Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 : Inserting Charts and Related Material - Creating SmartArt Graphics

Create a SmartArt Graphic

1. Click the Insert tab.

2. Click the SmartArt button.

Timesaver

In a content placeholder, you can click the SmartArt icon to start.

3. In the left pane, click a category, such as All, List, Process, Cycle, Hierarchy, Relationship, Matrix, Pyramid, Picture, or Office.com.

4. In the right pane, click a SmartArt graphic style type.

5. Click OK.

The SmartArt graphic appears with a Text pane to insert text.

6. Label the shapes by doing one of the following:

• Type text in the [Text] box.
  
  You can use the arrow keys to move around the Text pane.
  
  
• Click a shape, and then type text directly into the shape.
  
  

7. When you’re done, click outside of the SmartArt graphic.

Convert Text to a SmartArt Graphic

1. Select the text box with the text you want to convert to a SmartArt graphic.

2. Click the Home tab.

3. Click the Convert to SmartArt Graphic button.

The gallery displays layouts designed for bulleted lists.

4. To view the entire list of layout, click More SmartArt Graphics.

5. Point to a layout.

A live preview of the style appears in the current shape.

6. Click the layout for the SmartArt graphic you want from the gallery to apply it to the selected shape.

Did You Know?

You cannot drag text into the Text pane. Although you can’t drag text into the Text pane, you can copy and paste text.

You can create a blank SmartArt graphic. In the Text pane, press Ctrl+A to select all the placeholder text, and then press Delete.

Shorter amounts of text work best for SmartArt graphics. Most of the layouts for SmartArt graphics work the best with smaller amounts of text. However, if you have larger amounts, layouts in the List category work better than others.

Placeholder text doesn’t print or show during a slide show. Placeholder text in the SmartArt graphic doesn’t print or show during a slide show.