Creating Presentation Images

Getting an Image

Select one of the rotatable/dissectable or global rotation models from the available list. Rotate and/or dissect using the mouse. When you see an image that you wish to use in a presentation, click on the Enlarge this Window button beneath the image to generate an enlarged image from the database.

In Microsoft® Internet Explorer® (IE), dragging your cursor over the image generates a small menu bar that is useful in downloading the image to your computer.

Clicking on the first icon on this small menu bar (floppy disk) will save the image to the directory My Pictures on your hard drive. The dialog box allows you to name the image and place it in any other directory of your choosing. Note: If you are going to use the image in Microsoft® PowerPoint® or other presentation software, My Pictures is the default directory (where the program looks first for images). Unless you are an advanced user, it is recommended that you place the images in the My Pictures directory.

If you are using Netscapeä as your Internet browser, you can also save a picture from the enlarged image file. From the main toolbar in Netscapeä, select the Save As feature on the File drop-down menu. A dialog box appears and you are asked to name the file and select (or create) a folder for the image. As stated previously, My Pictures is the recommended directory location. My Pictures may be found in the My Documents file on your hard drive.

Inserting an Image into PowerPointä

Launch PowerPoint®. In the first dialog box, select either Open an existing presentation or Blank presentation to start a new one.

If you have opened an existing presentation, create a new slide by selecting Insert from the main toolbar and New slide…(Ctrl + M) from the drop down menu. A dialog box appears which is the same for New slide or Blank presentation.

Usually, one of the last two icons (lower right corner, Title only or Blank) is the best choice. Choose Title only if you want to add a title to an area outside of the image or Blank if no title is required. A new slide is now available for placing an image.

Select Insert from the main toolbar and from the drop-down menu click on the word Picture. A secondary drop-down appears beside the first. Select From file.

An Insert Picture dialog box appears with a list of images stored in the My Pictures folder. Select the name you assigned to the image and click on the Insert button. The image appears in the slide window.

Manipulating the Image

The inserted image is smaller than the available space. The additional area is to accommodate a title, outside of the image area. Moving the cursor over the image produces a symbol with four arrows. Holding down the left mouse button allows you to drag the image to a new location.

The image has a box around it with smaller white boxes at each of the four corners and at intervals half way along each side. These boxes are called “handles” and they are used to change the size of the image. You may need to make the image smaller to accommodate a long title or make it larger to better fill the slide space. To avoid distortion, you should preserve the image proportions by moving the corner handles in conjunction with the Shift Key and mouse. To change the size of the image, place the cursor over one of the corners and depress the left mouse button. At the same time, hold the Shift Key down and drag the corner to a new location. Notice that an outline of the re-sized box is indicated while dragging and that the proportions of the original image are preserved.

Adding Labels

Install the Drawing toolbar in PowerPoint®. The Drawing toolbar provides all of the tools necessary to finish the slide. On the main toolbar, select View and from the drop-down menu select Toolbars. From the list of toolbars, click Drawing.

From the icons on the Drawing toolbar, select Text Box (a printed page with an “A” in the upper left corner). Click on the icon and move your cursor to the area where you want to create a label. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse diagonally to create a box. Type the label.

Since the default text color is black and the images have a black background, change the color of the text. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the cursor over the label that you just typed. All of the letters should be “highlighted.” Go to the Font Color icon (A) on the Drawing toolbar and select the small “down” arrowhead beside it to the right. From the color palate select white, yellow or another light color that contrasts well with the black background. Click outside of the text box, to view the colored text. The text color can be changed as often as desired, by highlighting the text and selecting another color. Note: While the text is highlighted, font style, size, etc. can be changed, using the usual tools on the Formatting toolbar. Caution: Type should not be reduced much below 24 point, to project well. Some type styles project better than others. Experiment with fonts to determine which are too fine or too bold.

Lead lines and arrows may be easily be added from labels to structures. To add a lead line, select the Line icon from the Drawing toolbar.

The cursor arrow becomes a cross hair when moved over the image. Draw a line from the label to the structure by holding the left mouse button down while dragging from the label to the structure. The line has a “handle” at each end for further positioning, if required. The thickness of the line can be altered by selecting the Line Style icon on the Drawing toolbar. The line can be solid, dashed, dotted or a combination of other configurations by selecting the Dash Style icon on the Drawing toolbar. The beginning an/or ending of the line may be altered using the Arrow Style icon. Arrow heads, dots and a number of other endings may be selected. Like type, the default line color is black, but the lead line color can be changed by selecting the line and clicking on the Line Color icon. Select a color and preview the effect. Note: text and lead lines can be repositioned, colored, and resized independently.

Occasionally, creation of these independent elements places one behind the other, hiding or obscuring an element. On the Draw toolbar is the word “Draw.” From the Draw drop-down menu, select Order and from that submenu, the appropriate command that moves items back or brings them forward within the layers of the image.

When the slide is finished, select Edit from the main toolbar and Select All from the drop-down menu. Then, from the Draw toolbar, select Group from the Draw drop-down menu. All of the elements will be locked together in such a way as to make them one. The same menu navigation gets you to an Ungroup selection to reverse this process if necessary.