- Inserting Shapes
- Formatting Shapes Using the Drawing Tools ? Format Tab
- Using the Format Shape Pane
- Working with SmartArt Graphics
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Working with SmartArt Graphics
SmartArt takes the power and flexibility of shapes one step further. SmartArt enables you to combine shapes and text to create informative lists, matrices, pyramids, and more. Then, using Office’s shape and text formatting options, you can create a custom graphic that both conveys your message and gives your document an extra polish.
NOTE
SmartArt isn’t available in OneNote.
For example, you can create a detailed organization chart with SmartArt (see Figure 5.10). Or you can create a graphic that explains a step-by-step process (see Figure 5.11).
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FIGURE 5.10. Use one of SmartArt’s many organization chart layouts.
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FIGURE 5.11. Highlight a process.
Table 5.1 lists SmartArt types, each offering a variety of layouts to choose from.
TABLE 5.1. SmartArt Types
Choose This SmartArt Type |
To Display |
List |
Nonsequential data |
Process |
Steps in a process or a sequential timeline |
Cycle |
An ongoing process |
Hierarchy |
Hierarchical data such as an organizational chart |
Relationship |
Connected data |
Matrix |
Parts in relation to a whole |
Pyramid |
Proportions from small to large |
Picture |
A graphical representation of data |
Inserting a SmartArt Graphic
To insert a SmartArt graphic, follow these steps:
On the Insert tab, click the SmartArt button. The Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box opens (see Figure 5.12).
FIGURE 5.12. Choose from a variety of SmartArt graphic layouts.
Select the button for the SmartArt layout types you want to view. Alternatively, select the All button to scroll through a list of all options. Refer to Table 5.1 for an explanation of each SmartArt type.
NOTE
If you’re new to SmartArt, it’s often difficult to determine which graphic best suits your needs. When you click each graphic icon in the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box, the right side of the screen displays a detailed example of the selected SmartArt graphic and describes its use in the box below. Reviewing all your options at least once gives you a clearer idea of what’s available and can provide some inspiration as well.
Select the icon for the graphic type you want to insert and click the OK button. The graphic displays in your document (see Figure 5.13).
FIGURE 5.13. Your initial SmartArt graphic is blank, awaiting your content.
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Each SmartArt graphic includes text placeholders where you can enter the appropriate text. To enter text, click the [Text] placeholder and start typing. If you enter more text than the shape can hold, Office resizes the text. You can also enter text in the Text pane, described in the “Using the Text Pane” section, later in this chapter. If you choose a graphic that includes pictures, click the picture placeholder to open the Insert Pictures dialog box.
Office offers two contextual tabs that enable you to modify the design and format of your SmartArt graphics: the SmartArt Tools – Design tab and the SmartArt Tools – Format tab.
Note that these contextual tabs display only when you have selected a graphic. If they disappear, select your graphic again to view them. Also, be aware that depending on your choice of SmartArt graphic, not all options are available on the SmartArt Tools tabs.
Using SmartArt Design Tools
The SmartArt Tools – Design tab, shown in Figure 5.14, enables you to create additional graphic objects, specify layout and style options, and convert your SmartArt graphic to other formats.
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FIGURE 5.14. The SmartArt Tools – Design tab is one of two SmartArt Tools contextual tabs.
Adding a Shape to a SmartArt Graphic
Although SmartArt graphics already contain shapes by default, you can add more shapes if you need. For example, you could create a basic cycle graphic, which comes with five shapes, and then decide you need to add a sixth.
To add a shape to a SmartArt graphic, follow these steps:
- Select the SmartArt graphic to which you want to add a shape.
- On the SmartArt Tools – Design tab, click the down arrow to the right of the Add Shape button to display a menu of options.
Select from the following menu choices:
- Add Shape After—Add an identical shape after a selected shape.
- Add Shape Before—Add an identical shape before a selected shape.
- Add Shape Above—Add an identical shape above a selected shape.
- Add Shape Below—Add an identical shape below a selected shape.
- Add Assistant—Add an assistant shape to an organization chart.
NOTE
The options available are based on your choice of SmartArt. For example, the Add Assistant menu option is available only if your graphic is an organization chart.
If you want to place an additional shape in the default location for your graphic type (such as at the end of a list), you can click the Add Shape button directly, without viewing the menu options.
Adding Bullets
If your SmartArt graphic supports bulleted lists, you can add a text bullet by clicking the Add Bullet button on the SmartArt Tools – Design tab. You must select a specific graphic object for this button to become active.
Using the Text Pane
Although you can enter text directly on your SmartArt graphic, using the Text pane is a good idea if you have a lot of text or your graphic is more complex.
