Drawing Freeform Lines in PowerPoint 2007 for Windows

PowerPoint provides four line drawing tools: line, curve, freeform, and scribble. You have already explored the Line and Curve tools, and in this tutorial you will learn how you can use the Freeform tool to create lines that can be drawn with more creative freedom. In fact the Freeform tool lets you draw anything almost like drawing with a pencil on a piece of paper. In addition, you can create straight lines as well.

What's very important for you to know though is that the Freeform tool takes a while getting used to—practice alone will make your attempts perfect.

Now follow these steps to draw with the Freeform line tool in PowerPoint 2007 for Windows:

1. Launch PowerPoint 2007 for Windows. Most of the time, PowerPoint will open with a new slide in a presentation. PowerPoint 2007 users can change the slide layout to Blank by selecting the Home tab | Layout | Blank option.
2. Within the Home or Insert tab of the Ribbon, click the Shapes button to access the Shapes gallery that you can see in Figure 1. Within this gallery select the Freeform line tool.
3. 
   Figure 1: Freeform line tool selected
3. As soon as the Freeform line tool is selected, the cursor changes to a cross hair (see Figure 2).
4. 
   Figure 2: Cross hair cursor
4. Click anywhere on the slide to establish the starting point, release the mouse button and drag the cursor to draw a straight line, as you can see in Figure 3.
5. 
   Figure 3: Straight line created with freeform
5. Now, to draw a freeform line as a continuation of the same straight line you have started with, click and hold down the left mouse button and draw (like with a pencil on paper), as shown in Figure 4. Notice that a freeform line continues after the straight line.
6. 
   Figure 4: Freeform line drawn as continuation of straight line
6. You can alternate between straight and freeform lines within the same line shape that you draw.
7. To create a closed shape, click on the starting point of your drawing.
8. To finish your drawing as an open shape, just double-click the mouse (or press the Esc key) at the point where you want to end the shape. When you do that, your drawing will be surrounded by eight handles indicating that it is selected.
7. Click anywhere on the slide to deselect the drawing.
8. Once done, save your presentation.