Scientific Slides

Overview

Scientific presentations are a critical medium for communicating research, sharing findings, and engaging with academic and professional audiences. This skill provides comprehensive guidance for creating effective scientific presentations, from structure and content development to visual design and delivery preparation.

Key Focus: Oral presentations for conferences, seminars, defenses, and professional talks.

CRITICAL DESIGN PHILOSOPHY: Scientific presentations should be VISUALLY ENGAGING and RESEARCH-BACKED. Avoid dry, text-heavy slides at all costs. Great scientific presentations combine:

• Compelling visuals: High-quality figures, images, diagrams (not just bullet points)
• Research context: Proper citations from research-lookup establishing credibility
• Minimal text: Bullet points as prompts, YOU provide the explanation verbally
• Professional design: Modern color schemes, strong visual hierarchy, generous white space
• Story-driven: Clear narrative arc, not just data dumps

Remember: Boring presentations = forgotten science. Make your slides visually memorable while maintaining scientific rigor through proper citations.

When to Use This Skill

This skill should be used when:

• Preparing conference presentations (5-20 minutes)
• Developing academic seminars (45-60 minutes)
• Creating thesis or dissertation defense presentations
• Designing grant pitch presentations
• Preparing journal club presentations
• Giving research talks at institutions or companies
• Teaching or tutorial presentations on scientific topics

Slide Generation with Nano Banana Pro

This skill uses Nano Banana Pro AI to generate stunning presentation slides automatically.

There are two workflows depending on output format:

Default Workflow: PDF Slides (Recommended)

Generate each slide as a complete image using Nano Banana Pro, then combine into a PDF. This produces the most visually stunning results.

How it works:

1. Plan the deck: Create a detailed plan for each slide (title, key points, visual elements)
2. Generate slides: Call Nano Banana Pro for each slide to create complete slide images
3. Combine to PDF: Assemble slide images into a single PDF presentation

Step 1: Plan Each Slide

Before generating, create a detailed plan for your presentation:

# Presentation Plan: Introduction to Machine Learning

## Slide 1: Title Slide
- Title: "Machine Learning: From Theory to Practice"
- Subtitle: "AI Conference 2025"
- Speaker: Dr. Jane Smith, University of XYZ
- Visual: Modern abstract neural network background

## Slide 2: Introduction
- Title: "Why Machine Learning Matters"
- Key points: Industry adoption, breakthrough applications, future potential
- Visual: Icons showing different ML applications (healthcare, finance, robotics)

## Slide 3: Core Concepts
- Title: "The Three Types of Learning"
- Content: Supervised, Unsupervised, Reinforcement
- Visual: Three-part diagram showing each type with examples

... (continue for all slides)

Step 2: Generate Each Slide

Use the generate_slide_image.py script to create each slide.

CRITICAL: Formatting Consistency Protocol

To ensure unified formatting across all slides in a presentation:

1. Define a Formatting Goal at the start of your presentation and include it in EVERY prompt:

   • Color scheme (e.g., "dark blue background, white text, gold accents")
   • Typography style (e.g., "bold sans-serif titles, clean body text")
   • Visual style (e.g., "minimal, professional, corporate aesthetic")
   • Layout approach (e.g., "generous white space, left-aligned content")

2. Always attach the previous slide when generating subsequent slides using --attach:

   • This allows Nano Banana Pro to see and match the existing style
   • Creates visual continuity throughout the deck
   • Ensures consistent colors, fonts, and design language

3. Default author is "K-Dense" unless another name is specified

4. Include citations directly in the prompt for slides that reference research:

   • Add citations in the prompt text so they appear on the generated slide
   • Use format: "Include citation: (Author et al., Year)" or "Show reference: Author et al., Year"
   • For multiple citations, list them all in the prompt
   • Citations should appear in small text at the bottom of the slide or near relevant content

