How to make a color-coded legend in powerpoint

PrintableCal can create calendars containing data from multiple sources, all overlaid into the same page and color-coded based on the associated calendar data sources or categories. If your calendar contains data from a variety of sources, it can be helpful to insert a legend to show the color-coding.

To insert a legend, click the Legend button on the PrintableCal tab of the Excel, Word, or PowerPoint ribbon.

The Insert Legend Task Pane will appear after clicking the Legend button. The most recently used calendar data sources will be selected by default. If using Excel, you can choose to insert the legend as a picture or as formatted cells starting at the currently selected cell. In Word and PowerPoint, the legend will always insert as a picture. After inserting the legend as a picture, it can be dragged to the desired location or resized as needed.

You can also pick the maximum number of columns to use for the legend. For example, if you have 6 calendar data sources and you pick 3 columns, the legend will generate as a grid consisting of 2 rows and 3 columns. For a vertical legend, pick 1 as the maximum number of columns. For a horizontal legend, set the maximum number of columns to the same as the number of selected calendar data sources.

The fill and border color of the legend can also be specified.

Here’s an example where the background color is set to gray with a darker gray border.

Insert a Category Legend

Legends can be inserted using either calendar colors or category colors. To insert a category legend, select Categories from the Legend type drop-down.

Category names and colors will be automatically imported when generating calendars with data from Outlook, Exchange Server, or VueMinder. Categories can also be defined in the PrintableCal Options or by clicking the New category button under Select categories.

Automatically Generate a Legend

PrintableCal can automatically generate a legend when creating a calendar. Most templates will include an automatic legend in their output. When a legend is automatically generated, it will show any category or calendar data source colors that are visible in the generated calendar. If there are no items associated with a particular category or calendar data source, that category or calendar data source will not be included in the automatically generated legend.

To include a legend when customizing a template, name a cell range “Legend” where the legend should be placed. Set the value of the Legend cell to “Legend(Columns=X)”, where X is a number between 1 and 10. This value controls how many columns can be shown in the legend before wrapping to a new row. You could set the number of columns based on how much space is available in the template and the length of your calendar or category names. Align the cell text based on how you want the output legend to be aligned. For example, if you want the legend aligned with the right edge of the cell, set the text alignment to right.

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Charts and graphs serve little purpose if the audience doesn’t know what each section of the illustration represents. Adding a color-coded legend is the perfect way to keep the audience on track.

Inserting a Graph in PowerPoint

The first step is to create your graphic illustrating the data trends you’d like to show. Luckily, PowerPoint comes with several different graphs and charts from which to choose. The most difficult part of this process is choosing the graphic that you like best.

First, head over to the slide in which we will insert the graph. Next, switch to the “Insert” tab and then click “Chart.”

The “Insert Chart” window will appear. You can select your desired chart type in the left-hand pane. We’ll choose “Pie” in this example. Once you’ve chosen your chart, click “OK.”

Your chart will now appear in the PowerPoint slide, along with a small spreadsheet. Type whatever data you want into the spreadsheet and then close the spreadsheet window.

The cool thing about this method is you don’t actually have to create a color-coded legend at all. Excel makes one for you!

There are, however, a few customization options to give your legend a style you like.

Customizing Your Legend

PowerPoint lets you change the location, font style, and color of the legend. To change the position of the legend, select the chart, and then select the “Chart Elements” icon.

A small menu will appear to the side. Hover your cursor over “Legend” to make the options arrow appear. Click this arrow, and another menu lets you select the location for your legend.

You can also select “More Options” to open the “Format Legend” pane on the right-hand side. The only additional option you get, though, is “top-right.”

Once you’re happy with the position of your legend, it’s time to move on to other formatting options. To change the legend font, first, select the legend and then right-click it. In the menu that appears, select “Font.”

Here, you can change the font, size, and color of your text. You can also add effects such as strikethrough. Once you’ve adjusted the settings of your text, click “OK.”

You can also change the background and border of the legend. To do this, you’ll need to open the Legend Format pane by right-clicking the legend and selecting “Format Legend” from the menu.

To change the background of the legend, select the “Fill and Line” icon in the pane. Next, pick your fill type. There are several different options to choose from, and each one gives you a preview once selected. We’ll use “Gradient fill” in this example.

