Introduction

In this article, we will provide an overview of how to insert and format Smart Art, pictures, clipart, shapes and objects in PowerPoint 2007.

Learning Outcomes

Working with Smart Art

One of the most noticeable and useful improvements to the 2007 Microsoft Office Suite is the addition of Smart Art.  Basically, Smart Art is a visual way to show relationships, processes, lists and organization; in other words, all of the diagrams in previous versions of PowerPoint have been upgraded and enhanced under the umbrella of Smart Art.

As with charts and tables, the easiest way to insert Smart Art into PowerPoint is to use a Title and Content slide layout which contains an Insert Smart Art button (see Figure 7.1).  Smart Art can also be inserted by using the Insert Smart Art Graphic command in the Illustrations group of the Insert tab.

 

    Figure 7.1 – Insert Smart Art Graphic Button on Title and Content Slide

Once you have clicked on the Smart Art command, the Choose a Smart Art Graphic dialog box will appear.  The three panes of this dialog box help you to choose the category of Smart Art that best suits your purpose, then select a particular style within that category, and finally view a larger sample and explanation of that particular graphic.

 

Figure 7.2 – Smart Art Graphic Dialog Box

  

Smart Art Tip: If you have created a bulleted list on a PowerPoint slide, you can convert it to a Smart Art graphic by right clicking on the text box and selecting Convert to Smart Art on the context menu that appears.

 

As soon as you click OK in the Smart Art Graphic dialog box, the Smart Art Tools tabs, Design and Format, will appear.  Figure 7.3 shows a formatted Smart Art graphic.

 

Figure 7.3 – Sample Formatted Smart Art Graphic

For the layout, we chose "Pyramid List."  In the Smart Art Styles group of the Design tab, we selected the "Flat Scene" layout and changed the color to a purple "Gradient Loop – Accent 4."  For the text in the graphic we used the Word Art feature on the Format tab and selected a light purple fill with an outer shadow and soft edge bevel.  Finally, for the fill color, we chose an 80% transparent purple from the Shape Fill feature in the Shape Styles group on the Format tab.

Using Organizational Charts

One of the most commonly used diagrams, or in the case of PowerPoint 2007, Smart Art graphics, is the organizational chart.  We feel that it is necessary to cover organizational charts separately from other Smart Art graphics because, due to certain nuances in formatting and applications, they create a class of their own.  Although other Smart Art graphics allow you to add shapes before and after the active shape, an organizational chart varies in the shapes to be added.  In short, an organizational chart has the following options:

1.       Add shape after

2.       Add shape before

3.       Add shape above

4.       Add shape below

5.       Add assistant

To add an organizational chart, follow the steps to insert a Smart Art graphic.  Once the Choose a Smart Art Graphic dialog box appears, select Hierarchy and choose the organizational chart that best suits your purpose from the seven pre-installed options.

 

                       Figure 7.4 – Organizational Chart Dialog Box

Organizational Chart Tip: It is very easy to make an organizational chart seem cluttered and difficult to read.  The key to a reader-friendly is pure simplicity.  If you think you might not need something, then most likely you don't.

  

 

Figure 7.5 shows a sample organizational chart that has been filled out, formatted and customized.  We chose to use the simplest organizational chart.  To demonstrate that the Associate Executive Director is on an equal footing with the Executive Assistant, we used the Add Shape After command in the Create Graphic group on the Smart Art Tools Design tab.  We chose the "Intense Effect" style for the graphic and changed the color variation to blue and green.  Finally, we used the Word Art feature on the Smart Art Tools Format tab to enhance the text of the graphic.

 

         Figure 7.5 – Sample Formatted Organizational Chart

ClipArt and the Microsoft Clip Organizer

Microsoft's famous ClipArt has become a staple in PowerPoint presentations.  To integrate Clipart into your presentation, you have the same options as with charts, tables and Smart Art: you can go to the Insert tab and in the Illustrations group click on Clipart or you can insert a new Title and Content slide and use the Insert Clipart button on the slide.  Either way, the Clipart Task Pane will appear on the right of your screen.  Using keywords, you can search through the Clipart collection for the specific clip you need. 

 

                          Figure 7.6 – Inserting Clipart

Once you have found the perfect item, simply click on the thumbnail of the graphic and it will appear in the body of your slide.  Figure 7.6 shows a slide with the Clipart task pane and the selected graphic inserted into the slide.

The Clip Organizer already has thousands of clips available for your use.  However, if you have pictures that you would like to add to the organizer to make them readily available, simply choose Add Clips to Organizer from the File menu and then select Automatically.

 

Figure 7.8 – Select Mode of Adding Clips

The Add Clips to Organizer dialog box will appear and then PowerPoint will automatically pull all of the clips from your hard drive and organize them so that they will be readily available when you need them.

 

Figure 7.9 – Add Clips Automatically

If you prefer, you can select On My Own rather than Automatically, which will allow you to pick and choose which clips are included in the organizer.

Working with Pictures

To add a picture to a PowerPoint slide, choose Picture in the Illustrations group of the Insert tab.  This will bring up the Insert Picture dialog box.

 

   Figure 7.10 – Insert Picture Dialog Box

You can browse to find the picture you wish to use.  Once you have clicked on Insert the picture will appear on the slide and the Picture Tools Format tab will appear on the Ribbon (see Figure 7.11).  Figure 7.12 shows a picture that we have formatted and customized.  Using the Picture Effects command in the Picture Styles group, we chose a "Soft Round" bevel, changed the shape of the picture to an oval using the Picture Shape command, and changed the 3-D rotation to "Perspective Above."

 

         Figure 7.11 – Inserted Picture and Picture Tools Format Tab

 

  Figure 7.12 – Formatted Picture

Working with Shapes and Objects

An object is any shape, text box, Smart Art, Word Art, picture or Clipart that can be manipulated as a single item.  Specifically, a shape is a basic object that can be placed on a slide such as a callout, a circle, an arrow, a square, and so on.

To insert a shape into your PowerPoint presentation, use the Shapes command in the Illustrations group on the Insert tab.  As you can see from Figure 7.13, there are many different options when it comes to shape selections.

 

Figure 7.13 – Insert Shapes Options

Once you have selected your shape, click on it and much like drawing a text box (see Lesson 4), you use your mouse to create the length, width and location of your shape.  When a shape is active, the Drawing Tools Format tab appears on the Ribbon.

 

                        Figure 7.14 – Inserted Shape

Once your shape has been inserted, you can format it exactly as you would any object.  In Figure 7.15, we chose a "Cool Slant" bevel from the Shape Effects command in the Shape Styles group on the Drawing Tools Format tab.  From the same group, we chose the color aqua and added a gradient from the center using the Shape Fill command.