All of the elements that you add to slides, including text, clipart, shapes, charts, and bitmaps, are treated as objects in Corel Presentations.
In this section you'll learn about
inserting objects
selecting objects
copying and pasting objects and object attributes
resizing objects
flipping, rotating, and skewing objects
arranging objects
blending objects
molding objects
creating 3-D objects
applying color and outlines to objects
applying fills to objects
adding shadows to objects
adjusting the intensity of objects
applying effects to objects
creating SpeedLink objects
animating objects
Inserting objects
You can enhance slide shows and drawings by inserting objects from the Scrapbook, the WordPerfect Office CD, or from a file. You can also create other objects, such as shapes. For information about drawing shapes, see "Drawing and editing shapes in slide shows and drawings."
To insert an object from the Scrapbook
1 Click Insert Graphics Clipart.
2 Click one of the following tabs:
Clipart-vector graphics
Photos-bitmaps
3 Choose a category from the list.
4 Click a graphic on the palette.
5 Click Insert.
6 Click Close.
Tip
You can also insert clipart from a CD through Scrapbook by inserting a CD into the CD drive.
To insert an object from a file
1 Click Insert Graphics From file.
2 Choose the drive and folder where the file is stored.
3 Choose a file.
4 Click Insert.
Selecting objects
You must select an object before you can arrange, edit, or move it. You can select one object, or you can select multiple objects simultaneously. You can also optimize Corel Presentations so that any object you draw is automatically selected.
As well, if you have an object that is composed of many groups of small objects, such as a clipart image, you can display the selected objects in the Selected Object Viewer.
To select an object
To select Do the following
An object Click an object using the Selection tool.
Multiple objects Hold down Ctrl, and click the objects using the Selection tool.
All objects in a window or slide Click Edit Select All.
Objects automatically when they are created Click View Auto select.
Note
A check mark beside the Auto select menu command indicates that it is enabled.
To display or hide the Selected Object Viewer
Click View Selected Object Viewer.
A check mark beside the Selected Object Viewer menu command indicates that it is displayed.
Copying and pasting objects and object attributes
You can copy an object into another slide or drawing. You can also copy the color, line style, fill style, and shadow style attributes of one object to another object.
To copy an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Edit, and click one of the following:
Cut-removes the object from the drawing or slide show window
Copy-leaves the original object in the drawing or slide show window
To paste an object
Click Edit Paste.
Note
You can paste only one object at a time.
You must first copy an object before you can paste it. For information about copying objects, see "To copy an object."
To copy object attributes
1 Click an object whose attributes you want to copy.
2 Click Format Object properties Get attributes.
3 Enable one of the following options:
Drawing objects
Text
Drawing objects and text
4 Click OK.
5 Click an object to which you want to copy attributes.
6 Click Format Object properties Apply attributes.
Tips
You can also copy object attributes by clicking the Get attributes button on the toolbar.
You can also apply copied attributes by clicking the Apply attributes button on the toolbar.
Resizing objects
You can resize objects in slides or drawings by sizing and stretching them. You can size an object while keeping its original proportions intact, and stretching an object lets you extend it horizontally or vertically.
To size an object proportionately
1 Click an object.
2 Drag a corner handle until the object is the size you want.
Tip
You can also size an object proportionately by holding down Alt while dragging any handle until the object is the size you want.
To stretch an object
1 Click an object.
2 Drag a side handle until you achieve the effect you want.
Flipping, rotating, and skewing objects
You can flip, rotate, and skew objects in the drawing window. Flipping lets you mirror an object left to right or top to bottom. For example, you can copy an object, position it opposite to the original object, and create a mirror image. Rotating lets you reposition the object, and skewing lets you distort the horizontal or vertical dimensions of the object.
To flip an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Edit Arrange Flip, and click one of the following:
Left/right-flips the selected object around a vertical axis
Top/bottom-flips the selected object around a horizontal axis
Tip
You can also flip an object by opening the Flip picker on the property bar and clicking a direction.
