Add elements to a presentation page

Elements are static elements including text (linear or curved), images, points, lines and polygons that can be added as an overlay to a presentation page. Elements provide notation, and bring attention to important information in a presentation. For example, a rectangle or arrow overlay can mark an area of interest. Additionally you could include a company logo or research photographs side by side with labels. You can include screenshots from other areas of the application that support your presentation by adding them as image elements. For example you could included specific columns in a table or a legend showing map layer symbology.

When designing a page in a presentation, use elements that direct your audience's attention to the information you want to be understood. Consider how much text or how many images you put on one page.

Use the Element Order view of the Contents pane to view and organize the elements on a page. Expand the page node to see the elements it contains. The element list for a page obeys the drawing order so the elements at the top of the list draw on top of elements at the bottom of the list.

Note:

These instructions are for adding elements to a presentation. Elements can also be added to layouts and map graphic layers but choices of elements may be different. If the map used to create the map page contains a map graphics layer, those graphics are maintained by the map. Elements in a map graphics layer are not editable in a presentation map page. Only new elements added within a presentation can be selected and edited.

Add text

Whether it's a title or summary notes on a page, text provides the key points to discuss or review in a presentation. Supporting text like short sentences can have a lot of impact when combined with the map, image, or video on your page.

Add text to a presentation page using the following steps:

1. Ensure the page you want to add text to is currently displayed in the presentation view. If not, click the page to select it from the Contents pane.
2. On the Insert tab in the Elements group, click the graphic element drop-down to expand the gallery of elements.
3. Choose a text element from the gallery.

   All text elements except for Straight Text will preserve the set font size and automatically wrap long text to new lines. Straight text font size automatically resizes to fit as the element width and height is resized.

   • Rectangle text
   • Polygon text
   • Straight text
   • Curved text
   • Circle text
   • Ellipse text
4. Click to place a rectangle, circle, or ellipse text element or click and drag to the desired shape.
5. For polygon text and curved text, click to create the first vertex and then move the pointer to click the page again and create a segment. Double-click or press F2 to complete the element.

   The most recently chosen element will appear at the top of the gallery for quick access.

6. Type the text you want to add in the text element.
7. To make changes to the text, double-click the text and type new text, or use the keyboard arrows to move the pointer and delete specific text.
8. Click in space away from the element to unselect it.

Add bullets to text

You can create a bulleted list inside a text element to provide additional formatting. Bulleted lists organize text or show a sequential process in a presentation. It is not recommended to paste bulleted lists formatted from third party applications. To add a bulleted list do the following:

1. Ensure a text element has been added to the presentation page.
2. Double-click to select the text inside the text element you want to start a bulleted list from. Optionally, when you initially click to place a new text element, the default text is automatically selected.
3. On the Text tab in the Text Symbol group, click the Bullets button .

   If multiple lines are selected, each line becomes a bullet in the list.

4. To remove a bulleted list, select the text and click the Bullets button again.
5. Optionally click Increase or Decrease bullet indentation or work with keyboard shortcuts to edit the bulleted list.

Add an image

Another way to customize a presentation is to add images. For example, a company logo, pictures from field research, or a screenshot of a map to use as a study area inset map.

Add an image to a presentation page using the following steps:

1. Ensure the page you want to add an image to is currently displayed in the presentation view. If not, click the page to select it from the Contents pane.
2. On the Insert tab in the Element group, click the Picture drop-down button and choose how you want to add the picture.
   • Select From Local or Network Path to add a picture from a file location.
   • Select From URL to add a picture from a URL.
3. Select the picture to add.

   How you select the picture depends on where it is being inserted from.

   • For a local or network path picture, browse to the picture location on the Insert Picture dialog box that matches the supported file types (BMP, EMF, GIF, JPG, PNG, SVG, and TIFF), and click OK.
   • For a URL picture, add the URL in the Address text box on the Insert Picture From URL dialog box.
4. In the presentation view, click or drag to position the picture.

   If you drag a box, the picture appears in that box. If you click a single point, the picture is added at its original size.

Change a picture

Once a picture has been added to a presentation page, it can be changed. Pictures do not stay connected to the original image source. If the source image is updated, you must change the image in the presentation as well to see the new version.

To change an existing picture on a presentation page, complete the following steps:

1. In the Presentation view, select the picture on the page or select the picture in the Element Order view in the Contents pane.
2. Right-click the picture and choose Properties to open the Element pane.
3. Click the Change Picture drop-down button and choose where to select the new picture from.
   • Select From Local or Network Path to add a picture from a file location.
   • Select From URL to add a picture from a URL.
4. Select the new picture to display.

   How you select the image depends on where it is being inserted from.

   • For a local or network path picture, browse to the picture location on the Insert Picture dialog box.
   • For a URL picture, add the URL in the Address text box on the Insert Picture From URL dialog box.

   The picture on the presentation page updates to the new picture.

Add a shape

Geometric shapes can be added to a presentation page as an element. Shapes can be points, lines, polygons or arrows.

Add shape elements to a presentation page using the following steps:

1. Ensure the page you want to add a shape to is currently displayed in the presentation view. If not, click the page to select it from the Contents pane.
2. On the Insert tab in the Elements group, open the element gallery drop-down and choose a shape.
3. Click in the presentation view on the presentation page to create the first vertex.

   Point graphic elements require a single click.

   For line, polygon, and arrow graphic elements, move the pointer and click the page again to create a segment.

4. Double-click on the page to complete the element.

Keep the last tool active

By default, the application switches to selection mode after a graphic element is created. If you plan to add multiple elements to the presentation, click to expand the gallery on the Insert tab and enable the Keep the last tool active option. This allows you to continue to add graphic shapes, pictures, or text.

Default symbol

Text, lines, polygons, and points are added using a default symbol. After adding the elements, they can be modified and the symbol can be changed. The default symbol properties for text and graphic elements can be customized and managed on the Options dialog box.

Modify elements

Once a text, image, or shape element has been added to a presentation, it can be modified to update appearance and properties specific to the symbol such as font formatting, size and position, alignment, and much more. There are four ways to modify selected overlay elements on a presentation page:

• In the Element Order view of the Contents pane, expand a page and double-click the element to open the Element pane to access all element properties. Depending on the element type, some different options will be available. Properties are divided across the following tabs to customize the element.
  • Options —Set the element name, visibility, and source file location (pictures only).
  • Display —Create a border, background, or shadow for the element.
  • Placement —Set the element width and height and position.
  • Symbol or Text Symbol—Define additional settings for symbol appearance and effects.
• Select the element, and on the contextual Text, Picture, or Graphic tab, you can modify the element's symbol, size and position, and appearance.
• Manually edit directly in the presentation view. Select a graphic on the page and drag to resize or reposition. If text, double-click to type new text in the element directly. Click outside the text element to commit the changes.
• Right-click an element and use the context menu list for alignment and arrangement options, properties, and commands.

Elements can be copy and pasted to the clipboard to reuse on the same page or other pages in the presentation. Multiple selected elements can be modified together but only for the properties they have in common.