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Impress Guide 7.2

Chapter 5
Managing Graphic Objects

Copyright

This document is Copyright © 2021 by the LibreOffice Documentation Team. Contributors are listed below. This document maybe distributed and/or modified under the terms of either the GNU General Public License (https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html), version 3 or later, or the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), version 4.0 or later.

All trademarks within this guide belong to their legitimate owners.

Contributors

To this edition

Peter Schofield

Vasudev Narayanan

Rachel Kartch

To previous editions

Peter Schofield

Samantha Hamilton

Michele Zarri

Jean Hollis Weber

T. Elliot Turner

Low Song Chuan

Feedback

Please direct any comments or suggestions about this document to the Documentation Team’s mailing list: documentation@global.libreoffice.org

Note

Everything sent to a mailing list, including email addresses and any other personal information that is written in the message, is publicly archived and cannot be deleted.

Publication date and software version

Published October 2021. Based on LibreOffice 7.2.

Using LibreOffice on macOS

Some keystrokes and menu items are different on macOS from those used in Windows and Linux. The table below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this document. For a detailed list, see the application Help.

Windows or Linux

macOS equivalent

Effect

Tools > Options
menu selection

LibreOffice > Preferences

Access setup options

Right-click

Control+click or right-click depending on computer setup

Open a context menu

Ctrl (Control)

(Command)

Used with other keys

F11

+T

Open the Styles deck in the Sidebar

Introduction

This chapter describes how to manage graphic objects and in particular how to rotate, distort, arrange, and position them on the slide. This chapter focuses on the shapes that can be created with the available tools in Impress. However, some of the techniques described in this chapter are also applicable to images imported into slides.

Drawing toolbar

The Drawing toolbar (Figure 1) contains the majority of the tools normally used to create graphic objects. If this toolbar is not visible, select View > Toolbars > Drawing from the Menu bar. By default, the Drawing toolbar is docked vertically at the left side of the Impress window.

Figure 1: Drawing toolbar

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Note

The Drawing toolbar shown in Figure 1 may differ between different operating systems and computer setup. Also, the Drawing toolbar displayed depends on how many drawing tools have been placed on the toolbar. Right-click in an empty area of the Drawing toolbar, then select Visible Buttons from the context menu to display the available tools. Using this context menu tools can be installed and removed to and from the toolbar. See Appendix B, Toolbars for more information.

Drawing tools

From left to right, the drawing tools shown in Figure 1 are as follows:

Figure 2: Lines and Arrows sub-toolbar

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Figure 3: Curves and Polygons sub-toolbar

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Figure 4: Connectors sub-toolbar

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Figure 5: Basic Shapes sub-toolbar

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Figure 6: Symbol Shapes sub-toolbar

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Figure 7: Block Arrows sub-toolbar

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Figure 8: Flowchart sub-toolbar

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Figure 9: Callouts sub-toolbar

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Figure 10: Stars and Banners sub-toolbar

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Figure 11: 3D-Objects sub‑toolbar

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Figure 12: Align Objects sub‑toolbar

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Figure 13: Position sub-toolbar (Arrange)

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Figure 14: Distribute Selection sub‑toolbar

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Figure 15: Image Filter toolbar

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Figure 16: Glue Points toolbar

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Figure 17: 3D-Settings toolbar

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Creating lines and shapes

This section is an introduction to creating lines and shapes. For more information on working with lines and shapes, see the Draw Guide.

Drawing regular shapes

Regular shapes that are available on the Drawing toolbar are as follows:

Rectangle

Ellipse

Basic Shapes

Symbol Shapes

Block Arrows

Flowchart

Callouts

Stars and Banners

3D Objects

Some icons for regular shapes have a triangle ▼ next to the icon that gives access to several different types of regular shapes. Also, the icons for some of the regular shapes displayed on the Drawing toolbar show the last tool used for each of these regular shapes.

Drawing a regular shape is as follows:

1)  Select the required tool from the Drawing toolbar or from a sub-toolbar after selecting the triangle ▼ next to the icon.

2)  Place the cursor on the slide, then click and drag the mouse to define an enclosing rectangle.

3)  Release the mouse button and the selected shape is drawn on the slide.

4)  Press and hold the Shift key when creating a shape to maintain equal height and width. For example, using Rectangle or Ellipse to draw a square or a circle. Release the mouse button before releasing the Shift key.

5)  Press and hold the Alt key to draw a shape from its center. Release the mouse button before releasing the Alt key.

6)  Press and hold the Shift and Alt keys when creating a shape to maintain equal height and width and draw the shape from the center. For example, when using Rectangle or Ellipse tool to draw a square or a circle. Release the mouse button before releasing the Shift and Alt keys.

7)  Press and hold the Ctrl key when creating a shape to snap the top left corner of the shape selection box to the nearest grid point.

Note

If the Snap to Grid option in Tools > Options > LibreOffice Impress > Grid has been selected, pressing and holding the Ctrl key prevents the top left corner of the shape selection box snapping to the nearest grid point.

Regular shape adjustment

When creating shapes that are included in Impress, one or more dots maybe displayed in a different color to the selection handles. These dots perform a different function according to the shape they are applied to and are listed below.

