AI Text Preview

AI Text Preview generates text suggestions with formatting, lets you preview them before applying, and makes it easy to iterate on AI-generated content.

What is Text Preview?

Text Preview is an AI-powered tool that:

• Generates text based on your prompts
• Shows formatted preview with rich text formatting
• Allows editing before applying
• Applies to shapes with one click
• Maintains formatting (bold, italic, colors, etc.)
• Supports undo/restore for easy iteration

Getting Started

Opening Text Preview

1. Select a text-containing shape (optional)
2. Click AI Tools in Offgen panel
3. Select Text Preview
4. Text Preview panel opens

Basic Usage

1. Enter prompt: Describe the text you want
2. Generate: Click "Generate" or press Enter
3. Preview: See formatted text in preview window
4. Apply: Click "Apply to Shape" to use the text

Generating Text

Writing Prompts

Describe what text you want:

Simple prompts:

"Write a heading for a sales slide"
"Generate a bullet list of 5 benefits"
"Create a call-to-action for a button"

Specific prompts:

"Write a professional email signature"
"Create 3 short testimonial quotes"
"Generate a tagline for a tech startup"

Formatted prompts:

"Write a heading in bold with a subheading in italic"
"Create a list with the first word of each item in bold"
"Generate text with important parts highlighted"

Context-Aware Generation

If you have a shape selected, AI considers:

• Current text (if any)
• Shape size (generates appropriate length)
• Existing formatting (suggests compatible styles)
• Slide context

Example:

Selected shape: Button with "Click Here"
Prompt: "Better call-to-action"
Result: "Get Started Today" (similar length, button-appropriate)

Preview Window

Rich Text Preview

The preview shows:

• Formatted text with styles applied
• Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough
• Text colors and highlighting
• Font sizes and families
• Line breaks and spacing

Preview Controls

Copy: Copy text to clipboard

Undo: Restore previous preview

Apply: Apply text to selected shape(s)

Regenerate: Generate new variation

Applying Text

Apply to Shape

After generating text you like:

1. Select target shape(s)
2. Click "Apply to Shape"
3. Text (with formatting) appears in shape(s)

Behavior:

• Replaces existing text in shape
• Preserves text box settings (margins, alignment)
• Applies rich formatting (bold, colors, etc.)
• Works on multiple shapes (applies same text to all)

Copy to Clipboard

Prefer to paste manually:

1. Click "Copy" in preview
2. Select target location
3. Paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V)

Note: Pasted text may lose some formatting depending on target.

Rich Text Formatting

Supported Formatting

Text Styles:

• Bold: Heavy text weight
• Italic: Slanted text
• Underline: Underlined text
• Strikethrough: Crossed-out text

Text Attributes:

• Font family: Arial, Calibri, Times, etc.
• Font size: 8pt to 96pt+
• Text color: Any RGB color
• Background color: Text highlighting

Text Effects:

• Superscript: X²
• Subscript: H₂O
• All caps: TEXT
• Small caps: TEXT

Formatting in Prompts

Guide AI to format text:

"Write a heading in bold"
→ AI generates: **Bold Heading**

"Create a list with keywords in italic"
→ AI generates:
- This is *important* information
- Another *key* point

"Highlight numbers in red"
→ AI generates: We have 50 (in red) products

Text Runs

Generated text can have multiple formats:

"This is **bold** and this is *italic* text."

When applied to a shape, maintains all formatting.

Undo & Restore

Undo Preview

Made a mistake? Restore previous version:

1. Click "Undo" in Text Preview
2. Previous text preview restored
3. Can undo multiple times

Use Cases:

• Generated text you don't like
• Want to compare versions
• Accidentally regenerated

Text History

Text Preview maintains history:

• Last several generations stored
• Undo to navigate back
• Cannot undo after closing Text Preview

Advanced Features

Iterative Refinement

Build on previous results:

1. "Write a product description"
   → Generates text
2. "Make it more exciting"
   → Refines previous text
3. "Add a call-to-action"
   → Adds to refined text

AI remembers conversation context.

