Slidev Mastery

Slidev is a presentation framework for developers that uses markdown with Vue components. Create beautiful, interactive slides using familiar syntax with powerful features like live coding, diagrams, and animations.

Evidence-based design: This skill incorporates research-based best practices for accessible, effective presentations. See references/presentation-best-practices.md for full guidelines.

Core Concepts

Slide Separation

Separate slides with --- on its own line:

First Slide

Content here

Second Slide

More content

Importing Slides from External Files

You can split your presentation into multiple markdown files using the src frontmatter option. This allows for better organization and reusability:

Normal slide

src: ./slides/introduction.md

Another normal slide

src: ./slides/conclusion.md

Benefits of modular slide structure:

• Stable identity: Use meaningful filenames (e.g., microservices-benefits.md ) instead of numbers

• Easy reordering: Move src includes in master file without renaming files

• Independent editing: Edit individual slide files separately

• Better collaboration: Team members can work on different slides simultaneously

• Version control: Meaningful file names in git diffs

Example structure:

presentation/ ├── slides.md # Master file with includes ├── slides/ │ ├── 01-title.md # Slide 1: Title │ ├── 02-hook.md # Slide 2: Opening hook │ ├── 03-problem-statement.md # Slide 3: Problem introduction │ ├── 04-architecture-overview.md # Slide 4: Architecture slide │ ├── 18-conclusion.md # Conclusion │ └── 19-questions.md # Q&A └── public/images/

File naming: Individual slides use numeric prefix (01-, 02-, etc.) plus descriptive name for easy ordering in directory listings while maintaining meaningful names.

Master file example with slide number comments:

theme: default title: My Presentation

src: ./slides/01-title.md

<!-- Slide 1: Title -->

src: ./slides/02-hook.md

<!-- Slide 2: Opening Hook -->

src: ./slides/03-problem-statement.md

<!-- Slide 3: Problem Statement -->

Note: Comments must come AFTER the closing --- (not inside frontmatter block) per Slidev specs.

Frontmatter merging: You can override frontmatter from external files:

src: ./slides/content.md layout: two-cols # Overrides layout in content.md

Frontmatter Configuration

Configure presentation globally in frontmatter at the top of slides.md :

theme: default background: https://source.unsplash.com/collection/94734566/1920x1080 class: text-center highlighter: shiki lineNumbers: false drawings: persist: false transition: slide-left title: Welcome to Slidev

Key frontmatter fields:

• theme : Visual theme (default, seriph, apple-basic, etc.)

• background : Global background image or color

• highlighter : Code highlighting engine (shiki or prism)

• lineNumbers : Show line numbers in code blocks

• transition : Slide transition effect

• title : Presentation title for metadata

Per-Slide Frontmatter

Configure individual slides with frontmatter after --- :

layout: center background: './images/background.jpg' class: 'text-white'

Centered Slide

With custom background

Layouts

Slidev provides built-in layouts for different slide types:

Common Layouts

default

• Standard layout with title and content:

Title

Content here

center

• Centered content:

layout: center

Centered Title

cover

• Cover slide for presentation start:

layout: cover background: './bg.jpg'

Presentation Title

Subtitle or author

intro

• Introduction slide:

layout: intro

Topic

Brief description

image-right

• Content on left, image on right:

layout: image-right image: './diagram.png'

Content

Text goes here

image-left

• Image on left, content on right:

layout: image-left image: './photo.jpg'

Content

Text goes here

two-cols

• Two column layout:

layout: two-cols

Left Column

Content for left

::right::

Right Column

Content for right

quote

• Large quote display:

layout: quote

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."

Steve Jobs

fact

• Emphasize key fact or statistic:

layout: fact

95%

User satisfaction rate

Code Highlighting

Basic Code Blocks

```python def hello(): print("Hello, World!") ```

Line Highlighting

Highlight specific lines with {line-numbers} :

```python {2-3} def process(): important_line() another_important() return result ```

Line Numbers

Enable line numbers for a code block:

```python {1|2|3} {lines:true} first_line() second_line() third_line() ```

Monaco Editor

Enable live code editing with Monaco:

```python {monaco} def editable(): return "Users can edit this code" ```

Animations and Clicks

Click Animations

Reveal content incrementally with v-click :

• First point
• <v-click>Second point (appears on click)</v-click>
• <v-click>Third point (appears on next click)</v-click>

After Clicks

Show content after specific click:

<div v-after="2"> Appears after 2 clicks </div>

Click Counting

Use click counters for complex animations:

<div v-click="1">First</div> <div v-click="2">Second</div> <div v-click="3">Third</div>

Mermaid Diagrams

Embed mermaid diagrams directly:

```mermaid graph LR A[Start] --> B[Process] B --> C[End] ```

Supported diagram types:

• Flowchart: graph LR , graph TD

• Sequence: sequenceDiagram

• Class: classDiagram

• State: stateDiagram-v2

• ER: erDiagram

• Gantt: gantt

Custom Theme

Apply custom colors to mermaid diagrams:

```mermaid %%{init: {'theme':'base', 'themeVariables': { 'primaryColor':'#3b82f6'}}}%% graph TD A[Blue themed] ```

Images and Media

Images

With custom size:

<img src="./image.jpg" class="w-50 mx-auto" />

Background Images

Per-slide background:

background: './images/slide-bg.jpg'

Presenter Notes

Add notes visible only in presenter mode:

Slide Title

Content visible to audience

<!-- These are presenter notes Only visible in presenter mode Press 'p' to toggle presenter view -->

Components

Built-in Components

Arrows:

<Arrow x1="100" y1="100" x2="200" y2="200" />

YouTube:

<Youtube id="video-id" width="500" height="300" />

Tweet:

<Tweet id="tweet-id" />

Custom Components

Create reusable Vue components in components/ directory:

<!-- components/CustomButton.vue --> <template> <button class="custom-btn"> <slot /> </button> </template>

<style scoped> .custom-btn { background: #3b82f6; color: white; padding: 1rem 2rem; border-radius: 0.5rem; } </style>

Use in slides:

<CustomButton>Click me</CustomButton>

Themes

Using Themes

Set in frontmatter:

theme: seriph

Popular themes:

• default

• Clean, minimal

• seriph

• Elegant serif fonts

• apple-basic

• Apple keynote style

• shibainu

• Playful, colorful

• bricks

• Modern, structured

Custom Styling

Add custom CSS in frontmatter or separate style.css :

<style> h1 { color: #3b82f6; }

.custom-class { background: linear-gradient(45deg, #3b82f6, #8b5cf6); } </style>

Exporting

PDF Export

slidev export slides.md --output presentation.pdf

PPTX Export

slidev export slides.md --format pptx

PNG Export (slides as images)

slidev export slides.md --format png --output slides/

Development Workflow

Start Dev Server

slidev slides.md

Opens at http://localhost:3030 with hot reload.

Build for Production

slidev build slides.md

Generates static HTML in dist/ directory.

Presenter Mode

Press p during presentation to enter presenter mode with notes and preview.

Best Practices (Evidence-Based)

Slide Content

One idea per slide (Critical):

• Each slide communicates exactly one central finding

• If explaining takes >2 minutes → split into multiple slides

• Slide title should state the one clear point

Meaningful titles (Critical):

• Use assertions, not labels: "API handles 10K req/sec" not "Performance"

• Format: subject + verb + finding

• Reading titles in sequence should tell the story

Minimal text (Critical):

• <50 words per slide (excluding title)

• Use keywords and phrases, not full sentences

• Put detailed explanations in presenter notes (not on slide)

• Remember: Audience cannot read and listen simultaneously

Visual over text:

• Almost never have text-only slides

• Use diagrams, charts, images, code

• Text-only acceptable only for: quotes, definitions, bold statements

Cognitive load management:

• Max 6 distinct elements per slide (bullets, images, diagrams, charts)

• If >6 needed, use progressive disclosure with v-click

• Example of elements: title + 1 diagram + 3 bullets = 5 ✓

Progressive disclosure - Use v-click for complex ideas:

• Key point 1
• <v-click>Key point 2 (reveals on click)</v-click>
• <v-click>Key point 3 (reveals next)</v-click>

Prevents audience from reading ahead while you explain

File Organization

presentation/ ├── slides.md # Main presentation ├── public/ # Static assets │ └── images/ ├── components/ # Custom Vue components └── styles/ # Custom CSS

Performance

• Optimize images - Compress before using

• Lazy load - Use v-after for heavy content

• Limit animations - Don't overuse transitions

• Test export - Verify PDF/PPTX render correctly

Accessibility (Required)

Font requirements (from research):

• Body text: Minimum 18pt, ideally 18-24pt

• Headings: Minimum 24pt or larger

• Font family: Sans-serif for body (Arial, Helvetica, Verdana)

• AVOID: Italics, underlines, ALL CAPS in body text (reduces readability)

Configure in frontmatter or custom CSS:

theme: default

<style> /* Accessibility-focused defaults / h1 { font-size: 3rem; } / ~48pt / h2 { font-size: 2rem; } / ~32pt / h3 { font-size: 1.5rem; } / ~24pt / p, li { font-size: 1.25rem; } / ~20pt */

body { font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; } </style>

Color requirements:

• Contrast ratio: Minimum 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text (>24pt)

• Colorblind-safe: Use tools like ColorBrewer to verify palettes

• Don't rely on color alone: Add patterns, labels, or shapes

• Example: In charts, use both color AND patterns/icons

• Core scheme: 2 main colors (one light, one dark), 1-2 accents

Test contrast:

Online tools

- WebAIM Contrast Checker

- Colorblind Web Page Filter

Layout requirements:

• Adequate margins and white space

• Consistent layout across slides

• Clear section demarcation

• Alt text for all images (in presenter notes)

Keyboard navigation:

• Test presentation without mouse

• Arrow keys, space bar should work

• Presenter mode accessible via 'p' key

Recommended accessible theme:

theme: default # Good contrast, clean design

OR create custom theme with accessibility defaults

Common Patterns

Title Slide

layout: cover background: './background.jpg'

Presentation Title

Subtitle

Author Name · Date

Agenda Slide

Agenda

• <v-click>Introduction</v-click>
• <v-click>Main Topics</v-click>
• <v-click>Conclusion</v-click>
• <v-click>Q&A</v-click>

Code Comparison

layout: two-cols

Before

```python old_code() ```

::right::

After

```python improved_code() ```

Diagram with Explanation

layout: image-right

Architecture

```mermaid graph TD A[Client] B[Server] A --> B ```

::right::

Key points:

• Client initiates
• Server responds
• Simple flow

Troubleshooting

Slides not rendering

• Check markdown syntax (especially --- separators)

• Verify frontmatter YAML is valid

• Ensure images paths are correct

Code highlighting not working

• Verify highlighter is set (shiki or prism )

• Check language identifier in code block

• Ensure code block syntax is correct

Export fails

• Install playwright browsers: npx playwright install

• Check for syntax errors in slides

• Verify all image paths are accessible

Theme not applying

• Ensure theme is installed: npm install slidev-theme-name

• Check theme name spelling in frontmatter

• Restart dev server after theme installation

For more advanced features and detailed API documentation, consult Slidev official documentation at https://sli.dev