Basic Shapes

The Basic Shapes with shape adjustment dots are as follows:

Symbol Shapes

The Symbol Shapes with shape adjustment dots are as follows:

Block Arrows

The Block Arrows with shape adjustment dots are as follows:

Callouts

All Callouts use shape adjustment dots to change the length, position and angle of the pointer.

Stars and Banners

The Stars and Banners with shape adjustment dots are as follows:

Drawing curves, polygons and freeform lines

Curves, polygons and lines on the Drawing toolbar have a triangle ▼ next to the icon. Clicking on this triangle ▼ opens a sub-toolbar giving access to several different types of curves, polygons and lines. The icons on the Drawing toolbar show the last tool used for each of these curves, polygons and lines. If a filled curve, filled polygon, or filled freeform line was selected, Impress draws the line connecting the last point to the start point and fills the inside area with the default fill color.

Curves

1)  Click the triangle ▼ next to Curves and Polygons on the Drawing toolbar to open the Curves and Polygons sub-toolbar.

2)  Select either Curve or Curve Filled.

3)  Place the cursor on the slide, then click and drag to create the starting point of a curve.

4)  Release the mouse button and drag the cursor to draw a curve on the slide, bending the line into a curve.

5)  Click to set the end point of the curve and fix the curve on the slide.

6)  Drag the cursor to continue drawing a straight line. Each mouse click sets a corner point and allows drawing of another straight line from the corner point.

7)  Double-click to end the drawing of your curve.

8)  If Curve Filled was selected, Impress automatically fills the curve with the default fill color.

Note

Holding down the Shift key when drawing lines with the curve or polygon tools restricts the angles between lines to 45 or 90 degrees.

Polygons and Polygons 45°

1)  Click the triangle ▼ next to Curves and Polygons on the Drawing toolbar to open the Curves and Polygons sub-toolbar.

2)  Select either Polygon, Polygon Filled, Polygon (45°) or Polygon Filled (45°).

3)  Place the cursor on the slide, then click and drag to draw the first line from the start point. Release the mouse button and a line between the first and second points is drawn.

4)  Move the cursor to draw the next line. Each mouse click sets a corner point and allows drawing of another line.

5)  Double-click to end the drawing of a polygon.

6)  If Polygon Filled or Polygon Filled (45°) was selected, Impress automatically fills the polygon with the default fill color.

Note

If Polygon (45°) or Polygon Filled (45°) were selected, the movement of the cursor and the angles between lines is restricted to increments of 45°.

Freeform lines

Using Freeform Line or Freeform Line Filled tools is similar to drawing with a pencil on paper.

1)  Click the triangle ▼ next to Curves and Polygons on the Drawing toolbar to open the Curves and Polygons sub-toolbar.

2)  Select either Freeform Line or Freeform Line Filled.

3)  Click and drag the cursor to the line shape required.

4)  When finished drawing a freeform line, release the mouse button and the drawing is completed.

5)  If Freeform Line Filled was selected, Impress automatically fills the drawing between the start and end points with the default fill color.

Figure 18: Line starting point

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Drawing lines and arrows

Straight lines

A straight line is the simplest element or object in Impress to create.

1)  Use one of the following methods to draw a line:

2)  Click at the start position for the line and drag the cursor.

3)  Release the mouse button at the end position of the line. A selection handle appears at each end of the line. The selection handle at the starting point of the line is slightly larger than the end selection handle, as shown in Figure 18.

4)  Keep the Ctrl key pressed while drawing a line to enable the end of the line to snap to the nearest grid point.

5)  Keep the Shift key pressed while drawing a line to restrict the drawing angle of a line to multiple of 45 degrees.

6)  Keep the Alt key pressed while drawing a line to cause the line to extend outwards symmetrically in both directions from the start point. This draws lines by starting from the middle of the line.

Note

If the Snap to Grid option in Tools > Options > LibreOffice Impress > Grid has been selected, pressing and holding the Ctrl key prevents the line or arrow snapping to the nearest grid point.

Arrows

Arrows are drawn like lines and are classified as a subgroup of lines, that is lines with arrowheads. Hovering the cursor over each type of arrow that is available shows the type of endings each tool will draw.

1)  Click the triangle ▼ on the right of Lines and Arrows on the Drawing toolbar and select the type of arrow from the Lines and Arrows sub-toolbar.

2)  Click at the starting position for drawing the arrow, then drag the cursor. The arrowhead(s) is drawn at the end of the line when the mouse button is released.

3)  Keep the Ctrl key pressed while drawing an arrow to enable the end of the arrow to snap to the nearest grid point.

4)  Keep the Shift key pressed while drawing an arrow to restrict the drawing angle of an arrow to multiple of 45 degrees.

5)  Keep the Alt key pressed while drawing an arrow to cause the arrow to extend outwards symmetrically in both directions from the start point. This draws arrows by starting from the middle of the arrow.

Grouping objects

Grouping of objects is similar to putting objects into a container. Objects within a group are moved together as one object and any changes made are applied globally to the objects within the group. A group can always be undone and the objects that make up the group can always be manipulated separately.

This section gives only a brief introduction to grouping of objects. An example of grouping two objects together is shown in Figure 19. For more information on working with grouped objects, see the Draw Guide.