5. Attach existing figures/data for results slides (CRITICAL for data-driven presentations):

   • When creating slides about results, ALWAYS check for existing figures in:
     • The working directory (e.g., figures/, results/, plots/, images/)
     • User-provided input files or directories
     • Any data visualizations, charts, or graphs relevant to the presentation
   • Use --attach to include these figures so Nano Banana Pro can incorporate them:
     • Attach the actual data figure/chart for results slides
     • Attach relevant diagrams for methodology slides
     • Attach logos or institutional images for title slides
   • When attaching data figures, describe what you want in the prompt:
     • "Create a slide presenting the attached results chart with key findings highlighted"
     • "Build a slide around this attached figure, add title and bullet points explaining the data"
     • "Incorporate the attached graph into a results slide with interpretation"
   • Before generating results slides: List files in the working directory to find relevant figures
   • Multiple figures can be attached: --attach fig1.png --attach fig2.png

Example with formatting consistency, citations, and figure attachments:

# Title slide (first slide - establishes the style)
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "Title slide for presentation: 'Machine Learning: From Theory to Practice'. Subtitle: 'AI Conference 2025'. Speaker: K-Dense. FORMATTING GOAL: Dark blue background (#1a237e), white text, gold accents (#ffc107), minimal design, sans-serif fonts, generous margins, no decorative elements." -o slides/01_title.png

# Content slide with citations (attach previous slide for consistency)
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "Presentation slide titled 'Why Machine Learning Matters'. Three key points with simple icons: 1) Industry adoption, 2) Breakthrough applications, 3) Future potential. CITATIONS: Include at bottom in small text: (LeCun et al., 2015; Goodfellow et al., 2016). FORMATTING GOAL: Match attached slide style - dark blue background, white text, gold accents, minimal professional design, no visual clutter." -o slides/02_intro.png --attach slides/01_title.png

# Background slide with multiple citations
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "Presentation slide titled 'Deep Learning Revolution'. Key milestones: ImageNet breakthrough (2012), transformer architecture (2017), GPT models (2018-present). CITATIONS: Show references at bottom: (Krizhevsky et al., 2012; Vaswani et al., 2017; Brown et al., 2020). FORMATTING GOAL: Match attached slide style exactly - same colors, fonts, minimal design." -o slides/03_background.png --attach slides/02_intro.png

# RESULTS SLIDE - Attach actual data figure from working directory
# First, check what figures exist: ls figures/ or ls results/
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "Presentation slide titled 'Model Performance Results'. Create a slide presenting the attached accuracy chart. Key findings to highlight: 1) 95% accuracy achieved, 2) Outperforms baseline by 12%, 3) Consistent across test sets. CITATIONS: Include at bottom: (Our results, 2025). FORMATTING GOAL: Match attached slide style exactly." -o slides/04_results.png --attach slides/03_background.png --attach figures/accuracy_chart.png

# RESULTS SLIDE - Multiple figures comparison
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "Presentation slide titled 'Before vs After Comparison'. Build a side-by-side comparison slide using the two attached figures. Left: baseline results, Right: our improved results. Add brief labels explaining the improvement. FORMATTING GOAL: Match attached slide style exactly." -o slides/05_comparison.png --attach slides/04_results.png --attach figures/baseline.png --attach figures/improved.png

# METHODOLOGY SLIDE - Attach existing diagram
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "Presentation slide titled 'System Architecture'. Present the attached architecture diagram with brief explanatory bullet points: 1) Input processing, 2) Model inference, 3) Output generation. FORMATTING GOAL: Match attached slide style exactly." -o slides/06_architecture.png --attach slides/05_comparison.png --attach diagrams/system_architecture.png

IMPORTANT: Before creating results slides, always:

1. List files in working directory: ls -la figures/ or ls -la results/
2. Check user-provided directories for relevant figures
3. Attach ALL relevant figures that should appear on the slide
4. Describe how Nano Banana Pro should incorporate the attached figures

Prompt Template:

Include these elements in every prompt (customize as needed):

[Slide content description]
CITATIONS: Include at bottom: (Author1 et al., Year; Author2 et al., Year)
FORMATTING GOAL: [Background color], [text color], [accent color], minimal professional design, no decorative elements, consistent with attached slide style.

Step 3: Combine to PDF

# Combine all slides into a PDF presentation
python scripts/slides_to_pdf.py slides/*.png -o presentation.pdf

PPT Workflow: PowerPoint with Generated Visuals

When creating PowerPoint presentations, use Nano Banana Pro to generate images and figures for each slide, then add text separately using the PPTX skill.

