03 Jul 2011
Lesson 3. PowerPoint 2010 Basics.
In this lesson you will learn about slides and how to navigate through PowerPoint.
PowerPoint uses slides to build a presentation. In order to create an engaging presentation, PowerPoint allows you to add text, bulleted lists, images, charts, video and more to your slides. You can add as many slides as you like to a presentation and at any time you can view or playback your presentation by selecting one of the Slide Show play options.
The Ribbon and the Quick Access Toolbar are where you will find the commands you need to do common tasks in PowerPoint. If you are familiar with PowerPoint 2007, you will find that the main difference in the PowerPoint 2010 Ribbon is that commands such as Open and Print are now housed in Backstage view.
The Ribbon (Figure 1)
The Ribbon contains multiple tabs, each with several groups of commands. Some tabs, like "Drawing Tools" or "Table Tools," may appear only when you are working with certain items like images or tables. In addition, you can add your own customized tabs that contain your favourite commands.
Some programs, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, may install additional tabs to the Ribbon. These tabs are called Add-ins.
To Customize the Ribbon:
You can customize the Ribbon by creating your own tabs that contain commands you selected. Commands are always housed within a group, and you can create as many groups as you want. In addition, you can even add commands to any of the default tabs, as long as you create a custom group within the tab.
Steps to Customize the Ribbon. (Figure 2)
1. Right-click the Ribbon and select Customize the Ribbon. Power Point Options dialog box will appear.
2. Click New Tab. A new tab will be created with a new group inside it.
3. Make sure the new group is selected.
4. Select a command from the list on the left, then click Add. You can also drag commands directly into a group.
5. When you are done adding commands, click OK.
To Minimize and Maximize the Ribbon:
The Ribbon is designed to be responsive to your current task and easy to use, but if you find it is taking up too much of your screen space, you can minimize it.
1. Click the arrow in the upper-right corner of the Ribbon to minimize it. (Figure 3)
Minimize the Ribbon button
2. To maximize the Ribbon, click the arrow again. (Figure 4)
When the Ribbon is minimized, you can make it reappear by clicking on a tab. However, the Ribbon will disappear again when you are not using it.
The Quick Access Toolbar (Figure 5)
The Quick Access Toolbar is located above the Ribbon, and it lets you access common commands no matter which tab you are on. By default, it shows the Save, Undo, and Repeat commands. You can customize the toolbar by adding the most often used commands to make it more convenient for you.
To Add Commands to the Quick Access Toolbar (Figure 6):
1. Click the drop-down arrow to the right of the Quick Access Toolbar.
2. Select the command you wish to add from the drop-down menu. To choose from more commands, select More Commands.
Backstage View (Figure 7):
Backstage view gives you various options for saving, opening a file, printing, or sharing your document. It is similar to the Office Button Menu from PowerPoint 2007 or the File Menu from earlier versions of PowerPoint. However, instead of just a menu, it is a full-page view which makes it easier to work with.
To Get to Backstage View:
1. Click the File tab.
2. You can choose an option on the left side of the page.
3. To get back to your document, just click any tab on the Ribbon.
| Figure 2. Steps to Customize the Ribbon | |
| Figure 3. How to minimize the Ribbon. | |
| Figure 4. How to maximize the Ribbon. | |
| Figure 5. The Quick Access Toolbar. | |
| Figure 6. How to Add Commands to the Quick Access Toolbar. | |
| Figure 7. Backstage View. | |
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