Positioning Objects in Microsoft PowerPoint 2003
Introduction
When positioning objects on a PowerPoint slide, it is important to make use of
Guide Lines and be aware of the built-in grid. Guide Lines help you line up one
object with another and should be turned on whenever you are creating a
presentation. The built-in grid restricts the exact position at which objects can
be placed to help you line them up. You can override the grid, however, to
place objects precisely. If you then want to line these up, menu commands are
provided for you. Further menu commands allow you to bring one object in
front of another, if they overlap.
Using the Default Guide Lines
A Guide Line is a dotted line which can be displayed when you are composing
a slide in Normal or Slide View. By default, two guide lines are displayed,
crossing at the centre of the slide. These can be moved, if necessary, or
further guide lines added. Having the guide lines showing makes it much
easier to line up objects on a slide, as this next exercise will demonstrate.
1. Load PowerPoint to create a new presentation - or, if you already have
PowerPoint running, open the File menu and select New...
2. If the guide lines are displayed turn them off - open the View menu select
Grid and Guides... and turn off the Display drawing guides on screen
check box - press <Enter> for [OK]
3. Open the Format menu and select Slide Layout... - the Task Pane
appears
4. Click on the Title Only layout (immediately to the right of Title Slide in the
Text Layouts)
5. Close the Task Pane by clicking on it's [Close] button
6. Click on the Click to add title box and type in some text - eg Positioning
Objects
Note the handles (small circles) around the title box. These are provided at
each corner and at the mid-way point on each side. You will see later how
these line up with the guide lines. Now add your own text box and try to
position that centrally:
7. Click away from the title box to release its selection
8. Click on the [Text Box] button on the Drawing toolbar
9. Click anywhere on the screen to start up the text box
Tip: When creating a text box, it's good practice to drag out a box to roughly
the width required rather than just click (as instructed above). When you then
type text into the box, it will automatically wrap onto a new line when the typing
reaches the right-hand edge.
10. Type in a single word then [Center] the text within the box
11. Press <Enter> for a second line then type in a second word
12. Move the mouse cursor to the edge of the text box (the cursor becomes a
black cross with arrow heads with a white pointer attached) then hold
down the mouse button and try to position the box in the exact centre of
the slide (both horizontally and vertically)
Now turn on the guide lines to see whether you managed to position it correctly:
13. Repeat step 2 but this time turn on the Display drawing guides on screen
check box
Two dotted lines should now be displayed, one vertical and the other horizontal,
dividing the slide into four equal areas. Click on the title box - you will see that
the vertical guide line passes exactly through the top and bottom mid-way
handles, showing that the title is perfectly centred.
14. Click on your text box then repeat step 12 to position the box exactly
Tip: You can also move an object using the arrow keys. First, click on the text
then press the <Esc> key - this selects the text box (you can also click on the
edge of the box to select it). Now press the arrow keys to move the box in the
direction of the arrows.
The horizontal guide line should now run through the middle handles on the left
and right and the vertical guide line through those on the top and bottom.
Creating a New Guide Line
It's a good idea to create your own additional guide lines whenever you have
objects to be lined up at particular positions on the slide. You may also want to
set up imaginary margins to denote the outer borders of your slide contents. It
is also useful to have the Ruler displayed (if it is not already showing):
1. If the ruler is not already showing, open the View menu again and select
Ruler
Rulers should now be displayed both above and to the left of the slide. These
show the distance from the central point, which is position (0,0). As you move
the mouse cursor, dashed indicator lines travel along the rulers to indicate the
exact position of the mouse.
To create a new guide line:
2. Click on the background of the slide to release any placeholder selection
3. Point the mouse cursor to one of the existing guide lines - if you want a
new vertical guide use the vertical line; for a horizontal guide use the
horizontal line
4. Hold down the <Ctrl> key and drag the guide line to the position required.
Here, drag the vertical guide 10 cms to the left - the position is displayed
as you drag the guide (in steps of 2mm)
5. Release the mouse button and the new guide will be fixed in place
6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 to create a second new guide 10 cm to the right of
centre
7. Finally, move the text box created previously so that the left handles align
with the left guide line - this guide is being used as a left margin
To reposition a guide line:
1. Point the mouse cursor to the right guide line
2. Hold down the mouse button and drag the guide line to the position
required - eg 8cm
3. Release the mouse button and the guide will be fixed in place
To delete a guide line:
1. Point the mouse cursor to the right guide line
2. Hold down the mouse button and drag the guide line off the slide area (left
or right)
3. Release the mouse button and the guide will disappear
Note: If you want to hide the guides without deleting them, simply select Grid
and Guides... from the View menu - this same action turns them on or off. You
can also right click on the background and select this command from the
shortcut menu.
