Adobe Slate is a free story telling app for the iPad.

The Good: 

I found Adobe Slate to be very intuitive. The app contains great projects to explore and get ideas from. The app allows users to insert pictures and text to tell a story about any topic imaginable. Since the app is very easy to use this means users of all levels would find this as an easy tool to display a project or a story using original photos or by searching through creative commons photos straight on the app. The app also has many different themes that have multiple different purposes. Some are centered for users looking to present a business idea, while others are can be used for students looking to put together a project. For example the theme labeled “Whimsy” is more geared toward the younger user or lighthearted topics. While a theme such as “Crisp”, is better suited for displaying a more serious or professional topic.

The Bad:

However though the app has some great features and is easy to use there are still some flaws with the app. One of the major thing I notices right away was when trying to add text to the project it would sometimes reorganize the pages. Though it is easy to fix having to constantly reorganize your pages can become tedious and annoying. Another problem this product may face is that there are so many similar products out there. Google Presentations is one of my favorite tools to use when making a project or telling a story. Another great product is Prezi which allows the user to customize their project more so than Adobe Slate. One other issue I encountered when using Adobe Slate was the lack of customization. Though Adobe Slate offers eleven themes the user is not able to change the font of the background color of each theme. In addition the app only allows for the presentation of pictures, text, links, or photo grids. The app does not allow videos to be displayed directly on the project.

Overall Summary: 

Though this app has both its strengths and it weaknesses I feel that this app will be very beneficial for students working on projects, such as presenting a history project to a class. This app is also great for people looking to pitch an idea to an employer.

Overall I would give this app a 7 out of 10 do to the glitches as well as the tough competition. In addition the app allows very few thing for the user to customize. However, the app was easy to use and is a great tool for students of all ages.

Making A Slate:

Follow the steps below to make an Adobe Slate. 

1. Download the app from the app store
2. Open the app and click create a New Story
3. Next, go to the top right corner and click the wand
4. Select one of eleven themes to tell your story
5. Then, add a title to your story along with a subtitle
6. After you have created a title hit the plus button at the bottom of the page to add a background photo.
7. Next, Hit the second add button at the bottom of the page to place one of four options, a picture, text, a link, or a photo grid
8. Step seven can be repeated as many times as need in order to complete the story
9. Lastly hit the button in the very top right hand corner to share your story or project

Below is a slide show of the steps mentioned above.