Intermediate PowerPoint Charts and Templates By: Jim Waddell Last modified: January 2002
Topics to be covered: Creating Charts 2 Creating the chart. 2 Line Charts and Scatter Plots 4 Making a Line Chart. 4 Data in Rows or Columns. 4 Making an X Y Scatter Chart. 4 A Note About Error Bars: 5 Making your Own Template 6 Make a Title Slide Master 6 Make a Slide Master 6 Saving a Template 7 On Screen Presentations Special Effects 8 Transitions 8 Builds 8 Flying words, letters & graphics. 8 Adding Movie Clips. 9 Intermediate PowerPoint Page. 1
Intermediate PowerPoint Charts, Templates and Special Effects Creating Charts A single chart is worth a thousand tables can sum up the use of charts in presentations. A chart is, very simply, a graphic display of numeric data. PowerPoint provides a wide range of chart types, some of more use than others to the scientific community. While working with charts, one should always remember that PowerPoint in general, and Microsoft s graphing modules where designed with the business community in mind. The most obvious ramification of this is the way X values are treated. In all but one of the chart types, the X data are treated as labels. Even if the values are numeric, the points will be spaced evenly along the X-axis. An example might be where an experiment was conducted and readings were taken at increasing time intervals, say 1 hour, 2 hours, 6 hours 12 hours and 24 hours. Using these values for the X-axis in a bar chart, the bars would be spaced at equal intervals along the axis. This is the case even in what Microsoft calls a line chart. In order to have X values treated as numbers and spaced correctly along the X-axis, the chart must be an X Y (Scatter) chart. We will make a simple bar chart, turn it into a line chart and then finally into an X Y Scatter chart. Creating the chart. Click the New Slide button and choose the layout that has the image of a bar chart in it. Double click where instructed to create the chart. Once a chart has been created, you can change it to any type (within the limits of the data!) OR. From the Insert menu, choose Chart. The default chart type is a bar chart. However one arrives at the chart making mode, PowerPoint provides you with an already made chart, complete with data. Like creating tables, graphing employs a separate Microsoft Office module called Microsoft Graph. You substitute your data for the default and change the chart type as necessary. The default chart and its accompanying data sheet should be visible. (The business orientation of Microsoft products is evident from the chart data!) The data sheet, in its own window, looks very much like an Excel spreadsheet. However, only text and numbers can be entered formulae don t work. The default is that the data series are in rows, with different variables in different columns. This can be changed if necessary, but it is usually best to work with the default to avoid confusion. Simply replace the sample data with your own, extending the rows as far as necessary. Additional series are added in new columns. If there is leftover sample data, it can be deleted from the Edit menu. ( Edit, Delete, then choose Entire row or Entire column as appropriate.) As you enter the new data, the chart changes to match. Once all of the data is entered, you can begin to change the look of the chart. The Intermediate PowerPoint Page. 2
data sheet cam be closed to get it off the screen. To retrieve it, go to the View menu while the chart is in editing mode. If you accidentally click somewhere outside of the chart, the data sheet will go away and the chart will go out of editing mode. To return to editing mode, double click on the chart. Major changes, affecting the type of chart, its title and various labels are made from the Chart menu. The choice Chart type allows you to pick from among the wide range of chart types available. When you select the name of a chart type, samples of variations on that type are shown as thumbnails. Click on the desired thumbnail to select it then click the OK button to apply it to your data. The Chart menu choice Chart options brings up a dialog box with several tabs. The parts of the chart which can be modified in the various tabbed sections are shown in the table below. Tab Functions Titles Allows you to add a main title for the chart as well as titles for primary and secondary X, and Y-axes. Axes Used to determine which axes are displayed and whether the X-axis is supposed to represent time or simply categories. If the data entered into the X-axis column of the data sheet looks like time (hh:mm, mm/dd/yy, etc.) Microsoft Graph should format the X-axis appropriately. Gridlines You choose which horizontal and vertical gridlines will be displayed. There are major and minor gridlines available. Legend Data Labels Data Table Select whether or not to display a legend and where to position it. You may choose to show the value of a data point next to it, or display the point s X-coordinate (label). The default is not to display data labels and is normally the best choice. You may elect to display a table of the data with the chart. Before changing the chart type it is a good idea to replace the sample data with your own. To change the chart type, under the Chart menu, select Chart type To add axis and other labels, from the Chart menu, select Chart options. Intermediate PowerPoint Page. 3
