When we did our user survey last fall, one thing we heard frequently was that you love Haiku Deck, but there are times when you just need a little more control over how the text appears on your slides. Some of you wanted to be able to include a bit more text. Others wanted to change the font color. Many wanted new layout options and more control over where text is placed on the slide, or the ability to show text and image side by side.

Great news! Haiku Deck 2.4 and the latest update to the Web App Beta makes all of these things possible. If you’ve ever felt a bit too constrained by the two-line format, you’ll definitely want to give the new version of the iPad app a try or sign into haikudeck.com and start a new deck.

Here’s how to make use of these powerful new text layout options.

How To Create a Multiline Slide

Select the orange Text icon, then the Multiline Slide type.

Layout options in Haiku Deck 2.4: Multiline slide type

Select the orange Text icon, then Multiline Slide

Simply tap and start typing. Your text will automatically wrap from line to line, maintaining a uniform font size for your entire block of text.

You can also tap RETURN any time to control where a line breaks.

Tip: Solid-color backgrounds can really make multiline slides pop!

How To Adjust Text Background and Font Color

As you type your text, you’ll notice some new editing options at the top of your keyboard if you’re using the iPad app.

Layout options in Haiku Deck 2.4: Text background

White font; text background on

From here you can turn your text background on and off and select white or black font (iPad only right now, but we’re working on it!).

Layout options in Haiku Deck 2.4: Text background

White font; text background off

Tip: If you use a photo background, the text background is often helpful for legibility. Be sure to choose an image that reads clearly, even with the text background on.

Layout options in Haiku Deck 2.4: font color

Black font; text background on

Tip: You can turn the auto-capitalization off (for a mix of uppercase and lowercase) from the Settings gear on the Main Screen of the iPad app.

How To Align Your Text (iPad only)

You can also choose left, centered, right, or full justification, right above the keyboard.

Layout options in Haiku Deck 2.4: Justification

Right justification

How To Control Text Placement

Select the green Layout icon, then the slide layout of your choice. You can center your text block vertically or place it at the top, middle, or bottom of the slide.

Tip: You can also adjust the text background from this screen.

Layout options in Haiku Deck 2.4: Text placement

Select the green Layout icon, then a slide layout

To try a side-by-side layout, select one of the small text blocks. You can place your text block top left, center left, bottom left, top right, center right, or center bottom.

Tip: Some themes can accommodate more characters on a line than others — if you’re using the small text blocks, Volterra, Underdog, and Tabletop are particularly good choices. Read more about themes in Presentation Templates with Pizzazz.

Layout options in Haiku Deck 2.4: Image and text side by side

White font without text screen; right-justified small text block

Tip: Be sure to play with both text alignment (justification) and layout (text block placement) to explore the full range of options and looks. You may need to toggle between the orange Text icon and the green Layout icon to experiment.

Power Tips