There are many, surely millions, users of Microsoft's word processing software, the popular Become. However, not everyone masters this tool perfectly or knows all its tricks and secrets. Without going any further, the majority of users do not use the function WordArt, which was very popular for a few years and which today continues to offer very interesting resources.
That is why we have dedicated this post to explaining what exactly WordArt is, how to access its tools and how you can get the most out of it when working with Word documents. If you are interested, keep reading.
What is WordArt?
WordArt is a feature that is included in the Word text editor, which offers us the possibility of give a different look to characters, numbers and words. A function that, in principle, is merely aesthetic, but that serves to enrich our texts and documents and make them more attractive or striking.
Present in Word since its inception, back in 1995, many people are unaware that it is also available in the rest of the Office package: Excel, Publisher and PowerPoint.
In general terms, WordArt will help us to create texts through a series of special effects determined. There is a lot to choose from: special contours and textures, rotating texts, wavy, mirrored, shaded... We find many predefined styles that can be greatly exploited with a little creativity and imagination.
How to use WordArt
When opening a Word document, we go to the toolbar and click on the tab "Insert". In the options that appear below, we will find the one of "Insert WordArt". We just have to click on it to access all its possibilities.
There we meet fifteen different styles to create texts, represented by fifteen samples in which the letter “A” appears (see the image above). When selecting one, a box opens in which we can enter the text we want. When the text is ready, we will be able to move it around the screen, stretch it, resize it, etc.
At this point it should be noted that texts created with WordArt cannot be treated like conventional Word texts. Actually, they must be handled as if they were images. In fact, we must keep this in mind when saving our documents, which will weigh more if they contain images than if they are only made up of text. Let's see what instruments we have to carry out the customization work:
Fillings
One of the things we can do is change the fill color of the WordArt text. Also adjust the gradient, texture, and even pattern of this fill. To do so, let's first "Shape Styles", we click on "Shape Fill" and we choose one of the following procedures to follow:
- Choose one of the sample colors, among which appear those that have been used recently.
- Click on "More fill colors" to browse more color options.
- We can also use an Image, Gradient, Texture or Pattern as fill, for which you just have to select the corresponding item in the menu.
Contours
The WordArt options also allow us to change the color and thickness of the outline, and even make this outline continuous or discontinuous. For this, we have to go to the group "Shape Styles", Click on "shape outline" and then choose the desired option:
- We choose the color between those in the sample color palette and recently used.
- There are more colors available by clicking on "More Outline Colors", to then select the one we want.
- We also select the Outline Thickness, Dashes, or Pattern settings with the corresponding menu item.
shadow effects
To give shadow to the letters and characters of our WordArt object, we must click on the group "Shadow Effects" and then select the desired effect within the gallery of shadow effects. The tools also allow us change shadow color and even make it more or less long thanks to the directional buttons.
3D effects
We will also be able to apply one of the 3d effects from the WordArt effects gallery, while adjusting things like color, depth, direction, or lighting.
Specifically, it is interesting to learn how to use the option to change the surface (matt, plastic, metal, etc.) as well as the degree of inclination. Managing these instruments well, striking results can be achieved.
position and size
Finally, we will mention the WordArt tools to choose its position within the document. From the "Group Organize" We are going to be able to place the different objects all over the surface of the sheet, with the possibility of superimposing one on top of the other.
As for the height and width of the objects, they can be adjusted from the «Size group», in which there are a series of boxes with up and down arrows to set different values.