The Drawing Toolbar is the toolbar that looks like this:

The following are descriptions of some of the tools on the Drawing toolbar.

This command allows you to draw new lines. Click and drag the mouse to draw a line. Hold the shift key while dragging the left mouse button to constrain the angle of the line.

Creates lines with an arrowhead on them. Click and drag the mouse to draw a line and an arrowhead will automatically be on the end point of the line you are drawing. Hold the shift key while dragging the left mouse button to constrain the angle of the line.

Draws rectangles. Click and drag to draw a rectangle. Hold the shift key down while dragging to make a square.

Draws an ellipse or circle. Click and drag to draw an ellipse. Hold the shift key to draw a perfect circle.

Icon looks like a ruled page of paper with letter A on it. This is for creating text objects. Click once to make a text box with no horizontal boundaries. Click and drag icon to create a text box with horizontal boundaries.

You can create special effects -- shadowed, skewed, rotated, and stretched text -- by using the WordArt tool on the Drawing toolbar. WordArt objects are actually drawing objects and aren't treated as text. You can use tools on the WordArt and Drawing toolbars to edit a WordArt object in the same way you edit a drawing object. For example, you can change its fill, line style, shadow, or 3-D effect. However, you can't see the WordArt object in outline view or check spelling.

PowerPoint comes with a set of ready-made shapes you can use in your presentations. The shapes can be resized, rotated, flipped, colored, and combined with other shapes to make more complex shapes. Many have an adjustment handle you can use to change the most prominent feature of a shape - for example, you can change the size of the point on an arrow. The Autoshapes menu on the Drawing toolbar contains several categories of shapes, including lines, connectors, basic shapes, flowchart elements, stars and banners, and callouts (bubbles to put words in for what people may be saying). See example.

Click on the AutoShapes word on the Drawing toolbar and select Line. A pop-up box with the following types of lines will appear. Select the one you want to draw with.

Line, Arrow, Double Arrow, Curve, Freeform and Scribble are types of lines in the AutoShapes-Line pop-up box. See example. Combine any of these to draw many different shapes.

D. Freeform
	Freeform tool. This draws a polygon or freehand line. Click on the page once for each point on a polygon. Drag for a freehand line and double click to end the line. If you are drawing something with the Freeform Tool and don’t like the last section you just drew, press the backspace or delete key to erase one segment at a time. This only works while you are drawing the object. Use the Freeform tool when you want a more refined shape - - one without jagged lines or drastic changes in direction. Change the shape of a freeform or curve 1. Select the freeform object or curve you want to change. 2. On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw, and then click Edit Points. 3. To reshape the freeform, drag one of the points that form its outline when in Edit Points mode.
E. Scribble
	This tool works the same as the Freeform tool except that it will not create straight lines and once you release the mouse button while drawing, your object is complete.

Autoshapes are a variety of shapes that can be drawn the same way the rectangle and ellipse is drawn. See the menu of Autoshapes in the Drawing toolbar. These shapes include arrows, smiley face, heart, polygons and many more. See the sample of some of these shapes in the Basic Shapes menu. The shapes can be resized, rotated, flipped, colored, and combined with other shapes to make more complex shapes. Many have a yellow adjustment handle you can use to change the most prominent feature of a shape (see example) - for example, you can change the size of the point on an arrow.

Drawing an autoshape is similar to drawing a rectangle or circle. Select the shape you want and then move your mouse to the page and draw the size of the particular shape you want. Remember holding the shift key down while drawing will keep your object proportional in size.

1. On the Drawing toolbar, click AutoShapes, point to a category, and then click the shape you want.
2. To draw an AutoShapes or circle or square to a certain pre-determined size (determined by PowerPoint), click on it on the Drawing toolbar, and then click the on your page somewhere.
To insert a different size (one that you determine), drag the shape to the size you want. To maintain the shape's width-to-height ratio, hold down SHIFT as you drag the shape.

To add color, change borders, rotate, or add shadow or 3-D effects to an AutoShape, select the object, and then use the tools on the Drawing toolbar.

1. Select the AutoShape you want to change.
2. On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw, point to Change AutoShape, point to a category, and then click the shape you want.

The following procedure only works on selected AutoShapes (which ones specifically I do not know!).
1. Select the AutoShape whose size you want to copy.
2. On the Edit menu, click Duplicate.
3. On the Drawing toolbar, click Draw, point to Change AutoShape, select a category, and then click the shape you want.

Action Buttons (see example) are pre-drawn buttons you place on your page to be used to indicate hyperlinks in your presentation. These buttons allow you to jump to a variety of locations like a custom show, a specific slide within your presentation, a different presentation altogether, a Word document or Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, a company intranet, or an address on the Internet. You can add an action button to your presentation and then define how you want to use it during the slide show - for example, jump to another slide or start a movie.

One way to access and change the attributes of a line or drawn object is to use the tools on the Drawing Toolbar.

