Put Your Image In A Star

Inserting an image within a star shaped (or any other shape) frame in PowerPoint is easy. Here's how you do it...

1. Create a new presentation (Ctrl + N) and insert a blank slide. Or insert a blank slide in an existing presentation. If the Draw toolbar is not visible, you'll have to choose the View | Toolbar | Drawing option.
   
   
   
   
2. Click the AutoShapes icon on PowerPoint's Draw toolbar. This will open a flyout menu with different AutoShape categories. Choose the Stars and Banners menu and choose any of the four star styles in the top row. And yes, don't bother too much about which star style would be appropriate for your image since you can always change the AutoShape later.
   
   
   
   
3. Draw the star on the slide. Select the star, right click and choose Format | AutoShape.
   
   
   
   
4. In the resultant dialog box, click the drop down arrow next to the Color option and choose Fill Effects from the drop down menu. This will open the Fill Effects dialog box.
   
   
   
   
5. Choose the Picture tab of the Fill Efects dialog box and click the Select Picture button to navigate to any chosen picture on your hard disk or network. Click OK on two successive dialog boxes when done.
   
   
   
   
6. Congratulations! You now have inserted a picture within an AutoShape. You can use the same procedure to change the picture or fill in an existing AutoShape.
   
   

Changing The AutoShape

You might want an 8 pointed star rather than a 5 pointed star - or you might want no star at all and choose a conventional square or circle. If you already have a picture fill in an AutoShape, you can change the AutoShape without the fill being effected at all:

1. Select your AutoShape.
   
   
2. In the Draw toolbar, choose Draw | Change AutoShape and then choose your AutoShape category and shape.