Using Custom Textures as Fill for Text in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac

While choosing texture fills for your text, you need not limit yourself to the default textures that PowerPoint offers. Third party custom textures are always an option, including our own Scribble Custom Textures that provide your text with an organic look, as if someone scribbled lines with a pencil to fill them! You can also try some more custom textures from our Ppted Background Texture Collection. Let us explore how to use these custom textures as fills for your text. Follow these steps to learn more in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac:

1. Select the text to which you want to apply a custom texture fill. Alternatively, if you just want to follow this tutorial step-by-step, insert a text box on a blank slide and type some text in it. Also, change the text font to something "blockier", such as Arial Black (see Figure 1). Select the text, or the entire text box to bring up the Format tab on the Ribbon as shown highlighted in red within Figure 1.
2. 
   Figure 1: Format tab of the Ribbon
Note: The Format tab is a Contextual tab. These tabs are special tabs in the Ribbon that are not visible all the time. They only make an appearance when you are working with a particular slide object which can be edited using special options within these tabs.
2. Within the Format tab, locate the Text Styles group. Then click the down-arrow within the Fill button that you can see highlighted in red within Figure 2.
3. 
   Figure 2: Fill button within Text Styles group
3. This opens the Fill drop-down gallery for text, as shown in Figure 3. In this drop-down gallery, select the Text Effects option, shown highlighted in red within Figure 3.
4. 
   Figure 3: Text Effects option to be selected
5. Alternatively you can directly right-click (or Ctrl+click) the selected text box, and from the contextual menu, select the Format Text option as shown in Figure 4.
6. 
   Figure 4: Format Text option to be selected
4. Either way, you will summon the Format Text dialog box as shown in Figure 5. Make sure that Text Fill option is selected within the sidebar (highlighted in red within Figure 5).
5. 
   Figure 5: Format Text dialog box
5. You have already learned about how to select PowerPoint's default textures for your text fill in our Texture Fill for Text in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac tutorial. Now, to select a Custom Texture for your text fill, select the Picture or Texture tab (highlighted in blue within Figure 5). Within this tab, click the Choose Picture button (highlighted in green within Figure 5).
6. This opens the Choose a Picture dialog box as shown in Figure 6. Navigate to the folder where you have saved textures to be used as text fills, and select a texture.
7. 
   Figure 6: Choose a Picture dialog box
7. After selecting the texture in the Choose a Picture dialog box, click the Insert button (highlighted in red within Figure 6).
8. This will take you back to the Format Text dialog box where you can now see the selected texture in the preview area, as shown in Figure 7. Since the texture you have selected is actually a picture, make sure to select the Tile check-box as shown in Figure 7 (highlighted in red) to get the texture effect.
9. 
   Figure 7: Tile check-box selected within the Format Text dialog box
9. Optionally, you can set the transparency value of the texture fill using the Transparency slider, or by entering the transparency value in digits within the box next to the slider. Both of these have been highlighted in green within Figure 7, above.
10. Then, click the OK button (highlighted in blue within Figure 7, above) to apply the custom texture as a text fill. Figure 8 shows the selected text with a custom texture fill applied. Compare Figures 1 and 8 to see the difference.
11. 
    Figure 8: Text with a custom texture fill applied
11. Remember to save your presentation often.