PowerPoint Tips
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Slide View in PowerPoint
By default, PowerPoint 2000 opens in a three-pane view. You have the Slide pane, the Notes pane, and the Outline pane. If you prefer the old way with just the slide view, you can hold down the Ctrl key and click the Slide View button in the lower left corner of the PowerPoint window. Unfortunately, you have to do this each time you open PowerPoint--there is no way to permanently change the default.

Hide Popup Menu Button in PowerPoint
The popup menu button that appears in the bottom-left corner of your slides in Slide Show view can be helpful during a presentation, but it can also be distracting. To hide it, choose Tools, Options. Then click on the View tab, deselect the Show Popup Menu Button check box in the Slide Show panel and click OK. Now the next time you watch your presentation in Slide Show view the popup menu button will not show.

Getting Help During a PowerPoint Slide Show
There are times when you may need some help with keyboard shortcuts during a slide show. This is usually the case during your practice periods. To access Help during a show, you can press F1, or Shift + ?. Either shortcut will open a dialog box that displays the keyboard shortcuts that you can use during a slide show.

Perfect Circles in PowerPoint
To draw a perfect circle, click the Oval button to activate the drawing tool. Then hold down the Shift key while you draw. If you need to draw a number of perfect circles at one time, double-click the Oval button and draw one circle. Then, position your insertion point at the place on your slide where you wish to add another circle and click the left mouse button. You can continue to add additional circles by clicking your mouse. To stop adding circles to the slide, click the Oval button on the Drawing toolbar.

Remove Unused Toolbar Buttons
If you have buttons on your toolbars which you never use, you can remove them. To remove a button from a toolbar in any Office program, hold down the Alt key and drag the button off of the toolbar. If you decide you want the toolbar back to it's original configuration, right click the toolbar, choose customize, select the relevant toolbar on the Toolbar tab and click the reset button.

Easily Launch Formatting Dialog Boxes in PowerPoint
If you want to format a text box or an AutoShape (including lines) on a slide, you can choose Format, Textbox or Format, AutoShape to launch their respective dialog boxes. A quicker method is to double-click on the boundary of a textbox or anywhere on an AutoShape and either the Format Textbox or the Format AutoShape dialog box will immediately open so you can edit the slide object.

Using a Scroll Mouse for Easy Navigation in PowerPoint
A scrolling mouse gives you some additional shortcuts in PowerPoint. If you scroll up or down while you're in Slide View, you can move through all of your slides sequentially. If you want to zoom in on an area of a slide (and zoom back out again), hold down [Alt] as you work the scrolling wheel.

Create a Self Running PowerPoint Presentation
To create a self running PowerPoint show from any PowerPoint presentation, open the presentation and choose Save As. Under files of type, select PowerPoint Show (.pps) and click OK. The show will now run automatically whenever it is opened.

Setting a Digital Photograph as a Slide Background in PowerPoint
Creating a custom slide background from a digital photograph can create a unique backdrop for your presentation, and it can keep the image out of the way while you create your other slide elements. To paint your slide with a photograph, first choose Format, Background. Next, choose Fill Effects from the background Fill panel's dropdown and click on the Picture tab in the Fill Effects dialog box. Then click Select Picture, navigate to and select your saved image file in the Select Picture dialog box, and click Insert. You should now see a small sample of it on the Picture property sheet in the Fill Effects dialog box. Click OK to return to the Background dialog box and click Apply To All to fix the image to the background of all your slides, or click Apply to set it to just the current slide's background.

Quickly Insert a Blank Slide in PowerPoint
If you need to insert a blank slide in a PowerPoint presentation, you can do so by holding down the [Shift] key and clicking the Insert New Slide button. By doing this, you bypass the New Slide dialog box.