Your legend would now look something like this:

You can also edit the border of the legend by selecting “Border” in the “Fill and Line” tab. Once selected, choose your border style.

To give your legend some special effects, select the “Effects” icon from the Format Legend pane and then choose the type of effect you’d like to give your legend from the list of options.

To change the color of the legend that corresponds with the data inside the chart, you’ll have to do that within the chart itself. Right-click the section of the chart for which you’d like to change the color, select the “Fill” option from the menu that appears, and then choose the color you want. You’ll notice the legend change colors with the corresponding data in the chart.

You can also select some of the predefined color options PowerPoint has available. On the “Design” tab, select “Change Colors.”

Once selected, a drop-down menu will appear. Here, you can choose the color scheme you like.

Your pie chart (and legend) will take on the selected color scheme.

Related

• How to Add a Legend on Excel for Mac
• Proportional Shapes in PowerPoint
• How to Make a Square Bubble Chart in Excel
• How to Make a 3D Cylinder in PowerPoint
• How to Make Graphs With Microsoft Word 2010

Clear, informative PowerPoint slides increase the effectiveness of your presentation. A legend helps people understand what you’re referring to in a graphic. You can create color-coded legends in PowerPoint automatically for graphs and charts. If you’re making a custom diagram, you can even create your own legend by making a few shapes and applying the right color. Making things more clear through the use of color coded legends allows both you and your audience to hone in on your point.

Charts and Graphs

Click on the “Insert” tab in a PowerPoint presentation and then click the “Chart” button. Click the chart or graph from the dialog box that best suits your presentation and then click “OK.”

Edit the data and titles in the Excel window the appears. This is the information behind the chart that displays in PowerPoint. When you’re done, click on the “X” in the upper right corner of the window to close the Excel spreadsheet and return to the PowerPoint presentation.

Find the legend that was automatically created. Double-click on it to edit the Legend Options. You can click where the legend appears on the chart and whether it’s shaded or whether there’s a drop shadow behind it. When you’re done editing the Legend Options, click “Close.”

Click on the “Chart Tools: Design” tab and then click one of the multicolor options in the Chart Styles section on the right side of the Office ribbon. A color-coded legend is generated automatically.

Manual Legend

Click on the “Insert” tab and then click “Shape.” Click a rectangle and then click and drag on the slide while holding down the “Shift” key on the keyboard. This creates a perfect square. When it’s the size you want for the legend, release the mouse and then the “Shift” key.

Click on the “Insert” tab again and click “Text Box.” Click and drag on the slide next to the square to create the box where you’ll type the label for the color. Type in the first label.

Hold down “Shift” and click the text box and then click the square. Click the “Arrange” button on the Insert tab ribbon and then click “Group.” The two objects are grouped as one in PowerPoint.

Hold down “Ctrl + Shift” and click and drag the group down. A copy is created that’s directly below the original. Release the mouse first and then the buttons on the keyboard. Repeat this for all of the colors you need in your legend.

Double-click on the first square. The Drawing Tools: Format tab is automatically selected in the ribbon. Click on the down arrow in the Shape Style section and click one of the other colors. Repeat for all the colors you need in the legend. Click on the text in each box and edit the label so it matches the color coding.

Hello,
I have 5 bar charts, each with its own min and max values, and they repeat over the span of 48 PowerPoint slides with different values, but the min and max stay the same. Now I would like to color code somehow these charts so that they change their color (from red through yellow to green for example) in compliance with the min and max values. That is fairly easy to do with the cells in excel, but is that possible with a chart as well?

I hope I’ve made myself understood and I hope someone has a reply for me! Thank you.

Replies (4) 

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Hi. CristinaMarginean
My name is Kyle and I am an Independent Advisor.
I would like to help you.

this function is not available for Powerpoint so I suggest you make your graphics on an Excel spreadsheet and copy them into your presentation. You can make a chart in PowerPoint or Excel. If you have a lot of data to put in graphics, create the chart in Excel and then copy it into your presentation. This is also the best way if your data changes regularly and you want the graph to always reflect the most recent figures. In that case, when copying and pasting the chart, keep it linked to the original Excel file.