To rotate an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Edit Arrange Rotate.
3 Drag a corner rotation handle.
You can also
Rotate an object automatically Right-click a rotation handle. In the Rotate dialog box, type a value in the Degrees box.
Rotate a copy of an object Right-click a rotation handle. In the Rotate dialog box, enable the Rotate a copy of the object check box.
Tip
You can also rotate an object by opening the Rotation options picker on the property bar and clicking a rotation angle.
To skew an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Edit Arrange Rotate.
3 Drag a side rotation handle.
Arranging objects
You can arrange the layering of objects on slides. As well, you can combine and group objects. Combined objects are treated as one object, but they adopt the attributes of the first selected object in the combination. Grouped objects are also treated as one object, but the individual objects in the group retain their original attributes.
You can also separate the layering of any of the combined or grouped objects on slides.
You can align a single object relative to the drawing page margins and multiple objects in relation to one another.
As well, you can evenly space three or more objects in relation to each other.
To arrange objects
1 Click an object.
2 Click Edit Arrange Order, and click one of the following:
To front
To back
Forward one
Back one
Tip
You can also arrange the order of objects by opening the Order picker on the property bar and clicking a direction.
To combine objects
1 Hold down Ctrl, and click the objects you want to combine.
2 Click Edit Arrange Combine.
Note
You cannot combine bitmaps, text, or charts.
To group objects
1 Hold down Shift, and click the objects you want to group.
2 Click Edit Arrange Group.
Note
If you group an object that contains a SpeedLink or animation, these features will be removed.
To separate objects
1 Click a grouped object.
2 Click Edit Arrange Separate objects.
To align an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Edit Arrange Align objects, and click one of the following:
Left-aligns the left edge of the selected object with the left edge of the drawing window or selection area
Right-aligns the right edge of the selected object with the right edge of the drawing window or selection area
Top-aligns the top of the selected object with the top of the drawing window or selection area
Bottom-aligns the bottom of the selected object with the bottom of the drawing window or selected area
Center left/right-moves the selected object left or right to the center of the selected area
Center top/bottom-moves the selected object up or down to the center of the selected area
Center both-moves the selected object to the center of the selected area
Tips
You can align two or more objects at the same time by holding down Shift while clicking objects.
You can also align an object by opening the Align picker on the property bar and clicking a direction.
To space objects
1 Hold down SHIFT, and click three or more objects.
2 Click Edit Arrange Space evenly, and click one of the following:
Left/right-spaces objects horizontally
Top/bottom-spaces objects vertically
Tip
You can also space objects evenly by opening the Space picker on the property bar and clicking a direction.
Blending objects
Blending is a special effect that you can apply to any two objects. When you blend two objects, you create a "progression," composed of the two objects and a series of intermediate objects (stacked one on top of another and offset) along a path between them. The intermediate objects display a smooth transition between the shapes and colors of the two original objects. For example, blending a red pentagon and a blue star creates intermediate shapes that follow a transition from pentagon to star, as well as from red to blue.
To blend objects
1 Hold down SHIFT, and click the objects you wan to blend.
2 Click Tools Blend.
3 In the Number of objects between images box, type the number of intermediate objects you want to display.
Note
Intermediate objects are separate objects that you can edit individually.
Molding objects
You can mold an object into one of several preset shapes, such as a pennant, crescent, or bow tie.
To mold an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Tools QuickWarp.
3 Click a shape on the palette.
Creating 3-D objects
Adding perspective to the objects in your slides and drawings creates a 3-D effect. When you add perspective, you are implementing another dimension to your object, thereby creating the illusion of distance and depth. You can also change the rotation and perspective of an already three-dimensional object by adjusting its viewing angle.
To add perspective to an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Tools Quick3-D.
3 Click the Perspective tab.
4 Click one of the following perspectives:
Linear
Parallel
Inverse
5 Type a value in the Depth box.
6 In the Color adjustment area, move the slider to the left or right to change the color brightness.
To manipulate the angle of a 3-D object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Tools Quick3-D.
