However, for most text needs, or new-comers to the software this is a great feature and can really lift the text from the slide.

"Object" Shadow
The other shadow is the "Object" Shadow. This is the more complex of the two options. Select the object you wish to add a shadow to, and click the "Format" tab on the ribbon. Slightly to the right, there is a "Shape Effects" button. Clicking it will open a drop down menu with several effects that can be applied to an object. Hold the mouse over the "Shadow" option, and another menu will appear with various shadow types. On the bottom, there is a "Shadow Options" button. Click it to open the Shadow options on the "Format Shape" window. Alternatively, this can be reached by right clicking on the object to bring up the "Format Shape" window, then clicking "Shadow".

There are several controls for changing the appearance of the shadow here. "Presets" allows you to change the shadow style, "Color" changes the color of the shadow. The sliders change the Transparency, Size, Blur, Angle, and Distance of the shadow.

The "Object" Shadow can only be applied to Objects in PowerPoint, thus it cannot be applied directly to text but rather to the Text Object . Although that may sound confusing you can try this. Text is always within a bounding box (or an Object), unlike the Text Shadow which can be applied to only one word within this box, the "Object" shadow must be applied to the entire box. Simply select either the box or some of the text within the box, go to your Shadow Settings Toolbar and turn on the shadow. Now you can use the directional tools to move it to various locations with uncanny control, and finally select the desired color, and of course you can use this tool to add shadows to your favorite clip-art, flow charts, and more (see below).

One other cool point to mention is that you can place both the Text Shadow and the "Object" Shadow onto the same text for more dramatic effects (as shown above).

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