To open the Text pane, click the Text Pane button on the SmartArt Tools – Design tab.
In this pane, you can enter and revise text, use the buttons in the Create Graphic group to promote or demote objects, and edit any pictures if you selected a graphic type that includes pictures.
To close the Text pane, click the Close button (x) in the upper-right corner or click the Text Pane button on the SmartArt Tools – Design tab again, which acts as a toggle.
Organizing SmartArt Content
The Create Graphic group on the SmartArt Tools – Design tab (refer to Figure 5.14) also includes several buttons that help you organize the content in your graphic. For example, you can promote, demote, or reorder objects to customize your graphic exactly the way you want. Be aware that like other options on the SmartArt Tools – Design tab, the availability of these buttons depends on your graphic type and what object is selected.
The buttons include the following:
- Promote—Move selected object up a level. You can also use this with the Text pane.
- Demote—Move selected object down a level. You can also use this with the Text pane.
- Right to Left—Change layout from the right to the left.
- Move Up—Move selected object up in a sequence.
- Move Down—Move selected object down in a sequence.
- Layout—Modify the layout of an organization chart, such as displaying subordinates to the left or to the right.
Modifying Your SmartArt Layout
The Layouts group on the SmartArt Tools – Design tab offers several layout options that you can apply to your SmartArt graphic. Three options appear on the tab itself, but you can click the down arrow to the right of the group to open a gallery of additional options. Pause the mouse over each option to preview it. These layouts correspond to the layouts that appear on the Choose a SmartArt Graphic dialog box.
Changing SmartArt Colors
If you don’t like your graphic’s default color scheme, you can quickly change it by clicking the Change Colors button on the SmartArt Tools – Design tab.
You can choose a primary theme color, select something more colorful, or opt for one of your theme’s accent colors.
Applying a SmartArt Style
If you want to quickly dress up your SmartArt graphic, apply one of the many ready-made styles designed to complement your chosen theme. To do so, select a style in the SmartArt Styles group on the SmartArt Tools – Design tab. For more options, click the down arrow to display a gallery where you can chose a style that’s a good match for your document, or try out a 3-D style.
Resetting a SmartArt Graphic
If you’ve made a lot of changes to your SmartArt graphic and decide you don’t like what you’ve done, click the Reset Graphic button on the SmartArt Tools – Design tab. Office deletes all the formatting changes you’ve made to your graphic and restores its original format. It doesn’t delete any text you’ve added, however.
Converting a SmartArt Graphic
If you decide that you don’t want to use a SmartArt graphic you created but would like to retain your text as a bulleted list, click the Convert button on the SmartArt Tools – Design tab and then select Convert to Text from the menu.
Another option is to convert your SmartArt graphic to a shape so that you can take advantage of shape-formatting options. To do this, click the Convert button and then select Convert to Shapes from the menu.
Formatting SmartArt Graphics
The SmartArt Tools – Format tab, as shown in Figure 5.15, offers numerous SmartArt formatting options, many of which are shared with other objects.
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FIGURE 5.15. Create a custom look with the options on the SmartArt Tools – Format tab.
On this tab, you can perform the following tasks:
- Edit a 3-D graphic in 2-D.
- Format and change individual SmartArt shapes.
- Apply shape style, fills, outlines, and effects.
- Apply WordArt styles, fills, outlines, and effects to SmartArt text. Learn more in Chapter 3, “Working with Text.”
- Arrange SmartArt objects, such as moving objects forward and backward and aligning, grouping, and rotating objects.
- Change the height and width of your SmartArt graphic by clicking the Size button.
Editing in 2-D
If you applied a 3-D style to your SmartArt graphic, you can temporarily return to 2-D to edit it by clicking the Edit in 2-D button on the SmartArt Tools – Format tab. When you finish editing, click this button again to return to your 3-D style.
Changing the Appearance of SmartArt Shapes
Although SmartArt graphics include default shapes, you might prefer a different shape. For example, if you select a Basic Block List, your graphic includes several basic rectangles. Your preference, however, might be rounded rectangles.
To change the appearance of the shapes in your SmartArt graphic, follow these steps:
- Select the shape or shapes you want to change. To select multiple shapes, press the Ctrl key while clicking the shapes you want to change.
- On the SmartArt Tools – Format tab, click the Change Shape button. A gallery of shape options appears (refer to Figure 5.1).
- Select the shape option you prefer to change your selected shapes.
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Resizing Shapes
If you want to resize selected shapes on your graphic, click either the Larger or Smaller button on the SmartArt Tools – Format tab. You can continue clicking these buttons until you reach your desired size.