4. PowerPoint Ribbon Tabs and Tools
This section will introduce you to the basic important tools, and commands of PowerPoint online.
As mentioned, many of the tools you come across in the Microsoft Office applications are standardised. Tools such as bold, italic, underline, changing font colour, changing font size, adding bullets, pictures, and shapes, for example are tools used in most of the Microsoft Office applications. For more information on the standard tools used in the Microsoft applications click on the link below.
The link below gives an overview of the Ribbon Tabs and their respective tools.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dpx3stj3CA
Should you want to have a quick reference, please continue to go through the explanations below and complete the activities that follow.
File Ribbon Tab
In selecting the File Ribbon Tab you will be able to create a new presentation, open an existing presentation, save changes to a presentation, save a presentation with a new name, print slides or notes for when you present, share your presentation collaboratively with others, and export your presentation.
Figure 2: The File Ribbon Tab and the tools available
Home Ribbon Tab
The Home Ribbon Tab has a collection of commonly used tools relevant to the PowerPoint application. These tools are grouped together and separated by a fine line.
Figure 3: The Home Ribbon Tab and its various groupings
The Home Ribbon tools are used for (use the numbers in the image to link to the description below):
1. Editing your text and shapes using the cut, copy and paste tools or using the deleting tool to delete objects
2. Inserting new slides and changing the layout of your slides
3. Formatting your text font, changing the size, colour and formatting your slides’ text using the bold, italic and underline tools
4. Adding bullets, numbers and aligning your text on a slide
5. Adding basic shapes and formatting the colour and lines of the shape
Some of these tools have been discussed in Lesson 01, if you would like to get more information, click on this link:
Insert Ribbon Tab
Using the tools on the Insert Ribbon Tab will allow you to insert objects such as, a new slide, tables, pictures, shapes, icons and SmartArt into you slides.
Figure 4: Tools used in the Insert Ribbon Tab
By clicking on the dropdown arrow ˅ more options will become available to select from. Important tools to take note of on this Ribbon which are often used in PowerPoint to make your slides visually appealing are:
1. New Slide: allows you to insert a new slide using a format specific to your requirements
2. Pictures: allows you to insert pictures from a file, online or from stock images
3. Shapes: allows you to insert shapes in which you can add text
4. Icons: a graphical image of an idea, object, or category
Figure 5: the default icons displayed when clicking on the Icons tool
5. SmartArt: pre-set shapes to show a list, process, cycle or hierarchy to which you can add text. The below image gives you a glimpse of some of the SmartArt shapes you can add to your slide.
Figure 6: Some of the SmartArt option available
Activity: Navigating the Home and Insert Ribbon tools
1. Click on the Home Ribbon Tab and the click on the dropdown arrows next to each of the tools. Familiarise yourself with these tools by hovering over them. The name of the tool will display as a pop-up.
2. Click on the Insert Ribbon Tab and click on the dropdown arrows next to each of the tools. Familiarise yourself with the different Shapes, Icons and SmartArt that you can insert into your slides
Design Ribbon Tab
The Design Ribbon Tab is used to format your presentation using pre-set formatting and design features. This is one of the easiest ways to make your presentation appealing to an audience.
The Design Ribbon Tab with pre-set designs to select from PowerPoint also has a Designer Panel. Although this feature does not fall within the Design Ribbon Tab, it has a similar function in that it will provide you with design layout ideas as you start adding text and objects to your presentation. The Designer Panel assists you to make your slides layout stand out and provides you with different options to select from.
Transitions Ribbon Tab
Tools from the Transition Ribbon Tab will enable you to add animations to a whole slide or all off your slides. You will only notice Transitions when moving between your slides.
Activity: Slide transitions
- Make sure you have the Transition Ribbon Tab selected.
- Click on the dropdown arrow to display more transition effects that you can apply to a whole slide or all of your slides.
- What type of effects have you found? Discuss your findings below.
Animations Ribbon Tab
Using tools from the Animations Ribbon Tab allows you to add animations to text, images, shapes and objects within your slides. It is recommended to use animation only for emphasis and not to over animate objects in your slides.
Animations that can be added to text, shapes, and other objects in your slide
Activity: Animations
1. Make sure you have the Animations Ribbon Tab selected.
2. Click on the dropdown arrow to display more animation effects that you can apply to text, shapes and other objects in your slide.
Slide Show Ribbon Tab
The tools in the Slide Show Ribbon Tab contain the controls that will determine how your slide show is presented. For example, when you want to start your slide show from the beginning of your presentation you will select the From Beginning tool.
Slide show presentation options
Review Ribbon Tab
The Review Ribbon Tab allows you to use proofing tools such as the spell check to check for grammar and spelling errors you may have made in your presentation.
It is very important to ensure you spell check your presentation before you present it to your audience.
View Ribbon Tab
With the View Ribbon Tab you can view your Notes, change your view to Slide Sorter, view your slide in the default Normal view or Zoom in on a slide. Notes view allows you to view notes or the script you have written for your slides while Slide Sorter view allows you to sort your slides or hide slides you do not want to display.
If you are new to PowerPoint, it is recommended that you practice perfecting your presentation in the default Normal view.
Help Ribbon Tab
Using the Help feature, you can get assistance with features or actions you would like more information on. You can select from predefined questions or you can search for keywords that will find topics or questions related to your keyword. Now that you have an overview of the PowerPoint Ribbon Tabs and the various tools that are within these Tabs, you will create a PowerPoint presentation using some of these tools. It is recommended that you familiarise yourself with these Ribbon Tabs and Ribbon tools before moving on to Unit 3. Unit 3 is a very practical lesson, therefore, please make sure you have accessed PowerPoint before starting the lesson.