Excel® 2013 On Demand

Applying Gradient Fills

Gradients are made up of two or more colors that gradually fade into each other. They can be used to give depth to a shape or create realistic shadows. Apply a gradient fill to a shape—now including lines—by using a gallery or presets for quick results, or by using the Format Shape pane (New!) for custom results. A gradient is made up of several gradient stops, which are used to create non-linear gradients. If you want to create a gradient that starts blue and goes to green, add two gradient stops, one for each color. Gradient stops consist of a position, a color, brightness, and a transparency percentage.

Apply a Gradient Fill to a Shape

Select the shape you want to modify.

Click the Format tab under Drawing Tools. ...