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PowerPoint provides several chart types to choose from, and even allows the user to customize the look of any chart by changing the fills and outlines. Before starting you need to have a chart in your presentation: you can learn how to insert chart in PowerPoint 2002 - 2003 and thereafter, change the Chart Type. In this tutorial, you'll learn how you can change the fills and outlines of a data series within a chart. Follow these steps to learn more:

1. Double click the chart to get into chart editing mode, as shown in Figure 1.
   
   
   Figure 1: Chart editing mode
   
   
2. Now click on the chart object for which you want to change the fill and outline. Alternatively, you can select any chart object from the Standard toolbar in chart editing mode -- for this example, I have chosen the first column that represents a data series (see Figure 2).
   
   
   Figure 2: Selected chart object
   
   
3. From the menu choose, Format | Selected Data Series as shown in Figure 3.
   
   
   Figure 3: Selected Data Series
   
   
4. This summons the Format Data Series dialog box, as shown in Figure 4.
   
   
   Figure 4: Format Data Series
   
   Within the Patterns tab of this dialog box, choose these options:
   
   
   1. Border comprises the outline options for the chart -- available options are:
      
      
      • Automatic: Takes the default line color, style, and weight.
        
      • None: Removes the line altogether from selected chart object.
        
      • Custom: You'll get three options:
        • Style, which provides outline style.
        • Color, which provides various colors for outline, and
        • Weight, which provides the thickness value for the outline
      • Shadow: This check box allows to apply shadow to the chart, uncheck to remove shadow.
   2. Area allows the user to customize the fill options for the data series:
      
      
      • Automatic: Takes the default fill color for the chart based on the active color scheme.
      • None: Removes fill from the selected chart object.
      • Standard Colors: The next 5 rows are 40 standard color including the gray shades, the 6th row is the active color scheme color
      • Fill Effects: Summons the Fill Effects dialog box (see Figure 5)
        
        
        Figure 5: Fill Effects
        
        This dialog box has four tabs: Gradient, Texture, Pattern and Picture -- links are provided to detailed tutorials for all these four options.
        
        When done, Click OK to go back to the Format Data Series dialog box.
        
        
      • Invert if negative: This works if you have any negative figures in your chart -- any such figures show as data series below the horizontal axis in another color (see Figure 6).
        
        
        Figure 6: Invert if negative
   3. Sample: This swatch displays the chosen fill color.
5. Once all changes have been done, click OK to get back to the chart.
   
   
6. You can exit the chart editing mode by clicking anywhere outside the chart area or the datasheet.
   
   
7. Save your presentation.
   

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