How to Always Get a Black Drop Shadow on Your Text

You’ve probably run into the problem in PowerPoint where you need a solid black drop shadow but can only seem to get a light gray or colored shadow.

Here’s an easy way to always get a black shadow on your text.

Step 1: In the upper menu, choose View > Master > Slide Master

Step 2: In the upper menu, choose Format > Background

Step 3: A new window will appear. Choose a dark blue color for the background (not black --- sometimes, believe it or not, a black background will not result in a black drop shadow! However, a dark blue will always do the trick!).  Click Apply to All.

Step 4: Chances are, you don’t want a dark blue background. Easy fix! Simply draw a new box to cover the entire area of the slide (View > Toolbars > Draw… and choose the reactangle drawing tool) and fill it with whatever color you wish. Then, choose Draw > Order > Send to Back to place it behind your text and other artwork. Or, if you have artwork you are using for a background, paste it in the master and send it to the back. In either case, the dark blue background will be hidden, and you will now get crisp, solid black drop shadows.

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