Shapes
Date Created:
Last Updated: February 6th 2010
02/07/2012 09:14 PM
Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Curved and Straight Line Segments
A line (outline) in PowerPoint contains both points and segments. You already learned about the three types of points in PowerPoint 2011 in a previous tutorial. Now we are going to show you how to work with segments, the lines that connect one point and another. There are two types of segments: straight and curved. You can edit these segments and also convert a straight segment to a curved segment and vice versa, as you will learn in this tutorial.
02/05/2012 09:15 PM
Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Open and Close Paths with Edit Points
The Shape gallery in PowerPoint contains an assortment of shapes, both open and closed. Most of the shapes in this gallery are closed shapes (rectangle, ellipse, and triangle are some of the closed shapes). There are also a few open shapes such as the straight point to point line. Line drawing tools let you create your own shapes -- these can be both open and closed. These line drawing tools are Freeform Line, Curve, and Scribble. In addition, you can convert any closed shape to an open shape and vice versa, as you will learn in this tutorial.
02/01/2012 11:28 PM
Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Types of Points (Vertexes)
Any given shape in PowerPoint is essentially an electronic drawing that is composed of both segments and points (vertexes). Think of a “connect-the-dots” drawing and the dots would be points, and the lines you draw between the dots would be segments. Both segments and vertexes are only visible as distinctly different drawing elements only in Edit Points mode. We discuss more about segments in a subsequent tutorial but for now, let us help you explore the different types of vertexes (points) in PowerPoint 2011. Essentially, these are of three types: Smooth, Straight, and Corner.
01/30/2012 11:15 PM
Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Add or Delete Points (Vertexes)
In a previous tutorial, you have learned how you can edit points (vertexes) of a selected shape to alter its structure. These vertexes let you control how a shape looks -- but sometimes you might find it difficult to edit a certain segment in a shape because there are no vertexes (points) available to manipulate -- or maybe there are far too many points! PowerPoint provides a simple solution for this problem -- you can add and delete vertexes from a shape. In PowerPoint terminology, the terms vertex and point are often used interchangeably.
01/24/2012 09:03 PM
Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Drawing Scribble Lines
You have already learned how to use three of the four line drawing tools in PowerPoint 2011: Line, Curve, and Freeform. In this tutorial, we show you how you can use the last of these line tools: the Scribble Line tool. Drawing with the Scribble line is almost the same as drawing with the Freeform line -- but there are two differences. First, you don't need to double click to establish the end point of your drawing when you are using Scribble tool. Just like you draw with a pencil on a piece of paper, your line stops the minute you stop drawing it. Second, the Scribble tool does not allow you to draw straight lines. Having said that, you still need to practice to make your scribble lines perfect.
01/22/2012 09:50 PM
Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Drawing Freeform Lines
PowerPoint provides four line drawing tools: line, curve, freeform, and scribble. You have already explored the Line and Curve tools, and in this tutorial you will learn how you can use the Freeform tool to create lines that can be drawn with more creative freedom -- in fact the Freeform tool lets you draw just like using a pencil on a piece of paper. In addition, you can create straight lines as well. Although the Freeform tool takes a while getting used to, practice will make your attempts perfect.
01/19/2012 07:08 AM
Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Drawing Curved Lines
It's so simple to draw a straight, point to point line in PowerPoint. Now, in this tutorial we'll move on to show you how you can draw a curved line in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac. Within the Home tab of the Ribbon, click the Shape button to view the Shape gallery. Select the Lines and Connectors option within this gallery, and from the resultant sub-menu, select the Curve shape.
01/16/2012 09:55 PM
Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Drawing Lines
PowerPoint is also a great drawing program with a feature set that rivals top end graphic programs. Yes, you have learned how you can use readymade shapes in PowerPoint to place rectangles, circles, and hundreds of other shapes. In addition, we have explored how you can create new shapes by combining one or more shapes. If these are not capable enough for you, PowerPoint includes the ability to create your own shapes from scratch by drawing them. These drawing tools are essentially the Line shapes that can be found within the Shape gallery.
01/12/2012 09:09 PM
Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Hyperlinks for Action Buttons
Once you insert an Action Button, and explore the default behavior for each Action Button, you are ready to move on to more detailed techniques on working with Action Buttons. Each Action Button has a default action associated -- this typically is a hyperlink to some other slide in your presentation. You can change this link, or even add another link such as a link to your web site, another document, and more. In this tutorial, you will learn how to add or change hyperlinks emanating from Action Buttons.
01/10/2012 08:50 PM
Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Default Behaviors for Action Buttons
Once you place an Action Button on your slide in PowerPoint 2011, you can make them do all sorts of actions when clicked. What sets Action Buttons apart from other shape types in PowerPoint is the iconography they contain. For most users, an icon such as a leftwards arrow indicates moving to the previous slide and a rightwards arrow does indicate progressing to the next slide. Another advantage of these icon-equipped Action Buttons is that they are language independent, and can work very well in multi-language and international presentations. In this tutorial you are going to explore the different types of Action Buttons, and their default behaviors.