Line Charts and Scatter Plots A common chart type for scientific presentations is the plain line graph. PowerPoint (actually Microsoft Graph) has two types that look similar, but behave very differently. They are called a Line chart and an X Y (scatter) chart. The big difference is in how X values are treated. In a Line chart, they are simply treated as labels and placed at equal distances along the X-axis. Even if they are real numbers, they are treated as labels. With X Y scatter charts, if the X values are numbers, they are plotted along the X-axis according to their value. The X-axis can also be scaled, given maximum and minimum values. (If the X data is text, it is treated as labels.) Making a Line Chart. The simplest method is to create a new chart, enter the data, and change the chart type to be a line chart. There are several options. You may choose to have data points displayed or not. You may choose to have multiple lines stacked or not. With stacked lines, each value in the second data series is added to its corresponding value in the first series and the total is plotted. A variation is the 100% stacked line, where each data series is shown as a percentage of the total of all data series, with the last series being plotted as a straight line at 100%. A final option is a 3-D line, where the line looks more like a ribbon or tape. A key feature to remember is to put the X values in the first row (or column). If there is a blank row above (or column to the left) the values will be treated as the first data series. Data in Rows or Columns. Although the default is to have a series of values in a row, Microsoft Graph will also accept them running down a column. If you accidentally (or on purpose for your own good reasons!) enter the data in columns you can tell the program this. While still in graph editing mode, under the data menu there are options for each situation. There are also buttons on the toolbar to change this property as long as you are still in editing mode for the chart. Making an X Y Scatter Chart. An X Y Scatter plot is created in the same way as other charts. Add a new slide, of the chart layout type, and double click as instructed. You can also insert a chart in an existing slide using the Insert menu. Again, make sure that the X data is in the first row (or column) and that you delete any unnecessary rows and columns. Intermediate PowerPoint Page. 4
A Note About Error Bars: In the Format Data Series dialog box there is a tab for Y error bars don t get too excited! Even though you can add error bars to the data points, with such parameters as a number of standard deviations, or the standard error, they are scientifically meaningless! The error bars added are exactly the same size for each data point. If you choose the standard error for your error bars, they will indicate the standard error of the mean of all of the values in the series. Microsoft designs software for business people, not scientists, and they don t care as much about error!. If you want to make your graph look like it has real error bars, use the Percentage for the error amount. At least then the data points will have different sized error bars. By choosing the correct percentage, you may even produce something approaching reality. A better idea is to use the charting feature of Excel and paste the chart into your PowerPoint presentation. Since Office 97, Excel has had the ability to do Custom error bars that can take a standard deviation (or any other number) in a series with the other data and apply real error bars. Intermediate PowerPoint Page. 5
Making your Own Template Although PowerPoint comes with many designs, you may find that you are making the same changes to your favorite PowerPoint design every time you use it. In that case you can save some time by creating your own template. You can start from scratch, or you can start with one of the existing templates and customize it. Things you may wish to include on your own template are: the University wordmark, your name, your center logo, etc. There are actually as many as 4 slide masters (to use PowerPoint terminology) to create or change. There are masters for the title slide, slides other than the title slide (PowerPoint calls it a Slide master ), handouts and notes pages. You can usually get by with only creating/changing the Title master and the Slide master. Make a Title Slide Master You will probably want to start with a new presentation, either a blank presentation, or a design that is close to what you want. To make changes to the Title Slide master, from the View menu, choose Master, then Title Master. Now you are presented with the basic template for the title slide. You can change the font, size and color of the text area used for the title, subtitle, and various footers. You can change the background colors, shading, etc. You can add/remove/modify any graphics that are on the slide. One of the common additions made is of a graphic of the company logo. (A bitmap of the University of Minnesota Wordmark and a veterinary caduceus are on the disk you received with the materials for this workshop for your use, if desired.) When the title slide master looks the way you want it, you click on the Close button of the small Master control box that appears on the screen when you view a master. The design you create here only applies to the title slide of a presentation. To create a template for all of the other slides, you must alter the Slide Master. Make a Slide Master All of the slides, other than the title, are under the control of the Slide Master. From the View menu, choose Master, then Slide Master. Again you can change many features of the design. You should bear in mind that this master governs the slides that will contain the text of a presentation and any charts included. Graphics and fancy shadings should be used with caution. Too many visual elements tend to detract from the information being presented. Again, to exit from the master editing mode, click on the Close button of the small Master control box. You can also make changes to the master for the speaker notes pages and handouts. Intermediate PowerPoint Page. 6
