Click that Pen button, and then choose Pen from the pop-up menu: Click and drag the mouse to draw on the slide. (Optional) To turn off the pen, right-click the slide, point to Pointer Options, and then click Arrow Options and choose the option you prefer.
Creating visuals to support your presentation or project is an important part of communicating your message. Whether you are presenting to a large audience or working on a personal project, incorporating visuals into your work can help to engage viewers and add dimension to your message. PowerPoint is a great tool for creating impactful visuals with the help of its drawing tools. In this blog post, we will go over how to draw in PowerPoint, so you can create visuals that will help you communicate your message in a professional and effective way.
How To DRAW and WRITE with PowerPoint
Methods to draw on PowerPoint slides
The following are various techniques for drawing in PowerPoint:
Physical methods
The digital pen can be used on smart whiteboards, tablets, or computers that are showing the presentation. It appears when the presentation is in “Slide Show” or “Presenter” mode. Depending on your system, you can use different techniques when creating drawings on your slides.
Pen tools
In order to draw in PowerPoint, you first choose a pen tool. A highlighter, a pen, and a pencil are the three types of pens. You can alter the color, line thickness, opacity, and effects of the pen tool after choosing your tool. A color wheel and a set of standard color options are available in PowerPoint so you can choose the color you want quickly. You can select features like color gradients to give your drawn components style. Use the ink tools on your drawings to maintain these color and style adjustments.
Drawing tools
You can add a variety of shapes or lines to your presentation using the sets of installed drawing tools that PowerPoint provides. The “Shapes” tool in the toolbar lets you choose from a variety of polygonal shapes, including squares, octagons, triangles, circles, and straight or wavy lines and arrows. For your slides, you can also choose the “Freeform: Scribble” option and manually draw your own shapes or lines.
Inking tools
With PowerPoint’s inking tools, you can create drawings from scratch on a slide and then convert them into formats that other PowerPoint tools can edit. You can use “Ink to Text” to convert handwritten words into text that you can edit on a keyboard. You can manipulate the size and placement of an irregular, hand-drawn shape in the slide by using “Ink to Shape” to transform it into a regular, uniform shape. You can write mathematical formulas with symbols, exponents, and variables using “Ink to Math,” which functions similarly to “Ink to Text,” and PowerPoint will convert them into typed form.
Why draw in PowerPoint?
Slides can be illustrated to highlight specific figures, trends, or numbers for your audience. When annotating slides, drawing can be helpful for underlining key points, adding notes or shapes, and editing text for your own or others’ reference. If you’d rather write content by hand, you can use drawing tools to convert it to text. You can also add personal style or custom designs to your presentation by drawing on PowerPoint slides, showcasing your creativity or personality in your work.
How to draw in PowerPoint
Here are several techniques for drawing on PowerPoint slides. Please note that older versions of MS Office and Office 365 may not follow these instructions exactly.
Draw during a presentation
The steps below should be followed if you want to make a drawing on your presentation slides to draw the audience’s attention to a particular point:
Use the Draw tab in Windows
To add drawings to slides while they are being created in PowerPoint, use the steps below if you are using a Windows computer.
Use the Draw tab in MacOS
To add drawings to your PowerPoint presentation on a Mac, follow these instructions:
Use the Draw tool on a mobile device
Use these steps to annotate your slides when using the PowerPoint mobile app on a phone or tablet to create your presentation:
Use the ink tools
Use the ink tools to transform your hand-drawn images into standardized text or shapes by following these steps:
Tips for drawing in PowerPoint
Here are some pointers you can use to make the most of your PowerPoint drawing usage:
Add the “Draw” tab to the ribbon
The “Draw” tab typically already appears in the ribbon at the top of the screen. You can easily add the “Draw” tab to the ribbon if you don’t see it already. You can add items by selecting “Customize the Ribbon” from the context menu when you right-click the ribbon. Find “Draw” in that menu, check the box next to it, and then click “OK” to add the tab.
Draw with the “Ruler” tool
Use the “Ruler” tool if you want to add hand-drawn lines but want to make sure they stay straight without changing into shapes. By doing so, a ruler will appear on your slide, which you can move or rotate as needed. To use this tool, select “Ruler” from the toolbar when you are in the “Draw” tool. Position the ruler where you want to add your line. Next, customize the pen tool and draw a line by tracing the edge of the ruler. Simply select “Ruler” once more from the toolbar to remove the ruler from the screen.
Use effective drawings
Consider your audience, the setting, and the presentation’s tone when including illustrations in your presentation. Think about including illustrations that are consistent with the subject or tenor of your presentation, such as standard, subdued illustrations for a formal presentation or vibrant illustrations for a more laid-back one. Drawings can help you stand out from the competition by showcasing your creativity or personality in a presentation.
Please be aware that none of the aforementioned businesses or goods are connected to Indeed.
FAQ
Where is the Draw tool in PowerPoint?
Open a presentation, choose Review > Start Inking, then choose your preferred pen tool to draw a freehand shape or some text. The pen tool is excellent for underlining key points, highlighting crucial passages in your presentation, and adding custom design to your slides.
