Lecture slides to study notes, without the repeated footers
Export the deck to PDF and convert it: slide titles become headings and bullets become lists. A course name or page number that repeats on every slide is removed. Speaker notes come through only if your PDF includes the notes pages, and pictures are left out.
General information, not legal advice. Convert only slides you have the right to use.
What a slide deck turns into
Exported as a PDF, a deck gives one page per slide: a title, a few bullets and, on every page, the same footer. Copying that text out gives broken lines, stray bullet characters and the footer again and again.
Three parts of a deck need a decision: what happens to the repeated footer, whether the speaker notes travel with the slides, and what to do about pictures. The steps below take them in that order.
Slides are prompts, not notes. The converted file gives you the skeleton in a form you can type into, and the useful work is what you add: what the lecturer said, a worked example, and a question to answer from memory next week.
From slides to study notes in six steps
- Export one slide per pageIn PowerPoint choose File, Export, then Create PDF/XPS Document. Microsoft’s page says Options has a Publish what setting with handout and outline layouts. Keynote and Google Slides have similar print or export choices, so look for a layout with one slide on each page.
- Decide about speaker notesA normal slide export has slides only. For the notes, export a notes-pages layout and convert that PDF too. Try one page first, because the small slide image on a notes page may add its own text before the notes.
- Convert the PDFDrop it in and pick your app. Free files run to 10 pages, so split a long deck by topic, or use a page code for up to 150 pages.
- Read the headingsSlide titles become headings in order, and the first one becomes the note’s title. Headings that make notes searchable shows what to aim for. Anything that was a picture is left out, so look for gaps where a diagram used to be.
- Check the footersA line that repeats three or more times is removed, as are “Page 4 of 12”, “Slide 4 of 32” and a bare number that climbs slide by slide, even the first time they appear.
- Add your own wordsUnder each heading write what the lecturer said, one example and one question. Try turning a heading into a question, then answer it from memory underneath. That is the part you will revise from.
Three slides, one footer
The same course footer sits on every slide. The converter writes the Notion format below.
## Cell membranes
- A selective barrier
BIOL201 Cell Biology | 1
## Transport
- Diffusion needs no energy
BIOL201 Cell Biology | 2
## Check yourself
1. Why is a membrane selective?
BIOL201 Cell Biology | 3# Cell membranes
- A selective barrier
## Transport
- Diffusion needs no energy
## Check yourself
1. Why is a membrane selective?The first slide’s title became the note’s title and the other slide titles became ## headings. The numbered question is still a numbered list, and the footer is gone because the same line appeared three times.
What carries over from a slide deck
Read each row left to right: what is on the slide, what you get, and the one thing worth checking.
| On the slide | In your note | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Slide titles | Headings in order under one title | The first slide’s title is the note’s title. |
| Bullets and sub-bullets | A list, nested by indent and bullet shape, including a sub-bullet drawn as the letter o | The nesting against the slide. |
| Numbered questions | A numbered list | The numbers run in order. |
| Tables | Markdown tables | Cells against the slide. |
| Course name, “Page 4 of 12”, “Slide 4 of 32” | Removed | A course name that appears once or twice is kept, in case it is content. |
| Speaker notes | Only if the PDF has notes pages | Each note sits under its own slide. |
| Diagrams and charts | Left out | Add a screenshot where it matters. |
| Equations | Text as text; unreadable ones marked [equation not read] | Replace each marker by hand. |
What goes wrong with slide decks
A footer looks like it survived
A line worded “Slide 4 of 32” or “Page 4 of 12” is removed even the first time it shows up. If something similar remains, it was not read as one of those patterns; delete it by hand.
The speaker notes are missing
A normal export carries slides only. Export a notes-pages layout and convert that instead, then check that each note sits under its own slide.
The picture was the point
Diagrams and charts are left out, and the text inside a picture may be missing too. Look hard at slides that are mostly image.
The outline is enormous
Sixty slides give sixty headings. Merge slides on one topic under a single ## and demote the others.
Several slides per page
Handouts with two or three slides on a page, and busy slides with many text boxes, can mix the reading order. One slide per page is the simplest layout.
The free page limit cuts the deck
Files over 10 pages are converted up to page 10 on the free allowance. Split the deck first.
How ocrtomarkdown helps
Slide titles become headings, bullets become lists (check the nested ones), tables stay tables, and lines that repeat slide after slide are removed. Pictures are left out, and speaker notes come only if they are in the PDF. Convert on Lecture slides to Markdown. Free: 3 files a day, up to 10 pages each, no account. Files over 10 pages are converted up to page 10 on the free allowance; a page code converts the whole file, up to 150 pages. See pricing.
Lecture slides to study notes: your questions
Can I upload a PowerPoint or Keynote file?
Not directly. The converter takes PDF files, and each app can save or export one from the File menu.
Are speaker notes included?
Only if your PDF includes the notes pages. A normal slide export has slides only.
What happens to the course name on every slide?
It is removed when the same line turns up three or more times. A line that appears once or twice is kept, because it might be content.
Does “Slide 4 of 32” get removed?
Yes. A line worded that way, or “Page 4 of 12”, is removed as soon as it appears, not only once it has repeated.
Does it summarise the lecture?
No. It converts what is on the page and adds nothing.
What about handouts with several slides per page?
The converter reads in order where it can. Check those pages, or export one slide per page.
Is it all right to convert slides my lecturer shared?
Only if you have the right to use them, for example for your own study. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can I convert a whole course at once?
One file at a time for now. Batches of up to 12 files are planned for Pro and are marked as coming soon.