Advanced Slice & Dice

Take your shape slicing to the next level with advanced techniques, spacing options, and creative applications.

Advanced Slice Options

Configuring Slice Parameters

When you use the advanced Slice action, you can configure:

Rows

Number of horizontal divisions
Minimum: 1 (no horizontal division)
Recommended maximum: 20 (performance)

Columns

Number of vertical divisions
Minimum: 1 (no vertical division)
Recommended maximum: 20 (performance)

Horizontal Spacing

Gap between columns
Measured in points or inches
0 = no gap (touching pieces)
Negative = overlapping pieces

Vertical Spacing

Gap between rows
Measured in points or inches
0 = no gap (touching pieces)
Negative = overlapping pieces

Spacing reduces the size of each piece to accommodate gaps within the original shape's boundaries.

Spacing Techniques

No Spacing (0)

Use Case: Seamless division

Result:
┌────┬────┬────┐
│    │    │    │
├────┼────┼────┤
│    │    │    │
└────┴────┴────┘

Good For:

Tables
Image puzzles
Seamless patterns
When pieces should touch

Small Spacing (2-5pt)

Use Case: Subtle separation

Result:
┌───┐┌───┐┌───┐
│   ││   ││   │
├───┤├───┤├───┤
│   ││   ││   │
└───┘└───┘└───┘

Good For:

Segmented charts
Grid layouts
Modern designs
Visual separation without large gaps

Large Spacing (10-20pt)

Use Case: Distinct pieces

Result:
┌──┐  ┌──┐  ┌──┐

┌──┐  ┌──┐  ┌──┐

Good For:

Icon grids
Gallery layouts
Individual elements
Breathing room

Negative Spacing

Use Case: Overlapping pieces

Result:
┌────────┐
│ ┌────────┐
│ │ ┌────────┐
└─│─│────────┘
  └─│────────┘
    └────────┘

Good For:

Layered effects
3D illusions
Creative designs
Cascading elements

Advanced Techniques

Asymmetric Slicing

Create non-square grids:

Horizontal Strips:

Slice: 5 rows × 1 column
Result: 5 horizontal bars

Vertical Strips:

Slice: 1 row × 5 columns
Result: 5 vertical bars

Wide Grid:

Slice: 2 rows × 8 columns
Result: Wide, shallow grid

Tall Grid:

Slice: 8 rows × 2 columns
Result: Tall, narrow grid

Slicing Images

Special considerations for images:

1. Insert image
2. Slice (rows × columns)
3. Each piece contains part of image
4. Original image quality maintained

Applications:

Instagram-style grids (3×3)
Puzzle effects
Revealing animations
Creative layouts

Tips:

Use high-resolution images
Consider image composition when choosing divisions
Odd numbers (3×3, 5×5) often work better than even

Slicing Text Shapes

When slicing shapes with text:

1. Text stays with "first" piece (top-left)
2. Other pieces have no text
3. Need to add text manually to other pieces

Workaround:

1. Create shape without text
2. Slice shape
3. Add text to pieces individually

Or:

1. Slice shape with text
2. Delete text from first piece
3. Add new text boxes over each piece

Slicing Circles

Circles slice into curved pieces:

Circle:              Sliced (2×2):
    ●                  ◜  ◝
                      ◟  ◞

Use Cases:

Pie chart segments (slice circle into quarters)
Radial designs
Curved grids

Tip: For true pie slices, use Divide in PowerPoint's Merge Shapes instead.

Gradient Slicing

Shapes with gradients:

Gradient Shape:      Sliced:
┌──────────┐        ┌──┐┌──┐┌──┐
│ ░░░░▓▓▓▓ │   →    │░░││░▓││▓▓│
└──────────┘        └──┘└──┘└──┘

Each piece gets the portion of gradient that was in that area.

Creative Use:

Create color progressions
Segment gradients
Color studies

Creative Applications

Checkerboard Patterns

1. Create square
2. Slice (8 rows × 8 columns)
3. Select alternating pieces
4. Set Color to create checkerboard

Pattern:

■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □
□ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■
■ □ ■ □ ■ □ ■ □
...

Progress Visualization

1. Create horizontal bar
2. Slice (1 row × 10 columns)
3. Color first N pieces to show progress

Example (60% complete):

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ □ □ □ □

Data Grid

1. Create large rectangle
2. Slice (10 rows × 10 columns, 2pt spacing)
3. Style pieces based on data
4. Create heat map

Result: Visual data representation

Mosaic Art

1. Insert image
2. Slice (20 rows × 20 columns)
3. Randomize piece colors slightly
4. Create mosaic effect

Calendar

1. Create rectangle
2. Slice (6 rows × 7 columns)
3. Add dates to each cell
4. Style weekends/holidays

Layout:

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
 1   2   3   4   5   6   7
 8   9  10  11  12  13  14
...

Pixel Art

1. Create square
2. Slice (16 rows × 16 columns, 0 spacing)
3. Color individual pixels
4. Create pixel art

Working with Sliced Pieces

Selecting Pieces

After slicing:

Method 1: Click individual pieces
Method 2: Use Selection Pane (Home → Select → Selection Pane)
Method 3: Drag to select multiple pieces
Method 4: Ctrl+A to select all pieces

Styling Pieces

Apply different styles to pieces:

1. Select piece(s)
2. Use Get/Set Color
3. Change outline
4. Apply effects

Deleting Pieces

Create custom grids:

1. Slice shape
2. Select unwanted pieces
3. Delete
4. Result: Custom layout

Moving Pieces

Create exploded views:

1. Slice shape
2. Select pieces
3. Move pieces outward
4. Add spacing for effect

Grouping Pieces

Keep related pieces together:

1. Slice shape
2. Select related pieces (e.g., one row)
3. Group (Ctrl+G)
4. Move group as unit

Performance Optimization

Managing Shape Count

Be mindful of total shapes:

Bad: Slice into 50×50 grid (2,500 shapes!) - Will slow PowerPoint
Good: Slice into 10×10 grid (100 shapes) - Manageable

Best Practices

For Small Slides:

Maximum: 10×10 (100 pieces)

For Large Slides:

Maximum: 15×15 (225 pieces)

For Complex Presentations:

Keep total shapes per slide under 500

If Performance Lags

Solutions:

Reduce number of pieces
Ungroup and delete unnecessary pieces
Convert to image: Select all → Copy → Paste Special → Picture
Work on fewer slides at once

Troubleshooting

Problem: Sliced Pieces Look Wrong

Cause: Original shape had complex effects

Solution:

Simplify effects before slicing
Or slice, then apply effects to pieces

Problem: Can't Select Individual Pieces

Cause: Pieces are grouped

Solution:

Ungroup (Ctrl+Shift+G)
Then select individual pieces

Problem: Spacing Looks Uneven

Cause: Rounding errors with small shapes

Solution:

Start with larger shape
Or use whole number dimensions
Avoid very small spacing (< 1pt)

Problem: Text Disappeared

Cause: Text only stays with first piece

Solution:

Add text separately to each piece
Or use text boxes over pieces instead of text in shapes

Problem: Too Many Shapes

Cause: Sliced into too many pieces

Solution:

Undo (Ctrl+Z)
Slice with fewer rows/columns
Or convert final result to image

Advanced Workflows

Creating Heat Maps

1. Slice shape (10×10)
2. Use data to determine colors
3. Apply colors with Get/Set Color
4. Add legend

Building Calendars

1. Slice (5×7 for typical month)
2. Add day numbers
3. Style weekends differently
4. Highlight today/events

Segmented Infographics

1. Slice base shape
2. Style each segment for different data
3. Add labels/percentages
4. Create visual data story

Custom Table Layouts

1. Slice for basic grid
2. Delete pieces to create custom layout
3. Merge remaining pieces if needed
4. Add content

Spacing Formulas

Calculating piece sizes with spacing:

Piece Width = (Total Width - (Columns - 1) × H_Spacing) / Columns
Piece Height = (Total Height - (Rows - 1) × V_Spacing) / Rows

Example:

Original: 600px × 400px
Slice: 3 rows × 4 columns
Spacing: 10px horizontal, 10px vertical

Piece Width = (600 - 3 × 10) / 4 = 142.5px
Piece Height = (400 - 2 × 10) / 3 = 126.67px

What's Next?

Get-Set Colors

Style your sliced pieces

Layer Control

Arrange sliced pieces in layers

Multiply

Combine slicing with multiplication

Advanced Slice & Dice

Get-Set Colors

Layer Control

Multiply

On this page