movies.

The shapes tool lets you add a variety of shapes, including squares, rectangles, circles, triangles, arrows, and free-form shapes. You can add a color, image, gradient, or tinted image fill to a shape, add text, add a drop shadow or adjust its opacity.

Creating a table takes a matter of seconds. Tables are similar to simple spreadsheets. After you add a table, you can adjust its columns and rows, add text and change the background.

Creating a 2-D or 3-D chart is just as easy. Click the Chart icon to add the chart, and then use the Chart palette and the Chart Data Editor to enter and format the information.

You can add music from iTunes, movies from iMovie, and images from iPhoto. After you click and drag an image from iPhoto, you can adjust its size, as well as perform basic image editing tasks, including adjusting brightness, contrast, exposure, image sharpness and color saturation.

You can export your finished Keynote presentation as an interactive slideshow, a self-playing movie, a web movie or a CD movie.


Pros: Inexpensive and very easy to use, includes an attractive, customizable selection of themes and masters
Cons: Any images you want to add to your presentation must be in an iPhoto library


Specifications:
Available for: Macintoshes.

Minimum requirements (Mac):
Mac OS X version 10.3.9 or v10.4.3 or later
Macintosh computer with a 500 MHz or faster PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5 or Intel Core processor
256 MB of RAM (512MB recommended)
32MB of video RAM
QuickTime 7.0.3 or later
DVD drive required for install