How to Insert Shapes in OpenOffice

1. Click 'View' on the OpenOffice.org menu.
2. Click 'Toolbars.' Make sure 'Drawing' is selected and click it if it is not. This displays the Drawing toolbar. If you plan to customize the color and other settings for the shapes, enable 'Drawing Object Properties' as well.
3. Look at the bottom of the OpenOffice.org window. Hover the mouse over the groups of shapes to see what they are. Besides the rectangle and ellipse, you can also draw basic geometric shapes, symbols such as a sun, moon or heart, stars, callouts such as speech balloons and flowcharts.
4. Click the down arrow on the shapes group that contains the shape you want to use. This opens a list of all available shapes in that group. Click the shape. For example, choose the 24-point star in the 'Stars' group.
5. Press the 'Shift' key if you want to retain the standard proportions of the selected shape. Click the document and drag the mouse to create the shape. Release the mouse button.
6. Click and drag the controls to adjust the size of the shape, if needed.
7. Click the 'Color' list on the Drawing Object Properties toolbar above the document area. Select a different fill type if you wish. The default is a solid color. You can choose a gradient style, a hatching or other type.
8. Select a color type on the list on the right. What appears there depends on the fill type you selected. For instance, if you chose 'Gradient,' OpenOffice.org will present you with a list of gradient presets. Click the preset you want to apply to the selected shape.