Using the Ribbon

In PowerPoint 2007, the Ribbon replaces menus, toolbars, and most of the task panes from earlier versions of PowerPoint. The Ribbon consists of Tabs that are organized around Groups of Commands. The controls on each tab are further organized into several groups. Delving down into The Ribbon reveals buttons, galleries, and dialog box content (drop down boxes) that we are familiar with from earlier versions of PowerPoint.  Highlights of the new structure have been outlined in the New Features (insert hyperlink) of this tutorial.  Additionally, we shall describe in detail how to use the Ribbon in each of the specific task sections of this tutorial.

Each Tab displays a list Groups of Commands.  Some of the commands have icons next to them, so you can quickly associate the command with the icon.  PowerPoint 2007 has eight Ribbon tabs.  Each Ribbon Tab contains Groups of the most commonly used commands.  When you see an arrow  with a group command you can click on the arrow and get more commands.  When you see this arrow at the bottom of a Group  you may click on the arrow to see more tasks.  The Ribbon Tabs for PowerPoint 2007 are:

Home Tab:    This tab contains commonly used editing tasks. The Groups in the Home Tab are:  Clipboard, Slides, Font, Paragraph, Drawing and Editing.

Insert Tab:  This tab contain the commands used to insert objects into your spreadsheet.  The Groups in the Insert Tab are: Tables, Illustrations, Links, Text and Media Clips.

Design Tab:  This tab contains the commands commonly used in setting up your worksheet pages.  The Groups in the Design Tab are:  Page Setup, Themes, and Background.

Animations Tab:   This group allows you to set up moving objects in your presentation.  The Groups in this tab are:  Preview, Animations, and Transitions to this Slide.

Slide Show Tab:  This group has the command for setting up your show.  It includes timings, what slide to begin on, and even pre-recording narration.  The Groups in this tab are:  Start Slide Show, Set Up, and Monitors.

Review Tab:  Here you can proofread your presentation by clicking on the spellchecker in the Proofing Group.  You and your associates can put comments on the worksheet in the Comments Group.  You can manage access to the presentation in the Protect Group.

View Tab:  The View Tab allows you to easily choose how you want to see your worksheet with the task/function Groups:  Presentation View allows you to quickly move between Normal view and Slide Sorter view or to work on the Slide Master or Notes Master. Other groups in the View Tab include:  Show/Hide, Zoom, Color/Grayscale, Window and Macros.

Add-Ins Tab:  This is where the use can add menu commands and/or build custom toolbars to make your work more efficient for you.