HTML/Markdown to PowerPoint Skill

Overview

This skill enables conversion from Markdown or HTML to professional PowerPoint presentations using Marp (Markdown Presentation Ecosystem). Create beautiful, consistent slides using simple Markdown syntax with CSS-based themes.

How to Use

• Provide Markdown content structured for slides

• Optionally specify a theme or custom styling

• I'll convert it to PowerPoint, PDF, or HTML slides

Example prompts:

• "Convert this markdown to a PowerPoint presentation"

• "Create slides from this outline using Marp"

• "Turn my notes into a presentation with the gaia theme"

• "Generate a PDF slide deck from this markdown"

Domain Knowledge

Marp Fundamentals

Marp uses a simple syntax where --- separates slides:

---

marp: true

theme: default

---

# Slide 1 Title

Content for first slide

---

# Slide 2 Title

Content for second slide

Command Line Usage

# Convert to PowerPoint

marp slides.md -o presentation.pptx

# Convert to PDF

marp slides.md -o presentation.pdf

# Convert to HTML

marp slides.md -o presentation.html

# With specific theme

marp slides.md --theme gaia -o presentation.pptx

Slide Structure

#### Basic Slide

---

marp: true

---

# Title

- Bullet point 1

- Bullet point 2

- Bullet point 3

#### Title Slide

---

marp: true

theme: gaia

class: lead

---

# Presentation Title

## Subtitle

Author Name

Date

Frontmatter Options

---

marp: true

theme: default          # default, gaia, uncover

size: 16:9              # 4:3, 16:9, or custom

paginate: true          # Show page numbers

header: 'Company Name'  # Header text

footer: 'Confidential'  # Footer text

backgroundColor: #fff

backgroundImage: url('bg.png')

---

Themes

#### Built-in Themes

---

marp: true

theme: default   # Clean, minimal

---

---

marp: true

theme: gaia      # Colorful, modern

---

---

marp: true

theme: uncover   # Bold, presentation-focused

---

#### Theme Classes

---

marp: true

theme: gaia

class: lead     # Centered title slide

---

---

marp: true

theme: gaia

class: invert   # Inverted colors

---

Formatting

#### Text Styling

# Heading 1

## Heading 2

**Bold text** and *italic text*

`inline code`

> Blockquote for emphasis

#### Lists

- Unordered item

- Another item

  - Nested item

1. Ordered item

2. Second item

   1. Nested numbered

#### Code Blocks

# Code Example

\`\`\`python

def hello():

    print("Hello, World!")

\`\`\`

#### Tables

| Feature | Status |

|---------|--------|

| Tables  | ✅     |

| Charts  | ✅     |

| Images  | ✅     |

Images

#### Basic Image

![](image.png)

#### Sized Image

![width:500px](image.png)

![height:300px](image.png)

![width:80%](image.png)

#### Background Image

---

marp: true

backgroundImage: url('background.jpg')

---

# Slide with Background

Advanced Layout

#### Two Columns

---

marp: true

style: |

  .columns {

    display: grid;

    grid-template-columns: repeat(2, 1fr);

    gap: 1rem;

  }

---

# Two Column Layout

<div class="columns">

<div>

## Left Column

- Point 1

- Point 2

</div>

<div>

## Right Column

- Point A

- Point B

</div>

</div>

#### Split Background

---

marp: true

theme: gaia

class: gaia

---

<!--

_backgroundImage: linear-gradient(to right, #4a90a4, #4a90a4 50%, white 50%)

-->

<div class="columns">

<div style="color: white;">

# Dark Side

</div>

<div>

# Light Side

</div>

</div>

Directives

#### Local Directives (per slide)

---

marp: true

---

<!--

_backgroundColor: #123

_color: white

_paginate: false

-->

# Special Slide

#### Scoped Styles

---

marp: true

---

<style scoped>

h1 {

  color: red;

}

</style>

# This Title is Red

Python Integration

import subprocess

import tempfile

import os

def markdown_to_pptx(md_content, output_path, theme='default'):

    """Convert Markdown to PowerPoint using Marp."""

    # Add marp directive if not present

    if '---\nmarp: true' not in md_content:

        md_content = f"---\nmarp: true\ntheme: {theme}\n---\n\n" + md_content

    # Write to temp file

    with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(mode='w', suffix='.md', delete=False) as f:

        f.write(md_content)

        temp_path = f.name

    try:

        # Convert using marp

        subprocess.run([

            'marp', temp_path, '-o', output_path

        ], check=True)

        return output_path

    finally:

        os.unlink(temp_path)

# Usage

md = """

# Welcome

Introduction slide

---

# Agenda

- Topic 1

- Topic 2

- Topic 3

"""

markdown_to_pptx(md, 'presentation.pptx')

Node.js/marp-cli API

const { marpCli } = require('@marp-team/marp-cli');

