Impress - Open Office 3.30

Hi People

Last time we started work on the title slide for our slideshow.  So load it up (or create it as per the last post)

 It looks pretty basic at the moment so look at the picture below and we will work to producing this.

Firstly, choose another background, which is easily and quickly done, by looking to the right side column, under 'Tasks \ Master Pages'.  Look at the 'Available for Use' section (if you only see the grey bar with a '+' then left click on the '+' to expand the section - note the '+' turns to a '-').  Now click on the background you want to use.

Now lets add a picture, to do this, we will be using the 3 shape icon on the bottom toolbar (see picture below)

The bottom toolbar - below the main slide window

Here you can see the 3 shape icon (second from the left)

Click on the 3 shape icon and locate a suitable picture (perhaps one you have created or one from the internet - free of charge and royalties images only).  Select the image and then click the 'Open' button and wait a few seconds.  

The picture will arrive but not in the position you want to place it, see  the picture below

The picture was deliver in the centre of the slide, note the green  'handles' for re-sizing the picture

Place the mouse cursor in the picture and it will change to a cross with arrow tips.  Hold down the left mouse button and now you can move the picture to wherever you want to put it on the slide.  Use the green handles to resize the picture.  Play with this and get use to it as these handles appear on most containers to allow re-sizing.

Use the corner handles to reduce both height and width together, the mid line handles just re-size the sides, top or bottom (depending on which handle you use - use top for top etc). 

 To use the handles place the mouse cursor on the handle of choice (the cursor changes to a black outlined, white double headed arrow), and HOLD down the left mouse button, now move the mouse to resize the picture and let go of the button when you have got the width, height or width & height you want.

I have added a balloon callout to this slide

Ok from the picture above you can see I have added a balloon callout

 Callout from the bottom toolbar (4th icon in from the left)

Click on the black arrow tip to the right of the balloon (callout) icon and select (by left clicking on the shape you want).  The mouse cursor will now turn to a black cross when on the slide.  Position the cursor where you would like to put the callout  and HOLD down the left mouse button. Now move the mouse (while holding down the left mouse button) and the callout will form under the cursor as you move.  Note the callout has the green handles for resizing and a yellow handle which directs the length and direction of the callout source.

Click inside the callout and add the text you want to display.

Play with this and we will look at slide two and transitions next time

Thank You for stopping by Prometheus1618

Using Impress in OpenOffice - 3.30

Hi People,

Firstly, I want to apologise to those of you who were looking to create this slideshow some months ago.

Secondly, due to the time that has lapsed a newer version of OpenOffice and hence Impress (than the one I was originally using), is available.

My suggestion is that you, update your version of OpenOffice.org, so that we can all work through this together.

OK, there are some minor differences when you go through the sequence, of the several previous posts on the use of Impress.  The first major difference come with the button arrangement and what is shown on the menu.

The new Impress layout, with the original starter slide created.

So you can see that some button and options are not immediately available from the menu button directly.  For instance, we did have the ability to turn bullet points on/off via the default button bar.  This option is still available from the 'Format' menu, under 'Bullets and Numbering...' or you could create your own customised button bar with the buttons that you use most (we will look at this in a later post).

For now we will customise the toolbars by replacing the 'lines and filling' toolbar displayed (the one with the paint pot, pen nib, 0.00cm and the Black square in it), with the 'Text Formatting' toolbar.  This replacement tool bar has the Text justification, Font family, Font size, Bold, Underline, Italic and the Bullets buttons on it.
How to do this is:

• Click on 'Tools'
• Click on 'Customise' from the menu
• Click on the 'Toolbars' tab (at the top of the popup frame)
• Now, locate the 'Toolbar' box near the top (just under 'OpenOffice.org Impress Toolbars')
• Use the down arrow to the right of the box and the scroll bar, to select 'Text Formatting' toolbar.
• Click the 'OK' button and you will have the 'Text Formatting' buttons available on the toolbars.

Do not have too many toolbars available at any one time as these will crowd your monitor workspace.

Now if you have your 1st slide set up on the screen as above, perhaps we will 'tinker' with it. Firstly, let's have a much larger title 'Computer Parts' and let's centre it.   Centring the text can be achieved by setting the justification button to centre it looks like this

Before using the button, we first click once on the text in the box, this locates the editing cursor on the text, now highlight the text, by moving the mouse to the first letter of the title and holding the left mouse button down whilst moving the mouse over the entire text. Now where the toolbar shows the text size (see picture below) either type the size of the font (such as 36) or click the black down arrow to the right and select a size from the options.  In either case the highlighted text will change immediately in size.

Text Formatting toolbar showing Font, Font size (24 here), Bold , Italic,  Underline and  Shadow buttons

Now click the centre justification button as shown above.  This enlarged text is now centred.

Well that is it for now

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Using Impress - Part 3

Hi People

A Happy, Healthy, Wealthy and Abundant  New Year to you all.

OK now we were looking at a presentation using the Impress module of Open Office.

The slideshow we are creating is going to be about the parts of a computer.

Open your 'Slide test' presentation (if you haven't created it yet, have a look at the last couple of posts).

Firstly, if you want to change the background of your first page (and this can be achieved for all the pages if you want), select the 'Format' menu option, click on 'Page' and use the 'Background' tab.  I chose a blue background.

Now to title your slide,  double click on the 'My First Presentation' area.  Where you double clicked the cursor should be flashing and the 'My First Presentation' should be inside a box (if you have a box with 8 small boxes around the edge, you have single clicked by mistake).  Now you can delete, highlight and over type in the box.  So delete the contents and type in ' Computer Parts.

Similarly the 'Click to add an outline' box can be changed, so type 'A basic computer parts list'.  Now you may have a bullet list (a list with a large dot at the front).  To remove the bullet setup look to the icon bar and you should see an icon like the one below

The 'Bullet list' icon on the icon bar

If you click on it the bullets should disappear on the slide (make sure you are on the same line as the bullet you want to remove.  Question  How would you remove several bullets at once? Answer next time.

The 'justify' section of the icon bar. Note the 'left justify' icon is highlighted (in use). Use the 'centre justify' (the next icon right of the 'left justify'), by left clicking on it

You will also notice that the line is left justified, so again look to the icon bar and left click on the 'centre justify' icon.


Ok , now save your work an we will be looking at this further next time


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