How it works:

1. Plan the deck: Create content plan for each slide
2. Generate visuals: Use Nano Banana Pro with --visual-only flag to create images for slides
3. Build PPTX: Use the PPTX skill (html2pptx or template-based) to create slides with generated visuals and separate text

Step 1: Generate Visuals for Each Slide

# Generate a figure for the introduction slide
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "Professional illustration showing machine learning applications: healthcare diagnosis, financial analysis, autonomous vehicles, and robotics. Modern flat design, colorful icons on white background." -o figures/ml_applications.png --visual-only

# Generate a diagram for the methods slide
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "Neural network architecture diagram showing input layer, three hidden layers, and output layer. Clean, technical style with node connections. Blue and gray color scheme." -o figures/neural_network.png --visual-only

# Generate a conceptual graphic for results
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "Before and after comparison showing improvement: left side shows cluttered data, right side shows organized insights. Arrow connecting them. Professional business style." -o figures/results_visual.png --visual-only

Step 2: Build PowerPoint with PPTX Skill

Use the PPTX skill's html2pptx workflow to create slides that include:

• Generated images from step 1
• Title and body text added separately
• Professional layout and formatting

See skills/pptx/SKILL.md for complete PPTX creation documentation.

Nano Banana Pro Script Reference

generate_slide_image.py

Generate presentation slides or visuals using Nano Banana Pro AI.

# Full slide (default) - generates complete slide as image
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "slide description" -o output.png

# Visual only - generates just the image/figure for embedding in PPT
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "visual description" -o output.png --visual-only

# With reference images attached (Nano Banana Pro will see these)
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "Create a slide explaining this chart" -o slide.png --attach chart.png
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "Combine these into a comparison slide" -o compare.png --attach before.png --attach after.png

Options:

• -o, --output: Output file path (required)
• --attach IMAGE: Attach image file(s) as context for generation (can use multiple times)
• --visual-only: Generate just the visual/figure, not a complete slide
• --iterations: Max refinement iterations (default: 2)
• --api-key: OpenRouter API key (or set OPENROUTER_API_KEY env var)
• -v, --verbose: Verbose output

Attaching Reference Images:

Use --attach when you want Nano Banana Pro to see existing images as context:

• "Create a slide about this data" + attach the data chart
• "Make a title slide with this logo" + attach the logo
• "Combine these figures into one slide" + attach multiple images
• "Explain this diagram in a slide" + attach the diagram

Environment Setup:

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY='your_api_key_here'
# Get key at: https://openrouter.ai/keys

slides_to_pdf.py

Combine multiple slide images into a single PDF.

# Combine PNG files
python scripts/slides_to_pdf.py slides/*.png -o presentation.pdf

# Combine specific files in order
python scripts/slides_to_pdf.py title.png intro.png methods.png -o talk.pdf

# From directory (sorted by filename)
python scripts/slides_to_pdf.py slides/ -o presentation.pdf

Options:

• -o, --output: Output PDF path (required)
• --dpi: PDF resolution (default: 150)
• -v, --verbose: Verbose output

Tip: Name slides with numbers for correct ordering: 01_title.png, 02_intro.png, etc.

Prompt Writing for Slide Generation

Full Slide Prompts (PDF Workflow)

For complete slides, include:

1. Slide type: Title slide, content slide, diagram slide, etc.
2. Title: The slide title text
3. Content: Key points, bullet items, or descriptions
4. Visual elements: What imagery, icons, or graphics to include
5. Design style: Color scheme, mood, aesthetic

Example prompts:

Title slide:
"Title slide for a medical research presentation. Title: 'Advances in Cancer Immunotherapy'. Subtitle: 'Clinical Trial Results 2024'. Professional medical theme with subtle DNA helix in background. Navy blue and white color scheme."

Content slide:
"Presentation slide titled 'Key Findings'. Three bullet points: 1) 40% improvement in response rate, 2) Reduced side effects, 3) Extended survival outcomes. Include relevant medical icons. Clean, professional design with green and white colors."

