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SmartArt is the name of the new diagram component within PowerPoint 2007. This tutorial shows you how you can insert SmartArt graphics within PowerPoint 2007. If you are new to this, do take a look at the What is SmartArt? and SmartArt Samples pages.

Follow these steps to insert a new SmartArt graphic in PowerPoint 2007:

1. Create a new presentation in PowerPoint, or open an existing presentation.
   
   
2. When you insert a new slide in PowerPoint, it uses the default Title Slide layout.
   
   
   
   Note: Learn more about inserting a new slide in PowerPoint 2007 here...
   
   
3. Click the Layout button/option in the Home tab of the Ribbon to bring up the Layout gallery as shown in Figure 1.
   
   Select any of the layouts that include a content placeholder (the small palette like collection of multicolored buttons visible on some of the slide layouts shown in Figure 1).
   
   
   Figure 1: Choose a slide layout that includes a content placeholder
   
   
4. If your slide layout has a content placeholder, click the Insert SmartArt graphic button among the six buttons in the content placeholder that you can see in the slide within Figure 2.
   
   
   Figure 2: Content Placeholder
   
   Alternatively, if you want to insert a SmartArt in an existing slide that has no content placeholder, just select the Insert tab of the Ribbon, and click the SmartArt button, as shown in Figure 3.
   
   
   Figure 3: Insert SmartArt
   
   
5. Either of these options opens the Choose a SmartArt graphic dialog box that you can see in Figure 4.
   
   
   Figure 4: Choose a SmartArt graphic
   
   The left pane lists the types of SmartArt graphics available -- the middle area displays SmartArt graphic variants within the selected type, and the area towards the right shows a preview of the selected SmartArt graphic along with a brief description.
   
   
6. Select any of the SmartArt graphic variants you want to insert, and click OK.
   
   
7. This will place the selected SmartArt graphic on the slide as shown in Figure 5.
   
   
   Figure 5: Inserted SmartArt graphic
   
   
8. When the SmartArt graphic is placed on the slide, click the arrows located on the left side (highlighted in red in Figure 5 above) to open the text pane (see Figure 6).
   
   
   Figure 6: SmartArt graphic text pane
   
   
9. Any text content added or edited within the text pane shows up within the SmartArt graphic as well.
   
   
10. Save your presentation.

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