Combining Shapes and Other Objects

You might be asking the question "So what?" Sure, you're having fun, but how does this help you create a more effective PowerPoint slide show?

The answer lies in how well you master the many PowerPoint object types text, graphics, and drawings to create visually attractive and meaningful slides. And we haven't even talked yet about tables, charts, or diagrams!

Consider the slides shown in Figures 7.28 and 7.29. The basic message for each is textual. The image of the earth adds immediate recognition. The drawing elements make the important things stand out in ways that just aren't possible with text and pictures alone. Figure 7.13 is probably better suited to a more mature audience, and the message is clearly highlighted. Figure 7.14 is a bit more whimsical, but it communicates the same positive message as Figure 7.13.

Figure 7.13. A professional-looking slide with both textual and visual information, enhanced by the use of a gradient-shaded background.

Figure 7.14. The same message as in Figure 7.13, presented a bit more whimsically, using a callout and an AutoShape.

The uses for drawing objects are endless. Consider these examples:

• Add a text label with an arrow that points to the image it's describing.

• Create a gradient-shaded background for an object that might otherwise be difficult to see.

• Draw a thick red circle, with no fill, around a word you want to highlight.

• Combine words with an AutoShape arrow to show directions.

• Use a rectangle, the same color as the background, to cover or hide an image or part of an image.

• Add action settings to invisible objects (no line, no fill) to create hyperlinks.

The value of some of these examples becomes readily evident as you learn how to animate objects bringing them on or taking them off the screen during a presentation.

To learn about action buttons and action settings associated with drawing objects, see p. 221.

To learn about animating drawing objects, see p. 197.

As you work with combinations of drawing and other objects, you sometimes find a need to use them on other slides or in larger or smaller versions. For example, the rectangle and oval in Figure 7.15 create the effect of a silo. The oval is layered behind the rectangle, and both objects have gradient shading. To convert the two separate drawing objects into one homemade clip art image, you simply group them together, like this:

Figure 7.15. You can create your own clip art images by combining drawing objects.

1. Select the first object in the group.

2. Hold down the Ctrl key or the Shift key and select the second object.

3. Release the Ctrl or Shift key.

4. Right-click the group and from the context menu select Grouping, Group.

The objects are now grouped together and maintain their proper relationships even when copied to other slides or when sized differently. The silo always looks like a silo, not like two drawing objects.

Note

Although your artistic skills may not match theirs, clip art artists use the same skills you've been learning in this chapter. They create various drawing components of a clip art image and then group them together to create just the right effect. Simple images, even the kind you create yourself, can often add just the right touch.