Saving a Template Once both of the slide types have been modified (and the handout and notes master if desired) have been customized, they need to be saved for future use. From the File menu, choose Save as. This will bring up a dialog box where some decisions have to be made. The first thing to be changed is the file type. The down arrow to the right of the Save as type box provides a list of the types available. To save a master for future use select the Presentation Template (.POT) file type. Next you have to decide where to put the template. The most logical place is the directory where all of the other presentation templates are stored. This should be in the folder: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Templates\Presentation Designs. (or something like that!) If your custom design is stored here, it will be available when you choose New from the File menu, or begin PowerPoint by using a template. If you choose to store your design somewhere else, you will have to use it in the future by using the File menu s Open command and opening a presentation template (.POT). You will also have to remember where you put it! Intermediate PowerPoint Page. 7
On Screen Presentations Special Effects Transitions You may apply special transitions to go from one slide to another. Some of the effects available include fades, wipes and dissolves from top, bottom or corners of the screen. You can have a different transition for every slide or use the same one throughout the whole presentation. Transitions are set through the Slide Show menu. When selecting different transitions for each slide, the transition applies as the slide appears on the screen. The transition effect for the next slide will determine how it goes away! Builds A build is when a bulleted list appears on the screen one bullet at a time. PowerPoint even lets you build your list one word, or even one letter at a time. When subsequent bullets appear, you may have PowerPoint dim the previous bullet. You do this by selecting a color for the text to dim to. It works best if the text is presented first in a strong color, with the dim color being a paler version of the original. PowerPoint can also hide the previous bullets. PowerPoint does not refer to these effects as builds they are available from the Custom Animation choice on the Slide Show menu. Click on the text you want to animate before accessing the menu. Flying words, letters & graphics. Anything that appears on the screen can be animated! With a slide with many components on the screen, from the Slide Show menu, select Custom Animation. (Alternately, a right click on the component brings up a menu where Custom Animation can be selected.) The Timing tab shows a list of all of the elements of a slide. The top window shows those which are animated, while the bottom window lists those which are not. The Effects tab keeps the top window (animated elements). When an element is selected, it is outlined in the thumbnail and the properties of the animation are displayed. It is beyond the scope of this handout (and even the workshop) to discuss all of the effects available. A summary of the tabbed sections and their functions is provided in the table on the next page. The best way to find out is to experiment. Note that the animation effects can be applied to an individual slide, or by setting it in a master it will apply to all of the slides in a presentation. Again, just because it s there, you don t have to use it. Too many animations and special effects can be very distracting, especially if you are going through a lot of slides quickly. Professional audiences want to concentrate on the content, not the entertainment! Intermediate PowerPoint Page. 8
Custom Animation tabs and their functions. Tab Name Function(s) Options to try Timing Choose the objects to animate, their order, and whether to animate on a mouse click or by time. (When an object is selected, it is moved from the without animation box to the Animation order box. Effects Chart effects Play settings Determine how the selected object is animated. The effects are applied to the object selected in the Animation order box For charts only. Controls the building of charts by adding bars, lines, etc by mouse click or time Used mostly to control the playing of various sound effects. It can be anything from a.wav file to a track from a CD. Choose Title 1 and animate it by time make is short! Anything goes! I would leave the After animation box with the default, and Introduce text at All at once for the title slide. For the bulleted list, pick a color for the After animation and try some of the options for Introduce text. Since the lab computers have no speakers, choosing a sound will have no effect! Try animating individual elements. Make sure that the timing is set to a short interval, and not a mouse click or you will wear out your mouse finger. Without sound on the lab computers, these options cannot be sampled. Sounds will not usually be appropriate in normal presentation situations either. Adding Movie Clips. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a movie is priceless. Actually there is a cost. Video clips tend to be very large files. Also, unlike pictures, they are not actually incorporated into the PowerPoint presentation. Instead, a window is placed in the slide and it is linked to the video clip file. There are several ways of incorporating video depending on the version of PowerPoint you are using ant the file format of the video clip. Occasionally, the clip will simply not play on certain combinations of laptop and LCD projector. You should test your setup thoroughly to guarantee that it will work. If there is time and interest, the process of adding a video clip to a PowerPoint presentation will be demonstrated. Intermediate PowerPoint Page. 9