Diagram slide:
"Presentation slide showing the research methodology. Title: 'Study Design'. Flowchart showing: Patient Screening → Randomization → Treatment Groups (A, B, Control) → Follow-up → Analysis. CONSORT-style flow diagram. Professional academic style."

Visual-Only Prompts (PPT Workflow)

For images to embed in PowerPoint, focus on the visual element only:

"Flowchart showing machine learning pipeline: Data Collection → Preprocessing → Model Training → Validation → Deployment. Clean technical style, blue and gray colors."

"Conceptual illustration of cloud computing with servers, data flow, and connected devices. Modern flat design, suitable for business presentation."

"Scientific diagram of cell division process showing mitosis phases. Educational style with labels, colorblind-friendly colors."

Visual Enhancement with Scientific Schematics

In addition to slide generation, use the scientific-schematics skill for technical diagrams:

When to use scientific-schematics instead:

• Complex technical diagrams (circuit diagrams, chemical structures)
• Publication-quality figures for papers (higher quality threshold)
• Diagrams requiring scientific accuracy review

How to generate schematics:

python scripts/generate_schematic.py "your diagram description" -o figures/output.png

For detailed guidance on creating schematics, refer to the scientific-schematics skill documentation.

Core Capabilities

1. Presentation Structure and Organization

Build presentations with clear narrative flow and appropriate structure for different contexts. For detailed guidance, refer to references/presentation_structure.md.

Universal Story Arc:

1. Hook: Grab attention (30-60 seconds)
2. Context: Establish importance (5-10% of talk)
3. Problem/Gap: Identify what's unknown (5-10% of talk)
4. Approach: Explain your solution (15-25% of talk)
5. Results: Present key findings (40-50% of talk)
6. Implications: Discuss meaning (15-20% of talk)
7. Closure: Memorable conclusion (1-2 minutes)

Talk-Specific Structures:

• Conference talks (15 min): Focused on 1-2 key findings, minimal methods
• Academic seminars (45 min): Comprehensive coverage, detailed methods, multiple studies
• Thesis defenses (60 min): Complete dissertation overview, all studies covered
• Grant pitches (15 min): Emphasis on significance, feasibility, and impact
• Journal clubs (30 min): Critical analysis of published work

2. Slide Design Principles

Create professional, readable, and accessible slides that enhance understanding. For complete design guidelines, refer to references/slide_design_principles.md.

ANTI-PATTERN: Avoid Dry, Text-Heavy Presentations

❌ What Makes Presentations Dry and Forgettable:

• Walls of text (more than 6 bullets per slide)
• Small fonts (<24pt body text)
• Black text on white background only (no visual interest)
• No images or graphics (bullet points only)
• Generic templates with no customization
• Dense, paragraph-like bullet points
• Missing research context (no citations)
• All slides look the same (repetitive)

✅ What Makes Presentations Engaging and Memorable:

• HIGH-QUALITY VISUALS dominate (figures, photos, diagrams, icons)
• Large, clear text as accent (not the main content)
• Modern, purposeful color schemes (not default themes)
• Generous white space (slides breathe)
• Research-backed context (proper citations from research-lookup)
• Variety in slide layouts (not all bullet lists)
• Story-driven flow with visual anchors
• Professional, polished appearance

Core Design Principles:

Visual-First Approach (CRITICAL):

• Start with visuals (figures, images, diagrams), add text as support
• Every slide should have STRONG visual element (figure, chart, photo, diagram)
• Text explains or complements visuals, not replaces them
• Think: "How can I show this, not just tell it?"
• Target: 60-70% visual content, 30-40% text

Simplicity with Impact:

• One main idea per slide
• MINIMAL text (3-4 bullets, 4-6 words each preferred)
• Generous white space (40-50% of slide)
• Clear visual focus
• Bold, confident design choices

Typography for Engagement:

• Sans-serif fonts (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica)
• LARGE fonts: 24-28pt for body text (not minimum 18pt)
• 36-44pt for slide titles (make bold)
• High contrast (minimum 4.5:1, prefer 7:1)
• Use size for hierarchy, not just weight

Color for Impact:

• MODERN color palettes (not default blue/gray)
• Consider your topic: biotech? vibrant colors. Physics? sleek darks. Health? warm tones.
• Limited palette (3-5 colors total)
• High contrast combinations
• Color-blind safe (avoid red-green combinations)
• Use color purposefully (not decoration)

Layout for Visual Interest:

• Vary layouts (not all bullet lists)
• Use two-column layouts (text + figure)
• Full-slide figures for key results
• Asymmetric compositions (more interesting than centered)
• Rule of thirds for focal points
• Consistent but not repetitive

3. Data Visualization for Slides

Adapt scientific figures for presentation context. For detailed guidance, refer to references/data_visualization_slides.md.

