PowerPoint changes the shape but keeps the formatting. Choose the shape you want from the Shapes Gallery.Click the Format tab and choose Edit Shape, Change Shape in the Insert Shapes group.You can use a similar technique to change a shape without losing the formatting. PowerPoint changes the picture but keeps the formatting. Find the specific picture (if not from the clipboard) and select it.You can even choose from a picture that you copied to the clipboard. I usually use From a File but notice the other options. Then choose the source of your picture.
Right-click the image and choose Change Picture.Here are the steps to change a picture without losing the formatting: This saves you from inserting a new picture and having to copy the formatting. You can use the Format Painter or Pick Up and Apply Style on a picture or shape, but let’s say you want to change the image or shape without losing the formatting. 2) Change Picture and Change ShapeĪgain, I’m combining 2 techniques because they are similar–and both very useful. Think of these as variations of the well-known Copy and Paste shortcuts but by adding the Shift key, you’re copying the formatting instead of the object itself. I explain how in “ Work Faster in PowerPoint.” (You’ll find some other cool tricks there, too.) But you can also use the (faster) keyboard shortcuts which are: I recommend that you put these commands on the Quick Access Toolbar. Apply Style is often easier to use for text in my experience, it’s sometimes hard to select text when the Format Painter is active.It also may be easier when you need to apply a style on a different slide. The style that you pick up remains available to you even after you do other tasks.They’re similar to Format Painter but have 2 advantages:
Pick Up Style and Apply Style are less well-known because they are not on the ribbon. When you’re done, click Format Painter once to turn it back “off.” Tip: Double-click the Format Painter button to keep it “on” and apply the formatting to multiple objects, one after another. Click the second object to copy the formatting.Select the first object and click Format Painter on the Home tab in the Clipboard group.Format an object the way you like it could be a shape, some text, or an image.This is actually 2 techniques but I’m putting them together because they’re similar.įormat Painter is probably the best known. 1) Format Painter and Pick Up/Apply Style If you aren’t using them, you’ll soon wonder how you got along without them. The good news is that PowerPoint has several techniques to copy formatting and animation.
You also don’t need to add the words “image of” or “photo of” before your description, since screen readers announce an object as an image already.You can spend a lot of time formatting a shape or some text in PowerPoint and you certainly don’t want to have to repeat that process if it isn’t necessary. The general rule for alt text is to keep it brief and descriptive. If you’d rather input the alt text yourself, select the text box and type the description. While Office’s description isn’t wrong, it also isn’t very helpful. Select the “Generate a description for me” option to do so.Īs you can see, PowerPoint offered “A close up of a logo” as the alt text for our object, and lets the user know the description was automatically generated. You also have the options of letting PowerPoint generate a description of the selected object for you. To mark something as decorative, check the box next to “Mark as decorative.” Once you do, you’ll notice the box in which you would manually type the alt text is grayed out and displays a message letting you know that screen readers will not pick up the description. Office uses a stylistic border as something you might want to mark as decorative, which is a good example. If you mark something as decorative, then that’s what it should be-an object that is aesthetically pleasing but adds no value to the actual content. You can manually type the alt text into the content box (1), have PowerPoint generate a description for you (2), or mark the object as decorative (3). Regardless of which method you choose, you will see the “Alt Text” pane appear on the right-hand side of the window.