Figure 19: Example of grouping objects

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Temporary grouping

Temporary grouping is when several objects are selected. Any changes to the objects are applied to all of the objects within the temporary group. For example, a temporary group of objects can be rotated in its entirety.

A temporary group is created using one of the following methods:

To cancel a temporary grouping of objects, simply click outside of the selection handles displayed around the objects.

Grouping

To group objects together permanently:

1)  Objects are grouped together using one of the following methods:

2)  With selection handles displayed, use one of the following methods to create a group of selected objects:

Editing or formatting groups

1)  Click on an object in the group to select the group. Any editing or formatting can then be carried out on all the objects within the group or on individual objects within the group.

2)  To edit an individual object within a group, enter the group using one of the following methods:

3)  Select individual objects within the group for editing or formatting. An example of editing individual objects in a group is shown in Figure 20.

4)  When editing or formatting is completed, use one of the following methods to exit the group and the whole group then becomes selected:

Figure 20: Example of editing inside a group

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Ungrouping

1)  Click on any one of the objects in the group to select the group.

2)  With selection handles displayed, use one of the following methods to ungroup a group of objects:

Tip

If group and ungroup commands are regularly used, or any other command, commands can be added to a toolbar so that they are readily available. See Chapter 11, Setting Up and Customizing Impress and the Getting Started Guide for more information on customizing the user interface.

Positioning and resizing graphic objects

Using a mouse

Positioning

For quick positioning of an object on a slide, use the mouse as follows:

1)  Click on an object or a group of objects to display the selection handles.

2)  Move the cursor over a selected graphic object until the cursor changes shape. The cursor shape depends on the computer setup and the computer operating system.

3)  Click and drag the object to the desired position. During movement, a ghost image of the object appears to help with repositioning (Figure 21).

4)  Release the mouse button when the object is in the desired position.

Note

The arrow keys can also be used to quickly move a selected object or group to a new position.

Figure 21: Example of moving objects

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Resizing

For quick positioning of an object on a slide, use the mouse as follow:

1)  Click on an object or a group of objects to display the selection handles.

2)  Move the cursor over a selection handle.

3)  Click and drag the selection handle to resize the graphic object. During resizing, a ghost image of the object appears to help with resizing (Figure 22).

Figure 22: Example of resizing objects

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4)  To maintain the width to height ratio, hold down the Shift key before clicking and dragging on a selection handle. Remember to release the mouse button before releasing the Shift key.

5)  Release the mouse button when the object is at the desired size.

Position and Size dialog

Positioning

For a more accurate placement of a graphic object on a slide, use the Position and Size dialog (Figure 23) as follows:

1)  Select an object to display the selection handles, then open the Position and Size dialog using one of the following methods:

2)  Click on the Position and Size tab to open the Position and Size page.

3)  In the Position section, specify Position X (horizontal) and Position Y (vertical) position of the object. The values represent the distance from the Base point selected on the right hand side of the dialog. The default selection for Base point is relative to the top left corner of the slide.

4)  If necessary, in the Protect section of the dialog, select the Position option to prevent the object from being repositioned.

5)  Click OK to save the changes and to close the dialog.

Note

The units of measurement used in this dialog and other Impress dialogs are set in Tools > Options > LibreOffice Impress > General.

Figure 23: Position and Size dialog - Position and Size page

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Resizing

1)  Select an object to display the selection handles, then open the Position and Size dialog using one of the following methods:

2)  Click on the Position and Size tab to open the Position and Size page.

3)  In Size, select a Base point that to use as an anchor when resizing the object. The default selection of top left corner means that the top left corner of the object will not change position when resizing.

4)  To maintain the proportions between width and height, in the Size section select the Keep ratio option before changing the Width or Height. When Keep ratio is selected, changes to one dimension results in an automatic change to the other dimension maintaining the ratio between object width and height.

5)  In the Size section, specify the Width and Height of the object.

6)  If necessary, in the Protect section of the dialog, select the Size option to prevent the object from being resized.

7)  Click OK to save the changes and to close the dialog.

Sidebar Position and Size panel

Positioning

Use the Position and Size panel in the Properties deck on the Sidebar (Figure 24) to position a graphic object as follows:

1)  Select an object to display the selection handles.

2)  Click on Properties in the Sidebar to open the Properties deck.

3)  Click on Position and Size to open the panel.

4)  Specify Position X (horizontal) and Position Y (vertical) position of the object. The values represent the distance from the Base point that has been selected in the Position and Size dialog.

5)  Press the Enter key to make the changes.

Figure 24: Position and Size panel in Properties deck on Sidebar

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Resizing

Use the Position and Size panel in the Properties deck on the Sidebar to resize an object as follows:

1)  Select an object to display the selection handles.

2)  Click on Properties in the Sidebar to open the Properties deck.

3)  Click on Position and Size to open the panel.

4)  To maintain the proportions between width and height, select the Keep ratio option before changing the Width or Height. When Keep ratio is selected, changes to one dimension results in an automatic change to the other maintaining the ratio between object width and height.

5)  Press the Enter key to make the changes.

