Add Glossy Highlights for Shapes in PowerPoint

Have you seen a glossy highlight that is overlaid on the screens of electronic devices such as tablets, laptops, screens, or even phones? You can see an example of this effect in Figure 1, below. The tablet on the left has no such glossy highlight but the tablet on the right does!

Figure 1: Sample of glossy highlight

It's easy to create this glossy highlight in PowerPoint. Even better, you can just create a shape that represents this glossy highlight and then use it anywhere you want! Follow these steps to learn how to create this glossy highlighted shape within PowerPoint:

1. Launch PowerPoint and insert a shape on the slide to represent a device such as a tablet. We chose a Rounded Rectangle shape, as shown in Figure 2, below. You may adjust the yellow square/diamond to adjust the roundness of the tablet.
2. 
   Figure 2: Rounded Rectangle placed on the slide
2. Apply a picture fill to the tablet shape, as shown in Figure 3. Now we need to add the glossy highlighted shape above this tablet.
3. 
   Figure 3: Picture fill applied to tablet shape
3. Now, insert a smaller Rectangle shape, as shown in Figure 4, below. Right-click the rectangle and from the contextual menu that appears, select the Edit Points option, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 4.
4. 
   Figure 4: Edit Points option
4. Once you are into Edit Points mode, select the bottom left point and drag it inwards, to get a shape sloped at around 120 degrees, as shown in Figure 5, below. This is going to be our glossy highlight shape.
5. 
   Figure 5: Point repositioned within a Rectangle shape
5. Place the edited rectangle shape over the tablet shape, as shown in Figure 6, below.
6. 
   Figure 6: Edited Rectangle shape placed on Rounded Rectangle
6. Now, alter the fill of this edited rectangle shape so that it has a Gradient fill. You will need to have three Gradient stops so that you can edit, delete, or add to end up with three gradient stops that have the exactly same parameters, as mentioned below:
7. Gradient Stop 1 (highlighted in red within Figure 7): Make these changes:
8. Color: White (choose from Theme colors)
   Position: 0%
   Transparency: 70%.
9. 
   Figure 7: Gradient Stop 1
10. Gradient Stop 2 (highlighted in red within Figure 8): Make these changes:
11. Color: White (choose from Theme colors)
    Position: 30%
    Transparency: 90%.
12. 
    Figure 8: Gradient Stop 2
13. Gradient Stop 3 (highlighted in red within Figure 9): Make these changes:
14. Color: White (choose from Theme colors)
    Position: 50%
    Transparency: 100%.
15. 
    Figure 9: Gradient Stop 3
16. Do note that you also must set these three attributes, as shown in Figures 7, 8, and 9:
17. Type: Linear
    Direction: Top Left to Bottom Right
    Angle: 45°
7. Also remove the line attribute from the rectangle. After applying all the parameters, you can see the result, as shown in Figure 10.
8. 
   Figure 10: Glossy highlight shape ready
8. You can use this same glossy highlight shape for other objects too (see the squares in Figure 11, below). Just copy the highlight shape and paste over other objects, and resize as required depending upon the size of the object beneath.
9. 
   Figure 11: Glossy highlight shape for other objects
9. Make sure you save your presentation often.