If this does not work try a repair of office application

let me know if it was useful

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Great! Thanks for your feedback.

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Related

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• How to Create a PowerPoint Presentation Outlining Your Proposal or Business Plan
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• The Effects of Bad PowerPoint Communications

The default setting for a Microsoft PowerPoint electronic slideshow takes a viewer from the first slide, often the title, to the end or last slide. While this linear progression is one way to walk through a presentation, it may be beneficial to add a legend that gives viewers insight into what is ahead. A legend, which may be just a few words or a detailed and colorful collection of shapes and images, summarizes details of the PowerPoint presentation on one or multiple slides within the slide deck.

Identification

Legends are visual pictorial hints that provide a viewer information that helps them understand an image. In many cases, a legend may be a small chart with colors and numbers, giving an at-a-glance summary. While legends are not required when working with Microsoft PowerPoint, they can offer insight into the slides that comprise the presentation.

Slide Specifics

Whether your slideshow is a handful of slides or a large electronic deck of hundreds, a PowerPoint legend is a quick way to organize the information within. There are no distinct rules for legends in PowerPoint – design is up to the creator. Slides may benefit from a legend that shows viewers exactly what is where within the presentation. For example, for a PowerPoint sales pitch, an optimal legend may show the slide numbers that describe a product, the slide numbers that describe pricing and the slide numbers that describe the benefits of using or buying the product. Another legend example may call out the specifics within the slides, such as a legend that shows the slide numbers of photographs, charts and summaries within the presentation.

Setup

Although PowerPoint doesn’t come with a legend generator, creating one is a quick process when you take advantage of the software’s included shape tools. Located on the “Insert” tab’s “Shapes” menu, the shapes include rectangles and other designs you can assign colors to, then form into a legend on a slide. In most cases, drawing a rectangle, filling it with color and typing text are the building blocks for a basic legend. Once you have the first rectangle or shape, copy and paste it to save setup time.

Considerations

Like legends in books, on charts and elsewhere, legends in PowerPoint are at risk of becoming outdated. If your legend points viewers in the direction of slide numbers, for example, inserting or removing a single slide changes everything in the slide deck. This means that creating and adding a legend doesn’t end with its insertion into the presentation – it’s an ongoing process to ensure continued accuracy.

Fionia LeChat is a technical writer whose major skill sets include the MS Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Publisher), Photoshop, Paint, desktop publishing, design and graphics. LeChat has a Master of Science in technical writing, a Master of Arts in public relations and communications and a Bachelor of Arts in writing/English.

Question

I have a bar graph with custom colors applied to it.
The custom colors displays nicely in the bar graph, but not in the legend.

The legend displays a mix of some of the “correct” custom colors, and some of the “wrong” standard colors. The colors in the legend vary, depending on the parameters passed to the report. Sometimes legend colors are all right, other times all wrong but must times a mix of right and wrongs.

The value for the custom color of the graph is retrieved from a field in the dataset. However I doubt that this is the cause of the error because, the bar graph colors are correct at all times, and I have validated thet correct color names are actually in the dataset.

Hope someone can help me out with this one.

Answers

The legend color always depends on the color of the first datapoint in a chart series.

Also, is a series grouping present in the chart? In that case you have to make sure that e.g. instead of using =Code.PickColor( Fields!ResultSort.Value), you should use this expression that uses the First() aggregate: =Code.PickColor(First(Fields!ResultSort.Value, “chart1_SeriesGroup1”)

The important part is the aggregate scope which has to be identical to the chart series grouping name. Just using the First aggregate without the scope will give you incorrect results, because the aggregate will be just scoped for every chart datapoint (and therefore null if you don’t have any datapoints for a particular series group / category group combination).

Most charts use some kind of a legend to help readers understand the charted data. Whenever you create a chart in Excel, a legend for the chart is automatically generated at the same time. A chart can be missing a legend if it has been manually removed from the chart, but you can retrieve the missing legend.

This example chart shows a legend explaining the colors for the years 2013, 2014, 2015.

In this article

Add a chart legend

Click the chart.

Click Chart Elements next to the table.

Select the Legend check box.

The chart now has a visible legend.

Edit legend texts

If the legend names in the chart are incorrect, you can rename the legend entries.