Applying special effects

As well as the basic actions of moving and resizing an object, a number of special effects can also be applied to objects in Impress. This section describes how to rotate, flip, and distort an object.

Rotating graphic objects

Mouse rotation

1)  Select an object to display the selection handles.

2)  On the Line and Filling toolbar, click on the triangle ▼ next to Transformations then click on Rotate on the Transformations sub-toolbar. The selection handles change shape and color as shown in Figure 25. A pivot point indicating the rotation center also appears in the center of the object.

3)  Move the mouse over one of the corner handles and the mouse cursor changes shape indicating the movement direction.

4)  Click on a corner selection handle and move in the direction required to rotate the object. Only the corner selection handles are active for rotation.

5)  When satisfied with the rotation, release the mouse button.

6)  To change the rotation center of the object, click and drag the pivot point to the desired position before rotating. The pivot point can be moved to any position on the slide, even outside of the object boundaries.

7)  To restrict the rotation angles to multiples of 15 degrees, press and hold the Shift key while rotating the object. This is useful for rotating pictures through a right angle, for example from portrait to landscape. Remember to release the Shift key before releasing the mouse button.

Figure 25: Example of rotating objects

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Figure 26: Position and Size dialog - Rotation page

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Position and Size dialog rotation

Instead of rotating an object manually, use the Rotation page of the Position and Size dialog (Figure 26) to accurately rotate an object.

1)  Select an object to display the selection handles, then open the Position and Size dialog using one of the following methods:

2)  Click on the Rotation tab to open the Rotation page.

3)  If necessary, in Pivot Point enter a measurement for Position X and Position Y to move the position of the pivot point. The default position of the pivot point is the center of the object. Alternatively, select a pivot point from one of the 9 positions in Default settings.

4)  In Rotation Angle, enter the degree amount for rotation in the Angle text box. Alternatively, in Default settings, click on the rotation angle indicator and drag it to a new angle. The angle of rotation is displayed in the Angle text box.

5)  Click OK to save the changes and to close the dialog.

Sidebar rotation

Use the Position and Size panel in the Properties deck on the Sidebar to rotate an object as follows:

1)  Select an object to display the selection handles.

2)  Click on Properties in the Sidebar to open the Properties deck.

3)  Click on Position and Size to open the panel.

4)  In Rotation, enter the degree amount for rotation in the text box or click on the rotation angle indicator and drag it to a new angle. The angle of rotation is displayed in the Rotation text box.

5)  Press the Enter key to make the changes.

Flipping objects

Quick flipping

1)  Click on an object to display the selection handles.

2)  Quickly flip a selected object so it faces the other direction using one of the following methods:

Flip tool

To change the position and angle that an object flips over, the Flip tool on the Transformations toolbar (Figure 27) is used as shown by the example in Figure 28.

1)  Click on an object to display the selection handles.

2)  Go to View > Toolbars > Transformations to open the Transformations toolbar.

3)  Click on Flip on the Transformations toolbar and a symmetry axis appears as a dashed line through the center of the object. The object is flipped about this axis of symmetry.

4)  Click and drag the symmetry axis to a new position, or position the cursor in one of the circles at each end of the symmetry axis and drag with the cursor to change the angle.

5)  Place the cursor over one of the selection handles for the object.

6)  Click and drag the cursor across the symmetry axis to flip the object. The new position of the object is shown faintly until the mouse is released.

Figure 27: Transformations toolbar

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7)  Release the mouse button and the object appears flipped over. Angle and position of the flip depends on the angle and position of the symmetry axis.

Note

Press and hold the Shift key while moving the symmetry axis to rotate it in 45-degree increments.

Figure 28: Example of using the Flip tool

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Mirror copies

Impress does not include a mirror command. However, mirroring an object can be emulated by flipping the object:

1)  Select the object to make a mirror copy and copy the object to the clipboard.

2)  Flip the object using one of the methods in “Quick flipping”, then move the flipped object to one side.

3)  Click in an empty area of the slide to deselect the object.

4)  Paste the copied object from the clipboard into the slide.

5)  Select both objects, then right-click and select Alignment from the context menu.

6)  Select the type of alignment required. Top, Center, or Bottom if a horizontal mirror copy is being created. Left, Centered, or Right if a vertical mirror copy is being created.

Distorting images

Three tools on the Transformations toolbar allow an object to be distorted.

Note

When using these tools, an object has to be convertd to a curve before distorting. Converting an object into a curve cannot be reversed and can only be undone by using the Undo function.

Distort tool

Examples of distorting an object with the Distort tool are shown in Figure 29.

1)  Select an object and click on Distort on the Transformations toolbar.

2)  Click Yes to convert the object to a curve. If the object is already a curve, this dialog does not appear.

3)  Click and drag a corner selection handle to distort the object using the opposite corner selection handle as an anchor point for the distortion.

4)  Click and drag the vertical selection handles to distort the object using the opposite vertical side as an anchor point for the distortion.

Figure 29: Examples of object distortion

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5)  Click and drag the horizontal selection handles to distort the object using the opposite horizontal side as an anchor point for the distortion.

Set in Circle (perspective) tool

Examples of distorting an object with the Set in Circle (perspective) tool are shown in Figure 30.

