Excel allows you to add Fill Effects to Drawing objects in a worksheet.

A drawing object is basically a shape that you create using features from Excel’s drawing toolbar.

 

To use fill effects, make sure that the drawing toolbar is available by clicking the Draw button on the standard toolbar. You can also right click on an empty part of the standard, formatting, or menu toolbars. This will display a menu with all your toolbar options.

 

 

Make sure that there is a check by the Drawing option, and the drawing toolbar will be available.

 

 

 

 

 

You can let your mouse pointer hover over the individual buttons on the tool bar to see a term or phrase that describes its function.

 

To start, click a shape from the drawing toolbar, and create a drawing object on your spreadsheet by dragging your mouse pointer.

On the drawing toolbar, Display the (bucket) fill button’s drop down list and click on the fill effects option.

 

When the Fill Effects dialogue box is displayed, choose from the tabs and options to select the gradient, texture, shading style, or pattern that you want. Here, we have selected an Excel preset horizontal colour gradient.

 

 You can see what your fill effect will look like in the Sample viewing area.

 

 Clicking OK will apply the fill effect to your drawing object.

 

(You can also see options for selecting textures, patterns, or pictures for a fill effect, by clicking the tabs at the top of the fill effects dialogue box)

 

The fill effect is now applied to your drawing object.

 

(You can rotate your object by dragging the small green dot, and you can reposition your object by dragging it or using arrow keys.)

 

If you drag on the small circles at the corners of the object, you can resize it.