Understanding Fill Effects

Word is not a specialized graphics program, but you can apply a few fancy effects to your drawing objects when you fill them with a color. To see the available effects, follow these steps if you are using a version of Word prior to Word 2007:

1. Select the drawing object you want to modify.
2. Click on the down-arrow next to the Fill Color tool on the Drawing toolbar. Word displays a color menu.
3. From the color menu, click your mouse on Fill Effects. Word displays the Fill Effects dialog box. (Click here to see a related figure.)

You can use the tools in the dialog box to change how the filling in the drawing object is rendered. The tabs in the dialog box allow the following:

• Gradient. This tab is used to modify the density of the color used in various parts of the drawing object. You should experiment with these to get the desired effect.
• Texture. This tab displays many different surface textures you can use to fill your drawing object. There are some great marble, fabric, and wood textures provided with Word.
• Pattern. This tab presents many different patterns you can use in conjunction with whatever fill color you have used. Many of the patterns are reminiscent of the patterns you can use in designing your Windows desktop.
• Picture. This tab allows you to pick a picture that is used to fill your drawing object. Depending on the picture you use, this can create some very interesting special effects.

If you are using Word 2007, you know that it no longer has a Drawing toolbar. You can still fill a drawing object with different types of effects by following these steps:

1. Select the drawing object you want to modify.
2. Make sure the Format tab is selected on the ribbon. (This tab is only visible if you select the drawing object in step 1.)
3. Click the Shape Fill tool in the Styles group. You'll see a drop-down list of choices that include the same four fill options available on the tabs in the Fill Effects dialog box in older versions of Word.