Click the chart.

Click Chart Filters next to the chart, and click Select Data.

Select an entry in the Legend Entries (Series) list, and click Edit.

In the Series Name field, type a new legend entry.

Tip: You can also select a cell from which the text is retrieved. Click the Identify Cell icon , and select a cell.

Dec 11, 2017
Comment

MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel all come with a library of charts and graphs. With Excel, they’re much easier to insert. You can select the data you want to plot on the axis of a graph, and Excel will take care of the rest. These charts can be copied and pasted to other MS Office files. In Excel, they’re pretty intelligent; if you, for example, update the value of one of the plotted points, the chart will update automatically. The preset charts include certain elements e.g. how the title will look and where it will be placed, where the data labels will appear, where the axis titles will go, what the legend will look like, among other things. For each chart, there’s a pre-decided legend however, you can change the chart legend in MS Office to any other one that you prefer.

Customize Chart Legend

This works in all MS Office apps that you can create a chart/graph in. For apps that you cannot create charts in but can paste them in e.g. Outlook, this option will not be available.

Open the file with the chart you want to change the legend for, or insert a chart in a document. Make sure it’s editable. Charts that you copy and paste between MS Office apps are generally editable so you won’t have any trouble.

Select the chart you want to change the legend for. When a chart is selected, the Chart Tools tab becomes active. Go to the Design tab on the Chart Tools tab.

At the very left, you will see a button ‘Add Chart Element’. Click it and from the menu, select Legends. It will show you the different legend layouts that are supported by charts in MS Office. You can select any one of them to replace the current one. Based on the amount of space you have, you can replace the default legend with whichever one is easier to read and fits in your document.

You can drag the legend to position it anywhere within the chart however, if you want to position it automatically, select the ‘More legend Options’ option from the same menu. A sidebar will open where you can customize the color and the layout of the legend.

Other Chart Elements

This works for other chart elements too. They’re all listed under the ‘Add chart element’ button’s options and have sub-options of their own. MS Word suggests the chart elements that are best for a particular chart type but it doesn’t take into account the layout of your document or if the elements are easy to read or not.

نمودارها و گراف‌های مختلف در صورتی که مخاطب نداند هر بخش از تصویرسازی چه چیزی را نشان می‌دهد، فایده چندانی نخواهند داشت. افزودن یک راهنما به نمودار که برای مثال شرح دهد رنگ‌های به کار رفته در آن هر یک بیانگر چه هستند، می‌تواند به کمک بزرگی به درک آن توسط مخاطب بکند. در این مطلب نیز قصد داریم به همین موضوع بپردازیم و نحوه ساخت راهنمای رنگ های نمودار در پاروپوینت را شرح دهیم.

فیلم آموزش ساخت راهنمای رنگ های نمودار در پاورپوینت (+ دانلود فیلم آموزش گام به گام)

درج یک نمودار در پاورپوینت

اولین گام برای نمایش روند داده‌ها این است که یک طرح گرافیکی ایجاد کنید. خوشبختانه برای این منظور، پاورپوینت دارای انواع مختلفی از نمودارها است که می‌توان از آن‌ها بهره لازم را برد. دشوارترین بخش این فرآیند، انتخاب نموداری است که به بهترین وجه منظور را برساند.

ابتدا به اسلایدی بروید که قرار است نمودار را در آن درج کنید. سپس به زبانه Insert بروید و روی گزینه Chart کلیک کنید.

بدین ترتیب پنجره Insert Chart ظاهر می‌شود. شما می‌توانید نمودار منتخب خود را در پنل سمت چپ انتخاب کنید. ما نمودار Pie (یا همان دایره‌ای) را در این مثال انتخاب کرده‌ایم. زمانی که نمودار خود را انتخاب کردید، روی OK کلیک کنید.

این نمودار اکنون در اسلاید پاورپوینت همراه با یک اسپردشیت کوچک ظاهر خواهد شد. هر داده‌ای که می‌خواهید را در اسپردشیت وارد کنید و سپس پنجره اسپردشیت را ببندید.

نکته جالب در مورد این روش آن است که در عمل اساساً نیازی نیست که یک راهنما برای رنگهای به کار رفته در نمودار ایجاد کنید، زیرا اکسل این کار را برای شما انجام می‌دهد.