The PowerPoint Grid
PowerPoint slides are overlain by an invisible grid, which limits the position at
which an object can be located. This helps the user line up objects correctly.
You have already seen the effect of the grid when setting your guide lines,
though you may not have realised it. The default grid is set up every 2mm
across and down the slide - remember, this was the distance between one
position on the ruler and the next when you created or moved a guide line. You
can change the default grid settings, if you want to, in the Grid and Guides
dialog box:
1. Right click on the slide background and choose Grid and Guides...
2. To see the grid, turn on the Display grid on screen check box
3. Note the other settings but don't change them (Spacing: should be 0.2cm
and Snap objects to grid is set on) - press <Enter> for [OK])
A checkerboard of small dots now appears on the screen, indicating the grid
points. To see these in detail:
4. Click on the down arrow attached to the [Zoom] button and choose 300%
5. Using the scroll bars if necessary, make sure your text box is displayed
6. Move the mouse cursor to the edge of the text box then hold down the
mouse button and drag it sideways very slightly
7. Repeat step 6 using a vertical movement
You should see how the box jumps from one position to another - it's
impossible to nudge it just slightly. Try repeating the movement using the
arrow keys:
8. With the text box still selected, press the <right arrow> key once
9. Note the current position on the ruler and repeat step 5 five times - you
should find it moves roughly 1cm
10. Try the other arrow keys too - each moves the box 2mm in the direction
chosen
Though the standard grid is set up every 2mm, a finer grid is also provided.
This varies with magnification so that you can, if you want, zoom in to get even
more accurate positioning. To use this finer grid, you have to either hold down
the <Alt> key if you are dragging an object or <Ctrl> key if you are using the
arrow keys - remember, <Ctrl> gives you greater control over the movement.
Try this next:
1. Begin by making a second copy of the text box - click on the [Copy]
button then on [Paste] or use <Ctrl c> then <Ctrl v>
2. Using the arrow keys on their own, position the new text box exactly over
the old one
3. Now press the <down arrow> key once
4. Next hold down <Ctrl> and press the <up arrow> key once - you will find
the text box only moves very slightly
5. Repeat step 4, counting how many times you need to press <up arrow>
before the text boxes are superimposed
You should end up with just over 20, including the initial <Ctrl up-arrow>,
which works out at roughly 0.1mm. Now repeat the exercise at the normal
zoom level.
6. First set the [Zoom] back to Fit
7. Press the <down arrow> key once
8. Hold down <Ctrl> and count how many <up arrow> keys are needed
before the text is again superimposed
This time you will find that only 2 or 3 presses are needed, making each
movement roughly 0.4mm.
Finally, try using the <Alt> key to drag an object:
9. Move the mouse cursor to the edge of the text box, hold down the button
and drag the box around - it moves in jerks, set by the grid positions
10. Repeat step 9, this time holding down the <Alt> key as you drag - you will
find the box moves smoothly
If you couldn't see the effect of using <Alt> very clearly, increase the [Zoom]
magnification and try again. Reset the zoom to Fit when you have finished.
Hopefully this exercise has shown you exactly what the grid is and how it
works. It should have also made you aware of the zoom facility if you need to
work in fine detail.
Tip: If you turn off the Snap objects to grid option in the Grid and Guides
window you get the fine control by default. With this off, pressing an <arrow
key> is equivalent to <Ctrl arrow>.
Lining Up Objects
You can also line up objects using commands from the menus. First you have
to select all the objects which you want to line up; then you give the command.
1. Point to the edge of the text box and, using the mouse, drag it to another
position on the slide, well away from the first - the other text box should
now also be displayed
2. Hold down the <Shift> key and click on this other text box - both boxes
should now have their handles displayed, showing they are both selected
Tip: You can also select several objects by holding down the mouse button
and dragging a rectangle over them. This technique can also be used in
Access (when designing forms and reports) and to select files in a Windows
Explorer window.
3. Click on the list arrow attached to the [Draw] button on the left of the
Drawing Toolbar at the bottom left of the screen:
If the Drawing Toolbar isn't displayed it can be turned on by choosing
Toolbars... from the View menu and selecting Drawing.
4. Move the mouse cursor up the the Align or Distribute sub-menu and
choose Align Top - the two text boxes will be aligned vertically, with the
lower box moving up to the position of the upper one
5. Press <Ctrl z> or click on the [Undo] button once to undo step 4
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 but this time choose Align Bottom from the submenu - you will find the upper box moves down to the position of the lower
one
7. [Undo] this again and then try Align Middle at step 4 - the two boxes both
move vertically to a location exactly mid-way between their original
positions
8. [Undo] once more and try Align Center - the two boxes both move
horizontally to a location exactly mid-way between their original positions
From the above exercise it should be obvious what Align Left and Align Right
would do - you can try them out if you like. You can use this technique to
superimpose one box over another if you align them both vertically and
horizontally - try this if you like, but then [Undo] the superimposition so that
both boxes are still displayed.