1)  Select an object and click on the Set in Circle (perspective) in the Transformations toolbar.

2)  Click Yes to convert the object to a curve. If the object is already a curve, this dialog does not appear.

3)  Click and drag one of the selection handles to give a pseudo 3D perspective using the opposite side as an anchor point. A ghosted image appears as the object is distorted to give an indication of how the resulting object will look.

Figure 30: Example of using Set in Circle (perspective) distortion

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Set to circle (slant) tool

Examples of distorting an object with the Set to circle (slant) tool are shown in Figure 31.

1)  Select an object and click on the Set to circle (slant) in the Transformations toolbar.

2)  Click Yes to convert the object to a curve. If the object is already a curve, this dialog does not appear.

3)  Click and drag one of the selection handles to give a pseudo 3D perspective using the opposite side as an anchor point. A ghosted image appears as the object is distorted to give an indication of how the resulting object will look.

Figure 31: Example of using Set to circle (slant) distortion

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Aligning objects

Use the alignment tools in LibreOffice to adjust the relative position of an object compared to another object. These alignment tools are only active if two or more objects are selected. The alignment options are as follows:

Select the objects for alignment and use one of the following methods to access the align options:

Using grid or snap functions

In Impress, objects can be positioned accurately and consistently using grid points, snap points and lines, object frames, individual points on objects, or page edges. This function is known as Snap. It allows positioning of an object in exactly the same place on multiple slides.

It is easier to use snap functions at the highest practical zoom value for a presentation. Two different snap functions can be used at the same time. For example, snapping to a guide line and the slide edge. It is recommended to activate only those snap functions that are really required.

Configuring grid and snap

To configure the grid and snap in a presentation, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice Impress > Grid on the Menu bar to display the Grid dialog (Figure 32).

Figure 32: Options LibreOffice Impress Grid dialog

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Figure 33: Options toolbar

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The grid and snap functions can also be displayed and switched on or off using one of the following methods:

Snap to grid

Using Snap to Grid

Use the Snap to Grid function to move an object exactly onto a grid point in a slide. This function can be switched on and off using one of the following methods:

Displaying grid

To display or turn off the grid in a presentation using one of the following methods:

Figure 34: Options LibreOffice Application Colors dialog

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Changing color of grid points

By default and depending on the display and computer setup, the grid points are gray and are not always easy to see. To change the color of the grid points, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Application Colors to open the Options LibreOffice Application Colors dialog (Figure 34). In the Drawing/Presentation section, select a more suitable color for the grid from the drop-down list to make the grid points more prominent against the color scheme being used.

Snap points and lines

Unlike the grid, snap lines and snap points are inserted when positioning an object to a specific position on a slide. Snap lines can either be horizontal or vertical and appear as dashed lines. Snap points appear as small crosses with dashed lines. Snap points and snap lines do not appear in printed output.

Inserting snap points and lines

To insert a snap point or line use one of the following methods to open the New Snap Object dialog (Figure 35):

Figure 35: New Snap Object dialog

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The options available in the New Snap Object dialog are as follows:

Tip

When positioning snap lines, it is useful to display the rulers by selecting View > Rulers on the Menu bar. Click on the horizontal or vertical ruler and drag a snap line onto the slide.

Displaying snap points and lines

Display or turn off snap points and lines in a presentation using one of the following methods:

Editing snap points

1)  Right-click on a snap point and select Edit Snap Point from the context menu to open the Edit Snap Point dialog (Figure 36).

2)  Enter new X and Y coordinate settings for the snap point and click OK. Alternatively, drag the snap point to a new position on the slide.

Figure 36: Edit Snap Point dialog

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Figure 37: Edit Snap Line dialog

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Editing snap lines

1)  Right-click on a snap line and select Edit Snap Line from the context menu to open the Edit Snap Line dialog (Figure 37).

2)  Enter a new X coordinate setting for vertical snap lines or a new Y coordinate setting for horizontal snap lines and click OK. Alternatively, drag a snap line to a new position on the slide.

Deleting snap points and lines

1)  Right-click on a snap point or line.

2)  Select Delete Snap Point or Delete Snap Line from the context menu.

Note

Clicking on Delete in the Edit Snap Point or Edit Snap Line dialog also deletes a snap point or snap line.

Configuring snap range

To configure the snap range of when an object snaps to a position.

1)  Go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice Impress > Grid on the Menu bar to open the Options LibreOffice Impress Grid dialog.

2)  Enter the number of pixels to set the proximity of when the object snaps into position in the Snap range text box. The default setting is 5 pixels.

3)  Click OK to set the new snap range and close the dialog.

Figure 38: Example of using helplines

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Figure 39: Options LibreOffice Impress View dialog

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Using Helplines

Helplines are a function in Impress to help position objects and can be displayed while an object is being moved. They extend from the edges of the object to the rulers at the top and left side of a workspace and do not have a snap function (Figure 38).