// Convert file

marpCli(['slides.md', '-o', 'output.pptx']).then(exitCode => {

    console.log('Done:', exitCode);

});

Best Practices

• One Idea Per Slide: Keep slides focused

• Use Visual Hierarchy: Consistent heading levels

• Limit Text: 6 bullets max per slide

• Include Images: Visual content enhances retention

• Test Output: Preview before final export

Common Patterns

Presentation Generator

def create_presentation(title, sections, output_path, theme='gaia'):

    """Generate presentation from structured data."""

    md_content = f"""---

marp: true

theme: {theme}

paginate: true

---

<!-- _class: lead -->

# {title}

{sections.get('subtitle', '')}

{sections.get('author', '')}

"""

    for section in sections.get('slides', []):

        md_content += f"""---

# {section['title']}

"""

        for point in section.get('points', []):

            md_content += f"- {point}\n"

        if section.get('notes'):

            md_content += f"\n<!-- Notes: {section['notes']} -->\n"

    md_content += """---

<!-- _class: lead -->

# Thank You!

Questions?

"""

    return markdown_to_pptx(md_content, output_path, theme)

Batch Slide Generation

def generate_report_slides(data_list, template, output_dir):

    """Generate multiple presentations from data."""

    import os

    for data in data_list:

        content = template.format(**data)

        output_path = os.path.join(output_dir, f"{data['name']}_report.pptx")

        markdown_to_pptx(content, output_path)

Examples

Example 1: Tech Presentation

---

marp: true

theme: gaia

class: lead

paginate: true

---

# API Documentation

## REST API Best Practices

Engineering Team

January 2024

---

# Agenda

1. Authentication

2. Endpoints Overview

3. Error Handling

4. Rate Limiting

5. Examples

---

# Authentication

All requests require an API key:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

- Keys expire after 90 days

- Store securely, never commit to git

- Rotate regularly

# Endpoints Overview

Method
Endpoint
Description

GET
/users
List all users

POST
/users
Create user

GET
/users/:id
Get user details

PUT
/users/:id
Update user

DELETE
/users/:id
Delete user

# Error Handling

{

"error": {

"code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",

"message": "Invalid email format",

"details": ["email must be valid"]

}

}

# Questions?

[api-support@company.com](https://github.com/claude-office-skills/skills/blob/HEAD/html-to-ppt/mailto:api-support@company.com)

Example 2: Business Pitch

def create_pitch_deck(company_data):

    """Generate investor pitch deck."""

    md = f"""---

marp: true

theme: uncover

paginate: true

---

<!-- _class: lead -->

<!-- _backgroundColor: #2d3748 -->

<!-- _color: white -->

# {company_data['name']}

{company_data['tagline']}

---

# The Problem

{company_data['problem_statement']}

**Market Pain Points:**

"""

    for pain in company_data['pain_points']:

        md += f"- {pain}\n"

    md += f"""

---

# Our Solution

{company_data['solution']}

![width:600px]({company_data.get('product_image', 'product.png')})

---

# Market Opportunity

- **TAM:** {company_data['tam']}

- **SAM:** {company_data['sam']}

- **SOM:** {company_data['som']}

---

# Traction

| Metric | Value |

|--------|-------|

| Monthly Revenue | {company_data['mrr']} |

| Customers | {company_data['customers']} |

| Growth Rate | {company_data['growth']} |

---

# The Ask

**Seeking:** {company_data['funding_ask']}

**Use of Funds:**

- Product Development: 40%

- Sales &#x26; Marketing: 35%

- Operations: 25%

---

<!-- _class: lead -->

# Let's Build the Future Together

{company_data['contact']}

"""

    return md

# Generate deck

pitch_data = {

    'name': 'TechStartup Inc',

    'tagline': 'AI-Powered Document Processing',

    'problem_statement': 'Businesses waste 20% of time on manual document work',

    'pain_points': ['Manual data entry', 'Error-prone processes', 'Slow turnaround'],

    'solution': 'Automated document processing with 99.5% accuracy',

    'tam': '$50B',

    'sam': '$10B',

    'som': '$500M',

    'mrr': '$100K',

    'customers': '50',

    'growth': '20% MoM',

    'funding_ask': '$5M Series A',

    'contact': 'founders@techstartup.com'

}

md_content = create_pitch_deck(pitch_data)

markdown_to_pptx(md_content, 'pitch_deck.pptx', theme='uncover')

Limitations

• Complex animations not supported

• Some PowerPoint-specific features unavailable

• Custom fonts require CSS configuration

• Video embedding limited

• Speaker notes have basic support

Installation

# Using npm

npm install -g @marp-team/marp-cli

# Using Homebrew

brew install marp-cli

# Verify installation

marp --version

Resources

• Marp Documentation

• Marp CLI GitHub

• Marpit Framework

• Theme CSS Guide