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89 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
89 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
# Why PPT Master
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[English](./why-ppt-master.md) | [Chinese](./zh/why-ppt-master.md)
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---
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There are dozens of AI presentation tools. This page explains what PPT Master does differently — and where it's not the right choice.
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I'm [Hugo He](https://www.hehugo.com/), an investment & finance professional who builds presentations every day. PPT Master is an open-source tool I've spent extensive time refining — because I'm its most demanding user.
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## 1. Real PowerPoint Output — Not Images, Not Web Screenshots
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**This is the core differentiator.**
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Most AI presentation tools take one of three approaches, each with a hard limitation:
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- **Embed images** → Many tools render each slide as a flat image inside the PPTX. It looks polished, but text can't be selected, colors can't be changed, and scaling loses quality — it's a screenshot, not a presentation.
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- **HTML/CSS rendering** → Gamma, Tome, and similar tools look great in the browser, but HTML describes document flow while PowerPoint is a canvas. Exporting to PPTX inevitably breaks layouts and flattens elements.
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- **python-pptx / direct generation** → ChatGPT and similar tools build PPTX programmatically. Elements are editable, but AI lacks the training data to produce complex designs — the result is basic text boxes and bullet lists.
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PPT Master takes a fourth path — **AI generates SVG, then scripts convert SVG to DrawingML**. This works because SVG and DrawingML are fundamentally the same kind of thing — both are absolute-coordinate 2D vector formats where rectangles, paths, gradients, and shadows map one-to-one. The conversion is a dialect translation, not a format mismatch.
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In the exported PPTX, every shape, text box, gradient, and shadow is a native PowerPoint object. Click anything, edit it — just like you built it by hand.
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> See [Technical Design](./technical-design.md) for the full rationale.
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---
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## 2. Transparent Cost — You Pay Your AI Provider, Not Another Subscription
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PPT Master itself is free and open source. The only cost is your own AI model usage.
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AI tools across the industry are shifting to usage-based billing — you pay for what you actually consume. PPT Master works with this model naturally: there's no separate PPT subscription, no proprietary credits, no per-seat fee for a presentation platform on top of what you're already paying for AI.
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For comparison, Gamma subscriptions run $8–20/month, Beautiful.ai $12–45/month — regardless of how much you actually use them. PPT Master adds zero cost on top of your existing AI spend.
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---
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## 3. Data Privacy — 100% Local
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Your files never leave your machine. Source documents are converted locally, SVGs are generated locally, PPTX is exported locally. The only external communication is between you and your AI editor — no different from how you normally use it.
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No third-party server stores your source documents or output. This matters for finance, government, and any organization with data residency requirements.
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---
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## 4. Fully Open — No Lock-in on Editors or Models
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Your workflow shouldn't be held hostage by any single company. Today you depend on their platform; tomorrow they raise prices, change the rules, or shut down — and everything you've built on top of it is gone. That's not what open source should look like.
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PPT Master is a framework, not a plugin for a specific IDE. **On editors:** Claude Code, VS Code Copilot, Cursor, Codebuddy IDE, and whatever comes next — they all work. **On models:** Claude produces the best results, but GPT, Gemini, Kimi, MiniMax, and others can all drive PPT Master — the difference is in layout precision, and as models improve, these gaps will narrow.
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The choice is yours. PPT Master doesn't make that decision for you.
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---
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## Features
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### Consulting-Grade Design System
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Three built-in styles: General (training, tech talks), Consultant (business reports, data visualization), and Consultant Top (MBB level — investment memos, strategic plans, government briefings).
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The [examples/](../examples/) directory contains all example projects, spanning government fiscal analysis, AI architecture design, Zen philosophy, pixel-art gaming, editorial reports, and more.
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### Full Source-Document Input
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Feed it almost anything: PDF, DOCX, PPTX, EPUB, HTML, LaTeX, RST, web URLs, WeChat articles, Markdown, or plain text. Most SaaS tools only accept prompts or limited file uploads.
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### Multi-Format Output
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Output is not limited to standard 16:9 and 4:3 slide ratios. Xiaohongshu 3:4, WeChat/Instagram 1:1, vertical Story 9:16, A4 print — same pipeline, just specify the format.
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---
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## Where PPT Master Is Not the Right Choice
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Being honest about limitations:
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| Limitation | Detail |
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|---|---|
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| **Setup required** | Install Python, clone repo, configure AI editor. Not a "open browser and go" experience. |
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| **Slower generation** | 10–20 min for a 10-page deck (serial page-by-page for cross-slide consistency). SaaS tools take seconds. |
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| **No collaboration** | Local files, no real-time co-editing, no share links. |
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| **No full freeform canvas** | The browser live preview supports direct edits — select to change text/color/font/size, drag or arrow-key to reposition, with undo — plus click-to-annotate for AI rewrites. What it isn't is a full Gamma/Canva-style freeform canvas: no on-canvas resize handles, and re-exporting to PPTX stays a chat step. |
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**If you want zero-setup, instant slides in a browser** — Gamma and Canva are excellent choices.
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**If you want native editability, predictable cost, local data, and no lock-in** — that's what PPT Master is built for.
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