Use one of the following methods to display helplines while moving an object:

Arranging objects

Impress organizes objects in a stack so that the objects on the top level of the stack cover the objects on lower levels, if any overlapping occurs. The stack level of each object can be changed by arranging shapes on a slide. Select an object or objects and use one of the following methods to change the stack level:

The options available for arranging the object stack level on a slide are as follow:

Connectors and glue points

Connectors are lines that can be anchored to glue points and by default are positioned on the border of an object. When an object with a connector attached is moved or resized, the connector automatically adjusts to the change. When creating a flowchart, organization chart, schematics, or diagrams, it is highly recommended to use connectors instead of simple lines.

Connectors

When a connector is drawn or selected, Impress displays selection handles that are different to the selection handles for normal lines. The termination points of a connector are round at each end of a connector. The square selection handles on a connector line are used to change the routing of a connector where applicable.

Impress offers a wide variety of predefined connectors, which differ in the termination shape (none, arrow, circle) and in the way the connector is drawn (straight, line, curved). A full list of available connector types is shown below. The connector types that are installed on the Connectors sub-toolbar (Figure 40) are normally indicated by a check mark or highlighting, depending on the computer operating system and setup.

Available connector types

  1. Connector Ends with Arrow

  2. Straight Connector Ends with Arrow

  3. Curved Connector Ends with Arrow

  4. Line Connector Ends with Arrow

  5. Connector

  6. Straight Connector

  7. Curved Connector

  8. Line Connector

  9. Connector with Arrows

  10. Straight Connector with Arrows

  11. Curved Connector with Arrows

  12. Line Connector with Arrows

  13. Connector Starts with Arrow

  14. Straight Connector Starts with Arrow

  15. Curved Connector Starts with Arrow

  16. Line Connector Starts with Arrow

  17. Connector Ends with Circle

  18. Straight Connector Ends with Circle

  19. Line Connector Ends with Circle

  20. Curved Connector Ends with Circle

  21. Connector Starts with Circle

  22. Straight Connector Starts with Circle

  23. Line Connector Starts with Circle

  24. Curved Connector Starts with Circle

  25. Connector with Circles

  26. Straight Connector with Circles

  27. Line Connector with Circles

  28. Curved Connector with Circles

Figure 40: Connectors sub-toolbar

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Figure 41: Example of connector glue points

Image41

Drawing connectors

1)  Click on the triangle ▼ next to Connectors on the Drawing toolbar to open the Connectors sub-toolbar (Figure 40). The Connectors icon shown on the Drawing toolbar depends on the last connector that had been previously used.

2)  Select the type of connector required from the Connectors sub-toolbar.

3)  Move the mouse cursor over one of the objects to be connected and small crosses appear around the object edges, normally in the same position as selection handles. These crosses are the glue points to which a connector can be attached, as shown by the example in Figure 41.

4)  Click on the required glue point to attach one end of the connector, then hold the mouse button down and drag the connector to another object.

5)  When the cursor is over the glue point of the target object release the mouse button and the connector is drawn.

6)  The selection handles that appear on the connector are used to adjust the path of the connector so that the connector can be adjusted not to cover another object in its path, as shown by the example in Figure 42.

Connector types

The full range of predefined connectors can be accessed by clicking on the triangle ▼ on the title bar of the Connectors sub-toolbar and selecting Visible Buttons. Connectors fall into four type groups as follows:

Figure 42: Example of connectors between objects

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Formatting connectors

To detach or reposition a connector, click on a round selection handle at either end of the connector and drag to a different location, as shown in Figure 42.

To change the connector route between objects avoiding any objects on the route, click on a square control handle on the connector line and drag it to a new position, as shown in Figure 42,

To change a connector type, right-click on the connector and select Connector from the context menu to open the Connector dialog (Figure 43). Use this dialog to select a connector type and change the connector properties.

Note

The ends of the connector cannot be swapped, that is start point cannot become the end point and the end point cannot become the start point. To swap the ends of a connector, a new connector has to be created in the opposite direction.

Figure 43: Connector dialog

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Glue points

Glue points are not the same as the selection handles of an object. The selection handles are for moving or changing the shape of an object. Glue points are used to fix or glue a connector to an object so that when the object moves, the connector stays fixed to that object.

All objects have glue points, which are not normally displayed and only become visible when Connectors on the Drawing toolbar is selected. Note that the Connectors icon changes shape depending on the last connector tool used.

To insert, customize or delete glue points on an object, open the Glue Points toolbar (Figure 44) using one of the following methods:

Figure 44: Glue Points toolbar

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Glue point types

When the Glue Points toolbar opens, only the six tools on the left of the toolbar are active. The remaining six tools on the right of the toolbar only become active when Glue Point Relative is deselected.

The six tools on the left of the Glue Points toolbar are as follows:

The six tools on the right of the Glue Points toolbar only become active when Glue Point Relative is deselected.

Note

Glue points inserted into an object can only have one horizontal position and one vertical position. Only one horizontal position and/or one vertical position can be selected on the Glue Points toolbar and used to customize a glue point.

Inserting glue points

By default, most objects normally have four glue points. Insert additional glue points into an object as follows:

1)  Make sure no objects are selected and use one of the following methods to open the Glue Points toolbar:

2)  Select the object, then click on Insert Glue Point on the Glue Points toolbar. Alternatively, right-click on a glue point previously inserted and select Insert Glue Point from the context menu.

