Adding text, images and objects

Hello students, welcome to Kwickprep. A slide full of plain text is boring. How do you add a picture, a shape or a table to make it clear? Today we will learn how to add text, images and other objects to a slide, and how to arrange them.

First, a key term. An object is any item you place on a slide. Text boxes, pictures, shapes, tables, charts and videos are all objects. Most objects are added from the Insert tab. Every object can be selected, moved, resized and formatted in the same basic way.

There are two main ways to add text. You can type in a placeholder, or insert a text box, which is a box you can place anywhere. Choose Insert, then Text Box, and click or drag on the slide to draw it. WordArt adds decorative text with ready styles, good for a title. Header and Footer adds the date and the slide number to every slide.

Images can come from many places. Pictures, then This Device, inserts a photo saved on your computer. Online Pictures searches the web, but you must check that the image is free to use. Stock Images offers a library of pictures made for use in Office. Screenshot captures a window that is open on your screen. And Ctrl+V pastes any image you have copied.

Once a picture is on the slide, click it to open the Picture Format tab. Drag a corner handle to resize, so the picture does not look stretched. Crop trims away edges you do not need. Picture Styles add ready made frames, shadows and borders. Alt Text is a short description read aloud by screen readers, which helps students who cannot see the picture.

The Insert tab has many more objects. Shapes include arrows, boxes and circles, drawn by dragging on the slide. Icons are simple symbols, like a phone or a book. SmartArt turns a list into a ready diagram, such as a process or a cycle. Table adds rows and columns for data, like a timetable. Chart opens a small sheet and draws a chart from its numbers. Media inserts audio or video clips.

SmartArt is very useful for steps. Choose Insert, then SmartArt, and pick a Process diagram. In its text pane, type four steps, Plan, Write, Check and Submit. Each step becomes a box, joined by arrows. If you add a fifth step, the diagram grows and rearranges itself.

All objects follow the same basic moves. Click an object to select it, and handles appear. Drag its border to move it. Drag a corner handle to resize it. Drag the round arrow at the top to rotate it. Press the Delete key to remove it.

When objects overlap, you need to arrange them. Bring to Front puts the selected object on top of the others. Send to Back puts it behind, like a background box behind text. Align lines up the edges or centres of objects neatly. Group joins selected objects into one, so they move together, with Ctrl+G. Ungroup separates them again, with Ctrl+Shift+G.

Let us pause and predict. You drew a coloured rectangle after typing a text box, and now the text is hidden under it. Which command brings the text back into view? Select the shape and choose Send to Back. Or select the text box and choose Bring to Front. Both put the text on top.

Follow a few good habits. Use clear, high quality images that support your point. Never stretch a picture out of shape, and use a corner handle instead. Use only images you are allowed to use, such as your own photos, stock images or free licence pictures. Leave some empty space, because a crowded slide is hard to read.

Let us revise what we learned today. An object is any item you place on a slide. Add text with a placeholder, a text box or WordArt. Add images with Pictures, Stock Images or Screenshot. The Insert tab also gives Shapes, Icons, SmartArt, tables, charts and media. Arrange objects with Bring to Front, Align and Group. Now redesign one slide of your project with a picture and a SmartArt diagram.