Let's say we were doing a presentation for the man who claims aliens stole his pet goldfish and replaced it with a potato that resembles Cindy Crawford. Maybe he's presenting his case to the police. How would graphics add to that presentation?

We'll start with adding shapes. I have many shapes to choose from, but let's use stars. That's where those aliens probably came from, you know?

Sure, Power. Run with it...

Adding a shape PowerPoint lets you add a variety of shapes to the slides of your presentation. Try adding a star shape to your slide, using the AutoShape tool on the drawing toolbar. 1. Click the AutoShapes button, point to Stars and Banners, and then click the 5-point star shape. The pointer will change into a cross. 2. Click anywhere on the slide. A star of predefined size will be inserted. 3. To make the shape larger (or smaller), drag a resizing handle. To resize the shape proportionally, hold down the SHIFT key as you drag.

I'm lovin' the star shape. But what if I need to move my shape somewhere else on the slide, to make room for a new text box?

Moving a shape Let's try moving the star to another part of the slide. 1. Place the pointer on the star. The pointer turns into a four-headed arrow. 2. Click and hold down the mouse button, then drag the star to the new location. 3. When the star is positioned where you want it, release the mouse button.

I can read Sue's face. I know she wants to jazz up that star. Is there a way to add colors and textures to the shape?

Adding color and texture to a shape First, try adding the color yellow to the star. 1. Click the star shape to select it. 2. Click the arrow beside the Fill Color button, and then click More Fill Colors. A Colors dialog box appears. 3. Click the Standard tab, then under Colors, click a shade of yellow. 4. Click OK to close the Colors dialog box. Next, try adding some texture to the shape. 1. Click the star to select it. 2. Click the arrow beside the Fill Color button, then click Fill Effects. The Fill Effects dialog box appears. 3. Click the Texture tab. 4. Click on a texture, and then click OK.