Visual Elements Mastery: Charts, Tables, Shapes in PowerPoint

1. INTRODUCTORY MICROSOFT POWERPOINTLesson 3 – Working with Visual Elements

2. Objectives • Build and modify an organization chart. • Build and modify charts. • Create and modify tables within PowerPoint. • Draw an object. • Add shapes and apply formatting. • Rotate and fill an object. • Scale and size an object. • Create a text box.

3. Terms Used in This Lesson • Charts (graphs) • Datasheet • Grouping • Handles • Organization charts • Shift-clicking

4. Working with Organization Charts • Organization charts are useful for showing the hierarchical structure and relationships within an organization. To add an organization chart to a slide, you can use the Diagram or Organization Chart slide layout. • To modify an organization chart, click the chart to activate it. You can change text or box formatting, including font, font style, font size, alignment, color, shadows, borders, and background color of the chart.

5. Working with Charts • Charts, also called graphs, provide a graphical way to display statistical data in a presentation. • When you create a chart in PowerPoint, you are working in a program called Microsoft Graph. When you are building and modifying a chart, Microsoft Graph menus, commands, and toolbar buttons become available to help you. • Building a Chart– to build a chart in a presentation, choose one of the slide layouts that contains a placeholder for a chart. Double-click the placeholder to open a graph and display a chart with sample data. • Modifying a Chart– if you need to modify a chart, double-click it to open the Chart Type dialog box.

6. Working with Tables • Tables are useful when you need to include large amounts of data. The data can be displayed in rows and columns so that it is easier to read. • Creating Tables– to include a table on a slide, you can use the slide layout that has a placeholder for a table. When you double-click the placeholder, the Insert Table dialog box appears. Choose the number of columns and rows you want and a table is inserted on your slide. Key text in the table; you can move between cells by pressing the Tab key. • Modifying Tables– to modify a table’s borders, fill, or text boxes, choose Table from the Format menu. The Format Table dialog box appears.

7. Creating Shapes and Objects • Use the AutoShapes and drawing tools on the Drawing toolbar to add shapes and objects to your presentation. AutoShapes are predesigned shapes, such as circles, cones, and stars. • Drawing an Object– The Drawing toolbar contains buttons for drawing objects such as lines, circles, arrows, and squares. To use a tool, click and hold the mouse button, then drag to draw. To create a perfect circle or square, hold down the Shift key as you drag. • Adding a Shape– There are also a variety of other shapes you can add by clicking the AutoShapes tool on the Drawing toolbar. A menu appears that has lines, connectors, arrows, and other kinds of objects to help draw the shape you want. • Selecting an Object– When you click an object to select it, small squares appear at the edges of the graphic. These small squares are called handles. They indicate that the object is selected and they allow you to manipulate the object.

8. Manipulating Objects • Once you have created an object, there are many ways of manipulating it to achieve the final effect your want. You can rotate, fill, scale, or size an object, as well as change its color and position.

9. Selecting an Object • To select an object, be sure the Select Objects tool is chosen on the toolbar, position the insertion point over the object and click. The selection handles appear around the object and you can manipulate the object. A four-sided arrow appears with the arrow pointer. • To deselect an object, click another object or anywhere in the window.

10. Selecting More Than One Object • PowerPoint gives you two ways to select more than one object. • Shift-clicking – Hold down the Shift key and click each of the objects you want to select. Use this method when you need to select objects that are not close to each other or when the objects you need to select are near other objects you do not want to select. • Drawing A Selection Box– Using the Select Objects tool, you can drag a selection box around a group of objects. Use a selection box when all of the objects you want selected are near each other and can be surrounded with a box. • Combining Methods • You can also combine these two methods. First, use the selection box and then Shift-click to include objects that the selection box might have missed.

11. Grouping Objects • Grouping allows you to work with several items as if they were one object. To group objects, select the objects you want to group and choose Group from the Draw menu on the drawing toolbar. • You can ungroup objects using the Ungroup command.

12. Rotating an Object • The three rotate commands are Rotate Right, Rotate Left, and Free Rotate. • The Rotate Right command moves a graphic in 90-degree increments to the right. • The Rotate Left command rotates the graphic in 90-degree increments to the left. • The Free Rotate command lets you rotate a graphic to any angle.

13. Applying Formatting • The Drawing toolbar contains various ways to apply formatting to visual elements in a presentation. You can change the fill, line, or font color. You can also change the line, dash, or arrow style, add shadows, and make an object 3D. • Filling an object– To fill an object, select the object and click the Fill Color button on the Drawing toolbar. • Changing line color – To change the line color, click the arrow on the Line Color button on the Drawing toolbar and click an option in the Line Color box that appears. • To change an object back to the default fill color, click Automatic. To choose a color in the color scheme, click one of the eight choices.

14. Scaling and Sizing an Object • Handles make it easy to resize an object that is too large or too small. Select the object to make the handles appear and then drag one of the handles inward or outward to make the object smaller or larger. • To scale an object, hold down Shift and drag a corner handle. This maintains an object’s proportions.

15. Copying or Moving an Object • To move an object, select it and then drag it into place. • You can cut, copy, and paste objects the same way you do text. • The Cut and Copy commands place a copy of the selected image on the Office Clipboard. • Pasting an object from the Office Clipboard places the object in your drawing.

16. Create a Text Box • If you want to add text on a slide that does not have a placeholder for it, you can create a text box. • Click the Text Box tool on the Drawing toolbar. • Click the mouse button and drag to create a text box the size you want. • To move the box, click and drag it to a new location. • To resize the box, click and drag one of the handles. • To insert text, click inside the text box and begin keying. • To place text inside a shape, create a text box on top of the shape.

17. Summary • You can create and modify organization charts in a presentation. • You can create and modify graphs in a presentation using Microsoft Graph. • You can insert a table on a slide using the Insert Table dialog box and then modify it using the Tables and Borders toolbar. • You can add shapes and objects to your presentation using the AutoShapes and drawing tools on the Drawing toolbar. You can rotate, fill, scale, or size an object as well as change its fill or line color. • You can add text on a slide or inside a shape by creating a text box. You can wrap text inside a text box.