3)  Move the cursor to a position where the glue point is to be inserted into an object and click to insert the glue point.

4)  To insert more glue points, move the cursor to a new position and click to insert another glue point.

5)  With the glue point selected, select the type of glue point required from the options on the Glue Points toolbar.

6)  To move a glue point to another position, click on the glue point and drag it to its new position.

7)  When inserting glue points is complete, make sure Insert Glue Point on the Glue Points toolbar is deselected.

Tip

When inserting, moving or customizing glue points, it is recommended to use the zoom function to make it easier to work with glue points. Also, glue points snap to the grid making it easier to position a glue point.

Note

Only glue points that have been inserted to an object can be customized or deleted. The default glue points included with an object cannot be customized or deleted.

Customizing glue point exit direction

1)  Make sure no objects are selected and use one of the following methods to open the Glue Points toolbar:

2)  Double-click on a glue point that has been inserted to select the glue point for customization.

3)  Select an exit direction for the connector from the options available on the Glue Points toolbar, or right-click on the glue point and select the exit direction from the context menu.

4)  When customizing exit direction is complete, make sure Insert Glue Point on the Glue Points toolbar is deselected.

Customizing glue point position

1)  Make sure no objects are selected and use one of the following methods to open the Glue Points toolbar:

2)  Double-click on a glue point that has been inserted to select the glue point for customization.

3)  Click on Glue Point Relative on the Glue Points toolbar to deselect this tool, or right-click on the glue point and deselect Glue Point Relative from the context menu.

4)  Select the horizontal and vertical positioning tools required for the glue point. Only one horizontal positioning tool and one vertical positioning tool can be used on a glue point at any one time.

5)  When customizing glue point position is complete, make sure Insert Glue Point on the Glue Points toolbar is deselected.

Deleting glue points

1)  Make sure no objects are selected and use one of the following methods to open the Glue Points toolbar:

2)  Select the glue point that has been previously inserted.

3)  Press the Delete key, or Backspace key, or go to Edit > Cut on the Menu bar.

Working with 3D objects

Although Impress offers advanced functions to manipulate 3D objects, this guide describes only the 3D settings applicable to an object. For additional information on how to use advanced 3D effects such as geometry and shading, refer to the Draw Guide.

3D objects can be created in Impress in any of the following ways:

Figure 45: 3D Objects toolbar

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Figure 46: 3D-Settings toolbar

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Note

Most of the Fontwork shapes (see “Fontwork”) have 3D properties and can be manipulated with the 3D-Settings toolbar.

Converting objects

Objects are converted into different types using one of the following methods:

The conversion options are as follows:

Note

In most cases the conversion to a different type does not immediately produce visible results.

Tip

To Curve, To Polygon, To 3D, and To 3D Rotation Object can be added to the Drawing toolbar as additional tools by right-clicking in an empty area on the toolbar and selecting Visible Buttons. See Appendix B, Toolbars for more information.

Interaction with objects

Associating an object to an action that is performed when the object is clicked is called an interaction.

1)  Select an object for interaction and open the Interaction dialog (Figure 47) using one of the following methods:

2)  Select the interaction from the available options in Action at mouse click and any parameters (if applicable) that maybe available. The Interaction dialog changes depending on the type of interaction selected. The interactions and parameters are explained in Table 1.

3)  Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog.

4)  To remove an interaction from an object follow Steps 1 and 2 and then select No action as the interaction type at Step 3.

Figure 47: Interaction dialog

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Table 1: Interaction types and parameters

Interaction

Parameters

No action

No parameters.

Go to previous slide

No parameters.

Go to next slide

No parameters.

Go to first slide

No parameters.

Go to last slide

No parameters.

Go to page or object

Specify the target from the list in the Target box. Search for a specific target in the Slide/Object box at the bottom of the screen.

Go to document

Select the document in the Document box. Use Browse to open a file browser. If the document to be opened is in ODP format, the target list is populated allowing selection of the specific target.

Play sound

Select the file containing the sound to be played. Use Browse to open a file browser.

Run program

Select the program to execute. Use Browse to open a file browser.

Run macro

Select a macro that runs during the presentation. Use Browse to open the Macro Selector dialog.

Exit presentation

When the mouse is clicked over the object, the presentation terminates.

Fontwork

With Fontwork, graphical text art objects can be created to make a presentation more attractive. There are many different settings for text art objects (line, area, position, size, and more) giving a large selection of effects. For more information about Fontwork, see the Getting Started Guide.

Fontwork is also available with the Writer, Calc, and Draw modules of LibreOffice, but there are small differences in the way that each module displays it.

Creating Fontwork

1)  Click on Fontwork on the Standard toolbar or go to Insert > Fontwork on the Menu bar to open the Fontwork Gallery dialog (Figure 48).

2)  Select a Fontwork style from the dialog and click OK. The selected Fontwork appears centrally on the slide and the dialog closes.

3)  Double-click on the Fontwork text graphic to switch on editing mode.

4)  Type in the required text to replace the default text in the Fontwork graphic and the text appears over the default text as shown by the example in Figure 49.

5)  Press the Esc key or click outside the Fontwork graphic and the text replaces default text.

