Word Art and Shapes
There
are many features and commands you can use in
PowerPoint to create visually appealing slides.
Two of these features are WordArt and shapes. WordArt allows
the user to create stylized
text with
textures, shadows, outlines, and more. It can be
applied to text on any slide. Additionally, in
PowerPoint, you can insert a variety
of shapes such
as lines, arrows, callouts, stars, and basic
shapes including rectangles and circles.
In this lesson, you will learn how to apply and
modify WordArt styles, as well as insert and
modify various shapes on a slide.
Working with WordArt
Download the example to
work along with the Lesson.
To Apply a WordArt Style:
-
Select the text you
wish to modify. The Format tab
will appear.
-
Select the Format tab.
-
Move your cursor over a WordArt
style in
the WordArt Styles group to see a live
preview of the style on the slide.
-
Click the More drop-down
arrow to see all the possible WordArt
styles.
-
Click an option to select it.
To Change the Fill Color of a WordArt Style:
-
Select the text you wish to modify.
-
Click the Text
Fill command
in the WordArt Styles group.
-
Move your cursor over a color option to see
a live preview on the slide.
-
Click a color to select it.
Or Select:
-
No Fill: This option will leave the
WordArt text without a fill color.
-
More Fill Colors: Opens a dialog
box of color choices that you can use as a
fill color.
-
Picture: Opens the Insert Picture
dialog box. From here, you can select a
picture from your computer to use as the
fill background.
-
Gradient: Displays a sub menu of
various gradient options that changes how
the fill color appears.
-
Textures: Displays a sub menu of
various textures that you can apply to the
WordArt text.
Working with WordArt (cont.)
To Change the Text Outline of a WordArt Style:
-
Select the text you
wish to modify. The Format tab
will appear.
-
Select the Format tab.
-
Click the Text
Outline command
in the WordArt Styles group.
-
Move your cursor over a color option to see
a live preview on the slide.
-
Click a color to select it.
From the Text Outline menu, you can also choose
to apply no outline color, access more colors,
change the weight of the line, and change the
line style.
To Apply a Text Effect to a WordArt Style:
-
Select the text you
wish to modify. The Format tab
will appear.
-
Select the Format tab.
-
Click the Text
Effects command.
A menu of options will appear.
-
Select a menu option. The options are:
Shadows, Reflection, Glow, Bevel, and
Transform. This will display a sub menu.
-
Click an option from the sub menu to select
it.
You can use WordArt to create stylized
text that
is eye-catching and professional;
however, with so many styles and options, you
can also create text that is not appropriate for
the presentation, difficult to read, or simply
does not look appealing. Remember, just because
you can do something does not mean you should!
Working with Shapes
To Insert a Shape:
-
Select the Home tab.
-
Click the Shapes command.
-
Click a shape from the menu.
-
Move your cursor toward the slide. It will
appear as a cross
shape.
-
Click and hold down the mouse button, and
drag the cursor until the shape is the
desired size.
-
Release the mouse button to insert the
shape.
To Change a Shape Style:
-
Select the shape.
The Format tab will appear.
-
Select the Format tab.
-
Click the More
drop-down arrow in
the Shapes Style group to display more style
options.
-
Move your cursor over a style to see a live
preview of the style on the slide.
-
Click a style to select it.
Working with Shapes (cont.)
To Change the Shape Fill:
-
Select the shape. The Format tab will
appear.
-
Select the Format tab.
-
Click the Shape
Fill command
to display a drop-down list.
-
Select a color from the list or choose one
of the other menu options.
To Change the Shape Outline:
-
Select the shape. The Format tab will
appear.
-
Select the Format tab.
-
Click the Shape
Outline command
to display a drop-down list.
-
Select a color from the list or choose one
of the other menu options.
To Apply a Shape Effect:
-
Select the shape you wish to modify. The
Format tab will appear.
-
Select the Format tab.
-
Click the Shape
Effects command.
-
Move your cursor over a menu option. A sub
menu will appear.
-
Move your cursor over an option in the sub
menu to see a live preview of the effect on
the slide.
-
Click an option to select the shape effect.
You can resize and move the shape just like you
do with text boxes and pictures.
Challenge!
Use the Company Overview presentation or any
other PowerPoint presentation you choose to
complete this challenge.
-
Open a presentation.
-
Apply a WordArt
style to
the title slide of the presentation.
-
Change the text
fill color.
-
Change the text
outline color.
-
Apply a Reflection text
effect.
-
Insert a shape.
-
Apply a shape
style.
-
Explore the Shape Fill, Shape Outline, and
Shape Effects commands.