PowerPoint Tips
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Using the F12 Function Key in Word, Excel and PowerPoint
F12 (alone) is the Save As command.
Shift + F12 is the Save command.
Ctrl + F12 is the Open command.
Ctrl + Shift + F12 is the Print command.

Changing an AutoShape
There may be times when you want to completely change an AutoShape from one to another. For instance, you may want to change one banner shape to another. While you can just delete your original AutoShape and then draw a new one, it is easy to change AutoShapes by following these steps:

1. Make sure the Drawing toolbar is displayed.
2. Select the AutoShape you want to change. Handles should appear around the outside of the shape.
3. Click on Draw on the Drawing toolbar, and then choose Change AutoShape. The familiar AutoShape categories will appear.
4. Select the AutoShape you want to use.

This changes the AutoShape used, without changing the overall size or shape of the bounding rectangle that contains the AutoShape. You can then proceed to edit the new AutoShape, as desired.

Wait Until Hyperlinks Load
If you're using a PowerPoint presentation that makes use of hyperlinks, make sure you wait until the hand icon appears when you hover your pointer over a hyperlink before you click on it, especially if you're using a slow computer. The hand icon is the indication that PowerPoint has registered the action setting (the hyperlink) and is ready to proceed with the directions contained within it. If you click too early, you run the risk of bypassing the hyperlink altogether and moving directly to the next sequential slide.

Draw AutoShapes From the Center
To draw your AutoShapes from the center instead of from the corner, select the AutoShape you'd like to draw using the Drawing toolbar. When you do, the insertion point changes to crosshairs. Next, position the top of the crosshairs where you want the center of your AutoShape to end up. Now, hold down the Ctrl key as you click and drag to draw the AutoShape.

Hiding Slides in PowerPoint
To hide a slide in your presentation, first click the Slide Sorter View button or choose Slide Sorter from the View menu. Click on the slide you want to hide and click the Hide Slide button on the Slide Sorter toolbar. After you hide the slide, PowerPoint encloses the slide number in a box with a diagonal line through it. If you need to hide multiple slides, hold down the Ctrl key, select each slide you wish to hide, and then click the Hide Slide button. The hidden slides will not show when the slide show is viewed.

Working With the Slide Master
Slide Master is a special slide. Anything you place on Slide Master will appear on all of the slides in a slide show. Suppose, for example, you would like to place a star in the corner of every slide. Choose View, Master, Slide Master. On the Draw toolbar, choose AutoShapes, Stars and Banners, and choose the star. Use the mouse to draw, place, color and size your star. Choose View, Normal to return to your slides. The star will now appear on each slide in the show, as well as on any new slides you create.

Text on Colorful Backgrounds
Sometimes, your custom background is so colorful that you can't pick a contrasting color to use for text. This usually happens when you use a picture for your background. Type your text in the text box, then double-click the text box's border to open the Format Text Box dialog box. For the Fill Color option, choose white or a pastel shade of the predominant color in the section of picture behind the text box, then click the Semitransparent option. Choose Preview to verify your color choice. The Semitransparent setting uses the chosen color in every other pixel of the text box and the background shows through the remaining pixels. The result is that your background picture appears as a watermark behind the text box. Then choose a complementary text color that contrasts with the semitransparent color. Not only is your text legible, but the text box is a design element as well.

Temporarily Disable the Snap To Grid Feature in PowerPoint
Sometimes you need to move an object and it seems to skip over the spot. By default, PowerPoint has an invisible grid to help align objects. But if you hold down the [Alt] key when dragging an object, your object won't snap to the grid on your slide. The grid is temporarily disabled so you can move the object to the exact location you want.

Play Music During Your PowerPoint Presentation
The music can be in an audio file on your hard drive or it can be on a CD that you'll have with you during the presentation. If it's the latter, you may want to save the music from the CD onto the hard drive to have it all in one place. Here's the procedure:

1. Go to the title slide.
2. Click Insert, Movies and Sounds. Select "Sound from File" or "Play CD Audio Track."
3. Browse the hard drive for the sound file, or specify the CD start and end track. You'll receive a dialog box asking if you want it to automatically play at the start of the presentation.
4. If you answer "no" to this dialog, PowerPoint will place a speaker icon on the presentation, and you can click on it when you want the music to play.
5. If you want the music to loop, right-click on the speaker icon, and select Edit Sound Object. Check the "Loop Until Stopped" checkbox. The music should play continuously throughout the presentation.

Restore a Picture's Original Proportions in PowerPoint
When you insert a picture or clip art object on your PowerPoint slide, odds are that you'll need to resize it to achieve the results you're looking for. However, after doing so, you may find that you'd prefer to use the picture's original size settings. You can quickly restore the original proportions of a picture object in a few short steps. To do so, select the picture, then select Format/Picture from the menu bar or click the Format Picture button on the Picture toolbar. Next, click on the Size tab, and then click the Reset button. To preview the new settings before applying them permanently, click Preview. If you're satisfied with the results, click OK. If not, click Cancel to avoid applying the new settings.

