WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:07.970 --> 00:00:12.650 Adding shapes is a great way to make your documents more interesting. 00:00:12.650 --> 00:00:16.320 Word gives you a lot of different shapes to choose from and they can be customized 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:21.520 to suit your needs using your own color palette, preferences, and more. 00:00:21.520 --> 00:00:24.539 To get started, go to the Insert tab 00:00:24.539 --> 00:00:26.680 click the Shapes command, 00:00:26.680 --> 00:00:30.900 then take a look at the menu and see if there's anything you like. 00:00:30.900 --> 00:00:35.340 In this example we're going to start with the ribbon shape here. 00:00:35.340 --> 00:00:41.210 To draw your shape, click and drag your mouse roughly where you want it to go. 00:00:41.210 --> 00:00:44.540 The shape will appear with your default color scheme. 00:00:44.540 --> 00:00:47.550 We're going to talk more about how to change that in a minute. 00:00:47.550 --> 00:00:50.610 Right now I'd like to add one more shape before we move on. 00:00:50.610 --> 00:00:58.290 The great thing about shapes is that they can be combined and customized to create your own unique graphics. 00:00:58.300 --> 00:01:02.970 Mastering this element can take time but with a little practice and a little creativity, 00:01:02.970 --> 00:01:07.950 you can create almost anything with these tools. 00:01:07.950 --> 00:01:11.640 When you're working with multiple shapes, you may reach a point where you want to 00:01:11.640 --> 00:01:15.840 change the order so the correct shape is in front or on top. 00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:20.680 This comes up a lot in Word, so it's a good technique to know. 00:01:20.700 --> 00:01:23.110 Just right-click one of your shapes 00:01:23.110 --> 00:01:27.380 then go to Bring to Front and Send to Back. 00:01:27.380 --> 00:01:30.820 You may need to experiment with these options to make sure your shapes are 00:01:30.820 --> 00:01:32.870 arranged the way you want. 00:01:32.870 --> 00:01:38.700 In this example I have selected the heart shape and I want to move it behind the ribbon shape. 00:01:38.700 --> 00:01:44.480 So I'm going to Send to Back, then Send Backward. 00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:46.650 And that'll do it! 00:01:46.650 --> 00:01:50.780 Now we can make some adjustments to our shapes. The first thing I'm going to do 00:01:50.780 --> 00:01:55.900 is make the ribbon shape a little smaller using the sizing handles here. 00:01:55.900 --> 00:02:01.780 These can be found on the sides and the corners of any shape or object in Word. 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:07.710 Every shape also has a rotation handle that you can drag in any direction. 00:02:07.710 --> 00:02:12.580 if your shape has any yellow handles, like the ones you see here, you can use those 00:02:12.580 --> 00:02:15.080 to make other adjustments. 00:02:15.080 --> 00:02:20.690 In this case they change the proportions of the ribbon, but it just depends; 00:02:20.690 --> 00:02:23.569 some shapes don't have this option at all. 00:02:23.569 --> 00:02:29.289 Next, let's take a look at the Format tab, which appears anytime you have a shape selected. 00:02:29.930 --> 00:02:35.500 From here, you can change the fill color, outline, and basically anything related to 00:02:35.500 --> 00:02:37.530 the shape's appearance. 00:02:37.530 --> 00:02:41.380 The fastest way to change the look of your shape is to use one of the 00:02:41.380 --> 00:02:43.840 predefined shapes styles. 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:47.540 These options depend on the colors and shape effects that are part of your current theme. 00:02:47.540 --> 00:02:53.640 Just mouse every each one for a preview and see if there's anything you like. 00:02:55.970 --> 00:02:57.770 You can also use the commands on the right 00:02:57.770 --> 00:03:00.510 to choose your own formatting options. 00:03:00.510 --> 00:03:05.220 In this example I'm going to change the outline color 00:03:05.220 --> 00:03:11.750 and then use the Shape Effects command to apply a drop shadow. 00:03:11.750 --> 00:03:16.770 I'd also like to customize the heart shape a little more. 00:03:16.770 --> 00:03:20.360 I'll change the fill color... 00:03:20.360 --> 00:03:25.460 remove the outline... 00:03:25.460 --> 00:03:33.680 and finally I'm going to add a bevel from the Shape Effects menu. 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:37.800 You can even change the shape itself if you want to try something different. 00:03:37.800 --> 00:03:41.590 This option is good if you've already applied some formatting like this and 00:03:41.590 --> 00:03:45.250 you don't want to lose it by starting over from scratch. 00:03:45.250 --> 00:03:50.400 Just select the shape you want to change( that's the ribbon shape in this example) 00:03:50.400 --> 00:03:55.010 then click the Edit Shape command on the far left of the Format tab 00:03:55.010 --> 00:03:59.010 You can then choose a new shape in the menu. 00:03:59.010 --> 00:04:03.319 I'm going to go with a slightly different ribbon shape. 00:04:03.319 --> 00:04:05.780 There we go! 00:04:05.780 --> 00:04:10.880 And I'll just make a few tweaks to get this shape the way I want it. 00:04:10.880 --> 00:04:16.440 Now let's add some text for the finishing touch.To add text to his shape all you 00:04:16.440 --> 00:04:20.440 have to do is select the one you want, then start typing. 00:04:20.440 --> 00:04:24.250 This instantly turns the shape into a text box. 00:04:24.250 --> 00:04:31.050 You can even format the text using the options on the Home tab. 00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:33.790 Here it is with a different font. 00:04:33.790 --> 00:04:39.670 There are a lot of things you can do with shapes in Word; this graphic is just one example. 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:42.969 So give it a try and see what you can come up with. 00:04:42.969 --> 00:04:49.289 You can use just one shape at a time, or you can try combining them to create something new.