What is Microsoft PowerPoint?
PowerPoint is presentation software that allows you to create electronic presentations.
PowerPoint can be used to combine text, images, and other forms of multimedia
in one complete slide show. While there are many useful aspects of this software
tool, this tutorial will teach you how to create a new slide show with text,
images, and screen capture images, as well as learn how to edit/paste, insert
a new slide, sort slides, and print handouts. As a result, you will be able
to create a PowerPoint presentation that combines images and text from any
of the image database websites found on the Image
Resources page and to print your presentation for distribution. This tutorial
is for PowerPoint 2000.
Most of the steps in this tutorial include a "Quick Instruction" section for you to reference only the essential steps, and a "Practice" section for you to practice with until you feel comfortable doing everything on your own.
Quick Instructions and Practice: Getting Started
1. For Windows users: From the Start Menu select Programs>Microsoft PowerPoint.
For Macintosh users: Open your hard drive folder list, select Applications>
Microsoft Office> Microsoft PowerPoint.
2. Select "blank presentation," click OK.
3. Choose an Auto layout. We recommend the blank layout (it is the last choice). Click on the "OK" button.
At this point, your screen should look similar to the image below.
You can now add text, images, or both to the blank slide. Click on next (below)
to learn how.
Adding Text
• In the top menu bar, select Insert>Text Box, then click anywhere in the blank slide area on the right to start a text box area.
• Now just begin typing as you would in a word processing program. You can also select Format>Font to change font characteristics such as style, size, and color.
Practice: Add Text from a Web Site
Cite an image from the OhioLink Digital Media Center:
1. Do step 1 from above.
2. Click here to open the OhioLink Digital Media Center search page in a new browser window.
3. Type "Venus" in the empty search box, then click on the "Search" button. Find "Aphrodite of Melos, called Venus de Milo" and click on the respective picture. You will now be on a more specific page for that image.
4. Using the mouse, click and drag from the word "Title" down to "Saskia." From the top menu bar, select Edit> Copy (or Ctrl + C).
5. Go back to the open PowerPoint program and select Edit>Paste (or Ctrl + V) from the top menu bar.
6. Now select Format> Font and change the font size to 18 (this is the smallest font size that you should ever use in a presentation to allow people to read the screen from far away). You can rearrange the lines of text if you wish.
7. Put the mouse over the text box border until the mouse arrow turns into a 4-way arrow. Now you can click and drag the entire box to the top left corner of the slide.
At this point, your screen should look similar to the image below
Adding an Image
1. In the top menu bar, select Insert>Picture>From File. (You can also select "ClipArt" instead of "From File" if you want to insert pre-drawn graphics.)
2. Locate the folder on the computer where you have your images stored, then select your image file by clicking on it. It will appear in a preview box on the right hand side of the window. Click the "Insert" button and the image will now be located on your blank slide.
3. The image may be moved or scaled to fit the screen by clicking and dragging the image or the white boxes on the image's border.
To acquire a whole folder of images at one time:
For Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 PowerPoint versions, go to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/ and download PowerPoint 2000 Add-in: Photo Album Add-in Program. Instructions are on the download page. This plug-in will size images correctly and center them. The default is a white background; to change, click on Format, go to background, and choose black and "apply to all".
For versions of PowerPoint 2003 for XP, you will not need to download a plug-in. Go to Insert--> Picture---> New Photo Album. Browse and find the folder on your computer, then click Create.
Images do not have to be in JPEG format. PowerPoint will import the image, compress it and convert it to the PowerPoint format.
Practice: Add Image
(For Best Results: Images should be at 72 dpi and 1024 x 768)
Insert an image from the OhioLink Digital Media Center:
1. Click here to open the OhioLink Digital Media Center search page in a new browser window.
2. Type "Venus" in the empty search box, then click on the "Search" button. Select "Aphrodite of Melos, called Venus de Milo" and click on the respective picture. You will now be on a more specific page for that image. Click on the topmost image to enlarge it.
4. Right-click the mouse when it is over the image and select "Save Picture As." Select the desktop, give the image a name, then click on "Save."
5. Go back to the open PowerPoint program and select Insert>Picture>From File from the top menu bar. Locate the image you just saved on the desktop, then click on "Insert."
6. Move the picture to the right edge of the slide by clicking and dragging it with the mouse.
7. Hold down the "Shift" key on the keyboard (which constrains the proportions to prevent distorting the image) while dragging one of the white boxes on the corner of the image to scale it enough to fit inside the slide.
At this point, your screen should look similar to the image below.
Quick Instructions and Practice: Add Screen Capture Image
Insert a screen capture image from the OhioLink Digital Media Center:
1. Click here to open the OhioLink Digital Media Center search page in a new browser window.
2. Type "Venus" in the empty search box, then click on the "Search" button. Scroll down to search result number 5 ("Aphrodite of Melos, called Venus de Milo") and click on the respective picture. You will now be on a more specific page for that image.
3. Windows Users: Hit the "Print Screen" key on your keyboard.
Mac Users: Simultaneously hit the "Shift," Apple Command, and number
"3" keys on your keyboard.
4. Go to the open PowerPoint program and select Edit>Paste (or Ctrl + V) from the top menu bar.
At this point, your screen should look similar to the image below.
You can scale or move the screen capture image as described in " Add
Image ."
Quick Instructions and Practice: Sort Slides
1. In the top menu bar, select View>Slide Sorter.
2. Click on one of your slides and drag it into your desired order next to another slide.
At this point, your screen should look similar to the image below.
3. To get back to slide editing mode, select View> Normal in the top menu bar.
Quick Instructions and Practice: Printing Handouts For Your Presentation
1. In the top menu bar, select File>Print.
2. In the "Print what?" drop down menu, choose "Handouts."
3. We suggest setting the "Slides per page:" to 6, the "Order:" at "Horizontal," and putting a check in the boxes next to "Scale to fit paper" and "Frame slides."
4. Enter your desired "Number of copies:" in the respective box.
At this point, your screen should look similar to the image below.
5. Click on the "OK" button to begin printing your slides.
Note that you can also print individual slides, outlines, and notes; these options are listed in the drop down box next to "Print what?"
Presenting A Slide Show
• In the top menu bar, select View>Slide Show
• Use the mouse or the page down button to move through the slides
• To end the show right click the mouse and choose "End Show"