SUMMARY: Apply artistic effects to pictures / photos in a PowerPoint 2010 presentation without loading an external image editor.
Artistic effects can help photographs stand out in a presentation, and in some cases when needed, blend in. Instead of editing images using an external editor, Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 comes built-in with a variety of effects.
For example, “Blur” may be useful when trying to place text on top of a picture, making it more readable. “Glow Edges” makes a photo look as if it is lit in neon. “Light Screen” creates a cubist / 8-bit / blocky image. “Paint Brush” may alter some photographs to look instead like paintings. PowerPoint comes built-in with 22 such artistic effects.
Example of using the Blur effect in PowerPoint 2010 to make foreground text more readable
1. Select a picture in your PowerPoint 2010 presentation.
2. Click the “Format (Picture Tools)” tab in the Ribbon.
3. In the “Adjust” section, click the “Artistic Effects” button.
4. A pop-up menu appears; choose an Artistic Effect from those provided. Note the top-left image applies no effect or reverts the image to the original. Note that if you save the presentation and reopen it, depending on your configuration, you may not be able to revert to the original imported image.
Applying an Artistic Effect to a picture inside a PowerPoint 2010 presentation
Some Artistic Effects have advanced options. To see these, click the “Artistic Effects Options” menu item from the pop-up menu, and the “Format Picture” dialog box appears. From here, choose an effect by clicking the pull-down next to “Artistic Effect”, and adjustable options (if any) will appear.