Working With Multiple Slide Shows in PowerPoint
If you have more than one presentation open in PowerPoint while you work, organizing your workspace can be a problem. You can resize the window of each presentation individually, but a much easier and more efficient method is to use the Arrange All feature. Open all the presentations that you need to work with in PowerPoint, choose Window, Arrange All, and PowerPoint resizes them automatically so that they all fit on your screen while using the maximum amount of workspace available. You can then open each presentation in Slide Sorter View and drag and drop slides from one presentation to another.

Animating Individual Pie Chart Pieces in PowerPoint
If you want to animate the individual pieces of a pie chart, first create the chart and then choose Ungroup from the Draw menu (say Yes to the dialog box that comes up and you may have to choose Ungroup twice if you are working in XP). If you are working with a 3-D pie, you will need to group all of the pieces of each pie piece. Select all the pieces that constitute the make-up of a pie piece by clicking the individual pieces while holding down the Shift key, and then choose Group from the Draw menu. Use the same process to group each individual pie piece. Once all the pieces of your chart are grouped, you can edit the options in the Timing area of the Custom Animation dialog box to animate your chart. Since each pie piece is its own group, you can choose the exact order that you want each piece to appear and how you want it to enter the slide.

Animating a Bouncing Image in PowerPoint
Imagine someone dropping a ball and watching it bounce. You can duplicate this effect on a slide to help emphasize a point. To do this, first insert an image (or draw a round AutoShape and fill with a color). With it selected, press Ctrl + D to make a duplicate of the selection.

There are now two images on your screen. Select one of the images and move it off the bottom of the slide so it's lined up below the original image. Next, right-click on the image that's positioned off your slide. From the resulting shortcut menu, choose Custom Animation to open the Custom Animation dialog box. Click on the Effects tab (if it isn't already selected) and select Fly, From Top from the dropdown lists in the Entry Animation And Sound area. Then, click on the Order & Timing tab, choose the Automatically option and change the default setting from 0 to 2.

Now, select the first image from the Check to animate slide objects list box. Set the Start Animation to Automatically and leave the default setting of 0 seconds after previous event. Then, click on the Effects tab. For Entry Animation and Sound, select Fly, From Bottom. Then click OK. When you run the slide show, the image will drop from the top of the slide and then bounce back up from the area below the slide.

Increase or Decrease Text Size
To quickly increase or decrease the size of text, select the text you want to resize. Then, to increase the font size, press Ctrl + Shift + >. To decrease the font size, press Ctrl + Shift + <. This works in Word, PowerPoint, FrontPage and Publisher.

Quickly Zoom In and Out of Your Office Documents
If you have a wheel on your mouse, you can use the wheel button to quickly zoom in and out of an Office document. Hold down the Ctrl key as you rotate the wheel button forward or back. This works in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Publisher as well as many other Microsoft programs.

Copy and Paste up to 12 Pieces of Information at Once
If you're constantly copying text and data between different Office programs, there's a way to save time by copying multiple items at once. For example, you can copy a chart in Excel, switch to PowerPoint and copy a bulleted list, switch to Internet Explorer and copy a page of text, and then switch to Word and paste the collection of copied items into your document. Here's how:

1. In any Office 2000 program, on the View menu, point to Toolbars and click Clipboard to display the Office Clipboard.
2. Select an item you want to copy.
3. Copy the item into the Office Clipboard by clicking Copy on the Edit menu or clicking the Copy button on the Clipboard toolbar.
4. Repeat steps one through three until you have copied all the items (up to 12) you want. If the item you want to copy is in another program, switch to that program first.
5. In an Office program, click where you want to paste the items.
6. To paste all the items at once, click Paste All on the Clipboard toolbar. Or to paste the items one at a time, click the icon for the item you want to paste.

Change the Font or Size of Text Using Keyboard Shortcuts
You can use keyboard shortcuts to access the Font box and the Font Size box on the Formatting toolbar and then quickly change the font or size of selected text. Here's how:
1. Select the text you want to change.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + F to access the Font box or Ctrl + Shift + P to access the Font Size box.
3. Press the Up Arrow or the Down Arrow to select the font name or size you want.
4. Press Enter to accept the font name or size.
Note: This tip works in Excel, FrontPage, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Word.

Mouse Pointer in PowerPoint Presentations
Have you ever found yourself giving a presentation using PowerPoint and wishing for a mouse pointer? While viewing the presentation, press the letter A and the pointer will appear. To make it disappear, press the letter A again.

Change a PowerPoint Slide Layout
If you complete a slide using an AutoLayout slide and decide you need a different layout, you don't need to start over. While you're looking at the slide you need to change, go to the Format menu and choose Slide Layout. Choose the one that meets your current needs and click Apply. Instantly you're returned to the presentation with your slide in its new format, ready for editing.

Change Fonts on a PowerPoint Presentation
If you finish your presentation and realize that you would like to change the font, there is an easy way to do so. On the Menu Bar, choose Format, Replace Fonts. In the "Replace" field use the drop-down list to pick the font you want changed. Below that, in the "With" field, use the list to select the font that's to take its place. Click Replace. Throughout the entire presentation the old font is out and the new font is in. Font size and formatting is retained—just the font itself is replaced.

Copying Character Formatting
Often it is beneficial to copy character formatting from one place in your document to another. Word provides a shortcut for doing this:
1. Select the characters whose formatting you want to copy.
2. Click on the Format Painter tool on the Standard Toolbar (the paintbrush).
3. Select the text you want formatted.
You can also copy the same format repeatedly by double clicking the Format Painter tool in step 2. You will then be able to apply the same formatting until you turn of format painting by clicking on the tool one more time.

Shortcut to Change Case of PowerPoint Text
You can quickly cycle through three case options by pressing Shift + F3. Select the text you wish to modify and press Shift + F3. If the text is all lowercase, it changes to title case. If you want to make it all caps, all you have to do is press Shift + F3 again. To return the text to its original state, press Shift + F3 a third time. If the text is already title case, Shift + F3 changes it to all caps the first time you press the keys and to lowercase the second time you press them. This technique also works in Word.

Set AutoShape Defaults in PowerPoint
To change the default formatting of any shape you add to a slide, just double-click a shape to open the Format AutoShape dialog box, make your line and color modifications, and, in the lower-left corner of the Colors And Lines tab, click the Default For New Objects check box. Click OK to return to your slide. From now on - until you change it - this formatting will apply to every new autoshape you insert on a slide.

Set Text Defaults in PowerPoint
To change the default formatting of text, select any text or text object; choose Format, Font; select the font style, size, color, and effect you want; then click the Default For New Objects check box in the lower-right corner of the Font dialog box. Click OK to return to your slide. From now on, your text will carry the new default formatting.

Animating Powerpoint ClipArt
How would you like to have a ClipArt picture put itself together right before the audience's eyes? To see how to create this kind of animation, run PowerPoint and choose Insert/Picture/ClipArt. Right-click the picture you want to use and choose Insert to place it on your slide. Now select the picture, then choose Draw/Ungroup. If a dialog box comes up, say Yes. Next, choose Slide Show, Custom Animation. When the dialog box opens, click the Effects tab. In the "Check to animate slide objects" list, click the first object. Then hold down the Shift key and scroll down to select the last object. With all objects selected, click the arrow at the right side of the "Entry animation and sound" list box and select an effect. Now click the Order & Timing tab and then select the radio button labeled Automatically. Click OK to close the dialog box and then press F5 to run the slide show. Each part of the ClipArt picture will appear as you instructed when you chose an effect.

Enhance PowerPoint Graphics
Here's an effect that you can use to enhance some of your graphic objects in PowerPoint. Run PowerPoint and open a blank slide. Choose Insert, Picture, ClipArt. When the Insert ClipArt dialog box opens, select a picture, right-click it and choose Insert. Close the ClipArt dialog box.

Now, to create the effect, you'll place a semitransparent white rectangle over a portion (or all) of the picture. To do this, click the Rectangle tool (in the Drawing toolbar) and draw the rectangle over whatever portion of the picture you choose. Next, right click the rectangle and choose Format AutoShape. When the dialog box opens, click the Colors and Lines tab. Under Fill, click the arrow at the right side of the Color list box and choose white. Select the check box labeled Semitransparent and click OK to close the dialog box and save your setting selection.

Change the Font Size by Typing the Point Number
If you know the font point size you want to use, click on the Font Size point number on the Text Formatting toolbar. This will select the number. Then type in the new point size. This saves clicking the down arrow to choose a new number. This works in most programs.

Drawing Lines in Office Programs
The Drawing toolbar allows you to create a number of shapes that were previously only available through the use of a drawing program. One such shape is a line. To draw a line, follow these steps:

1. Select a line weight and type by clicking on the Line Style tool on the Drawing toolbar.
2. Click on the line tool.
3. Position the mouse pointer where one end of the line is to be located.
4. Click and hold the mouse button.
5. Drag the mouse until the line is the desired length.
6. Release the mouse button.

The Difference Between Save and Save As
When you use the Save command, you save your work under it's current file name. If you've never saved whatever it is you're working on before, then you'll get an opportunity to name it.

When you use Save As, you get a chance to save what you're working on as a new file. Let's say you're working on a word processing document. It's a new document and you decide to save it. A box comes up that lets you give it a name. Now, let's say you add something to it. If you use the Save command again, it simply saves it with no questions asked under the existing file name.

