Standard vs Smart: choose how to create your presentation

Choose your mode based on how you want to shape the first draft. Both leave you in control of the presentation you will edit and share.

Standard - outline first

Choose a template, refine the outline, and generate slides in that structure. Standard is a strong starting point when your audience expects a familiar sequence: problem, solution, market, traction, team, and funding request.

• QBR and board packs
• Sales proposals with challenge → plan → proof → close
• Presentations with an agreed length and section order

With Standard, you can refine the structure before generating. Remove sections that do not serve your goal and start with a focused draft.

Smart - story first

Smart reads the brief and composes layouts that follow the content - a tasting menu looks different from a GTM plan. Generation streams into the editor; you refine with chat in small steps.

• Creative or educational topics
• Decks where visual rhythm matters as much as section titles
• First drafts when you are not sure of the outline yet

The ten-second decision

You can mix habits

Start with a Smart draft and refine the structure in the editor. Or begin with a Standard outline and use AI editing to polish individual slides. Choose a starting point, then make the presentation your own.

What neither mode does

Pageworks does not replace your judgment on numbers, legal claims, or strategy. Both modes create a deck you can edit in the browser. Free exports PDF and slide-image PPTX; Pro includes editable PowerPoint export. The rest is still work - just not blank-slide work.