App Smash: Word and Google Slides to Curve Text

Sometimes, try as we might, there is no way to achieve a goal without a little help. Sometimes this can be the case for computer programs, too! Here's how to curve text around an image in Google Slides with a little -- okay, a lot -- of help from Word.

1. Open a new Word document

2. Click on the 'Insert' tab

3. Toward the right-hand side, click 'WordArt'

4. Select your favorite design! Changing the size, font, and colors are all possible, but in this post, we'll be focused on curving the text.

5. After you select the design, it will show up in the text field. Click on it and then write your message.

6. To get the curve, click the 'Text Effects' icon that looks like a white letter 'A' with a blue border

7. Move your cursor to the bottom of the menu and hover over 'Transform'

8. There are four options to curve the text. In this post, I'm choosing 'Arch Up', but choose whichever makes your text look best. You could even use more than one!

9. After you select which type of curve you want, the text you wrote earlier will be curved in that shape! You can make the curve more dramatically by clicking the white dot at the bottom and dragging it down.

10. Once you have the curve you like, use the snipping tool to capture the image. The snipping tool is in the 'Windows' menu.

11. Click 'New' and then click and drag over your text to capture the image. Be sure to click in the white text field first so you don't capture the editing box.

12. Click the floppy disk icon to save the image. It will probably default to saving it in your 'Pictures' folder, which is a fine place for it. Give it a name you will easily remember and click 'Save'. For more information about the Snipping Tool, click this link.

13. Open a new Google Slides presentation

14. Click on the borders of the text boxes and press delete on your keyboard to remove them.

15. Click on the 'Insert image' icon

16. Select 'Upload from Computer'

17. Browse to find the image of your text. Remember, it was probably saved in your 'Pictures' folder by default. When you find the file, click to select it and then click 'Open'. The curved text will now be in your slide!

18. If you already have an image that goes with the text, you can insert that image following steps 15-17 above. If you need to search for one, use the Explore tool. For more information on using the Explore tool, click this link.

19. Once the picture is inserted, adjust the size and use the 'Mask image' tool to make the image round. For more information on the 'Mask image' tool, click this link.

20. With a little adjusting, you'll have an awesome slide with curved text and your image!

Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cute_grey_kitten.jpg