3 Click the Rotation tab.
4 Click a rotation on the Rotation palette.
5 Type a value in any of the following boxes to specify how much to rotate the image around the x-axis, y-axis, or z-axis:
X
Y
Z
Applying color and outlines to objects
You can apply colors to objects. You can also apply custom outlines to objects, using color, width, and angle selections.
To apply a custom color to an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click one of the following buttons on the tool palette:
Foreground fill
Background fill
3 Click More.
4 In the Select color dialog box, choose a color model from the Color model list box.
5 Click a color on the color wheel.
6 Click a color on the color swatch.
Tip
You can also choose a color by typing values in the Red, Green, and Blue boxes in the Color values area.
To outline an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Format Object properties Outline.
3 In the Outline style area, open the Color picker, and click a color.
4 Open the Style picker, and click a line style.
5 Open the Width picker, and click a line width.
If you want to specify the line width, type a value in the box beside the Width picker.
6 Open the Joints picker, and click a line angle.
Tips
You can also choose an outline color by opening the Line color picker on the tool palette and clicking a color.
You can also change the line style or width by opening the Line style picker or the Line width picker on the tool palette and clicking a line style or a line width.
Applying fills to objects
Every object with a fill pattern has two colors-a background color and a pattern color-that you can customize. Pattern fills consist of two colors arranged to form a design. A gradient fill allows you to create a color blend, by progressively changing the transparency as it progresses from one color to another.
You can apply pattern and gradient fills to objects. You can also fill an object with texture and picture images. You can use any bitmap as a fill. Texture fills fill a designated area with a preset pattern that you select. For example, you can fill a rectangle with wood or oil textures. Picture fills fill a designated area with a single picture. You can change the settings of texture and picture fills to change the way the fills are applied to objects.
To apply a pattern or gradient fill to an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Format Object properties Fill.
3 In the Fill style area, click one of the following:
Pattern
Gradient
4 Open the Foreground picker, and click a color.
5 Open the Background picker, and click a color.
6 Click a fill on the palette.
Tip
You can also apply a pattern or gradient fill to an object by clicking the Fill pattern button on the tool palette.
To apply a texture or picture fill to an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Format Object properties Fill.
3 In the Fill style area, click one of the following:
Texture
Picture
4 Choose a fill category from the Category list box.
5 Click a fill on the palette.
Tip
You can also apply a texture or picture fill to an object by clicking the Fill pattern button on the tool palette.
To change texture fill settings
1 Click an object.
2 Click Format Object properties Fill.
3 In the Fill style area, click Texture.
4 Click Texture settings.
5 In the Texture settings dialog box, enable one of the following options:
Anchor the texture to the page
Anchor the texture to the object
6 In the Fill method area, click one of the following:
Winding-fills the enclosed areas, including overlapping areas
Alternating-fills every second enclosed area
To change picture fill settings
1 Click an object.
2 Click Format Object properties Fill.
3 In the Fill style area, click Picture.
4 Click Picture settings.
5 In the Picture settings dialog box, enable one of the following options:
Tile-repeats the graphic until the background is completely filled
Brick horizontal-repeats the graphic in offset horizontal rows
Brick vertical-repeats the graphic in offset vertical columns
Stretch/shrink to fit area-stretches or shrinks the graphic, not necessarily keeping the original proportions
Scale to fit area-makes the bitmap smaller or larger to fit to an area, keeping the original proportions
6 In the Fill method area, click one of the following:
Winding-fills the enclosed areas, including overlapping areas
Alternating-fills every second enclosed area
Adding shadows to objects
You can apply shadow properties to any object in slides or drawings.
To apply a shadow to an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Format Object properties Shadow.
3 Click a shadow on the Direction of shadow palette.
If you want to specify the direction of the shadow, type values in the following boxes:
Side-to-side offset
Up-and-down offset
4 Open the Shadow color picker, and click a color.
If you want to remove the transparency from the shadow, disable the Use transparent shadow check box.
Tips
You can also specify the direction of the shadow by moving the sliders in the Shadow preview window.
You can also apply a shadow to an object by opening the Shadow options picker on the property bar and clicking a shadow option.
Adjusting the intensity of objects
Adjusting the intensity of objects lets you adjust the brightness and contrast of an object and change colors to black and white with preset percentage values.
To adjust the intensity of an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click ToolsImage tools, and click one of the following:
Brightness-lightens or darkens a graphic
Contrast-increases or decreases the contrast between colors and backgrounds
Black and white-converts a colored graphic to black and white
3 Click a preset percentage value.
Tip
You can also adjust the intensity of an object by opening the Brightness, Contrast, or Black and white picker on the property bar and clicking a percentage.
Applying effects to objects
Applying effects to objects creates a different look in a slide show or drawing. There are many effects to choose from, including watermarking, inverting colors, and outlining every part of the object.
To apply an effect to an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Tools Image tools , and click one of the following:
Watermark-lightens the colors of a selected object so that it looks like a watermark
Grayscale-changes the color attributes of a selected object to shades of gray
Invert colors-inverts the colors of the selected object
Silhouette-changes the color of the selected object to black
Outline-displays the selected object as a line drawing
Coloring book-displays the selected object as a coloring book
Outline all-displays the selected object with everything outlined
Transparent-displays the selected object with no fill, so objects behind it are visible
Tip
You can also apply an effect to an object by opening the Image fill picker on the property bar and clicking an image tool.
Creating SpeedLink objects
You can create SpeedLink objects for slide shows, which allows you to do such things as optimize an object to launch a Web browser and go to a specific Web address or FTP site, open an application, such as WordPerfect or Quattro Pro, play a sound file, and move to another part of the slide show. You can also remove a SpeedLink from an object.
To create a SpeedLink object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Format Object properties SpeedLink.
3 Type a name in the SpeedLink name box.
If you want to make the SpeedLink object invisible, enable the Invisible while playing or printing slides check box.
4 In the Link assignment area, enable one of the following options:
Go to-from a list box, lets you choose a slide that displays when you click the SpeedLink object during a slide show
Action-from a list box, lets you choose the action that occurs when you click the SpeedLink object during a slide show
Note
The cursor displays when you position it where the SpeedLink is located, even if the SpeedLink is invisible.
To remove a SpeedLink from an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Format Object properties SpeedLink.
3 Enable the Unassigned option.
Animating objects
Objects or multiple objects can have animation effects applied to them. For example, you can choose the direction and speed of an animation effect, and you can animate an object in its place or across the slide.
When you animate multiple objects, you can specify the order in which the objects are displayed.
You can also apply sound to object animations.
To animate an object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Format Object properties Object animation.
3 In the Animation type area, enable one of the following options:
Animate object in place-animates the object in place on the slide
Animate object across screen-animates the object by moving it across the slide
If you want to show animation in Flash(tm) format, enable the Show only Flash-enabled transitions check box.
4 Choose an animation effect from the Effects list.
5 Choose an animation direction from the Direction list.
6 In the Speed area, enable one of the following options:
Fast
Medium
Slow
Note
Enable the Show only Flash-enabled transitions check box if you intend to publish the slide show to the Internet using Flash(tm) format. For information about using Flash(tm) format, see "Publishing slides as HTML documents."
Tip
If you want to animate multiple objects, hold down Shift, and click the objects.
To change the display sequence of an animated object
1 Click an object.
2 Click Format Object properties Object animation.
3 Choose a number from the Display sequence list box.
To apply sound to an object animation
1 Click an object.
2 Click Format Object properties Object animation.
3 In the Sound area, click Browse.
4 In the Open file dialog box, choose the drive and folder where the sound file is stored.
5 Type a filename in the Filename box.
6 Click Open.
7 On the Object animation page, move the slider to adjust the volume of the sound file.