Note also the Relative to Slide option at the foot of the sub-menu. If this is
turned on then the other commands are applied relative to the whole slide. For
example, Align Middle places selected objects along the horizontal guide line.
Exact Positioning of Objects
There is one further way to position an object on a slide, namely setting its
exact position as co-ordinates. This is done using Format Object.
Currently, both text boxes are still selected, so any position formatting would
apply to both. To deselect one of the boxes:
1. Hold down the <Shift> key and click on one of the text boxes - the
selection handles should disappear, showing it is no longer selected
To position the remaining selected text box:
2. Open the Format menu and select Text Box... - or right click on the text
box and choose Format Text Box... from the pop-up menu
3. The Format Text Box dialog window will appear - click on the Position tab
This will show you the exact position of the object on the slide - the number of
centimetres horizontally and vertically from the Top Left Corner. Note that the
Ruler also indicates the position, with the white section of the Ruler showing
the size of the object.
4. Change both the Horizontal and Vertical values (slides measure 24cm by
18cm, so choose values less than these)
5. Click on the [Preview] button at the bottom right of the dialog box to see
the effect - move the Format Text Box dialog box, if necessary
6. Change the values again and [Preview] again
7. End by setting both Horizontal and Vertical to 0 and both From: boxes to
Center using the attached list arrow
8. Press <Enter> or click on [OK]
You may have thought that you had placed the text box in the very centre of
the slide - in fact the box's top left corner is at that position.
By selecting more than one object, you can use Format Object to superimpose
one above another. This can be very useful in animation, if you want a series
of boxes to replace each other on a slide. To superimpose the two text boxes
again:
1. Hold down <Shift> and click on the text box currently not selected - both
boxes should now have their handles displayed
2. Open the Format menu and select Text Box...
Note: If you want to use right click with more than one object you have to
select all the objects except one and then right click to both select the last
object and open the pop-up menu.
3. On the Position tab, set a Horizontal and Vertical position
4. Press <Enter> or click on [OK]
Both text boxes will now be located exactly at the specified position.
Positioning Overlapping Objects
When two or more objects overlap, or are superimposed at the same position,
it's often necessary to change the order in which they appear (ie which one is
on top). This can be done by selecting each object in turn and moving it up or
down the order.
A simple way of selecting a particular object is to <Tab> to it. Try this next:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Click on the background of your slide to release any current selection
Press the <Tab> key - the first object is selected, namely the Title
Press <Tab> again and the first text box is selected
Press <Tab> a third time for the second text box
Press <Tab> again and the selection moves back to the Title
Tip: <Shift Tab> can be used to move backwards through the objects.
Now let's see how to change the order of display:
1. Click on the background of your slide again to release any current
selection
2. Click on the text box which is displayed and amend the text - eg add some
extra characters
3. Press <Esc> to select the text box then press the <right arrow> key a
couple of times to move it slightly sideways
By default, text boxes have a transparent background so that words from both
boxes will be displayed. To make the box background non-transparent:
4. With the one text box still selected, click on the list arrow attached to the
[Fill Color] button on the Drawing toolbar
5. From the colour palette choose the white box on the left
Note: This is set to Follow Background Colour Scheme, which means the
box will change colour automatically if you choose a different scheme. For
more information about using colour schemes see the document Colour
Palettes and Schemes in Microsoft PowerPoint 2003.
If you look carefully at your slide you will see that the selected text box now
has a solid background and is partially obscuring the other text box. To send it
backwards:
6. Click on the Draw menu on the Drawing Toolbar and choose Order
7. From the sub-menu select Send to Back (note the other options - Send
Backward moves an object down one layer at a time and could also have
been used in this example)
You should find that the second text box is now displayed in full. Note that this
still has a transparent background, however, which also needs to be solid for
animation purposes. This could be done by following steps 4 and 5 above or,
more easily, by using the Format Painter:
8. With the one text box still selected, click on the [Format Painter] button
9. Click on the other text box (just to the left of the selected box) to paint the
background format across - both text boxes should now have a solid
background
Tip: By double clicking the [Format Painter], a format can be painted to more
than one object.
Having overlapping text isn't really of much value as only part of it can be seen.
More often it is other objects, such as pictures or drawings, which overlap and
need placing in a particular order. Superimposed text boxes can be very useful,
however, as with animation they can be used to replace one piece of text by
another. See the document Simple Text Animation in Microsoft PowerPoint
2003 for further details.