WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:11.420 --> 00:00:15.790 One of the best ways to add more interest to your documents is to add shapes. 00:00:15.790 --> 00:00:19.320 Word gives you lots of different shapes to choose from, and they can be customized to 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:23.880 suit your needs, using your own color palette, preferences, and more. 00:00:23.880 --> 00:00:30.020 To get started, go to the Insert tab... click the Shapes command... then take a look at 00:00:30.020 --> 00:00:33.000 the menu and see if there's anything you like. 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:37.260 In this example, we're going to start with the ribbon shape here. 00:00:37.260 --> 00:00:44.100 Now, to draw your shape, click, hold & drag your mouse roughly where you it to go. 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:47.610 The shape will appear with your current default color scheme. 00:00:47.610 --> 00:00:50.489 We're going to talk about how to change that in a minute. 00:00:50.489 --> 00:00:55.540 Right now, I'd like to add one more shape before we move on. 00:00:55.540 --> 00:00:59.540 The great thing about shapes is the fact that they can be combined and customized to create 00:00:59.540 --> 00:01:01.500 your own unique graphics. 00:01:01.500 --> 00:01:06.290 Mastering this element can take time, but with a little practice—and a little creativity—you 00:01:06.290 --> 00:01:09.910 can create almost anything. 00:01:09.910 --> 00:01:13.260 When you're working with multiple shapes, you may reach a point where you want to change 00:01:13.260 --> 00:01:16.409 the order so the correct shape is in front. 00:01:16.409 --> 00:01:20.119 This comes up a lot in Word, so it's a good technique to know. 00:01:20.119 --> 00:01:26.950 Just right-click one of your shapes... then go down to Bring to Front and Send to Back. 00:01:26.950 --> 00:01:30.310 You may need to experiment with these options to make sure your shapes are arranged the 00:01:30.310 --> 00:01:31.810 way you want. 00:01:31.810 --> 00:01:36.320 In this example, I've selected the heart, and I want to move it behind the ribbon. 00:01:36.320 --> 00:01:41.640 So I'm going to choose Send Backwards... and that'll do it. 00:01:41.640 --> 00:01:44.539 Now we can make some adjustments to our shapes. 00:01:44.539 --> 00:01:48.460 The first thing I'm going to do is make the ribbon a little smaller using the sizing handles 00:01:48.460 --> 00:01:49.830 here. 00:01:49.830 --> 00:01:55.810 These can be found on the sides and the corners of any shape or object in Word. 00:01:55.810 --> 00:02:00.200 Every shape also has a rotation handle that you can drag in any direction. 00:02:00.200 --> 00:02:04.250 See how it changes the position? 00:02:04.250 --> 00:02:08.039 If your shape has any yellow handles (like the ones you see here), you can use those 00:02:08.039 --> 00:02:10.030 to make other adjustments. 00:02:10.030 --> 00:02:14.480 In this case, they change the proportions of the ribbon, but it just depends—some 00:02:14.480 --> 00:02:18.350 shapes don't have this option at all. 00:02:18.350 --> 00:02:24.660 Next, let's take a look at the Format tab, which appears any time you have a shape selected. 00:02:24.660 --> 00:02:28.860 From here, you can change the fill color, outline, and basically anything related to 00:02:28.860 --> 00:02:30.700 the shape's appearance. 00:02:30.700 --> 00:02:35.709 The quickest way to change the look of your shape is to use one of the pre-defined shape 00:02:35.709 --> 00:02:36.709 styles. 00:02:36.709 --> 00:02:41.209 These options depend on the colors and shape effects that are part of your current theme. 00:02:41.209 --> 00:02:47.170 Just mouse over each one for a preview, and see if there's anything you like. 00:02:47.170 --> 00:02:51.620 You can also use the commands on right to choose your own formatting options. 00:02:51.620 --> 00:02:57.480 In this example, I'm going change the outline color... and then apply a shadow using the 00:02:57.480 --> 00:03:03.299 Shape Effects command. 00:03:03.299 --> 00:03:07.270 You can even change the shape itself if you want to try something different. 00:03:07.270 --> 00:03:10.590 This option is good if you've already applied some formatting, and you don't want to lose 00:03:10.590 --> 00:03:12.800 it by starting over from scratch. 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:17.439 Just click the Edit Shape command on the far left of the Format tab. 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:21.150 Then you can choose a new shape from the menu. 00:03:21.150 --> 00:03:28.120 I'm going to go with a slightly different ribbon. 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:32.970 I've gone ahead and finished tweaking the size, color, and placement of my shapes. 00:03:32.970 --> 00:03:36.790 Now I'd like to add a bevel effect to the heart, and show you a couple different ways 00:03:36.790 --> 00:03:39.280 to use 3-D formatting. 00:03:39.280 --> 00:03:43.690 To get started, select the shape you want to format. 00:03:43.690 --> 00:03:48.469 Then click the Shape Effects command... and look to the two options at the bottom of the 00:03:48.469 --> 00:03:50.450 menu. 00:03:50.450 --> 00:03:54.909 Bevel adds thickness and a sculpted edge to the shape, while 3-D Rotation makes it look 00:03:54.909 --> 00:03:58.280 like you're viewing the object from a different angle. 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:01.409 3-D Rotation works best when the shape has some depth. 00:04:01.409 --> 00:04:08.990 So we're going to apply a bevel first... which gives the heart a subtle three-dimensional 00:04:08.990 --> 00:04:10.900 effect. 00:04:10.900 --> 00:04:17.109 Let's go back to 3-D Rotation... and mouse over some of the options for a preview. 00:04:17.109 --> 00:04:19.930 Now we can really see the effect of the bevel. 00:04:19.930 --> 00:04:24.790 Notice how the edges catch the light, and the shape looks truly three-dimensional? 00:04:24.790 --> 00:04:28.600 I'm looking for something fairly subtle, so I'm going to choose an option from the middle 00:04:28.600 --> 00:04:30.670 section of the menu. 00:04:30.670 --> 00:04:31.970 How about this one? 00:04:31.970 --> 00:04:34.410 There, that looks perfect. 00:04:34.410 --> 00:04:39.050 Now it's time for the finishing touch—adding some text to the ribbon. 00:04:39.050 --> 00:04:46.040 To add text to a shape, all you have to do is select the one you want... then start typing. 00:04:46.040 --> 00:04:49.820 This instantly turns the shape into a text box. 00:04:49.820 --> 00:04:53.760 You can even format the text using the options on the Home tab. 00:04:53.760 --> 00:04:57.530 Here it is with a different font. 00:04:57.530 --> 00:05:02.380 There are lots of things you can do with shapes in Word—this graphic is just one example. 00:05:02.380 --> 00:05:05.230 So give it a try, and see what you can come up with. 00:05:05.230 --> 00:05:09.580 You can use just one shape at a time, or you can try combining them to create something 00:05:09.580 --> 00:05:09.760 new.