Now let's say you make a modification to the file, but you want to keep the original version as well. This is where you use Save As. When you use the Save As command, it allows you to save your current file as a new file with a new name. Now when you go to open your files, you'll find you have both the original version and the new, Saved As version.

Working With AutoShape Toolbars In PowerPoint
If you're inserting numerous AutoShapes into a slide show, you might find it more convenient to work with floating toolbars. To do this, click AutoShapes and then select a toolbar that you want to convert to a floating toolbar (Basic Shapes for example). Once you make your selection, move the mouse to the right and grab the toolbar at the top (there's a bar there), then drag the toolbar out away from the other toolbars. To return a toolbar to its original position, double-click its title bar (at the top of the toolbar).

Remove Part of a Picture in PowerPoint
In PowerPoint, you may find a picture you like but only wish to use part of it. Select the clip art you want to edit. Click Ungroup from the Draw menu. Say Yes to convert it to a Microsoft Office drawing object. Choose Draw, Ungroup again. Click away from the picture.
Then click on an object in the picture you wish to delete and press Delete on the keyboard.

Recording a Narration in PowerPoint
To record a narration into a PowerPoint slide you must plug in a microphone. Then:

1. Go to the Slide you wish to add a narration to.
2. From the Insert menu select Movies and Sounds.
3. Click Record Sounds.
4. When ready, click the Record button (the red circle).
5. When finished recording, click the black Stop button.
6. Click OK.

You can move the sound icon to a different place on the slide. The narration will play automatically when the show runs.

Link Two Presentations Together for Continuous Playback
To link two presentations together for continuous playback, first save both presentations you'd like to loop in a folder. Next, choose one of your presentations and double-click on the last slide. With the last slide visible, choose Insert, Object. Select the Create From File option button and then click the Browse button. Select the other presentation you'd like to link to. Click OK. Next, click the Link check box and the Display As Icon check box. Click OK to insert the link. Drag the resulting icon off the side of your slide. To tell PowerPoint when to display the linked presentation, right-click on the icon and choose Custom Animation. If the Effects tab isn't already visible, select it. Next, change No Effect in the Entry Animation And Sound area to Appear. Then, click on the Multimedia Settings tab and select Show from the Object Action dropdown list. Finally, click on the Order & Timing tab and select Automatically. A time of 00:03 seconds is fine. Click OK to apply the changes.

Now set up your slide transitions. Then, choose Slide Show, Set Up Show to open the Set Up Show dialog box. In the Show Type area, select the Loop Continuously Until 'Esc' check box. Your second presentation should start as soon as the first one finishes and then loop back to the first to begin again.

Inserting Multiple Drawing Objects
There may be times when you want to insert multiple drawing objects (such as squares, rectangles, ovals, or circles) in your worksheet. Rather than click on the drawing tools on the Drawing toolbar before creating each object, double-click on the drawing tool you want to use. The tool is locked into place, and you can create as many of the objects as you wish. When you are finished creating them, click on the tool again or press the Esc key to return the mouse pointer to normal. You can also do this with AutoShapes, but the process is a little different:
1. Click on the AutoShapes tool on the Drawing toolbar.
2. Click on the category you want to use.
3. Notice that at the top of the AutoShapes menu there is a small horizontal bar. Click on this bar and drag it to some other location on your screen. When you release the mouse button, the AutoShapes menu appears on its own, floating on your desktop.
4. Double-click on any item on the menu. It remains selected.
5. Create any number of that AutoShape in your document.
6. Press Esc or click on the AutoShape again (in the floating menu) to return the mouse pointer to normal.
This also works in other Microsoft Office programs.

Sorting Files in the Open Dialog Box
To sort files by Name, Size, Type or Modified Date, click on the column header at the top of each column. This also works in e-mail folders.

Using PowerPoint's Pack And Go Wizard
To make sure that you have everything you need for your next presentation, you may want to use the Pack And GoWizard. The Pack And Go Wizard helps you gather all the presentation files, fonts, colors, graphics and audio clips that you need for your next big presentation. To begin, first open the presentation you wish to pack. To use the Pack And Go Wizard, choose File, Pack And Go. The Pack And Go Wizard opens automatically and guides you through the process of obtaining the files and fonts you need to ensure that your presentation looks as good on the road as it does on your computer.

Use a Thumbnail Image of a Previous Slide
If you want to reference a previous slide on your current slide, you can insert a thumbnail of the slide you want to reference. First, choose View, Slide Sorter and select the slide that you want referenced. Then choose Edit, Copy to copy an image of the slide to the clipboard. Next, double-click the slide on which you want to place the thumbnail image, and choose Edit, Paste. In PowerPoint 2002, choose Edit, Paste Special and choose Picture. This is a quick and easy way to insert a slide thumbnail as a reference.