The latest articles on DEV Community by Max Chen (@max_chen_fb12272ee055cd1c). https://dev.to/max_chen_fb12272ee055cd1c https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3943394%2F0870c5e9-be3c-4403-891b-709a4b7b2a20.png https://dev.to/max_chen_fb12272ee055cd1c en Max Chen Thu, 21 May 2026 06:14:45 +0000 https://dev.to/max_chen_fb12272ee055cd1c/i-stopped-starting-presentations-in-powerpoint-3p5e https://dev.to/max_chen_fb12272ee055cd1c/i-stopped-starting-presentations-in-powerpoint-3p5e <p>I realized something recently:Creating slides isn't actually the hard part.</p> <p>The hard part is staring at a blank canvas and figuring out:</p> <ul> <li>What should the structure be?</li> <li>How should each slide look?</li> <li>What visual style fits the topic?</li> <li>How do I make it look good without spending hours tweaking layouts?</li> </ul> <p>Most AI presentation tools help with content generation. They'll give you bullets, outlines, and maybe a few template options.</p> <p>What I've been experimenting with lately is a different workflow:</p> <p>Instead of generating text first and designing later, I describe the presentation I want and have an image model generate the slides themselves.</p> <p>For example: Create a pitch deck for an AI startup targeting enterprise customers. Modern dark theme, strong data visualization, minimal text, Apple-style presentation design.</p> <p>Or: Create a quarterly business review presentation for a Dubai real estate company. Premium luxury aesthetic, Arabic typography, high-end editorial layout.</p> <p>The interesting part is that each slide is generated as a designed visual rather than being forced into a fixed template system.</p> <p>I've found this surprisingly useful for:</p> <ul> <li>Investor pitch decks</li> <li>Product launch presentations</li> <li>Marketing strategy reviews</li> <li>Conference talks</li> <li>Client proposals</li> </ul> <p>Another workflow I've started using:I'll upload an image that has a design style I like—a magazine spread, website hero section, annual report page, even a menu from a café—and ask the AI to create presentation slides inspired by that visual language.</p> <p>Most of the times they're genuinely better than what I would have built manually.</p> <p>The biggest benefit isn't that AI replaces design work.</p> <p>It's that it gives me 10 possible directions in minutes instead of committing me to one direction for hours.</p> <p>Curious whether anyone else is experimenting with image-generation models for presentation design rather than traditional slide tools.</p> <p>What workflows have worked for you?</p> ai design productivity tooling