Working With SmartArt

SmartArt is a series of visual effects used to modify text. SmartArt templates allow you to modify bulleted points and create flow charts and workflow diagrams, cycle diagrams, pie charts, hierarchy charts, Venn diagrams, information matrices, and more.

When To Use This:

• When you want to add effects to bullet points

• When your ideas are better expressed visually

• When you want to create crowd-pleasing diagrams

You can access the SmartArt menu by selecting "Insert" followed by "SmartArt Graphic." This will reveal the SmartArt Gallery, which contains all of the available templates. They are organized by category.

Once you have selected a style, you can modify the visual effects (Transparent, 3-D, etcetera) and the color schemes using the SmartArt Tools tab at the top of the screen on Windows. On Macintosh, the SmartArt Graphic Styles options can be found in the Formatting Palette.

SmartArt is available throughout the Microsoft Office suite.

Additional Help:

• Microsoft Tutorial: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint-help/working-with-smartart-graphics-HA010239392.aspx

• Dummies Tutorial: http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/what-is-smartart-in-powerpoint-2007.html

• Video Tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYqG1S4TlOQ