Choose a presentation style

Cloud offers two ways to create a presentation. Both produce editable decks; the difference is how strictly the design follows predefined layouts.

Standard

Uses a library of ready-made slide layouts. It is predictable, consistent, and ideal for repeatable business presentations.

Uses design examples as inspiration and creates a layout that fits each slide’s content. It is better for varied, visual storytelling.

Choose based on…	Standard	Smart
Best for	Reports, sales decks, recurring formats	Pitches, stories, visually varied decks
Layout behavior	Selects from defined layouts	Adapts composition to the content
Consistency	Very predictable	More flexible
Custom PPTX templates	Best fit	Uses Smart designs instead
API selection	`standard_template`	`smart_design`

Choose Standard when every deck should follow a familiar structure. Choose Smart when each slide may need a different visual approach.

The Cloud API is v3 regardless of which presentation style you choose. API version and presentation style are separate concepts.