# How to install Beamer in Mac OS X lion?

I am brand new to LaTeX, and needed beamer package for my PowerPoint presentation.

How do I install it? I have read something like this: http://www.arthurkoziel.com/2008/06/02/how-to-install-latex-beamer-for-tex-live-on-mac-os-x/

tried in the terminal, still get the error:

! LaTeX Error: File beamerthemeumbc3.sty' not found.


I think I am doing something wrong about my directory? I have dragged beamer into TeX folder, which is inside Applications.

Hopefully someone can tell me the commands to type in terminal?

• Well, beamer should have been included with your TeX installation. Are you not using TeXlive/MacTeX 2011? – Uwe Ziegenhagen Apr 17 '12 at 4:38
• @UweZiegenhagen I am using MacTex 2011. The "What Is installed"pdf says I will have 6 subpackages: TexLive 2011, GUI-Applications, Ghostscript-9.02, ImageMagick-Convert-6.6.9, Latin-Modern-Fonts, Tex-Gyre-Fonts. – kulimer Apr 17 '12 at 6:01
• You make a mistake, TeX doesn't search inside TeX folder of the folder Applications. You need to place it in the library folder. The library folder is invisible but you can access it with Command Shift G and ~/library. – Alain Matthes Apr 17 '12 at 6:57
• The link you posted is entirely irrelevant if you are using a MacTeX distribution (it's about MacPorts). See How do I add a .sty file to my MacTeX/TeXShop installation? and How to have local package override default package? – Alan Munn Apr 17 '12 at 12:55
• A PowerPoint presentation! Why don't you simply use the word "slides", "presentation", "slideshows", or even "overheads", "deck", "preso", "foils", "filmstrips" ? Why would you use a branded name for such a common thing? Especially when they are not going to be produced by PowerPoint… You could call them "Beamer Presentation" ;-). – Clément Nov 13 '15 at 17:16

You need to download the UMBC themes, as described in Werner's response from April 17.

The readme included with the UBMC themes is not very explicit:

1. Unzip the archive You get a folder Beamer, rename it to UMBC
2. In the menu choice Go, choose Go to Folder or + Shift +G and type ~/Library
3. If you have a folder named texmf, open it or if not create it.
4. Inside if you have a folder named tex, open it or create it.
5. Now, inside if you have a folder named latex, open it or create it.
6. Finally: Put the UMBC folder inside the latex folder. That's all.

Here an example:

\documentclass{beamer}
\usetheme{umbc4}
\begin{document}

\begin{frame}
\frametitle{Overlaying declarations and graphics}

\begin{theorem}<1->
Every finite distributive lattice can be embedded in a boolean lattice.
\end{theorem}
\begin{proof}<3->
Use join-irreducible elements.
\end{proof}
\end{frame}
\end{document}


• just did what you said, still get the error, it looks like this: (/usr/local/texlive/2011/texmf-dist/tex/latex/beamer/themes/inner/beamerinnerth emedefault.sty) (/usr/local/texlive/2011/texmf-dist/tex/latex/beamer/themes/outer/beamerouterth emedefault.sty))) ! LaTeX Error: File beamerthemeumbc3.sty' not found. Type X to quit or <RETURN> to proceed, or enter new name. (Default extension: sty) Enter file name: – kulimer Apr 17 '12 at 6:20
• Can you give a MWE ? beamerthemeumbc3.sty is in the themes folder (see Werner's answer ?) do you have the same folder ? – Alain Matthes Apr 17 '12 at 6:41
• Do you have change something in the texmf.cnf file ? Do you have the texmf folder inside you library ? You can run texhash in your terminal but normally it's not necessary. Another possibility is to place beamerthemeumbc3.sty in the same folder of your main file but it's not very elegant. – Alain Matthes Apr 17 '12 at 6:51
• As Altermundus wrote, your beamer theme files must be placed within the folder ~/Library/texmf/tex/latex, not in the /usr... folder. – Frédéric Apr 17 '12 at 11:35
• @kulimer If you don't have a local texmf folder, you can use my make-local-texmf script available here: make-local-texmf. Run this script, and then follow Altermundus' instructions about where to put the UMBC folder. – Alan Munn Apr 18 '12 at 0:26

The UMBC themes are not shipped with beamer and therefore do not form part of the basic distribution. You need to downloaded these and install them separately. There's also a README that describes the process of parallel installation with beamer:

CONTENTS:

Here is the contents of the archive, shown as a directory tree:

beamer
-- themes
|-- inner
|   |-- beamerinnerthemeumbcboxes.sty
|   -- beamerinnerthemeumbctribullets.sty
|-- outer
|   -- beamerouterthemeumbcfootline.sty
-- theme
|-- beamerthemeumbc1.sty
|-- beamerthemeumbc2.sty
|-- beamerthemeumbc3.sty
-- beamerthemeumbc4.sty

To install, just unpack and merge the archive into your existing
beamer directory tree.

You may need to run texhash to make your TeX installation aware of
the new files.


Following the above approach requests you to store the new themes in

/usr/local/texlive/2011/...


It is advisable to store this information in your local ~/Library/texmf/ folder rather, and avoid interfering with the TDS (TeX's Directory Structure).

• how do you "archive into your existing beamer directory tree"? and how do I texhash? btw, is the link I posted not right? I thought that was it. This thing can't be THAT hard, right? – kulimer Apr 17 '12 at 6:31
• @kulimer: The link you posted refers to beamer installation. However, beamer comes with a number of themes (what things look like; see, for example, the beamer theme matrix), and these themes can be developed by independent individuals. You should find your MacTeX 2011 folder (perhaps in Applications?). Inside is the so-called TDS (TeX Directory Structure). There you'll find the beamer folder .../tex/latex/beamer/ where you'll see the folders listed above. texhash should be run from the terminal - it updates links to new installs. – Werner Apr 17 '12 at 14:14
• @Werner This is not really the best way to put local additions. For most users it makes the most sense to put local additions into ~/texmf or for Mac ~/Library/texmf. Then you don't have to run texhash etc. Also there is no "MacTeX 2011" folder. MacTeX is simply a standard TeXLive installation with some niceties added for the Mac, mainly some standard GUI apps (TeXShop, BibDesk etc.) and a control panel for switching between multiple distributions. But the distribution itself is in /usr/local/texlive/<year> just like any other TeXLive distribution, which you shouldn't mess with. – Alan Munn Apr 17 '12 at 16:48
• @AlanMunn: Sure. I've added a minor mention of this in my answer. It's just that I rarely meddle with the TDS and followed the README's suggestion. Thanks for keeping me on the straight-and-narrow. – Werner Apr 17 '12 at 17:41
• I would make the recommendation stronger. You simply shouldn't install anything in /usr/local/texlive/<year>` ever. So the README advice is simply wrong. – Alan Munn Apr 17 '12 at 17:43