Using the Slide Show View Button
As you know, to view your show, you can either choose View, Slide Show or click the Slide Show View button (located near the bottom left corner of your screen). Or, if you're using PowerPoint 2000, you can press F5. There are several other actions associated with the Slide Show button. To see a miniature preview of your slide show without leaving the PowerPoint workspace, hold down [Ctrl] and click the Slide Show View button. If you want to quickly launch the Set Up Show dialog box so that you can adjust settings, hold down [Shift] as you click the Slide Show View button.

PowerPoint Keyboard Shortcuts
Ctrl + Shift + D will make a duplicate of the current slide.
Ctrl + M will insert a new slide, allowing you to select the slide layout.
Ctrl + K will open the window to insert a hyperlink.
Page Up will move you back one slide.
Page Down will move you forward one slide.

Shortcuts While Running Your Slideshow:
Enter, N, or the right arrow will advance your slideshow one slide.
Backspace, P, or the left arrow will go back one slide in your slideshow.
Esc will end your slideshow.
B will display a black screen. (B again will return from the black screen.)
W will display a white screen. (W again will return from the white screen.)
A number then Enter will go to that slide number.

For an entire list of shortcuts, run your presentation and press the F1 key.

From Word to PowerPoint
To quickly create slides in PowerPoint, first create a text outline in Word using either Outline View or the Style list. Then go to File, Send To...Microsoft PowerPoint. PowerPoint will open and each heading of your outline will be placed on a separate slide as a title with any subheadings as a bulleted list below the title. You can then add graphics, backgrounds, animation and sounds to complete your presentation.

Display Keyboard Shortcuts with Screentips
If you move the mouse pointer over a toolbar button and leave it there for a few seconds, you get a ScreenTip that describes what job that button performs. If you'd like to have the ScreenTip also display the shortcut keys, in Word you choose View, Toolbars, Customize. When the Customize dialog box opens, click the Options tab. Then select the Show Shortcut Keys In ScreenTips check box and click Close to save your changes. As a test, move the mouse pointer over the Bold button. The ScreenTip will display Bold (Ctrl+B). When you make this change in Word, it will also apply to the other Office programs.

Quickly Access Recently Used File List
In the MS Office programs there is a list of recently used files at the bottom of the File menu. Most people access these with the mouse. You can also access these files with the keyboard. First press Alt + F (to activate the File menu). Then press the number listed beside the file name in the list. The file will open ready for use.

Match Clipart Colors to PowerPoint Presentation Design
If you want to quickly change the colors in a clip art object so that the colors in your image coordinate with the color scheme of your presentation, you can use PowerPoint's Recolor feature. Right-click on your clip art image and select Format Picture from the resulting shortcut menu. Next, select the Picture Tab and click the Recolor button. Now you can adjust the colors of your clip art image using the Recolor Picture dialog box. To preview your changes, click the Preview button.

Drag and Drop Text Editing in PowerPoint
You can select text within a text box and drag it to a new location on your slide to create a new text box containing the text you selected. In order for this to work, you need to be sure the Drag And Drop Text Editing option is enabled. To check it, choose Tools, Options from the Menu Bar and then click the Edit tab. If it isn't selected, click Drag And Drop Text Editing (so that a check mark appears in the check box) and click OK.

Turn Off the Office Assistant
If you don't wish to use the Office Assistant, you can turn it off. Right-click on the paper clip icon and choose Options. On the Options tab, deselect the arrow in front of Use the Office Assistant. It won't come back until you go to Help, Show Office Assistant. If you just choose Hide, it will come back when it thinks you need help.

Quickly Create a Numbered List in PowerPoint
It's easy enough to apply the numbering format to a list in PowerPoint by selecting the text in a textbox and then clicking the Numbering button on the formatting toolbar. However, even this simple step can be bypassed. The next time you want to create a numbered list in a text box, type 1, press [Tab], and then type in the first entry. To move onto the next entry, press [Enter] and PowerPoint automatically enters a 2 and moves your insertion point to align with the first entry. You can continue creating the list in this way and PowerPoint will continue to insert consecutive numbers.

