PowerPoint 2000 provides various options to add objects like text boxes, images, charts, tables, and organizational charts to your slides. Adding relevant objects can make your presentations more visually appealing and help convey information more effectively.
Ways to Add Objects
There are several ways to add objects in PowerPoint 2000:
Use AutoLayouts
- When creating a new slide, PowerPoint provides various AutoLayouts with predefined placeholders for adding text, images, charts etc. Simply choose the layout that fits your need.
Use the Drawing Toolbar
- The Drawing toolbar in PowerPoint 2000 has tools to insert shapes, lines, text boxes etc. You can customize it to add more drawing tools.
Insert Menu
- Use the Insert menu to add clip art, pictures, charts, tables etc.
Copy-Paste
- You can copy an object from another Office app like Excel or Word and paste it into a PowerPoint slide.
Types of Objects
Some of the key objects you can add in PowerPoint 2000 presentations:
Text Boxes
- Add text boxes to place text anywhere on a slide. You can format them like any other text.
Images
- Insert images like photos, clipart, and screenshots using the Picture command.
Charts
- Add charts from Excel sheets to visualize data trends.
Tables
- Insert a table to arrange text or data in rows and columns.
Shapes
- Use lines, basic shapes, block arrows etc. from the Drawing toolbar.
SmartArt
- Though not available in PowerPoint 2000, newer versions have SmartArt graphics to create process flowcharts, hierarchy charts etc.
Media
- Insert sounds, videos, and even Flash animations.
Positioning, Sizing and Formatting Objects
To enhance the visual appeal, you need to position, size, and format objects appropriately:
Position and Size
- Select the object and drag it to the desired position. Resize it by dragging the handles around it.
Format
- Right-click the object and use the Format option to customize fill colors, lines, 3D effects, shadows etc. based on the object type.
Align and Distribute
- Align two or more objects vertically or horizontally. You can also distribute them evenly.
Order
- Use the Bring to Front and Send to Back options if objects overlap.
Group
- Group multiple associated objects so they move together as one object.
Animating Objects
To make your presentations livelier, add some animation to objects:
Access Animation
- Go to the Slide Show menu and choose Custom Animation to open animation options.
Apply Effects
- Select the object and use options like Fly In, Spin, Grow/Shrink etc. to make it animate during the slideshow.
Set Effect Options
- Customize animation further by setting options like duration, start point, direction etc.
View Animation
- Click Preview to see the animations in action. Tweak them if needed.
Best Practices
Follow these tips to work effectively with objects:
- Use AutoLayouts first instead of inserting objects from scratch
- Position key objects like charts/images first
- Size objects appropriately so text is readable
- Format objects to match slide color scheme
- Align and distribute objects for clean layouts
- Set animations judiciously, don’t overdo them
- Group associated shapes so they move together
Using the various options covered above, you can insert and customize objects to design professional-looking presentations full of visual appeal in PowerPoint 2000.
