⚠️⚠️⚠️ This is an older video. **To learn about presentations in Obsidian-Excalidraw please review [[A detailed walkthrough of the Excalidraw-Obsidian Slideshow 3.0 script]] first.** This video is retained here more as a scripting example.
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**Created**:: [[2021-08-26 Thursday]]
**Link**:: https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g
**Duration**:: 6:42
# Summary
In this video, the presenter explains how to effectively use Excalidraw within Obsidian to create and present slides. He emphasizes the importance of setting up a proper template, organizing slides into dedicated folders, and utilizing Obsidian's features for smooth navigation during presentations. The presenter also shares tips on CSS tweaks to enhance the visual appeal of slides.
# Key Takeaways
- Create a slide template in Excalidraw that fits your presentation screen for better object positioning.
- Organize slides into dedicated folders, treating each folder as a special document containing individual slide files.
- Utilize Obsidian's slides core plugin and navigation features for efficient presentation delivery.
# Content
Hey guys, I'd like to show you how you can use Excalidraw in Obsidian to create a presentation. [* ](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g)
Here's how you do it. First of all, I recommend that you create a template, and in your template, you first add a rectangle that is going to be sized to exactly the size of your presentation screen. This is going to help you in positioning objects and knowing what fits on the screen and what does not. [* ](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g)
Sizing the rectangle to the size of your screen will ensure that "zoom to fit" will zoom your slide correctly later on. When your slides are ready, you can also decide to remove that rectangle. Then, in the bottom right-hand corner of the slide, you add this link, and this is going to be your navigation. Then you need to switch to preview mode. [* ](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g)
Let me just show you, so this is your raw mode now, and I can switch to preview mode. Then you can see that the links in that case are rendered. If you click the more options menu and go over to the markdown view, then you should add this additional command or setting to your front matter: `excalidraw link prefix equals an empty string`. What this is going to do is change your default Excalidraw setting. [* ](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g)
You can see that normally my link prefix is this diamond shape, and with that setting, it doesn't show. So let me just go over here and show you what would happen if I would remove this line. I'm removing this, switching back to Excalidraw, and you can see that this diamond shape appears, which doesn't look very nice on my slide. So if I add this to my front matter, then for this specific document, that is going to be overwritten. [* ](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g)
If I quickly switch back to view mode and to full-screen mode, we can move on. What I wanted to show you is that you may want to save your templates in a dedicated folder or use some naming conventions because, over time, you're going to have multiple templates. Then you can get started authoring your templates. Again, I propose that you create a separate folder for each of your presentations. You can think of the folder as a special type of document and then each page in that document is a separate file in that folder, which you call slide one, slide two, and so on. [* ](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g)
Let me just show you how that looks. You can see here that I have my Excalidraw presentations folder, and here's my intro to presentations. I have my slides as individual files in here, and I have my templates folder with a single template for the time being. Then, you can use "make a copy" in the file manager to add additional slides to your presentation. [* ](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g)
In terms of presentations, you have two options. One, you can present directly from Excalidraw. You saw how I did it; I went to the first slide, clicked full screen, and switched to view mode. This is view mode, the shortcut is Alt + R, and then I'm using the navigation button in the bottom right. If you set up a hotkey for back and forward navigation, then you can use that hotkey to move back in your slides, using simply the Obsidian feature to move between documents or move to documents in your history. [* ](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g)
The other option for presenting is using the slides core plugin in Obsidian. What I then recommend you do is create a file called presentations and then embed the drawings in that. Let me show you how that looks. This is how the file would look; you see each of the slides here. You can also see that I'm sizing each of the slides at 100 percent. So you see slide one, the pipe character, and the hundred percent, and this goes until slide seven. [* ](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g)
Now, if I switch over to presentation mode, then you can see—well, here's the message first—that what I do is I also apply a minor CSS tweak. This is a CSS snippet I added to Obsidian for slides; this is the simple comment. This will ensure that when I present my slides, then each of the slides will show in full-screen mode like this. I'm going to show you in a moment how it looks if I turn this off. [* ](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g)
But overall, you can present your slides like this and enjoy the end result. Then finally, let me just show you what happens if I turn off my CSS snippet for slides. If I turn this off and go to presentation mode, then my slides are going to be sized with a larger margin. This also looks nice, so this is really up to you if you want to use that snippet or not. [* ](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g)
But anyway, I thought that this is a cool possibility to use Excalidraw for presentations, and I hope you will enjoy it. Thank you. [* ](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g)
# YouTube Details
## YouTube Description
I made this presentation with the Excalidraw plugin in Obsidian. You can install it from Community Plugins.
If you find the plugin and/or my videos helpful, please say thanks by buying me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/zsolt
If you'd like to request a feature or report a bug, please raise it on GitHub: https://github.com/zsviczian/obsidian-excalidraw-plugin
If you want to connect, you can reach me (@zsviczian) in the Obsidian Members Group (OMG) on Discord or on Twitter.
