Introducing SmartArt

Quick reference

• 00:04 In this video, we're going to look at SmartArt as a way to graphically represent
• 00:09 information in our presentations.
• 00:12 Now here, I've already downloaded this presentation from the Internet.
• 00:15 And it's got various slides that we can start populating.
• 00:18 So the first thing that I'm going to do is insert a new slide.
• 00:21 So right-click, New Slide, and now I'm going to insert the SmartArt.
• 00:26 Now we can insert the SmartArt diagram from the Insert tab
• 00:30 in this button in the Illustrations group.
• 00:33 Or we can click the SmartArt icon within this content placeholder.
• 00:37 And I'll do that and up pops the dialog box.
• 00:40 And it's got a whole bunch of SmartArt types in it.
• 00:43 So on these tabs, we've got types such as all types, several lists,
• 00:48 processes, cycles, hierarchies, and so on.
• 00:52 Now hierarchies are really a form of the old organization charts.
• 00:57 If I click on particular icon, I get a preview of what it looks like,
• 01:01 as well as some text that explains whether it's appropriate to our needs or not.
• 01:05 Now this is important because sometimes the texts that you wanna
• 01:08 include in a SmartArt is not appropriate.
• 01:11 You're gonna run out of room, so you'll have to have a bit of a play with that.
• 01:15 So I'm going to select this Process tab,
• 01:17 and the first one in the top corner is a Basic Process.
• 01:21 Now that looks fine based on the diagram that we get.
• 01:25 It shows us what it looks like.
• 01:26 So we can actually change the size of this text pane by selecting it with our mouse
• 01:31 and dragging it to give ourselves more room to work.
• 01:34 Now because this is essentially a process diagram,
• 01:36 I'm going to enter the text into this pane in a way that makes sense.
• 01:40 So for example, in animating a presentation, the process
• 01:44 would be to start with a storyboard, and I hit Enter on the keyboard.
• 01:49 And I get a new line, objects, or because there's already a line further down,
• 01:54 I can use the arrow key on the keyboard.
• 01:57 Movement, and we can continue to add bulleted items below.
• 02:02 Notice these buttons up here as well that allow us to work in the text pane as well.
• 02:07 I can reverse the direction of the graphic from right to left.
• 02:10 We can demote items and promote them, as well as move them up and down.
• 02:15 And all the time, seeing a preview in the diagram because it updates automatically.
• 02:19 And there's also keyboard shortcuts that allow you to do that as well, and
• 02:22 that's essentially the subject of other videos.
• 02:25 Now if we hover our mouse over a particular layout,
• 02:27 we get a preview of what the change would look like.
• 02:31 If we click on it and select it, the SmartArt instantly changes and updates,
• 02:36 provided that the type that we selected is appropriate to the text that we've added,
• 02:40 and the number of lines and bullet points as well.
• 02:43 We can change the colors based on whatever our template is,
• 02:47 as well as change the SmartArt style.
• 02:50 It's such a quick way of putting diagrams into presentations, entering texts, and
• 02:54 formatting the look of that diagram.
• 02:56 Now if it all turns to turps or turpentine,
• 02:58 that's an Aussie way of saying if it mucks up and all goes bad.
• 03:03 If we muck something up, we can reset the graphic with this button or
• 03:06 we can convert it into text or into shapes.
• 03:10 But if you do that, you would need to convert it back into a SmartArt because
• 03:14 it's no longer a SmartArt diagram or to keep a backup.
• 03:17 So let's go to slide 3 and have a look a t some further options.
• 03:21 Now this bulleted text within a content placeholder, I 'd rather convert to
• 03:26 a diagram rather than having all the excess text on the slide.
• 03:30 So I select all of that text with the mouse.
• 03:32 And on the Home tab,
• 03:33 select the little dropdown button that says convert to SmartArt.
• 03:37 Now I can't immediately see one that suits me.
• 03:40 So I'll choose More SmartArt Graphics and scroll down.
• 03:44 And here's one that looks suitable, a list with pictures.
• 03:48 As soon as I click OK, what used to be bullet points is now text
• 03:52 within those shapes with the associated picture icons.
• 03:56 And I could use those icons to put pictures beside each line of text.
• 04:00 And as long as it's relevant, that will look really good.
• 04:03 So I either click on this or double click, the dialog box pops up.
• 04:08 And I can search for various locations for a picture.
• 04:12 And here is one that I want to select.
• 04:13 So I click that and that's very suitable.
• 04:17 And I can continue doing that for the rest of the diagram,
• 04:20 as well as doing other formatting and changing the styles and colors and so on.
• 04:24 But notice when I select all of the text in this particular content placeholder.
• 04:27 I right click on the text that's selected and select Convert to SmartArt Diagram.
• 04:33 And we can see a preview of possible types and convert that as well.
• 04:37 So please consider using SmartArt diagrams as a way of converting a lot of text into
• 04:42 diagrams.
• 04:43 But please also don't overuse them.
• 04:45 Because ultimately, in a presentation, it's good to have a balance between
• 04:49 graphics and pictures as well as text and diagrams and tables and even charts.
• 04:55 I like the picture SmartArt diagrams as long as the picture is appropriate.
• 05:00 So you can insert SmartArt diagrams via the button on the Insert tab here
• 05:04 in the Illustrations group or from within this content placeholder.
• 05:09 And as you use them, you will learn the particular kinds that suit your needs
• 05:13 based on the amount of text that you have and what you're trying to explain.
• 05:16 Please explore them and have lots of practice.
• 05:19 They're really great when used appropriately.

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