Frontend Slides Pro

Frontend Slides Pro

Create zero-dependency, animation-rich HTML presentations that run entirely in the browser. Pro edition adds advanced inline editing: image placement (below/left/right), image compression, placeholder management, and IndexedDB storage for large presentations.

Core Principles

1. Zero Dependencies — Single HTML files with inline CSS/JS. No npm, no build tools.
2. Show, Don't Tell — Generate visual previews, not abstract choices. People discover what they want by seeing it.
3. Distinctive Design — No generic "AI slop." Every presentation must feel custom-crafted.
4. Viewport Fitting (NON-NEGOTIABLE) — Every slide MUST fit exactly within 100vh. No scrolling within slides, ever. Content overflows? Split into multiple slides.
5. Rich Editing — Browser-based inline editor with image upload, placement control, and reliable persistence.

Design Aesthetics

You tend to converge toward generic, "on distribution" outputs. In frontend design, this creates what users call the "AI slop" aesthetic. Avoid this: make creative, distinctive frontends that surprise and delight.

Focus on:

• Typography: Choose fonts that are beautiful, unique, and interesting. Avoid generic fonts like Arial and Inter; opt instead for distinctive choices that elevate the frontend's aesthetics.
• Color & Theme: Commit to a cohesive aesthetic. Use CSS variables for consistency. Dominant colors with sharp accents outperform timid, evenly-distributed palettes. Draw from IDE themes and cultural aesthetics for inspiration.
• Motion: Use animations for effects and micro-interactions. Prioritize CSS-only solutions for HTML. Focus on high-impact moments: one well-orchestrated page load with staggered reveals (animation-delay) creates more delight than scattered micro-interactions.
• Backgrounds: Create atmosphere and depth rather than defaulting to solid colors. Layer CSS gradients, use geometric patterns, or add contextual effects that match the overall aesthetic.

Avoid generic AI-generated aesthetics:

• Overused font families (Inter, Roboto, Arial, system fonts)
• Cliched color schemes (particularly purple gradients on white backgrounds)
• Predictable layouts and component patterns
• Cookie-cutter design that lacks context-specific character

Interpret creatively and make unexpected choices that feel genuinely designed for the context. Vary between light and dark themes, different fonts, different aesthetics. You still tend to converge on common choices (Space Grotesk, for example) across generations. Avoid this: it is critical that you think outside the box!

Viewport Fitting Rules

These invariants apply to EVERY slide in EVERY presentation:

• Every .slide must have height: 100vh; height: 100dvh; overflow: hidden;
• ALL font sizes and spacing must use clamp(min, preferred, max) — never fixed px/rem
• Content containers need max-height constraints
• Images: max-height: min(50vh, 400px)
• Breakpoints required for heights: 700px, 600px, 500px
• Include prefers-reduced-motion support
• Never negate CSS functions directly (-clamp(), -min(), -max() are silently ignored) — use calc(-1 * clamp(...)) instead

When generating, read viewport-base.css and include its full contents in every presentation.

Content Density Limits Per Slide

Slide Type	Maximum Content
Title slide	1 heading + 1 subtitle + optional tagline
Content slide	1 heading + 4-6 bullet points OR 1 heading + 2 paragraphs
Feature grid	1 heading + 6 cards maximum (2x3 or 3x2)
Code slide	1 heading + 8-10 lines of code
Quote slide	1 quote (max 3 lines) + attribution
Image slide	1 heading + 1 image (max 60vh height)

Content exceeds limits? Split into multiple slides. Never cram, never scroll.

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Phase 0: Detect Mode

Determine what the user wants:

• Mode A: New Presentation — Create from scratch. Go to Phase 1.
• Mode B: PPT Conversion — Convert a .pptx file. Go to Phase 4.
• Mode C: Enhancement — Improve an existing HTML presentation. Read it, understand it, enhance. Follow Mode C modification rules below.

Mode C: Modification Rules

When enhancing existing presentations, viewport fitting is the biggest risk:

1. Before adding content: Count existing elements, check against density limits
2. Adding images: Must have max-height: min(50vh, 400px). If slide already has max content, split into two slides
3. Adding text: Max 4-6 bullets per slide. Exceeds limits? Split into continuation slides
4. After ANY modification, verify: .slide has overflow: hidden, new elements use clamp(), images have viewport-relative max-height, content fits at 1280x720
5. Proactively reorganize: If modifications will cause overflow, automatically split content and inform the user. Don't wait to be asked

When adding images to existing slides: Move image to new slide or reduce other content first. Never add images without checking if existing content already fills the viewport.