Figure 48: Fontwork Gallery dialog

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Figure 49: Example of creating Fontwork

Image49

Figure 50: Fontwork toolbar

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Figure 51: Fontwork Shape sub-toolbar

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Fontwork toolbar

The Fontwork toolbar (Figure 50) becomes visible and active when a Fontwork object is selected. If the toolbar is not visible, go to View > Toolbars > Fontwork on the Menu bar. The Fontwork toolbar contains the following tools:

Modifying Fontwork

It is possible to treat Fontwork text as an object and apply all the formatting that has been described in this chapter. Assign line properties only to Fontwork which does not have a 3D effect, otherwise the changes will not be visible. Also, modify some of the Fontwork shapes just as the angles of trapezoid and parallelogram basic shapes are modified by moving the dot that is displayed along with the selection handles.

Animations

Animated slide transitions can be added between slides to give presentations a more professional look when changing to the next slide (see Chapter 9, Slide Shows for more information on transitions). However, Impress also allows animations to be added onto the slides to create more interest in a presentation.

An animation consists of a sequence of images or objects called frames that are displayed in succession when the animation runs. Each frame may contain one or more objects. For example, make bullet points appear one by one; make pictures, shapes or other objects appear singly or as a group onto a slide. Animations can be controlled using the keyboard, mouse click, or automatically in a timed sequence.

Note

Anything that can be placed onto a slide is an object. For example, an object can be an image, clip art drawing, text, and so on.

Tip

Animations can look great in a presentation, but overuse of animations can make a good presentation into a poor presentation. Always use discretion when adding animations to a presentation.

Figure 52: Animation deck on Sidebar

Image52

Creating an animation

1)  Select an object on a slide and open the Animation deck on the Sidebar (Figure 52) using one of the following methods:

2)  Click on Add Effect tool to add the selected object into the Animation preview box.

3)  Select a category type from the options available in the Category drop-down list.

4)  Select an animation effect from the options available in the Effects list.

5)  Select how the animation starts from the options available in the Start drop-down list.

6)  Select how the animation appears from the options in the Direction drop-list. Available options are specific to the effect selected in the Effects list.

7)  Enter a time in seconds for how long the animation lasts in the Duration box.

8)  Enter a timing delay in seconds for when the animated object appears in the presentation in the Delay box.

9)  If necessary, click on Options to open the Effect Options dialog (Figure 53) to set any effect options required for the animation, then click OK to close the Effect Options dialog.

10)  If necessary, change the order of when the selected object appears in the animation using Move Up or Move Down tools below the Animation preview box.

11)  Click on Play to preview the animation effect.

12)  If necessary, select Automatic Preview so that each time the animation is changed, there is a preview of the effect.

13)  When satisfied, run the slide show to check the presentation.

Figure 53: Effect Options dialog - Effect page

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Animation tools and options

The available tools and options on the Animation deck on the Sidebar allows control over animation applied to an object on a slide.

Effect Options dialog

Effect page

The Effect page (Figure 53) contains options that match the animation effect selected:

Don't dim – no after-effect runs.

Dim with color – after the animation a dim color fills the shape.

Hide after animation – hides the shape after the animation ends.

Hide on next animation – hides the shape on the next animation.

All at once – animates the text all at once.

Word by word – animates the text word by word.

Letter by letter – animates the text letter by letter.

Timing page

The Timing page on the Effect Options dialog (Figure 54) contains the following options:

On click – the animation stops at this effect until the next mouse click.

With previous – the animation runs immediately.

After previous – the animation runs as soon as the previous animation ends.

none – the effect is not repeated.

Until next click – the animation is repeated until the next mouse click.

Until end of slide – the animation repeats as long as the slide is displayed.

Figure 54: Effect Options dialog - Timing page

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Figure 55: Effect Options dialog - Text Animation page

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Text Animation page

The Text Animation page on the Effect Options dialog (Figure 55) contains the following options and only appears when text is selected for animation:

Animated images

Animation of drawing objects, text objects, and graphic objects (images) on slides can make a presentation more interesting. LibreOffice Impress provides has a simple animation editor where animation images (frames) can be created by assembling objects from a slide. The animation effect is achieved by rotating through static frames that are created.

Creating animated image

The following is an example of how to create an animated image.

1)  Select an object or group of objects for inclusion in an animation and go to Insert > Media > Animated Image to open the Animation dialog (Figure 56).

2)  Add an object or objects using one of the following methods:

Figure 56: Animation dialog

Image54

3)  In Animation Group, select Bitmap object.

4)  Enter the frame (image) number in the Image Number box to setup the image.

5)  In Duration specify the duration time in seconds for displaying a frame.

6)  Specify the number of times a frame is displayed in the animation sequence in Loop Count. This is called looping.

7)  Repeat Steps 4 thru 6 for each image or object used for the animated image.

8)  Click on Create and the animated image appears centrally on the slide.

Note

If the image to be copied consists of several objects, each object can be treated as a separate frame. In this case, click on Apply Objects Individually. Remember that each object is centered in the animation.

Animation dialog controls

Note

An animation, such as an animated GIF, can be selected. Click Apply Objects Individually to open it for editing. When finished editing the animation, click Create to insert a new animation into a slide.

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