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Shape Effects in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac

Author: Geetesh Bajaj

Product/Version: Microsoft PowerPoint 2011
OS: Mac OS X

Date Created: August 11th 2011
Last Updated: September 5th 2011

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Excerpt/Capsule: Learn about the Shape Effects for shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.

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Shapes are the building blocks of PowerPoint -- and there is so much that you can do with them. You have already explored Shape Fills and Shape Outlines in PowerPoint 2011. The third characteristic that you can apply to shapes is Effects -- PowerPoint 2011 provides six distinct Shape Effects:

1. Shadow
2. Reflection
3. Glow
4. Bevel
5. 3-D Rotation
   
6. Soft Edges

Each of these effects are explained in individual detailed pages within this series. Before you get there, it's important that you understand how you can apply a Shape Effect:

1. Select the shape that you want to apply the effect to. Alternatively, if you just want to follow this tutorial step-by-step, launch PowerPoint. You will see the Presentation Gallery which allows you to set all attributes of your new presentation, such as a preset Theme or template. Make selections or just click Cancel in this gallery to open a blank presentation with a new slide -- PowerPoint 2011 users can change the slide layout of this slide to Blank by selecting Layout | Blank within the Home tab of the Ribbon.
   
   
2. Within the Home tab of the Ribbon, locate the Insert group and click the Shape button to access the Shape gallery with different types of shape options that you can see in Figure 1. Select any shape option to access the related submenu, select the shape you prefer (we selected the Rectangle shape, as you can see in Figure 1).
   
   
   Figure 1: Shape gallery
   
   
3. Click and drag on the slide to insert the shape, or click once on the blank slide to place an instance of the shape. Select the inserted shape so that the Ribbon area now shows the Format tab, as shown highlighted in red in Figure 2. Activate this Ribbon tab by clicking on it.
   
   
   Figure 2: Format tab of the Ribbon
   
   
   Note: Format tab is a contextual tab. These tabs are special tabs in the Ribbon that are not visible all the time -- they only make an appearance when you are working with a particular slide object which can be edited using special options.
   
   
4. Within the Format tab, locate the Shape Styles group, within this group, click the Effects button (highlighted in blue in Figure 2 above) to view the Effects drop-down gallery, as shown in Figure 3.
   
   
   Figure 3: Effects drop-down gallery
   
   Let us explore these Shape Effects options:
   
   1. Shadow: Applies a shadow to the selected shape. PowerPoint provides three types of shadows: outer,inner, and perspective. You can apply any of these, or customize them to your requirement. Learn how to apply Shadow Effects to shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.
      
      
   2. Reflection: Adds a reflection to the selected shape, and you can choose from several reflection styles. Remember, you should not use shadow and reflection for the same slide object such as a shape. Learn how to apply Reflection Effects to shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.
      
      
   3. Glow: Provides a hazed, blurred color perimeter outside the shape area. PowerPoint provides several glow variations; the glow colors are based on the Theme colors although you can also choose any other color as well. Learn how to apply Glow Effects to shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.
      
      
   4. Bevel: Applies bevel effects to the selected shape. You can also customize your own bevel. Learn how to apply Bevel Effects to shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.
      
      
   5. 3-D Rotation: Imparts parallel, perspective, and oblique 3-D effects to the selected shape. Learn how to apply 3-D Rotation to shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.
      
      
   6. Soft Edges: Although this effect is not listed within the Shape Effects gallery (see Figure 3), you can access it through the Format Shape dialog box. This effect makes the shape edges feathered, almost like a moth-edge. Learn how to apply Soft Edges to shapes in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.