WP100 - Preaching

Pictures and images convey meaning in a visually powerful way that words cannot. We want to use them in our worship bulletins, on our church websites, and in our social media posts, just to name a few examples. These are public venues, and the non-profit or religious status of your organization does not exempt you from abiding by copyright law. Let's make sure we're doing this responsibly.

1. Assume any image you want to use is protected by U.S. or international copyright law. Unless you created it (by taking a photograph or drawing the original, for example), then it is almost certain that someone else owns the copyright.
2. Know the creator and the source. Before using any image, you must keep a record of who created it and where you found it. Some images are posted by creators who go by a username instead of their legal name. This is fine as long as you also record all the information about the site where the image was posted. You need to know the URL of the image, the name of the website, and the date you accessed it.
3. Check for licenses and permissions. Some creators publish their images on sites and attach a special license to it that grant permission for others to use the image publicly. The Creative Commons offers several licensing options that are popular and easy for creators to apply to their works. A license does not mean that a work is not covered by copyright. It is a permission that the creator grants to authorize use of their work by others.
4. Use is prohibited? Choose another image. As much as you may like and want to use an image from a source that says any public use is prohibited, it is best to respect the creator and choose another image. In some cases, you could try contacting the creator to obtain special permission to use their work; however, this may not always be practical or the creator may deny your request.
5. Follow the conditions of the license and give credit. Licenses are not all the same. Read the conditions to make sure your use falls within the bounds of what the license allows. When a creator needs to be given credit for the work, be sure to include that with your work. A caption with the image or a byline along the side of the image works nicely.

If you've taken a photograph that shows people, particularly their faces, then it is best to get their permission before using the photograph publicly. This is particularly important when photographing children or anyone who is unable to give direct consent and relies on the decision of someone charged with a power of attorney.

Sample release forms for churches are widely available online. Please check with your judicatory or non-profit organization (e.g., hospital, community center, etc.) to see if one already exists for your purpose.

 

• Creative Commons Search - access to websites that collect and make available works with CC licenses applied to them.
• Pixabay - stock photos contributed by a wide and active user community
• Flickr - photo sharing website that offers users the option of applying a CC license to their photos; not all photos have a CC license; use the search filters to limit to photos with CC licenses
• Google Image Search - to filter search results by license type, click Tools, then click the pull down menu for "Usage Rights" and select the license option that applies to your use

• GIMP - the open source alternative to Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Photoshop Express - available for Windows 10, iOS, and Android
• Mac users may want to try Preview and Photos (included with Mac OSX)

Microsoft PowerPoint is the presentation application of the Microsoft Office suite and Microsoft 365. Different versions of Office/PowerPoint have different features, so PowerPoint 2013 looks slightly different from PowerPoint 2016 or PowerPoint in Microsoft 365. Keep this in mind when you are looking at tutorials and help guides. A PowerPoint presentation is built with individual slides. There are multiple default templates that can help you position your text and images on the slide (title slide, heading with text, blank slide, etc.). 

Google Slides is Google's answer to PowerPoint. All Lancaster Theological Seminary students have access to Google Slides via Google Drive. Within Google Drive click the "New" button and choose Google Slides from the drop down menu. Like PowerPoint, a Google Slides presentation is built with individual slides. These presentations can be downloaded in Microsoft PowerPoint format and opened in PowerPoint. Likewise, PowerPoint files can be uploaded to Google Drive and converted to Google Slides format. As a cloud application, Google Slides requires an Internet connection to access your file and save your changes. 

If you use a Mac computer or an Apple iPhone or iPad, you may be familiar with Keynote, the Apple iWork presentation application. Keynote is also available as an application in iCloud, and now anyone can create a free iCloud account to use Apple's Pages, Numbers, and Keynote applications. Like PowerPoint and Slides, Keynote presentations are built with individual slides. The application is designed with Apple's distinct touch and those who enjoy that aesthetic will likely enjoy using this app for creating presentations.

If you're looking for a presentation application that thinks outside the slide, then you're looking for Prezi. Prezi is a cloud-based application that starts with a canvas instead of individual slides. Content is positioned on the canvas and the presentation takes a charted course through frames of the content, panning, zooming, and rotating as necessary. Designing presentations in Prezi that don't make your audience nauseous takes some practice. But don't let that discourage you. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be delivering memorable three-dimensional presentations that will make your audience forget about slides. Prezis can be presented via the Prezi website or downloaded for offline presentation situations.

• Citing sources in a presentation is just as important as in a paper. Identify the source of quotes, photos/images, statistics, etc. fully enough that the viewer can trace it. Details to include are: creator's name, title or URL of source, date and/or other identifying information. If using a lot of sources, a complete bibliography can also be added to the end of the presentation.
• As in most things - Keep It Simple! Stay away from flashy animations, transitions, sound effects, and more.
• Dark text on lighter backgrounds is easier to read when projected on a screen than light text on darker backgrounds
• Your content is the star, not your background. Backgrounds should not distract or take away from what is displayed on them.
• Remember that not everyone sees color the same way. Avoid combining reds and greens that are similar shades. This article goes into detail about choosing colorblind-friendly palettes.