Want to add more dynamism to your presentation and make your text more engaging? Then the " Bend Text" design element in PowerPoint might be just what you need. Learn how to bend text or enhance it with effects and settings.
Furthermore, you will learn which effects are suitable for this type of formatting and how to showcase the finished text using animations. Special care is required here: not every effect is visually compatible with the text. Therefore, not all text formatting is suitable for use with curved text in Microsoft PowerPoint.
Insert and prepare text
First of all, you need a current version of Microsoft PowerPoint. If you are an Office 365 subscriber, you always have access to the latest version and can get started immediately.
You can either open an existing presentation or create a new one. After creating a blank slide under the " Home " menu and selecting " New Slide ," you can then insert a text box. Text boxes can be found in the " Insert " menu under the " Text " category.
Tip: Ideally, you should format the text you are about to write with centered alignment. To do this, select the text, go back to the "Home" menu, and in the "Paragraph" category, select centered formatting . Alternatively, you can simply press "Ctrl" and "E" .
To bend the PowerPoint text, first select it and then open the "Shape Format" menu. Here, in the "WordArt Formats" category, you'll find the "Text Effects" button, which allows you to convert your text into WordArt.
Select the " Transform " tool here, and you'll see a variety of distortion options for modifying the text on your slides. The "Follow Path" category at the top is used to warp the text around a center point. Further down, you'll find a wider selection of distortion effects. Choose one that suits your needs.
To create a circle from the text, first deform the text box you inserted at the beginning into a square , if possible. This way, your inserted text has enough space to form a complete arc. If the text isn't long enough, you can alternatively simply increase the font size until the circle is closed.
Tip : You will now see a yellow dot at the edge of the text box. If you press and hold this dot and drag it, you can determine how far the curve along which the text is aligned should stretch.
Curving PowerPoint text: More effects in Microsoft PowerPoint for curved text
The other deformation options that you can select in the "Shape Format" tab are similar in operation, but have different effects, as different deformation principles are used here.
While making these changes to the text, you can continue to edit it, adjust its color, expand it, or apply other formatting. Feel free to experiment in the " WordArt Formats " subcategory, which can be found under the " Shape Format " menu.
You will typically find over 20 predefined customizations there that you can simply use. If these don't suit your needs, you can use the " Text Fill " button and the " Text Outline " option to explore various color options and adjust the thickness of the lines around the letters.
Unfortunately, a function to wrap text around edges is still missing. This would allow you to display each individual side of a square. However, you can circumvent this limitation by creating a separate text field for each side of the imaginary cuboid.
To properly showcase the new text using animations, several options are available. Go to the " Animations " menu item and select one of the pre-made motion effects.
Particularly recommended, as they harmonize well with the round shape of our text, are the effects "Shape" , which allows you to show and hide the text from the center of the imaginary circle, and "Zoom" , which can scale the circular text.
Also highly recommended is the "Grow and Move" effect, which inflates our text box like a ball and makes it bounce into the slide. The " Wheel " or " Rotate " effects are particularly suitable. Using the effect options, you can set various fades to reveal the text symmetrically from all sides, like a clock.
You should avoid effects like "Object Color" as they don't harmonize well with the text box. On the other hand, the " Underline " and " Brush Color " effects are very well suited for creating impressive presentations.
Format curved text afterwards
For a more personalized approach, and without a template, you can edit the text using the "Format Shape" function. To do this, right-click on the text and select " Format Shape " from the context menu that appears. A small menu with three icons will then open on the right side of the editing window. The middle one is called " Effects " and can be used to add shadows or reflections to make the text appear more three-dimensional.
Here, 3D adjustments can also be made to give the presentation more depth. The motto is: "less is more." Therefore, you shouldn't use all the options at once, otherwise the text will appear cluttered and distract from the actual content.
Reflection is particularly suitable for our curved text field. Here, you can choose from several predefined settings and manually adjust the details of the effect. The same applies to the shadow effect. You can also determine the direction or intensity from a predefined template library. Using the sliders below the selection window, you can make further adjustments to create the perfect effect for your needs.
Conclusion – Bending PowerPoint text
You have now learned how to bend PowerPoint text and supplement it with other suitable effects. As with any effect in Microsoft programs, the right mix is more important for a cohesive overall look than the sheer number of effects or animations.
Curving text in PowerPoint is a great technique for wrapping text around images or icons, preventing viewers from being overwhelmed by blocks of text. With a little practice and an eye for visual composition, curved text in PowerPoint is the perfect way to enhance this and improve the overall impression. Try it out today with our tips!
Should you encounter any problems with PowerPoint text formatting or have general PowerPoint questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. As an experienced PowerPoint agency, we are always available to assist you. Feel free to contact us by email at becker@presentationload.de .
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