MS PowerPoint: What is it?

A capable application for creating slideshows is Microsoft PowerPoint. It comes packaged with Word, Excel, and other office productivity tools as a basic part of the company’s Microsoft Office software suite. Slides are used in the programme to provide multimedia-rich information. The previous slide projector was a “slide” and was virtually replaced by this programme. You may instantly share your PowerPoint presentation online with others using PowerPoint. The user would receive a link to the presentation from you. 

Microsoft PowerPoint users frequently use headings and bulleted or numbered lists on their presentation slides. Let’s face it; everyone has endured a tedious presentation that consisted solely of text. Adding SmartArt visuals to a presentation is a quick and easy way to “jazz” it up. Existing text may be converted to SmartArt, which offers a terrific method to exhibit material in lists, cycles, and other layout possibilities. There are many different SmartArt patterns, and converting current text to SmartArt is incredibly quick and simple. You don’t need to retype your information. You can switch between different layouts quickly with a few mouse clicks, which is crucial to remember. The SmartArt Tools will enable you to edit the graphic in various ways, including the color scheme, adding more items (referred to as Shapes), applying different styles, including 3D effects, and much more.

Understanding SmartArt

You could want to add a diagram, a flowchart, or even an organizational chart to your presentation in addition to text and images. Of course, you could create these sorts of graphics or illustrations from scratch using the drawing tools and shapes, but PowerPoint offers a function that can help. It is known as SmartArt. Additionally, even if you are not artistic, it might help you add a little flair to your presentations. 

Workings of SmartArt

Text, shapes, and colors can be combined with SmartArt to create an image or illustration. Now, the majority of users add text and occasionally a picture to their slides. Still, PowerPoint makes it simple by offering several pre-existing layouts or templates that are available for usage. The SmartArt command may be found in the Illustrations group of the Ribbon’s Insert menu. You can select a kind when creating a SmartArt graphic, such as a list, process, cycle, or hierarchy. The SmartArt type resembles a group of visuals, and each type has a variety of layouts. PowerPoint makes it simpler to build a SmartArt graphic by providing you with a Text window. The Text window may be found to the left of the SmartArt image. Your SmartArt graphic is automatically updated as you add and modify the material in the Text pane. The text can be written first, then converted to SmartArt, or it can be created on the spot or from scratch.

PowerPoint text to SmartArt conversion:

Use these procedures to turn text into a SmartArt graphic:

  • Activate Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Press Ctrl + O to launch an existing presentation; when the Open dialogue box appears, go to the file, select it, and click Open an example slide or make one with around 4-6 bullet points.
  • The text or bullets you want to convert should be highlighted.
  • Click Convert to SmartArt under the Home tab.
  • Alternatively, you may choose to Convert to SmartArt by performing a right-click on the highlighted bullet points.
  • When you move your cursor over each sample, a live preview of the text from the backdrop slide will appear in the sample layout. Therefore, you may assess if the SmartArt layout meets your needs using the live preview before making the adjustment.
  • When you locate a SmartArt arrangement you like, click it to insert it into your text.
  • Now that your text or bullet points have been converted into a SmartArt visual, the Ribbon will show the SmartArt Tools.
  • The conversion of your text is complete. When the SmartArt graphic is chosen, the SmartArt Tools tab appears on the Ribbon, allowing you to customize the graphic.

PowerPoint SmartArt to Text Conversion:

It was impossible to return SmartArt to a bulleted list in older versions. You can’t do this till PowerPoint 2016 since that’s when Office released new functionality. To accomplish this, you must first make a copy of the slide containing the SmartArt graphic for backup purposes. Click CTRL+D on your keyboard to generate the duplicate in the Slides Pane on your left-hand side of the window or in the Slide Sorter View. The original slide can then be selected to begin the conversion process. 

Next, the SmartArt graphic you wish to convert should be chosen. You’ll notice dotted lines surrounding the SmartArt design once you’ve chosen it. There are two more contextual tabs on the Ribbon: SmartArt Tools Design and SmartArt Tools Format. First, the SmartArt Tools Design tab can be selected. To fill the drop-down list, next, click the Convert button under the SmartArt Tools tab. Then choose “Convert to Text” from the options below. The SmartArt visual will be automatically converted to bulleted text using this function. Another method is using the context menu when you right-click the SmartArt graphic on the tabs. After that, select the Convert to Text option under the SmartArt Tools menu by following the same procedures.