Key Differences from Journal Figures:

• Simplify, don't replicate
• Larger fonts (18-24pt minimum)
• Fewer panels (split across slides)
• Direct labeling (not legends)
• Emphasis through color and size
• Progressive disclosure for complex data

Visualization Best Practices:

• Bar charts: Comparing discrete categories
• Line graphs: Trends and trajectories
• Scatter plots: Relationships and correlations
• Heatmaps: Matrix data and patterns
• Network diagrams: Relationships and connections

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

• Tiny fonts (<18pt)
• Too many panels on one slide
• Complex legends
• Insufficient contrast
• Cluttered layouts

4. Talk-Specific Guidance

Different presentation contexts require different approaches. For comprehensive guidance on each type, refer to references/talk_types_guide.md.

Conference Talks (10-20 minutes):

• Structure: Brief intro → minimal methods → key results → quick conclusion
• Focus: 1-2 main findings only
• Style: Engaging, fast-paced, memorable
• Goal: Generate interest, network, get invited

Academic Seminars (45-60 minutes):

• Structure: Comprehensive coverage with detailed methods
• Focus: Multiple findings, depth of analysis
• Style: Scholarly, interactive, discussion-oriented
• Goal: Demonstrate expertise, get feedback, collaborate

Thesis Defenses (45-60 minutes):

• Structure: Complete dissertation overview, all studies
• Focus: Demonstrating mastery and independent thinking
• Style: Formal, comprehensive, prepared for interrogation
• Goal: Pass examination, defend research decisions

Grant Pitches (10-20 minutes):

• Structure: Problem → significance → approach → feasibility → impact
• Focus: Innovation, preliminary data, team qualifications
• Style: Persuasive, focused on outcomes and impact
• Goal: Secure funding, demonstrate viability

Journal Clubs (20-45 minutes):

• Structure: Context → methods → results → critical analysis
• Focus: Understanding and critiquing published work
• Style: Educational, critical, discussion-facilitating
• Goal: Learn, critique, discuss implications

5. Implementation Options

Nano Banana Pro PDF (Default - Recommended)

Best for: Visually stunning slides, fast creation, non-technical audiences

This is the default and recommended approach. Generate each slide as a complete image using AI.

Workflow:

1. Plan each slide (title, content, visual elements)
2. Generate each slide with generate_slide_image.py
3. Combine into PDF with slides_to_pdf.py

# Generate slides
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "Title: Introduction..." -o slides/01.png
python scripts/generate_slide_image.py "Title: Methods..." -o slides/02.png

# Combine to PDF
python scripts/slides_to_pdf.py slides/*.png -o presentation.pdf

Advantages:

• Most visually impressive results
• Fast creation (describe and generate)
• No design skills required
• Consistent, professional appearance
• Perfect for general audiences

Best for:

• Conference talks
• Business presentations
• General scientific talks
• Pitch presentations

PowerPoint via PPTX Skill

Best for: Editable slides, custom designs, template-based workflows

Reference: See skills/pptx/SKILL.md for complete documentation

Use Nano Banana Pro with --visual-only to generate images, then build PPTX with text.

Key Resources:

• assets/powerpoint_design_guide.md: Complete PowerPoint design guide
• PPTX skill's html2pptx.md: Programmatic creation workflow
• PPTX skill's scripts: rearrange.py, inventory.py, replace.py, thumbnail.py

Workflow:

1. Generate visuals with generate_slide_image.py --visual-only
2. Design HTML slides (for programmatic) or use templates
3. Create presentation using html2pptx or template editing
4. Ad