Visit the ResearchChannel.org to download PowerPoint templates formatted for television.

• Safe title: When presenting graphics on video, the most important aspect to consider is "safe title." TV screens do not typically show the full frame; instead they crop the edges to fill the screen.
• To ensure nothing is cropped off, set a boundary 1 inch from all edges (that is, about 80 percent of the full screen size). All important information and text should reside within these boundaries.
• Pictures and nonessential information can fall outside of this area.

• ResearchChannel recommends that fonts remain between 24 points and 32 points in size. The minimum readable on-screen point size is 20.
• Use sans serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Helvetica, Palatino, Lucinda Sans, Comic Sans). Thin serif fonts, such as Times, do not work well on TV screens.
• Avoid too much text because people won't be able to read it easily.
• If the text flows outside the safe title area, split the information into two or more slides.

• The bigger text and legends are, the more readable the information presented on charts.
• Thin lines will "vibrate" on video because of the way TV screens update the frames. All lines should be at least 2.25 points thick.

• A dark background with light foreground text is best for TV and your audience, though light backgrounds with dark text are acceptable.
• Keep backgrounds simple and limit the number of colors in text.
• Avoid highly saturated colors, especially red, and large areas of pure white.

• Pictures with white backgrounds should be toned down.
• Lower the brightness by 10 percent.

 

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