Office 2000 Personalized Menus (revisited)
One of the new features in the Office 2000 programs is the personalized menu. As you work, Excel remembers the commands you use most and displays those, while hiding commands you rarely use. In other words, the personalized menus adapt to your work habits. The hidden commands are still available--just click the double arrow at the bottom of the menu to see them. (If there's no double arrow, then all of that menu's commands are already displayed.) If you prefer, you can wait just a few seconds for the menu to expand.

You may find this new feature annoying after a while since it creates a second, unnecessary click if you want to access a hidden menu. Fortunately, you can turn off this feature. Choose View, Toolbars, then select Customize. In the Customize dialog box, click the Options tab and deselect the Menus Show Recently Used Commands First option in the Personalized Menus And Toolbars section. If you want to see all of the buttons on your Toolbars, also deselect Standard and Formatting Toolbars Share One Row.

Apply Transition Effects to Multiple PowerPoint Slides
On the View menu, click Slide Sorter. Select the slides you want to apply the transition effects to by clicking one slide, and then holding down the CTRL key while you click each additional slide. On the Slide Show menu, click Slide Transition. In the Effect box, click the transition you want, and then select any other options you want. Click Apply.

Display Shortcuts During a Slide Show
If you need quick access to keyboard shortcuts during your PowerPoint slide show, press F1 (or SHIFT+?) and Slide Show Help will display automatically.

Lasso Objects in PowerPoint
Yesterday's tip for lassoing icons on the desktop also works for selecting objects on a PowerPoint slide. Hold down the left mouse button and drag a rectangle around all of the objects you wish to select. A dotted-line rectangle is drawn and everything in the rectangle is selected once you release the mouse button. You must have the object completely in the rectangle - if an object is only partially in the rectangle it will not be selected.

Quickly Change the Background for Multiple Slides in PowerPoint
You can quickly change the background color or fill for multiple slides in your presentation without having to change it individually. Switch to the Slide Sorter View and hold down [Ctrl] as you click on each slide you wish to modify. Next, choose Format, Background to launch the Background dialog box. Then select the color or fill effect that you want for the selected slides. Finally, click Apply when you're satisfied with your changes. This will update the selected slides while keeping the unselected slides unchanged.

Keyboard Shortcut for Inserting New Slides in PowerPoint
To quickly insert a new slide with the previously inserted slide's layout, hold down Ctrl and press Enter. If you have placeholders on your slide, you'll first cycle through each of the placeholders as you continue pressing Ctrl and Enter. Once you cycle through all of the placeholders, a new slide is inserted. If the previously selected Slide Layout was the Title Slide, your new slide will appear with the Bulleted List layout.

Create a Summary Slide in PowerPoint
After you've created your presentation, open the Slide Sorter. Select the slides that you want included in your summary. Click the Summary Slide button on the Slide Sorter Toolbar. PowerPoint will create a new slide that lists all the titles from the selected slides. The summary slide will be placed just before the first selected slide. You might want to change the "Summary Slide" title to something else, but for the most part, the time-consuming part is done.

Creating Patterned Lines in PowerPoint
Patterned lines can add a unique look to that same old shape. If you've tried using patterns in lines before, you probably weren't too fond of the results. The trick is using a line width of 10 points or more to see the pattern within the line. Create a horizontal line, right-click on it, and choose Format AutoShape from the shortcut menu. From the Color dropdown list, select Patterned Lines. In the Patterned Lines dialog box, select a pattern you think looks interesting, choose a foregraound and background color and click OK. In the Weight box, click the up arrow to change the line to 10 pt. Click OK to see the change. This works in any program with the Draw toolbar.

Creating Embossed Images in PowerPoint
You can create embossed images using Microsoft's Clip Gallery. To do this, select a clip art image and ungroup it so that it becomes a drawing object. Immediately regroup the object. Next, click the Shadow Settings button on the Drawing toolbar and select Shadow Style 17. Once you apply Shadow Style 17, choose Format, Object. Select the Colors And Lines tab. Then, select the same color you used as a background color from the Fill Color dropdown menu and click OK. If the embossed effect is difficult to see, use the Nudge Shadow buttons on the Shadow Settings toolbar (at the bottom of the Shadow menu) to adjust the position of your image's shadow. You may also need to change the Shadow color if you use a colored background.