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Phase 1: Content Discovery (New Presentations)

Ask ALL questions in a single AskUserQuestion call so the user fills everything out at once:

Question 1 — Purpose (header: "Purpose"): What is this presentation for? Options: Pitch deck / Teaching-Tutorial / Conference talk / Internal presentation

Question 2 — Length (header: "Length"): Approximately how many slides? Options: Short 5-10 / Medium 10-20 / Long 20+

Question 3 — Content (header: "Content"): Do you have content ready? Options: All content ready / Rough notes / Topic only

Question 4 — Inline Editing (header: "Editing"): Do you need to edit text directly in the browser after generation? Options:

• "Yes (Recommended)" — Can edit text in-browser, upload/manage images, auto-save, export file
• "No" — Presentation only, keeps file smaller

Remember the user's editing choice — it determines whether edit-related code is included in Phase 3.

If user has content, ask them to share it.

Step 1.2: Image Evaluation (if images provided)

If user selected "No images" -> skip to Phase 2.

If user provides an image folder:

1. Scan — List all image files (.png, .jpg, .svg, .webp, etc.)
2. View each image — Use the Read tool (Claude is multimodal)
3. Evaluate — For each: what it shows, USABLE or NOT USABLE (with reason), what concept it represents, dominant colors
4. Co-design the outline — Curated images inform slide structure alongside text. This is NOT "plan slides then add images" — design around both from the start (e.g., 3 screenshots -> 3 feature slides, 1 logo -> title/closing slide)
5. Confirm via AskUserQuestion (header: "Outline"): "Does this slide outline and image selection look right?" Options: Looks good / Adjust images / Adjust outline

Logo in previews: If a usable logo was identified, embed it (base64) into each style preview in Phase 2 — the user sees their brand styled three different ways.

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Phase 2: Style Discovery

This is the "show, don't tell" phase. Most people can't articulate design preferences in words.

Step 2.0: Style Path

Ask how they want to choose (header: "Style"):

• "Show me options" (recommended) — Generate 3 previews based on mood
• "I know what I want" — Pick from preset list directly

If direct selection: Show preset picker and skip to Phase 3. Available presets are defined in STYLE_PRESETS.md.

Step 2.1: Mood Selection (Guided Discovery)

Ask (header: "Vibe", multiSelect: true, max 2): What feeling should the audience have? Options:

• Impressed/Confident — Professional, trustworthy
• Excited/Energized — Innovative, bold
• Calm/Focused — Clear, thoughtful
• Inspired/Moved — Emotional, memorable

Step 2.2: Generate 3 Style Previews

Based on mood, generate 3 distinct single-slide HTML previews showing typography, colors, animation, and overall aesthetic. Read STYLE_PRESETS.md for available presets and their specifications.

Mood	Suggested Presets
Impressed/Confident	Bold Signal, Electric Studio, Dark Botanical
Excited/Energized	Creative Voltage, Neon Cyber, Split Pastel
Calm/Focused	Notebook Tabs, Paper & Ink, Swiss Modern
Inspired/Moved	Dark Botanical, Vintage Editorial, Pastel Geometry

Save previews to .claude-design/slide-previews/ (style-a.html, style-b.html, style-c.html). Each should be self-contained, ~50-100 lines, showing one animated title slide.

Open each preview automatically for the user.

Step 2.3: User Picks

Ask (header: "Style"): Which style preview do you prefer? Options: Style A: [Name] / Style B: [Name] / Style C: [Name] / Mix elements

If "Mix elements", ask for specifics.

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Phase 3: Generate Presentation

Generate the full presentation using content from Phase 1 (text, or text + curated images) and style from Phase 2.

If images were provided, the slide outline already incorporates them from Step 1.2. If not, CSS-generated visuals (gradients, shapes, patterns) provide visual interest — this is a fully supported first-class path.

Before generating, read these supporting files:

• html-template.md — HTML architecture, JS features, Pro editing system
• viewport-base.css — Mandatory CSS (include in full)
• animation-patterns.md — Animation reference for the chosen feeling

Key requirements:

• Single self-contained HTML file, all CSS/JS inline
• Include the FULL contents of viewport-base.css in the <style> block
• Use fonts from Fontshare or Google Fonts — never system fonts
• Add detailed comments explaining each section
• Every section needs a clear /* === SECTION NAME === */ comment block
• If inline editing enabled: Include the full Pro editing system (see html-template.md)

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Phase 4: PPT Conversion

When converting PowerPoint files:

1. Extract content — Run python scripts/extract-pptx.py <input.pptx> <output_dir> (install python-pptx if needed: pip install python-pptx)
2. Confirm with user — Present extracted slide titles, content summaries, and image counts
3. Style selection — Proceed to Phase 2 for style discovery
4. Generate HTML — Convert to chosen style, preserving all text, images (from assets/), slide order, and speaker notes (as HTML comments)

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Phase 5: Delivery

1. Clean up — Delete .claude-design/slide-previews/ if it exists
2. Open — Use open [filename].html to launch in browser
3. Summarize — Tell the user:
   • File location, style name, slide count
   • Navigation: Arrow keys, Space, scroll/swipe, click nav dots
   • How to customize: :root CSS variables for colors, font link for typography, .reveal class for animations
   • If inline editing was enabled: Hover top-left corner or press E to enter edit mode, click any text to edit, Ctrl+S to save
   • Pro features: "Add Image" button supports bottom/left/right placement; drag-and-drop images; delete placeholders with trash icon; large presentations auto-save to IndexedDB

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Phase 6: Share & Export (Optional)

After delivery, ask the user: "Would you like to share this presentation? I can deploy it to a live URL (works on any device including phones) or export it as a PDF."

Options:

• Deploy to URL — Shareable link that works on any device
• Export to PDF — Universal file for email, Slack, print
• Both
• No thanks

If the user declines, stop here. If they choose one or both, proceed below.

6A: Deploy to a Live URL (Vercel)

This deploys the presentation to Vercel — a free hosting platform. The link works on any device (phones, tablets, laptops) and stays live until the user takes it down.

If the user has never deployed before, guide them step by step:

1. Check if Vercel CLI is installed — Run npx vercel --version. If not found, install Node.js first (brew install node on macOS, or download from https://nodejs.org).

2. Check if user is logged in — Run npx vercel whoami.

   • If NOT logged in, explain: "Vercel is a free hosting service. You need an account to deploy. Let me walk you through it:"
     • Step 1: Ask user to go to https://vercel.com/signup in their browser
     • Step 2: They can sign up with GitHub, Google, email — whatever is easiest
     • Step 3: Once signed up, run vercel login and follow the prompts (it opens a browser window to authorize)
     • Step 4: Confirm login with vercel whoami
   • Wait for the user to confirm they're logged in before proceeding.

3. Deploy — Run the deploy script:

   bash scripts/deploy.sh <path-to-presentation>
   

   The script accepts either a folder (with index.html) or a single HTML file.

4. Share the URL — Tell the user:

   • The live URL (from the script output)
   • That it works on any device — they can text it, Slack it, email it
   • To take it down later: visit https://vercel.com/dashboard and delete the project
   • The Vercel free tier is generous — they won't be charged

6B: Export to PDF

This captures each slide as a screenshot and combines them into a PDF. Perfect for email attachments, embedding in documents, or printing.

Note: Animations and interactivity are not preserved — the PDF is a static snapshot. This is normal and expected; mention it to the user so they're not surprised.

Important for presentations with user-uploaded images: Images stored in localStorage/IndexedDB are NOT accessible to the headless browser used for PDF export. If the user has uploaded images via the inline editor, those images must be burned into the HTML source first. Use this approach:

1. Ask the user to export localStorage data via browser console: copy(JSON.stringify(Object.fromEntries(Object.entries(localStorage))))

2. Or directly embed images into the HTML using Python + Pillow for compression

3. Then run the PDF export

4. Run the export script:

   bash scripts/export-pdf.sh <path-to-html> [output.pdf]
   

   If no output path is given, the PDF is saved next to the HTML file.

5. If the PDF exceeds 10MB, re-run with --compact:

   bash scripts/export-pdf.sh <path-to-html> [output.pdf] --compact
   

   This renders at 1280x720 instead of 1920x1080, typically cutting file size by 50-70%.

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Supporting Files

File	Purpose	When to Read
STYLE_PRESETS.md	12 curated visual presets with colors, fonts, and signature elements	Phase 2 (style selection)
viewport-base.css	Mandatory responsive CSS — copy into every presentation	Phase 3 (generation)
html-template.md	HTML structure, JS features, Pro editing system	Phase 3 (generation)
animation-patterns.md	CSS/JS animation snippets and effect-to-feeling guide	Phase 3 (generation)
scripts/extract-pptx.py	Python script for PPT content extraction	Phase 4 (conversion)
scripts/deploy.sh	Deploy slides to Vercel for instant sharing	Phase 6 (sharing)
scripts/export-pdf.sh	Export slides to PDF	Phase 6 (sharing)