Fill Color - Bucket Icon
	This icon allows you to change an object’s color, color gradient, pattern or texture. Change a fill color 1. Select the object you want to change. 2. On the Drawing toolbar, click the arrow next to Fill Color. Your choices will be (see example): No Fill - which will remove any color from inside of your object or create a transparent object Automatic - changes a color back to its default color which is based upon the particular template design you are using. Row of Pre-selected Colors - colors that show up here are colors that are used in the particular template design that you have chosen. More fill colors - this has two tabs. The Standard tab displays some of the common colors used. The Custom tab allows you to mix your own color. (See Example). Semi-Transparent - makes the object semi-transparent so you can partially see what is underneath. This box is at the bottom of the Color dialog box. You can only use semi-transparent on solid colors. Fill Effects - These include (see example): Gradient - a color or colors that shade from one to another. There are 3 options for color gradients. There is a one color gradient that gradiates your color from a light shade to a dark shade of one particular color. See example. There is also a two color gradiation that will gradiate two colors of your choice. See example. There are also Preset colors that you can choose from. After you choose a gradiation scheme, choose a Shading Style. Texture - allows you to choose a texture such as marble, fabric, etc. See example. Add textures from other sources for special effects. Click the Other Textures button in the Textured Fill dialog box to display the Select Texture dialog box. Choose the file from the drive and folder from which you want to add the texture. Textures files should be JPG images and should be sized in pixels to the dimensions you wish them to display. If your final image is larger (in pixel dimensions) than your texture image, the image will tile your JPG image. Also if your final image is smaller than your JPG, only a portion of the image will be displayed. Pattern - allows you to choose a pattern, such as crosshatching, and then choose two different colors to make up that pattern. See example. Do NOT use pattern fills on anything other than black and white. Combining two different colors in a pattern for projection will make the image look out of focus. Use patterns for black and white when you need to distinguish between two different areas. Picture - can be a scanned image from another source. Select Picture button will take you to a directory screen where you can find and choose your picture file. See example.
Line Color - (Paint Brush Icon)
	This icon in the Drawing Toolbar allows you to change the color of lines. Select the object, click on this icon, and select your choice. Lines can only be solid colors and these selections are the same as for an object.
Font Color - (Letter A Icon)
	This icon allows you to change the color of the font you have selected. Selecting a font color is done the same as for an object.
Line, Dash and Arrow Style
	These three icons on the Drawing Toolbar change the line width, style or arrow style of your line. Select your line and then click on one of these icons to change the line to what you want.

Another way to change attributes of lines or drawn objects is to click on the menu commands Format-Autoshape (see example). This dialog box contains features to change the attributes of both lines, arrows, rectangles, ellipses, and autoshapes.

In the Format-Autoshapes dialog box, there are five tabs at the top: Colors and Lines, Size, Position, Picture, Text Box and Web.

A third way to access the Format Autoshapes dialog box is to select your line or object. Then right click on the line or object (without moving the mouse). A dropdown menu of commands that can be applied to the object will appear. Choose Format Autoshape from the menu. Be careful not to move the mouse when you do this or you will have a dialog box similar to this.

You can access menu commands for anything this way. Whatever your mouse is on top of when you right click, the menu commands will appear in a dropdown box that are appropriate to whatever it is you have selected.

You can add depth to an object by using the Shadow tool on the Drawing toolbar. You can add a shadow to any object you create -- including text boxes -- and you can change the size, direction, and color of shadows.

To adjust the shadow position or change its color, click Shadow Settings at the bottom of the Shadow tool pop-up box, and then use the tools on the Shadow Settings toolbar (a little toolbox will appear when you click on this). In this box, you can nudge the shadow any direction to customize your drop shadow. The last button in this box is the button to change the color of the dropshadow. When you change the color of a shadow, the change affects only the shadow, not the object itself.

A 3-D effect can be added to lines, AutoShapes, and freeform objects. With 3-D options, you can change the depth (the extrusion) of the object and its color, rotation, angle, direction of lighting, and surface texture.

When you change the color of a 3-D effect, the change affects only the 3-D effect of the object, not the object itself.

An object can have either a shadow or a 3-D effect, but not both. If you apply a 3-D effect to an object that has a shadow, the shadow disappears.

You can add a 3-D effect to text by selecting the Emboss check box in the Font dialog box (Format menu), or by inserting a special text effect that also has a 3-D effect. Be careful in your use of this on text as you want your text to be readable.

The 3-D settings command also allows you to change the light source and intensity and surface texture of the object.

Click the object you want to duplicate and click Duplicate in the Edit menu. To make additional duplicates, click Duplicate again.

If you want to apply the same settings from one object to another object:
1. Select the object with the attributes you want to copy. If you select an AutoShape with attached text, PowerPoint copies the look and style of the text as well as the attributes of the AutoShape.

2. Click Format Painter icon (icon in Standard toolbar that looks like a Paint brush with yellow paint on it -- looks like this ) and then click the object you want to copy the attributes to.

All attributes of an object can be copied to several objects by double-clicking Format Painter, and then selecting several objects in succession. Click Format Painter again when you're done selecting.

1. Select the text that has the style you want to copy.
2. Click Format Painter icon, and then click with the Paintbrush the text you want to apply the formatting to.
You can't copy the font and size on text created by the WordArt tool on the Drawing toolbar.

When you select an object, sizing handles (little white squares) appear at the corners and along the edges of the selection rectangle. You can resize an object by dragging its sizing handles, or you can resize it more precisely by specifying a percentage for the object's height and width.

If the object is a picture - a photo, bitmap, or clip art, it can be cropped and/or restored later to its original image size or to the original image.

Rather than clicking the tool button each time to draw the object, double-click the drawing object button (such as the Rectangle) and the button will stay selected or become "sticky." When you finish drawing the first item, simply start drawing the second item and so forth. When you have drawn all the items you want with that particular tool, press the ESC key or click the drawing object button again.

PowerPoint Lessons Table of Contents