Move Your Objects with More Control in PowerPoint
By default, the Snap To Grid option is turned on in PowerPoint. But, since the grid is invisible, you may not have even known it exists. With the Snap To Grid option on, you can only arrange objects on your slide along invisible horizontal and vertical lines. This is a great tool to help you align objects on your slide, but when you want to place an object between two grid lines, this feature gets in the way. To turn off Snap To Grid, choose Draw, Snap, To Grid. To turn it back on, choose Draw, Snap, To Grid again.

Creating Simple Shadows in PowerPoint
There is an easy technique you can use to create shadows in PowerPoint. First, insert a blank slide into your presentation. Go to Insert, Picture, Clip Art. From the Clip Gallery, select a clip art image. After inserting the image, resize it so that you can see most of the details. Press Ctrl + D to duplicate it.

Next, choose Draw, Ungroup and click Yes when the warning dialog box appears. After you ungroup the image, immediately choose Draw, Group so that the entire image is a solid object once again. At this point, select Fill Effects from the Fill Color dropdown list. Click on the Gradient tab and select the One Color option button in the Colors panel.

Next, select the color black from the Color 1 dropdown list and position the Dark/Light slider slightly to the right of center so that it's more towards the Light side. When you've finished, click OK. Then, choose Draw, Order, Send To Back and offset the shadow. By offsetting the shadow at different angles, you can create a variety of effects.

Quickly Animate the Slide Miniature in PowerPoint
First, you must be in Black and White view. Then if you choose View, Slide Miniature in PowerPoint, a small window displaying your slide will appear. You can quickly preview this slide's animation in the Slide Miniature window if you right-click on the window and then choose Animation Preview from the shortcut menu. You can also right-click the slides in the Slide Sorter view and choose Animation Preview without being in Black and White view.

Flying Airplane Animation for PowerPoint
To create an ascending (or plummeting) airplane in a PowerPoint slide, rotate the nose of the plane up or down as you drag copies away to create the impression that it is taking off or landing (or crashing).

To create the show, locate a small plane in ClipArt and insert it onto the slide. Set its animation to Crawl From Left. Next, hold down Ctrl and drag away a copy of the plane. With the copy still selected, choose Draw, Ungroup. Then choose Draw, Group. This will allow you to rotate the plane. Now, right-click it and choose Custom Animation. When the dialog box opens, click the Effects tab and choose Flash Once, Fast from the list. Now click the Timing tab and select the Animate and Automatically check boxes. Click OK to close the dialog box and apply your changes.

Once you've set the animation, continue to drag away copies of the second plane. The idea is to drag as many copies as you need to produce smooth motion. As you drag away each new copy, select Rotate and rotate the plane to point more vertically. If you drag away each copy, you don't need to set the animation for each one--it takes on the attributes of the one before it. This could also be used for a rocket or something falling from the sky.

Multiple Format Painting
When you need to copy a format to more than one place, just double-click the Format Painter button on the toolbar. When you double-click, the mouse remains in format paint mode until you click the button again. You can format any number of words, cells, and so on in this mode. The Format Paint button appears depressed as long as you stay in it. Press Esc to turn off the function. This works in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher.

Quickly Duplicate a PowerPoint Slide
There are times when you need several slides that are basically the same but contain slightly different content. Instead of recreating the slide for each instance or copying and pasting the objects, just duplicate the slide. One way to do this is to display the slide in Slide view then choose Insert, Duplicate Slide from the menu bar. The new slide is added after the original slide. Now just modify the new slide. Another way is to copy the slide in Slide Sorter view. First display Slide Sorter view, then select the slide to be duplicated. While holding down the Ctrl key, drag the selected slide to a new location. A duplicate of the slide is made in the presentation. Double-click on the duplicate and edit it as needed.