# Format elements with the inspector > Select an element and use the inspector to set its exact position and size, rotation, opacity, text style, fill, border, shadow and more. Crop pictures too. Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-format-elements Section: Office > PlexiiSlides Plans: All plans Updated: 2026-10-15 The inspector is the column to the right of the slide. Click an element and the inspector shows every setting for it: where it sits and how big it is, its rotation and opacity, and the settings for that kind of element, such as text style for a text box or crop for a picture. Changes show on the slide as you make them. ## Before you start - Formatting works on every plan. - Open a deck in PlexiiSlides, or click inside a Slides widget on a desk. See [PlexiiSlides overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-overview). ## Select an element Click it. A coloured outline shows it is selected, and the top of the inspector names the kind of element, such as **Text**, **Shape** or **Image**. The inspector shows one element at a time. With two or more selected, it is empty, and a bar above the slide offers ways to line them up instead. See [Align, distribute and group](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-arrange-elements). With nothing selected, it shows the slide's settings. See [Themes and backgrounds](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-themes-and-backgrounds). ## Move and resize on the slide - **Drag** an element to move it. While you drag, pink guide lines appear when its edges or centre line up with another element or with the slide's edges and centre, and it snaps into place. - **Drag a handle** on a corner or edge to resize it. - **Arrow keys** move the selection a little at a time. Hold `Shift` to move it further. ## Settings for every element ### Position & size Four boxes: the left edge, the top edge, the width and the height. A slide measures 1280 across and 720 down in these units, so a box at 0 and 0 starts in the top left corner. Type a number to place or size an element exactly. ### Rotation & opacity - Type an angle in degrees in the **Rotation (degrees)** box, the one with the rotate icon, to turn the element. - Drag the **Opacity** slider to make it more see-through. All the way right is fully solid. ### Frame For every element except lines: - **Radius** rounds the corners. 0 is square. - The shadow list adds a drop shadow: **Shadow: subtle**, **Shadow: medium** or **Shadow: large**, or **No shadow**. ### Arrange **Bring forward** and **Send back** move the element one step forward or back in the stack, which decides what shows on top where elements overlap. **Duplicate** makes a copy and selects it. **Delete** removes it. See [Align, distribute and group](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-arrange-elements) for more ways to arrange. ### Entrance animation Choose how the element appears when you present. See [Animations and transitions](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-animations-and-transitions). ## Text boxes The **Text** section styles the whole text box: - **Bold**, **Italic** and **Underline** turn each style on or off. - **Colour** sets the text colour. - The three alignment buttons set the text left, centred or right. - The number box sets the **Font size**. - The font list sets the typeface. - **Bulleted list** and **Numbered list** turn each paragraph into a bullet or a numbered item. Click the same button again to go back to plain paragraphs. > **Tip:** > These settings apply to all the text in the box. To have a heading and smaller text below it in different styles, use two text boxes. ## Shapes The **Fill & border** section: - **Fill** sets the shape's colour. - **Border** adds an outline in the colour you pick. - **Gradient fill** blends two colours across the shape. Pick the start and end colours, and type the angle of the blend in degrees in the number box. Click **solid** to go back to one colour. ## Lines The **Line** section has **Stroke**, which sets the line's colour, and **Toggle arrow**, which turns the arrowhead at its end on or off. ## Pictures The **Image** section: - **Alt text** is a short description of the picture for people who use a screen reader. Fill it in for every picture. - The fit list sets how the picture fills its frame: **Fit (show all)** shows the whole picture inside the frame, **Fill frame (crop)** fills the frame and trims the edges, and **Stretch** fills the frame exactly, changing the picture's shape if it has to. - **Lock aspect ratio** keeps the picture's proportions when you resize it by dragging. It is on for a new picture. - **Crop** opens the **Crop image** window. Drag the bright window, or its edges and corners, over the part you want to keep. **Reset** starts again with the whole picture, and **Apply** crops it. Once a picture is cropped, the button reads **Edit crop**, and **Remove crop** brings the whole picture back. - **Reset proportions** changes the frame's height to match the picture's own shape. - In the **Frame** section, **Border** adds an outline in the colour you pick. ## Tables and charts - For a table, the **Table** section holds the cells, the buttons that add and remove rows and columns, and **Header row**. See [Text, shapes, images and tables on slides](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-insert-elements). - For a chart, the **Chart** section sets the title and type and links the chart to a spreadsheet. See [Charts linked to a spreadsheet](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-charts-from-sheets). ## Common questions **The inspector is empty.** Either nothing is selected, in which case it shows the slide's settings, or more than one element is. Click a single element. **I cannot make one word bold.** Text styles apply to the whole text box. Put the word in a text box of its own. **My picture changed shape when I resized it.** Turn on **Lock aspect ratio**, then click **Reset proportions** to restore its shape. **How do I undo a change?** Click Undo in the toolbar, or press `⌘` `Z` on a Mac or `Ctrl` `Z` on Windows, while you are not typing in a box. ## Related tasks - [Text, shapes, images and tables on slides](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-insert-elements) - [Align, distribute and group](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-arrange-elements) - [Animations and transitions](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-animations-and-transitions) - [Themes and backgrounds](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-themes-and-backgrounds) - [PlexiiSlides overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-overview)