Select multiple objects when you want to perform the same operation on all of them, for example, making them all the same color or moving all of them at the same time.
Select multiple objects one at a time by holding down [Shift] while clicking each object.
Select multiple objects all at once by drawing a selection rectangle around them (drag the standard mouse pointer). Be sure to start dragging on a blank area of the slide.
Add items to the selection by using the [Shift]+click method. Remove an item from a group of selected items by [Shift]+clicking it.
Selected objects can be aligned horizontally or vertically, relative to each other. They can be aligned by their tops, bottoms, middles, right sides, left sides, or centers. They can be aligned relative to the edges of a slide when the Relative to Slide option is selected.
Selected objects can be distributed (evenly spaced) horizontally or vertically, relative to each other, by using Align or Distribute toolbar buttons. Objects can also be evenly distributed across the width or height of a slide when the Relative to Slide option is turned on.
Flipping an object creates a mirror image of it. The Rotate Left and Rotate Right buttons rotate objects in 90-degree increments.
When objects overlap, use the buttons on the Order toolbar to control which object appears on the top. The most recently drawn object will be on top until you change its order.
Grouping two or more objects combines them in such a way that they behave as if they were one object.
After grouping objects, an individual object within the group can be selected without ungrouping all the objects. First click the group to select it; then click an object in the group. The gray selection handles indicate which object is selected. The selected group object can have its fill and outline formatted and can be flipped, but it cannot be deleted, resized, or rotated.
To delete, resize, or rotate an individual object within a group, first ungroup the objects. After you are finished working on individual items of a group, regroup them.
Apply an object shadow or 3-D effect to emphasize an object. There are 20 shadow styles and 20 3-D styles to choose from, and each style can be customized by using the Shadow Settings toolbar or the 3-D Settings toolbar.
The Duplicate command creates a copy of the selected item on the same slide, offset by a small amount. Using the Duplicate command multiple times creates an evenly spaced series of duplicated items.
Vector-based pictures (for example, pictures with the .wmf file extension) can be converted into a group of PowerPoint objects by using the Ungroup command. Once ungrouped, the individual objects can be formatted and manipulated like any PowerPoint object.
To reduce the file size of a presentation containing pictures, use the Compress Pictures button on the Picture Toolbar reduce the resolution, omit cropped areas, and compress the pictures.
