cd; tar -zxvf beamer_texmf.tar.gz; cd texmf; texhash; cd
Installation on Macintosh
From my understanding, the latest version of TeXShop has all the necessary packages installed by default.
Checking the installation: A sample file
Try compiling this template file: BeamerTemplate.tex with pdflatex.
NOTE: Compile twice every time to make sure TOC gets updated.I have other samples at my talks page.
Other Resources
I hope my example file is useful for getting started, but also check out:
The well-done user's guide that came with Beamer's installation.
The Beamer v3.0 Guide by Ki-Joo Kim demonstrates very advanced tricks (colors, figures, animations, ...) with sample code shown right on the slide. The animations only work for me in Adobe's full screen mode.
Gallery
Examples of what you can do with Beamer. These files "show off" the abilities:
