Ampler copies one shape’s formatting and applies it to others — via a pick-up/apply pair of shortcuts or a format painter — so a set of shapes matches an example exactly.
Quick answer: Select a shape and pick up its style with Ctrl+Shift+C (or click Format painter), then select the target shapes and apply with Ctrl+Shift+V (or click each with the painter).
How to use it
Pick up a style, then apply it to one or more shapes.
- Select the source shape and pick up its style with Ctrl+Shift+C — or click Format painter.
- Select one or more target shapes and apply the style with Ctrl+Shift+V — or click each shape with the format-painter cursor.
The targets take on the source shape’s fill, outline, and text formatting, so the set matches the example.
Keyboard shortcut
The pick-up and apply functions use Ctrl+Shift+C and Ctrl+Shift+V by default. You can reassign them in the Ampler Settings → Shortcuts.
Why use it
Matching several shapes to one example by re-setting each fill, outline, and font is slow and rarely exact. Picking up a shape’s style and applying it — to a whole selection at once — makes the match precise, and the format painter handles it shape by shape when that’s easier.
How consultants use it
Visual consistency is a quality gate on a consulting slide, and the fastest way to hold it is to format one element well and propagate it. Three habits apply:
- Format once, propagate: a well-formatted shape becomes the template the others copy.
- Exact matches, not re-set by hand: the style is copied precisely, so shapes truly match.
- Whole sets at once: applying to a multi-shape selection keeps a complex slide uniform fast.
Pick up and apply turns one good shape into the standard for the rest.
Tips & best practices
- Format one reference shape carefully, then propagate its style.
- Apply to a multi-shape selection with Ctrl+Shift+V to update many at once.
- Use the format painter when it’s quicker to click shape by shape.
Availability
Included in Ampler for PowerPoint and the Ampler Suite, on Windows desktop PowerPoint.
Frequently asked questions
How do you copy formatting from one shape to another in PowerPoint?
Select the source shape and pick up its style with Ctrl+Shift+C, then select the targets and apply with Ctrl+Shift+V — or use the Ampler Format painter.
How do you apply one shape’s style to many shapes at once?
Pick up the style, then select all the target shapes and apply with Ctrl+Shift+V — the whole selection matches the source.
What is the shortcut to paste a shape’s style?
Ampler uses Ctrl+Shift+V to apply a picked-up style (picked up with Ctrl+Shift+C); both can be reassigned in Settings.