Align and match sizes

The align and same-size tools help you quickly arrange objects on a slide. Use the reference object for more control when you arrange objects.

Align and distribute objects

Align objects on the slide using PowerPoint and think-cell tools.

PowerPoint Align tools

Align objects to each other or to the slide. To align objects, select the objects, then select think-cell > Layout > Align or Shape Format > Arrange > Align and select how you want to align them:

• Align Left, Align Center, or Align Right
• Align Top, Align Middle, or Align Bottom
• Distribute Horizontally or Distribute Vertically

Note the following options when aligning or distributing objects:

• If you select a single object, it aligns to the slide.
• If you select multiple objects, you can select an object as the reference object. The reference object has a red and white marker at its center. To set a reference object, hover over an object until you see the marker, then select the object.
• When you align objects to a reference object, the reference object itself will not move.

If there are no think-cell elements in your selection, you can still select think-cell > Layout > Align. The alignment behavior will be the same as the built-in PowerPoint function. To use a reference object and the alignment behavior of think-cell, you must have a think-cell element in your selection. To learn more, see Select a reference object and Align objects.

think-cell alignment guides

think-cell alignment guides help you align objects when you move or resize them.

1. Select a think-cell element and begin to move it, or start dragging one of the element's resize handles.
2. Red lines appear when you align one of the element's edges to the edge of another element or PowerPoint shape. The edge that you're aligning to has an orange highlight.

You can also select more than one element and align your multi-selection to other objects on the slide.

Match objects sizes

Set multiple objects to the same width, height, or both. To match the size of objects, follow these steps:

1. Select two or more objects.
2. Set a selected object as the reference object. The reference object has a red and white marker at its center. To set a reference object, hover over an object until you see the marker, then select the object.
3. Select think-cell > Layout and select Same Width , Same Height , or Same Size . Alternatively, select the objects, right-click to open the context menu, then select Same Width or Same Height . The selected objects will resize to match the reference object's dimensions.

If there are no think-cell elements in your selection, you can still select Same Width , Same Height , or Same Size . To use a reference object and the context menu, you must have a think-cell element in your selection. To learn more, see Resize objects, Select multiple objects, and Select a reference object.

Select a reference object

If you select multiple objects on a slide including a think-cell element, you can set any of these objects as the reference object. The reference object has a red and white marker at its center. Hover over an object until you see the marker, then click the object to set it as the reference object.

You can then align the position of the selected objects in relation to the reference object (see Align objects), or you can match the width or height of the selected objects to the reference object (see Resize objects).

You can set the reference object to any PowerPoint object or think-cell element in a multi-selection by clicking on it. Which object in a multi-selection initially serves as the reference object, as indicated by the red and white marker, depends on how you add to the selection:

• Shift+click, Ctrl+Alt+Shift with arrow keys (see Select multiple objects), or Ctrl+A leaves the reference object where it is.
• A mouse click or Ctrl+click sets the reference object to a new object.
• If you create a multi-selection by dragging a selection frame over multiple objects or by pressing Ctrl+A without first selecting an object, initially there is no reference object.

To align objects to the reference object, see Align and distribute objects.

To match object sizes, see Match objects sizes.