Link to my blog: https://zsolt.blog
Link to Obsidian: https://obsidian.md
## YouTube Transcript
[hey guys i'd like to show you how you](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=0) [can use x color draw in obsidian to](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=1) [create a presentation so](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=4) [here's how you do it](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=7) [first of all i recommend that you create](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=9) [a template and in your template you](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=11) [first add](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=14) [a rectangle that is going to be sized to](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=15) [exactly the size of your presentation](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=19) [screen this is going to help you in](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=21) [positioning objects and knowing what](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=25) [fits on the screen and what does not](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=28) [and](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=30) [sizing the rectangle to the size of your](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=31) [screen will ensure that zoom to fit will](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=34) [zoom your slide correctly later on when](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=37) [your slides are ready you can also](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=40) [decide to remove that rectangle then at](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=42) [in the bottom right hand corner of the](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=47) [slide you add this link and this is](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=49) [going to be your navigation](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=52) [and then you need to switch to preview](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=55) [mode and](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=57) [let me just show you so](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=60) [this is your](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=62) [raw mode now and i can switch to preview](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=64) [mode and then you can see that the links](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=67) [in that case are rendered and then if](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=69) [you click](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=72) [the more options menu and you go over to](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=73) [the markdown view then you should add](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=77) [this additional command or](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=80) [setting to your](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=83) [front matter](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=85) [excalidual link prefix equals an empty](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=87) [string and what this is going to do](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=91) [is this is going to change your default](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=94) [x color draw setting so you can see that](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=98) [normally my link prefix is this](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=101) [diamond shape and with that setting that](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=104) [doesn't show so let me just](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=107) [go over here and show you what would](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=109) [happen if i would remove](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=111) [this line from here so i'm removing this](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=113) [i'm switching back to](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=116) [x color draw and you can see that this](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=118) [diamond shape](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=121) [appears which doesn't look very nice on](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=123) [my slide so if i add](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=126) [this](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=128) [to my front matter then](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=130) [for this specific document that is going](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=133) [to be overwritten](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=136) [and then if i quickly switch back to](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=138) [view mode and to full screen mode we can](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=142) [move on](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=144) [uh what i wanted to](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=145) [show you is](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=148) [that or just give you this idea that you](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=151) [may want to save your templates in a](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=153) [dedicated folder or some na use some](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=155) [naming conventions because probably over](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=158) [time you're going to have multiple](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=160) [templates](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=163) [and then you can get started](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=164) [authoring your templates again i propose](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=166) [that you create a separate folder for](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=169) [each of your presentations you can think](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=172) [of the folder as a special type of](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=174) [document and then each page in that](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=177) [document is a separate](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=180) [file in that folder which you called](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=183) [slide one slide two and so let me just](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=186) [show you how that](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=189) [looks so you can see here that i have my](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=191) [excladro presentations folder](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=194) [and here's my intro to presentations and](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=197) [i have my slides](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=200) [as](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=203) [individual files in here and i have my](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=204) [templates folder with a single template](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=207) [for the time being](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=210) [and then](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=212) [you can use](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=213) [make a copy](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=216) [in the file manager to](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=217) [add additional slides](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=221) [to your](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=223) [presentation and in terms of](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=224) [presentations you have two options one](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=227) [you can](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=230) [present directly from excoli draw and](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=231) [you saw how i do did it](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=233) [i went to the first slide of course](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=236) [clicked full screen](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=238) [switched to](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=240) [view mode so this is view mode the](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=242) [shortcut is alt r](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=245) [and then i'm using the navigation button](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=247) [in the bottom right if you set up a](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=250) [hotkey for back and forward navigation](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=252) [then you can use that hotkey to move](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=256) [back in your slides using](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=259) [simply the obsidian feature to](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=263) [move between](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=266) [documents or move to documents in your](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=268) [history the other option for presenting](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=271) [is using the slides core plugin in](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=274) [obsidian and what then i recommend you](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=278) [do is you create a file called](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=281) [presentations and then you embed the](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=283) [drawings in that so let me show you how](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=286) [that looks so this is how the file would](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=288) [look you see each of the](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=291) [slide](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=293) [it here](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=295) [you can also see that i'm sizing each of](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=296) [the](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=299) [slides](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=300) [at 100 percent](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=301) [so you see slide one the pipe character](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=304) [and the hundred percent and then this](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=307) [goes until slide seven](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=311) [so if i i now](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=313) [switch over to](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=315) [uh presentation mode then you can see](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=317) [well here's the message first that](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=319) [what i do is i also apply a minor css](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=322) [tweak so this is a css snippet](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=326) [i added uh to](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=329) [obsidian](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=332) [for](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=333) [slides this is the simple](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=334) [comment and this will ensure that when i](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=337) [present my slides then each of the slide](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=340) [will](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=344) [show a full screen](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=344) [like this i'm going to show you in a](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=347) [moment how it looks if i turn](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=349) [this off](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=352) [but overall you can present](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=353) [your slides like this and](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=356) [enjoy the end result and then finally](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=359) [let me just show you what happens if](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=362) [i](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=365) [turn off my](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=366) [css snippet for slides](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=369) [if i turn this off and i go to](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=371) [presentation mode then](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=375) [my slides are going to be sized](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=377) [with a larger margin this also looks](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=381) [nice so this is really up to you if you](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=383) [want to use that](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=386) [snippet or not](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=388) [but anyway i thought that this is a cool](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=390) [possibility](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=393) [to use x-coli draw for presentations and](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=394) [i hope](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=398) [you will enjoy it thank you](https://youtu.be/nMYUnnVkw2g?t=399)