Creating custom shapes in PowerPoint 2010

re: Creating custom shapes in PowerPoint 2010

Jeroen Breugelmans — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 19:33:52 GMT

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re: Creating custom shapes in PowerPoint 2010

smithscf — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:13:02 GMT

Microsoft seems to eliminated lots of tools in Powerpoint 2010. I'm using both Microsoft Powerpoint 2010 and Excel 2010 and cannot recommend them to anyone! The freeform polygon tool is missing. The "freeform" looks and acts like the scribble tool. I could not find the difference. Constrain key does not work with them. The "Combine Shapes" looks like a watered down version of Canvas-- it is tough to locate as are most useful tools. Then, once it is added as a "Custom Menu", you have to ask the question "Where is the UnCombine Shapes"? Also, the tool does not work as expected. Combining two disimilar rectangles does not allow a line to be drawn AROUND the combined shapes. I may not understand the tool and there is the example above, but there have been some explanations left out (Group first? add lines later? endless combinations). Once again, the scientific user is completely forgotten. We need Times New Roman, Symbol font, super/sub scripts easily accessible. Powerpoint 2010 and Excel 2010 are once again two separate products that follow two separate sets of rules and do not copy and paste between applications without totally unexpected results. Try pasting figures that have rotated text and see the result. Adding icons to the title bar is a total mess. Give us back title bars.

re: Creating Custom Shapes in PowerPoint 2010

wongdi — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:46:28 GMT

As per previous posts, how do you get the tool to not be greyed out?

re: Creating Custom Shapes in PowerPoint 2010

eandjspc — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:55:20 GMT

My custom shapes button that I put on my ribbon is grayed out why is that?

re: Creating Custom Shapes in PowerPoint 2010

pauls — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 12:49:13 GMT

I downloaded 2010 free trial version and what a dissappointment! I prepare lectures and I needed the combine option to combine open segments into more complex shapes and then fill them. However the combine feature works only on closed shapes which is almost useless for me. The shape drawing itself is improved but the capabilities of the package are still not up to where adobe framemaker was 20 years ago. I like the organizing capabilities of powerpoint but I hate the junk. I'll just have to wait a bit longer until you guys figure it out.

re: Creating Custom Shapes in PowerPoint 2010

Heather — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:07:52 GMT

Great feature! Use it all the time. Just wish it would work on free form lines. For example, I use the free form tool to trace graphics but sometimes the free form tool will finish before I am able to close the free form object, creating a kind of line. It'd be nice if I could just click on the free form tool and continue tracing and then after-the-fact select all my free form lines and combine them into one shape.

re: Creating Custom Shapes in PowerPoint 2010

kwichma — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 17:43:14 GMT

This is great. What I would like to do is to be able to combine two rectangles of varying heights (so that I have a thick one and a thin one forming a single shape). Then I want to be able to change the width of each part independently (perhaps a yellow diamond that controls the previously seperate rectangles independently).

re: Creating Custom Shapes in PowerPoint 2010

pptteam — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:38:07 GMT

Joan, You're in luck; there is an easy way to do this. Click on the picture, go to the Picture Tools -> Format tab, and click the drop-down menu under the "Crop" button. There, you'll see an option "Crop to Shape." From there, just choose the circle. -Chris

re: Creating Custom Shapes in PowerPoint 2010

Joan — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:32:37 GMT

all I want to do is change a rectangular picture on the slide to a round picture. Is there any way to do that?

re: Creating Custom Shapes in PowerPoint 2010

Joan — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:57:38 GMT

But can I change the shape of a picture that already exists on the slide, as I could easily on PP 2007?