Lesson 5: Inserting Shapes and Lines


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The Drawing Toolbar has a collection of useful drawing tools. Use the Drawing Toolbar to insert lines, rectangles, circles, arrows, connectors, figures, flowcharts, text boxes, images, etc., into your slides.

In this lesson you'll learn how to insert lines and shapes and how to move, resize, rotate and connect them.

The topics in this section are:

  1. Inserting lines
  2. Inserting drawing shapes
  3. Moving an object using the mouse
  4. Resizing an object using the mouse
  5. Changing dimensions of a "3D" object
  6. Rotating an object
  7. Connecting objects with connector lines

 

Inserting lines

1. First let's examine the Drawing Toolbar, along the bottom of the Show window, just above the Status bar.

Drawing Toolbar

2. Slowly, move the mouse across the Drawing Toolbar buttons. Notice the contents of Bubble Help and Status bar, indicating the function of each button.

3. Click one of the following line buttons:

Draws straight line of specified length.

Draws arrow of specified length and arrow heads.

 

Drawing Arrow

4. Notice that the cursor changes to a cross.

5. Place the cursor somewhere on the slide then, press and drag the mouse to draw the line.

6. Notice that the line has handles so you can adjust the length.

Sample Double Arrow

7. Select and double-click the line.

This brings up the Drawing dialog box.

Drawing Attribute Dialog Box

 

A line is an object that can be moved and rotated like any other object.

8. Experiment with inserting and manipulating lines until you are satisfied that you understand the process and the effects you can produce.

 

Inserting drawing shapes

1. Click a Drawing Toolbar button for any object (except a line) you want to insert into the slide.

4. If the button offers a palette of options, move the arrow over the desired option and click the mouse to select it.

The cursor will change to a cross.

3. Place the cross in the slide where you want to insert the object.

4. Click/hold and drag the mouse to specify the size of the object. When you release the mouse, the object is defined and placed.

Using A Basic Shape

 

Drawing A Cube

Cube With Handles

 

Moving an Object using the Mouse

1. Place the cursor over the shape or object you just inserted (pointer changes to two double arrows).

2. Click/hold and drag the mouse to move the image to the new location.

Moving An Object

 

Resizing an object using the mouse

1. Select the object or image.

(Notice the small boxes "handles" on four edges and corners of the image.)

2. Place the cursor over a handle until the cursor changes to a double-pointed arrow.

3. Click/drag the mouse to resize the object or image in the direction of the arrow.

Resizing An Object

 

Changing dimensions of a "3D" object

1. Select the object.

2. Place the cursor over the yellow dot. (cursor changes to a pointing hand).

3. Click/drag the mouse to change the dimensions of the object or image.

Changing Dimensions

Rotating an Object

1. Select the object to rotate (images from image files cannot be rotated).

2. Notice that this activates the Rotate Object button on the Drawing Toolbar.

3. Click Rotate Object on the Drawing Toolbar.

4. Notice that the object's handles change from squares to circles.

5. Place the cursor over one of the handles until the cursor changes to a "pointing hand" image.

6. Click and hold the mouse as you rotate the object to the desired position.

Rotating An Object

NOTE: You can also rotate a text box -- but not the text.

Rotated Text Box

 

Connecting Objects with connector lines

ThinkFree Show offers many features to help you create organization charts, flowcharts, and diagrams requiring objects to be connected by lines. Further, Show maintains the connection(s) even when you move objects.

For the following exercises, you will need three or more objects.

1. Insert three or more objects into your slide (to make room, you can delete the text or create another file).

2. Arrange the objects so there is space between each one.

3. On the Drawing Toolbar choose some kind of connector line. (Notice the selection of straight, bent, and curved connectors.)

Connector Selections

 

4. Notice that the cursor changes to a cross.

5. Place the cursor-cross on an object, then drag the mouse to another object.

Connected Objects

 

6. Notice how Show connects the objects.

7. Similarly, with another connector line, connect another line from that object to another object.

8. Move one or more of the connected objects to demonstrate how Show maintains the connection.

Moving Connected Objects

9. Experiment with various shape and line options until you are satisfied that you understand the process and the effects you can produce.

 

Congratulations on completing this Lesson! To go to the next Lesson, click the bold link below.

Lesson 1: Startup and Tour of Toolbars

Lesson 2: Basic Operations, Inserting Textboxes and Text

Lesson 3: Working with Type Fonts and Textbox Attributes

Lesson 4: Paragraph indentation, alignment, line spacing, and bullets

Lesson 5: Inserting shapes and lines

Lesson 6: Inserting images

Lesson 7: Grouping, ungrouping, aligning, overlapping objects

Lesson 8: Creating a Master Slide

Lesson 9: Inserting / deleting slides

Lesson 10: Viewing and sorting miniature slides

Lesson 11: Setting up a slide show

 

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