Chapter 7
Presentations

The PDF file format, starting at Version 1.1, provides for simple slide-show presentations in the manner of Microsoft Powerpoint. These can be played in Acrobat and possibly other PDF viewers, typically started by entering full-screen mode. The -presentation operation allows such a presentation to be built from any PDF file.

The -trans option chooses the transition style. When a page range is used, it is the transition from each page named which is altered. The following transition styles are available:

Split

Two lines sweep across the screen, revealing the new page. By default the lines are horizontal. Vertical lines are selected by using the -vertical option.

Blinds

Multiple lines sweep across the screen, revealing the new page. By default the lines are horizontal. Vertical lines are selected by using the -vertical option.

Box

A rectangular box sweeps inward from the edges of the page. Use -outward to make it sweep from the center to the edges.

Wipe

A single line sweeps across the screen from one edge to the other in a direction specified by the -direction option.

Dissolve

The old page dissolves gradually to reveal the new one.

Glitter

The same as Dissolve but the effect sweeps across the page in the direction specified by the -direction option.

To remove a transition style currently applied to the selected pages, omit the -trans option.

The -effect-duration option specifies the length of time in seconds for the transition itself. The default value is one second.

The -duration option specifies the maximum time in seconds that the page is displayed before the presentation automatically advances. The default, in the absence of the -duration option, is for no automatic advancement.

The -direction option (for Wipe and Glitter styles only) specifies the direction of the effect. The following values are valid:

• Left to right
• Bottom to top (Wipe only)
• Right to left (Wipe only)
• Top to bottom
• Top-left to bottom-right (Glitter only)

For example:

To use different options on different page ranges, run cpdf multiple times on the file using a different page range each time.