Flip Shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac
Author: Geetesh Bajaj
Product/Version: PowerPoint 2011
OS: Mac OS X
Date Created: July 18th 2011
Last Updated: July 18th 2011
Excerpt/Capsule: Learn how to flip shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.
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When you insert a shape within a PowerPoint slide, you can manipulate it in many ways. First, you can resize and rotate it. However, rotate just lets you turn the shape in another direction without mirroring it. If you want to mirror your shape in another direction, you need to use PowerPoint's flip options that create a reverse or mirror image of any selected shape:
- Select the shape. You know your shape is selected when blueish white handles, and a green rotation handle appear on the shape (see Figure 1). In some shapes, you may see one or more yellow diamond handles too -- but if your shape shows no such yellow handles do not worry.
Figure 1: Selected shapes show handles
- Now select any of the blueish white side handles (side handles are square, unlike
the corner handles which are round), and drag towards the other end
of the shape (see Figures
2 and 3).
Figure 2: Drag the side handle towards the other end of the shape
- Keep dragging beyond the shape on the other side to flip the selected
shape, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Drag beyond to the other side to flip a shape
- Hold the Alt (Option) key and drag any of the side handles towards
the other end of the shape (see Figure 4). This
will flip the shape from the center (but not proportionately) as shown
in Figure
4 on the right side.
Figure 4: Hold the Alt (Option) key to flip the shape from the center
- To get more exact control over the flip, select
the shape and double click it to activate the Format tab on the Ribbon. In this tab, locate the Arrange group and within this group, click
the Rotate button to access the Rotate gallery (see Figure 5).
Choose either Flip Vertical or Flip Horizontal (highlighted
in red, refer to Figure 5).
Figure 5: Flip options within Rotate gallery
- Figure 6 displays the selected shape (refer to Figure 1) flipped horizontally.
Figure 6: Shape flipped horizontally
- You can make the copies of your selected shape, and then flip them differently
to create some pattern as shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7: A pattern created by flipping four Pie shapes