Use the Shadow Settings toolbar to create a text shadow (PowerPoint 2000/2003/2007)

You can use the same Shadow Settings toolbar in Microsoft PowerPoint to create shadows for objects as the one you use for your text.

To do so:

1. Click on the edge of the text box to highlight it.
2. Launch the Shadow Settings toolbar by clicking the Shadow button (Shadow Style button in 2002) on the Drawing toolbar and choosing Shadow Settings from the resulting menu. (In v. X click the More Buttons dropdown arrow and select Shadow | Shadow Settings from the resulting menu.)
3. Click the Shadow On/Off button on the Shadow Settings toolbar to place a shadow behind your text.
4. Use the Color and Nudge buttons for greater formatting.

In PowerPoint 2007, you have the added ability to include text in your Shapes -- not just in text boxes. So you have a few options when it comes to including a shadow with text boxes. You can add a shadow to a Shape (that you've added text to) by selecting the Shape, clicking on the Format tab in the Drawing Tools ribbon, and then using the Shape Effects dropdown list in the Shapes Styles group. If you follow the same steps on a text box instead of a Shape, PowerPoint 2007 adds the shadow effect to the actual text, not the text box itself.