# AI presentation maker: decks from a prompt, done well [Canonical HTML page](https://gradiently.design/guide/ai-presentation-maker) The fastest way to a bad deck is asking AI for twenty slides about your topic. The fastest way to a good one is asking for the argument first, then the slides. ## The short version - An AI presentation maker gives better decks when you ask for the outline first and approve it before any slides are designed. - The standard widescreen slide is 16:9, designed at 1920×1080 pixels; the older 4:3 shape is 1600×1200. - Each slide should carry one idea, stated as a full sentence headline, with the evidence underneath. - Most AI decks fail by putting too much text on each slide, so cut the speaker's words into notes rather than onto the screen. - A consistent background, type and layout across every slide makes a deck look designed rather than assembled. An **AI presentation maker** can turn a prompt into a full deck in a couple of minutes, and the good ones are worth using. The trick is to split the job in two. First ask for the argument as an outline, one sentence per slide, and fix it until it says what you mean. Then ask for the slides at 16:9, 1920×1080, with one idea each. Skip the first step and you get a tidy looking deck that does not say anything. ## Start with the outline, not the slides A presentation is an argument with pictures. If the argument is weak, design will not save it, and AI is very good at producing slides that look finished while saying very little. Ask for the outline in plain text first, read it aloud, and only move on when each line follows from the one before. ```text I am presenting to [audience] for [length] minutes. What I want them to do afterwards: [one action]. What they already believe: [their starting point]. Write an outline of 8 to 12 slides. Each slide: one sentence headline that states the point, not a topic. Under each, list the one piece of evidence that proves it. Do not invent numbers; write [figure needed] where data should go. ``` An outline prompt. The final line keeps the AI from filling your deck with plausible statistics that are not real. | Slide | Headline states | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | The promise | We can halve onboarding time this quarter | | 2 | The problem | New starters wait four days for access | | 3 | Why it matters | Every waiting day is a day without output | | 4 to 6 | The proposal, step by step | One form replaces six emails | | 7 | The evidence | The pilot team got access on day one | | 8 | The cost and risk | Two weeks of IT time, no new software | | 9 | The ask | Approve the rollout on Friday | A nine slide structure that works for most internal decks. Notice every headline is a sentence someone could disagree with. ## One idea per slide Left alone, AI tools write slides like documents: a topic heading and six bullet points. The audience then reads instead of listening. Keep the screen for the headline and one piece of evidence, and move everything else into the speaker notes. ### Typical AI slide - Heading: Onboarding challenges - Six bullets of full sentences - Clip art of people at a laptop - Small type to fit everything - A different layout on every slide ### A slide that works - Headline: New starters wait four days for access - One chart, number or image as proof - The rest in the speaker notes - Type large enough for the back row - The same layout family throughout A useful instruction for the AI is: “Write the speaker notes as what I would say, and put on the slide only what the audience needs to see while I say it.” Ask it to move every bullet that fails that test into the notes. The slide gets lighter, the notes get better, and you stop reading from the screen. [Visual hierarchy](https://gradiently.design/guide/visual-hierarchy) explains why one dominant element per slide works, and [slides for public speakers](https://gradiently.design/guide/public-speaker-slides) covers talks rather than meetings. A 16:9 title slide reading Halve onboarding time, with Q4 proposal above and the team name below The title slide: the promise as the headline, context small. A 16:9 evidence slide with Day one set large and a line comparing it to the previous four days An evidence slide: one fact, set large, with the comparison underneath. For type sizes that read across a room, see [typography for presentations](https://gradiently.design/guide/typography-for-presentations), and [slide design tips](https://gradiently.design/guide/slide-design-tips) for layout. ## Presentation slide sizes - 16:9 1920×1080: 1920 × 1080 - 4:3 1600×1200: 1600 × 1200 - Portrait post 1080×1350: 1080 × 1350 Widescreen 16:9 suits almost every screen and video call. Use 4:3 only for older projectors, and portrait when a slide becomes a social post. Design at 1920×1080 unless you know the room has a 4:3 projector. If the deck will be shared on LinkedIn afterwards as a document or carousel, a few slides can be remade at 1080×1350 so they fill the feed. Video calls are 16:9 too, so a widescreen deck shared on screen fills the window without black bars, while a 4:3 deck arrives boxed in. ## Make the deck look like yours Generic templates are where AI decks give themselves away. A consistent background, your own fonts and one layout family across every slide do more for credibility than any animation. [Presentation backgrounds](https://gradiently.design/guide/presentation-backgrounds) covers what reads well on a projector, and for investor decks [pitch deck design](https://gradiently.design/guide/pitch-deck-design) has its own rules. In Gradiently, a deck is a design with several pages, each wearing your Mark, so every slide shares one background, and once you claim that Mark nobody else can export with it. Describe the presentation to the Designer and it asks what it needs, writes the words, lays out the pages in your brand kit's fonts and colours, and can make other sizes from them. The Mark keeps its calmest area behind each headline, so text reads even on a busy slide. Pro exports a PDF for sending or printing. 1. **Approve the outline** Use the prompt above in any assistant, or ask the Designer directly. 2. **Generate the pages** Ask for a 16:9 deck from the outline, one idea per slide, headlines as full sentences. 3. **Replace placeholders** Swap every [figure needed] note for a real number, chart or photo. 4. **Rehearse from the slides** If you need to read a slide to know what to say, it has too much on it, or too little in your notes. 5. **Export** PDF for sharing, or images for posting a few key slides as a carousel. ## What to check in any AI deck - Every number has a source you could name if asked. - No slide has more than one point. - Headlines read as a story when you read only the headlines in order. - Charts are labelled in words, not just in a legend. - The last slide says what you want the audience to do. ## FAQ ### What size should presentation slides be? Design widescreen slides at 16:9, 1920×1080 pixels. Use 4:3 at 1600×1200 only for older projectors. ### How do I get a good deck from an AI presentation maker? Ask for an outline first, with one sentence headline per slide, approve it, then ask for slides with one idea each and the detail in speaker notes. ### Why do AI presentations have so much text? Tools tend to write slides like documents. Tell yours to keep only the headline and one piece of evidence on screen. ### Can AI make a pitch deck? It can draft the structure and slides, but investors look for real numbers and a clear story, so replace every placeholder and rewrite the key slides yourself.