Length Control

Control text length:

"Write a short heading" (5-10 words)
"Generate a medium paragraph" (50-75 words)
"Create a long description" (150+ words)

Or specify exactly:

"Write exactly 3 bullet points"
"Generate a 20-word sentence"

Style Matching

Match existing content:

"Write in the same style as this slide"
"Match the tone of my existing text"
"Professional corporate style"
"Casual and friendly tone"

Multiple Variations

Generate options:

"Give me 3 different headlines"
→ AI generates 3 variations
Choose your favorite

Common Use Cases

Generating Headlines

Prompt: "Catchy headline for a marketing slide"
Result: "Transform Your Business Today"
Apply: To title text box

Creating Bullet Lists

Prompt: "5 bullet points on productivity benefits"
Result:
• Save 10 hours per week
• Automate repetitive tasks
• Focus on creative work
• Reduce errors
• Improve team efficiency

Apply: To bullet list shape

Button Text

Prompt: "Call-to-action for signup button"
Result: "Start Your Free Trial"
Apply: To button shape

Testimonials

Prompt: "Generate a customer testimonial quote"
Result: "Offgen has completely transformed how we create presentations. Highly recommended!"
Apply: To quote text box

Taglines

Prompt: "Company tagline for a design agency"
Result: "Design that Inspires"
Apply: To tagline text

Tips & Best Practices

1. Be Specific

Vague:

"Write something"

Better:

"Write a professional email closing with contact info"

2. Mention Formatting

Include style preferences:

"Create a heading with the company name in bold"
"List features with each feature name in italic"

3. Specify Length

Avoid text that doesn't fit:

"Short button text (2-3 words)"
"Brief one-sentence description"

4. Iterate

Don't expect perfection on first try:

1. Generate initial text
2. "Make it shorter"
3. "More professional tone"
4. "Add emphasis on speed"

5. Use Context

Select shape first:

• AI considers current text
• Generates appropriate length
• Matches context better

Workflow Examples

Creating a Title Slide

1. Select title shape
2. Open Text Preview
3. Prompt: "Presentation title for quarterly business review"
4. Result: "Q4 2024 Business Review"
5. Apply

6. Select subtitle shape
7. Prompt: "Subtitle with date and presenter"
8. Result: "December 15, 2024 | Jane Smith, CEO"
9. Apply

Filling Content Slides

1. Select text box
2. Prompt: "3 benefits of cloud storage"
3. Review generated list
4. Apply
5. Next text box: "3 challenges of cloud migration"
6. Apply

Creating CTAs

1. Select multiple buttons
2. Prompt: "Call-to-action variations for signup"
3. Result: "Get Started • Sign Up Free • Join Now"
4. Apply to first button
5. Repeat for other variations

Troubleshooting

Problem: Generated Text Too Long

Solution:

• Specify length in prompt: "Short version"
• Edit in preview before applying
• Regenerate: "Make it shorter"

Problem: Wrong Formatting

Solution:

• Be explicit in prompt: "Bold heading"
• Edit formatting after applying
• Regenerate with clearer instructions

Problem: Text Doesn't Fit Shape

Solution:

• Specify length constraint
• Enable text auto-resize in shape
• Regenerate shorter version
• Manually edit after applying

Problem: Lost Preview

Solution:

• Use Undo to restore
• Copy important text before regenerating
• Keep Text Preview open until satisfied

Text Preview vs. AI Chat

Use Text Preview when:

• Generating content
• Need to see formatting
• Want to preview before applying
• Creating text variations

Use AI Chat when:

• Executing actions
• Manipulating existing content
• Complex multi-step operations
• General PowerPoint control

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Enter: Generate text (when in prompt field)
• Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C): Copy text from preview
• Esc: Close Text Preview
• Ctrl+Z (or Cmd+Z): Undo in preview

What's Next?