Congratulations on reaching the finale of our PowerPoint series! As we wrap up, we aim to equip you with advanced techniques that will elevate your skills to the next level. This section delves into the nuances of text manipulation and troubleshooting common issues, preparing you to tackle any challenge that comes your way in PowerPoint. Join us as we polish your newfound skills and prepare you to create PowerPoint presentations like a pro!
What’s covered in this part:
- Understanding the fundamentals of font spacing and paragraph spacing to craft well-laid-out presentations
- Learning techniques for vertical alignment of text to enhance readability and aesthetic appeal
- Delving into format shape text options for troubleshooting common text issues
- Mastering cell margins to optimize space utilization in tables
Text Fundamentals
Font Spacing
Significance: Occasionally, you might encounter PowerPoint presentations with varying font spacing. Here, we guide you on whether adjustments are necessary and how to undertake them.
Character Spacing: An essential feature that warrants attention. You can access this functionality from two locations:
- The primary Font menu
- The Font dialogue box
Paragraph Spacing
Significance: Gaining control over vertical spacing offers you versatility in manipulating shapes and text boxes.
Modification Process: Navigate to the ‘Paragraph’ group on the Home tab, click on the depicted icon, and select ‘Line Spacing Options’.
Here, we spotlight two notable features:
- Utilize ‘Spacing Before’ or ‘After’ to introduce additional space for each “paragraph” (triggered when you hit return). You can enter a precise value manually for tighter slide composition, with 3 or 4 pt settings being popular choices.
- Enforce a specific paragraph height by opting for the “Exactly” line spacing feature, allowing slight adjustments to facilitate perfect fitting within a box or circle.
Vertical Alignment
Significance: This feature proves vital in numerous scenarios, such as tables and shapes, and even in fine-tuning the Title bar.
Manipulation Process: Select the text → Navigate to the ‘Paragraph’ group on the Home tab → Choose the demonstrated icon.
Useful Applications:
- Facilitates row alignment in tables.
- Ensures text alignment uniformity across geometric shapes.
- A lesser-known utility: preventing the Master Title from overlapping with a Subtitle. Achieve this by setting the vertical alignment to “Bottom” in your slide master, ensuring that extended titles scroll upwards, not downwards.
- Note: This is just an option, and you might prefer maintaining the top alignment of the title consistently across slides.
Format Shape – Text Options
Significance: This dialog box is a treasure trove for troubleshooting solutions, harboring a plethora of options to refine your text presentation.
Cell Margins
Significance: Adjusting cell margins can potentially free up additional space within a table, particularly in the title row.
Manipulation Process: Click inside a table cell → Navigate to the ‘Layout’ menu → Choose ‘Cell Margins’.