Bring your PowerPoint presentations to life by drawing directly on the slides! With a few simple clicks, you can access pens, highlighters, and other tools to annotate, illustrate concepts, and engage your audience in real time. This guide will walk you through how to draw on PowerPoint slides using intuitive drawing toolkits. Learn how to make your presentations more dynamic and memorable with freehand annotations, shapes, text, and more!
Steps to Draw on PowerPoint in Windows
When using PowerPoint on a Windows PC, there are two main scenarios for drawing on slides - while building your presentation deck and during a live presentation. The general process is similar, but there are some differences to be aware of.
Drawing When Creating a Presentation
Follow these steps to draw on PowerPoint slides as you build your presentation:
Step 1: Open Microsoft PowerPoint.
Step 2: Open a new presentation by clicking File > New or existing one by clicking File > Open.
Step 3: Click on the Draw tab and then Draw to enter Draw Mode.
Step 4: Choose your drawing tool (pen, pencil, highlighter) and customize settings by clicking the arrow icon on each drawing tool.
Step 5: You can draw freely on the slide after choosing the appropriate drawing tool.
Your drawings will now appear on the selected slide. You can move or resize the drawings by clicking on them and dragging the handles.
Use the Erase tool or Ctrl + Z to erase:
Advanced features
Furthermore, you can unlock PowerPoint's advanced features in Draw Mode with clever features such as Ink to Text, Ink to Shape, Ink to Maths, or Ruler and Ink Replay.
For example, here is how to use Ink to Text tool:
Step 1: Use the Draw tool to write a word or sentence, like “Welcome”
Step 2: Then switch to the Lasso Select tool.
Step 3: Drag the lasso across your slide to highlight your handwritten text for a clean and effective presentation.
Step 4: After that, the drawing immediately turned into a text.
Try out the Ink to Shape and Ink to Maths features – they work similarly. Just draw your shape or math equation, use the Lasso Select tool to highlight it, and click the relevant Ink to Shape or Ink to Maths button.
Ruler: Help draw lines and align objects against a straightedge.
Ink Replay: The ability to replay the creation of visible ink strokes automatically is available. This feature is particularly useful during demonstrations.
Drawing During a Presentation
To draw in your PowerPoint during a presentation, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open your Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.
Step 2: In the Slide Show tab, enable Use Presenter View.
Step 3: Start your presentation by selecting From Beginning or Current Slide under the Slide Show tab.
Step 4: In Presenter View, navigate to the lower-left corner and click the Pen button. Select the Pen icon from the drop-down menu.
Step 5: Click and drag your mouse cursor to draw on PowerPoint slides.
Five Tips for Drawing in PowerPoint
Here are some best practices for creating great hand-drawn visuals using the drawing tools in PowerPoint:
Use thicker pens and highlighters for more visible strokes. Thinner lines can get lost during presentations.
Minimize clutter and focus on simple illustrations. Too many drawing marks can be distracting.
Use straight lines and geometric shapes where appropriate. The pen tool isn’t just for freehand drawing.
Practice first on a scrap slide to get comfortable with the drawing sensitivity.
Use colors strategically to draw attention to key points and concepts.
Following these tips will help you add simple yet effective hand-drawn elements to your PowerPoint decks. The ability to illustrate concepts in real time is a great way to boost engagement.
Best Excellent Alternative to Microsoft PowerPoint - WPS Presentation
WPS Presentation is an excellent option if you’re looking for a free alternative to Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows. As part of the WPS Office suite, WPS Presentation offers all the key features necessary for creating and delivering presentations in a lightweight package.
WPS Presentation is fast, reliable, and compatible with PowerPoint. Its user-friendly interface makes slide creation easy, with templates, collaborative features, and seamless animations for a polished presentation.
Regarding drawing tools, WPS Presentation matches the capabilities of PowerPoint, allowing you to annotate slides using pens, highlighters, and an eraser. The ability to illustrate concepts on the fly makes WPS Presentation a great choice for interactive presentations. And it’s completely free for personal use!
WPS Presentation is a robust and reliable PowerPoint alternative for business, academic, and personal needs. It offers fast performance, excellent stability, and seamless support for PPTX formats.
WPS Presentation is hard to beat if you want a free, capable presentation tool. Next, we’ll look at how to access the WPS Office suite, download WPS Presentation, and use the drawing tools.
WPS Template - Make Your Presentation Excellent
WPS Presentation comes packed with professionally designed templates to give your presentations a polished, consistent look.
The WPS Presentation Template Library offers the following categories:
Business templates with clean layouts for corporate presentations
Education templates for classroom and academic use
Personal templates for hobby projects and home use
Special templates for unique needs
The templates allow you to jumpstart the design process so you can focus on content creation. And they are entirely customizable, so you can modify colors, fonts, and layouts to fit your brand online using WPS 365.
Accessing these high-quality templates in WPS Presentation is fast and simple. Just open the Template tab, browse the categories, preview designs, and apply your favorite template with one click.
Steps to Download WPS Presentation
If you don’t already have WPS Office installed, here are the quick steps to download WPS Presentation on your Windows PC:
Step 1: Go to the official WPS Office website: https://www.wps.com/.
Step 2: Click on Free Download.
Step 3: The installer file will download. Double-click to run it.
Step 4: Click Install Now and follow the setup wizard prompts to install WPS Office on your PC.
Step 5: Once installed, open WPS Office > New > Slides to use WPS Presentation.
Note:
The entire installation process takes just a few minutes. WPS Office requires Windows 7 or later.
How to Draw in WPS Presentation
The drawing tools in WPS Presentation work just like PowerPoint. You can add hand-drawn elements to your slides with pens, highlighters, and an eraser.
Here is how to draw while creating or editing a presentation:
Step 1: Start a new presentation in WPS Presentation.
Step 2: Go to Studen Tools > Draw.
Step 3: Choose a drawing tool to begin drawing on the slide.
To draw on slides during a live presentation:
Step 1: Display the slide you want to annotate.
Step 2: Access the ink tools ribbon and select the drawing tool.
Step 3: Draw on the slide with your mouse. The ink strokes will be displayed in real time.
So whether you want to illustrate concepts while building slides, or annotate key points during a presentation, the drawing tools in WPS Presentation have you covered!
FAQs
What is the best tool for precise drawing in PowerPoint?
The "Pen Tool" in PowerPoint offers precision and control for freehand drawing. It's perfect for creating intricate designs and custom illustrations.
Can I draw on PowerPoint using a touchscreen device?
Yes, PowerPoint is compatible with touchscreen devices, allowing you to draw with your finger or a digital pen for a more natural and interactive experience.
Summary
In summary, PowerPoint provides a range of tools to draw and annotate slides in your presentations. The pen, highlighter, and eraser allow you to illustrate concepts, emphasize points, and engage your audience. Use thicker strokes for visibility, practice first, and focus on simple drawings. For a free alternative, WPS Presentation matches PowerPoint's drawing capabilities in a lightweight package. Following this guide, you can enhance your PowerPoint decks by drawing directly on the slides during creation or live presentations.
