Digitizing Your PDD

Using Images and Other "Clip Art"

PowerPoint comes with a library of "clip art" that includes traditional clip art, as well as videos, photographs, and sounds. You can also insert graphics from other sources into a presentation.

To access PowerPoint's ClipArt Gallery , click the ClipArt Gallery Tool (located on the Drawing Toolbar ).

To use a Gallery ClipArt image , in the Insert ClipArt dialog box, select the category pertaining to the type of image you are looking for. Then select the image you want. A pop-up box will allow you to: insert the image, preview the clip, add the clip to a different category, and/or find similar clips.

The greatest benefit of the ClipArt Gallery is that you can add multiple selections to your presentation without leaving the Gallery.

ClipArt images will be inserted in the center of the slide. You can move, enlarge, or reduce them.

If you are connected to the Internet you can download additional clips from Microsoft's online Art Gallery by clicking on Clips Online.

You can further manipulate PowerPoint objects by ungrouping them. Ungrouping an imported object such as ClipArt will convert it to a Microsoft Office drawing, and you will lose any linking information. However, it is unlikely that ClipArt will hold any linked information.

To change the colors of a PowerPoint clipart,

• Select the artwork, then from the Drawing Toolbar, choose DRAW : Ungroup. You will see the message: This is an imported picture, not a group. Do you want to convert it to a Microsoft Office drawing object? Click Yes.

This will not change the original clip art in the Gallery but will allow you to manipulate the individual components of the object. You will most likely be astounded at the number of individual components making up the object. If they were built with incremental grouping, individual objects can be further ungrouped.

• Click off the image to deselect all the objects, then select the component you wish to re-color.

• Click Paintbucket Icon and choose the fill color or effect you wish to use. You could also choose to change the line color.

• After you have completed altering the object's components, you can re-group the components. Because it is highly unlikely you can click to select each component without missing one, you will need to select all of them a different way:

To select multiple objects using the mouse ,

• Position your mouse cursor beyond the corner of the object to be re-grouped. Make sure you start far enough beyond the objects to catch all of the components.

• Press and drag diagonally across the objects to select all the components. Make sure that you do not mistakenly include an object in the selection that you don't want to be selected. (You may have to try this step several times, it is a bit tricky to master.)

• After all the components are selected, from the Drawing Toolbar, choose DRAW : Group (or Regroup).

Linked Files

Some sounds, video clips, and photographs (as well as these types of files you gather from outside PowerPoint) may be inserted as linked objects. This means that you must place the original files of linked objects in the same folder as the presentation, then insert them into the presentation after they are in that folder. This lets PowerPoint "find" the file during the presentation.

Sound, Video Clips and Photos

You insert sound, video clips, or photos, the same way you insert ClipArt images. If you are connected to the Internet you can download additional clips from Microsoft's online Art Gallery by clicking on Clips Online. When you insert these objects, they are inserted in the center of the slide. You can press and drag them to new locations.

PowerPoint 2000 now accepts animated gif files!

• When you insert a sound clip, a speaker icon is placed in the center of the slide.

• When you insert a video clip, the opening screen of the clip is inserted into the slide.

Activating

You must activate video and sound clips before they will play in the presentation. With some file types, PowerPoint asks you when the file is inserted if you want it to play automatically, or if you want it play when clicked. To activate a clip , click the icon to select it and choose SLIDE SHOW : Action Settings.

You can choose to play the clip by mouse click or by mouseover. If you choose mouse click, you will need to click the icon during the presentation to start it playing. If you choose mouseover, you need to slide the cursor over the icon to start the sound.

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