Oct 23 2010

Shaft Gradient Fill Effect in PowerPoint 2007

I’ve had a few questions about how to re-create the shaft gradient fill effect that was a default option in PowerPoint 2003. If you still remember PowerPoint 2003 (it’s two versions old now), there was a gradient option that created a rounded/pipe/shaft-like effect.

I know your life has been empty without it since switching to PowerPoint 2007. I want to fix that nagging empty feeling.

Here’s how to re-create it in PowerPoint 2007:

1. Right click on object and select Format Object.
2. Select the Fill tab and click on the Gradient fill radio button.
3. Under Gradient Stop, select the end color for Stop 1 with the stop position set to 0%.
4. Under Gradient Stop, select the middle color for Stop 2 (typically white or a lighter color than the end colors) with the stop position set to 50%.
5. Under Gradient Stop, select the end color for Stop 3 with stop position set to 100%. Note: For some reason, if you use a different color than the other end, it creates a slightly different effect (see below). I recommend keeping the end colors the same.
6. You can make the shaft effect vertical, horizontal, etc. by adjusting the Direction setting.

UPDATE: There’s an even easier option. If you have Word 2007, you can still access the same shaft gradient effect as a default. You can create the effect within Word 2007, and copy it over to PPT 2007.

In PPT 2007, you need to configure the gradient stops so that you can re-create the shaft effect from PPT 2003. You can change the direction of the effect using the Direction dropdown. If you keep the end colors the same, you actually get a slightly different effect than what you get when you use different colors on the ends.

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Related posts:

1. Three New Gradient Effect Options in PowerPoint 2007
2. Mastering Gradient Fills in PowerPoint 2007
3. Image Fading Technique in PowerPoint
4. Create a Cut-Out Effect in PowerPoint
5. Editing Grouped Objects in PowerPoint 2007

Tags: fill, gradients, PowerPoint 2003, PowerPoint 2007

Comments (4)

4 Responses to “Shaft Gradient Fill Effect in PowerPoint 2007”

1. Michael Pierce says:
   October 25th, 2010 11:33 am

   Thanks for the excuse to venture into the gradients in 2007. I haven’t really used them much since upgrading to the new version ages ago. One question that I have: how do you control the amount of white space in the middle? I set up a vertical gradient and end up with very little white space in the middle. Mine looks most like your third example (Different end colors) with just a thin white stripe. Did you do anything different for your horizontal/vertical examples to generate a lot more white space?

   Reply
   • pptninja says:
     November 4th, 2010 7:56 pm

     I couldn’t find an easy way to control the “spread” of the white space. I noticed when I kept the end colors the same, I got a wider white spread in the middle. I can’t see why it is happening though. It’s kind of quirky.

     Reply
2. Michael Pierce says:
   November 16th, 2010 12:52 pm

   The only thing I’ve been able to do is have 2 white stops in the middle (stop 2 at 40%, color white and stop 3 at 60%, color white). That seems to give more control over the amount of white in the middle.

   Reply
3. sheila says:
   May 3rd, 2011 10:03 am

   wow thanks you so much!!!!!

   Reply