Microsoft Corp. Basic Tasks in PowerPoint 2010

1. On the Home tab, in the Drawing group, click Shapes.
   

   

2. Click the shape that you want, click anywhere on the slide, and then drag to place the shape.
   

To create a perfect square or circle (or constrain the dimensions of other shapes), press and hold SHIFT while you drag.

For more information about how to add shapes, see Add, change, or delete shapes.

1. Click the File tab, and then click New.
   
2. Do one of the following:
   

• Click Blank Presentation, and then click Create.
  
• Apply a template or theme, either from those built-in with PowerPoint 2010, or downloaded from in this book.
  

Office.com has extensive help for Microsoft Office programs, and it's also a great place to download free clip art, templates, and other productivity enhancers for work and home.

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To insert a new slide into your presentation, do the following:

• On the Home tab, in the Slides group, click the arrow below New Slide, and then click the slide layout that you want.
  

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For more information about how to add slides to your presentation, see Add, rearrange, and delete slides.

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PowerPoint 2010 is a visual and graphical application, primarily used for creating presentations. With PowerPoint, you can create, view, and present slide shows that combine text, shapes, pictures, graphs, animation, charts, videos, and much more. For more information about the features that are unique to PowerPoint 2010, see What's new in PowerPoint 2010.

PowerPoint 2010 allows you to apply built-in templates, to apply your own custom templates, and to search from a variety of templates available on Office.com. Office.com provides a wide selection of popular PowerPoint templates, including presentations and design slides.

To find a template in PowerPoint 2010, do the following:

1. On the File tab, click New.
   
2. Under Available Templates and Themes, do one of the following:
   

• To reuse a template that youve recently used, click Recent Templates, click the template that you want, and then click Create.
  
• To use a template that you already have installed, click My Templates, select the template that you want, and then click OK.
  
• To use one of the built-in templates installed with PowerPoint, click Sample Templates, click the template that you want, and then click Create.
  
• To find a template on Office.com, under Office.com Templates, click a template category, select the template that you want, and then click Download to download the template from Office.com to your computer.
  

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Note You can also search for templates on Office.com from within PowerPoint. In the Search Office.com for templates box, type one or more search terms, and then click the arrow button to search.

For more information about how to find and apply templates, see Apply a template to your presentation.

1. Click the File tab, and then click Open.
   
2. In the left pane of the Open dialog box, click the drive or folder that contains the presentation that you want.
   
3. In the right pane of the Open dialog box, open the folder that contains the presentation.
   
4. Click the presentation, and then click Open.
   

Note By default, PowerPoint 2010 shows only PowerPoint presentations in the Open dialog box. To view other kinds of files, click All PowerPoint Presentations, and select the type of file that you want to view.

1. Click the File tab, and then click Print.
   
2. Under Print What, do one of the following:
   
   • To print all slides, click All.
     
   • To print only the slide that is currently displayed, click Current Slide.
     
   • To print specific slides by number, click Custom Range of Slides, and then enter a list of individual slides, a range, or both.
     

   Note Use commas to separate the numbers, with no spaces. For example: 1,3,5-12.

3. Under Other Settings, click the Color list, and select the setting that you want.
   
4. When you finish making your selections, click Print.
   

For more information about printing, see Print your slides or handouts of your presentation.

1. Click the File tab, and then click Save As.
   
2. In the File name box, type a name for your PowerPoint presentation, and then click Save.
   

Note By default, PowerPoint 2010 saves files in the PowerPoint Presentation (.pptx) file format. To save your presentation in a format other than .pptx, click the Save as type list, and then select the file format that you want.

For more information about how to create a new presentation, see Name and save your presentation.

Consider the following tips to create a compelling presentation that engages your audience.

To maintain a clear message and to keep your audience attentive and interested, keep the number of slides in your presentation to a minimum.

Choosing the best font size helps communicate your message. Remember that the audience must be able to read your slides from a distance. Generally speaking, a font size smaller than 30 might be too difficult for the audience to see.