با این حال، گزینه‌های سفارشی‌سازی آن برای استایل‌بندی راهنما اندک هستند.

سفارشی‌سازی راهنمای نمودار

پاورپوینت امکان تغییر مکان، استایل فونت و رنگ راهنمای نمودار را فراهم می‌سازد. برای تغییر مکان راهنما، نمودار را انتخاب و سپس آیکون Chart Elements را کلیک کنید.

یک منوی کوچک در کنار ظاهر می‌شود. نشانگر ماوس خود را روی Legend ببرید تا فلش گزینه‌ها ظاهر شود. این فلش را کلیک کنید تا منوی دیگری ظاهر شود که امکان انتخاب مکان راهنما را فراهم می‌سازد.

همچنین می‌توانید گزینه More Options را انتخاب کنید تا پنل Format Legend در سمت راست باز شود. تنها گزینه اضافی که در اینجا می‌بینید top-right است.

زمانی که از موقعیت راهنما راضی بودید، وقت آن فرا می‌رسد که به گزینه‌های قالب‌بندی دیگر برسید. برای تغییر فونت راهنما، ابتدا آن را انتخاب کرده و سپس روی آن راست-کلیک کنید. در منویی که ظاهر می‌شود گزینه Font را انتخاب کنید.

در این منو می‌توانید فونت، اندازه و رنگ متن را تغییر دید. همچنین می‌توانید جلوه‌هایی مانند strikethrough اضافه کنید. زمانی که تنظیمات متن را تغییر دادید روی OK کلیک کنید.

همچنین می‌توانید پس‌زمینه و حاشیه راهنما را تغییر دهید. به این منظور باید پنل Legend Format را باز کرده و روی راهنما راست-کلیک کرده و گزینه Format Legend را از منو انتخاب کنید.

برای تغییر دادن پس‌زمینه راهنما، آیکون Fill and Line را در پنل انتخاب کنید. سپس نوع پس‌زمینه را انتخاب کنید. چند گزینه مختلف وجود دارند که می‌توان از میان آن‌ها انتخاب کرد و هر یک در زمان انتخاب، پیش‌نمایشی ارائه می‌کنند. ما در این مثال از Gradient fill استفاده می‌کنیم.

راهنمای نمودار پاورپوینت شما اینک چیزی مانند زیر خواهد بود:

همچنین می‌توانید حاشیه راهنما را با انتخاب Border در زبانه Fill and Line ویرایش کنید. زمانی که آن را انتخاب کردید، گزینه استایل حاشیه مطلوب خود را انتخاب کنید.

برای این که راهنمای شما جلوه‌های ویژه‌ای داشته باشد، آیکون Effects را از پنل Format Legend انتخاب کرده و سپس نوع جلوه‌ای که می‌خواهید به راهنمای خود بدهید را از میان لیست گزینه‌ها انتخاب کنید.

برای تغییر دادن رنگ راهنما که متناظر با داده‌های درون نمودار است، باید این کار را درون خود نمودار انجام دهید. بدین منظور روی بخشی از نمودار که می‌خواهید رنگش را تغییر دهید، راست-کلیک کنید و گزینه Fill را از منویی که ظاهر می‌شود انتخاب نمایید. در ادامه رنگی که می‌خواهید، برای آن بخش از داده‌ها اعمال شود را انتخاب کنید. در این مرحله متوجه خواهید شد که رنگ راهنما به رنگ انتخاب شده برای داده‌ها تغییر می‌یابد.

همچنین، می‌توانید برخی از گزینه‌های رنگی از پیش تعریف شده پاورپوینت را انتخاب کنید. در زبانه Design گزینه Change Colors را انتخاب کنید.

زمانی که آن را انتخاب کردید، در منوی بازشدنی که ظاهر می‌شود، طرح رنگی که دوست دارید را انتخاب کنید.

بدین ترتیب نمودار دایره‌ای شما و راهنمای آن از طرح رنگی سفارشی شده استفاده خواهند کرد.

اگر این مطلب برای شما مفید بوده است، آموزش‌های زیر نیز به شما پیشنهاد می‌شوند: