Backgrounds

Presentation Effects

To change the slide background:

1) Pull down the Format menu and select Background:

A dialog box will appear:

2) Click the down arrow in order to see your choices. The pull-down menu will appear:

3) Make your background selection:

- Eight colors are suggested. To select one, click it.

- To change to a color that is not suggested, click More Colors. Click the color you want on the Standard tab, or click the Custom tab to create your own color. Click OK when you have made your selection.

- Click Fill Effects to select a texture, gradient, or pattern, or to import a picture for your background. Click the appropriate tab and choose your preferences. Click OK when you have made your selection.

4) To change the background color back to its default, click Automatic.

5) To apply the change to the current slide, click Apply.
To apply the change to all slides and the slide master, click Apply to All.

Color schemes are sets of complementary colors used in the design of a slide presentation — for text, background, fill, accents, etc. Each color in the scheme is used automatically for a different kind of element on the slide.

Design templates come with several different color schemes for use with that template. You can choose among the available schemes.

This can be helpful because you might want to use different variations on a theme depending upon how you are going to use the presentation. If you are presenting in a darkened room, a dark background with light text is easier to view. When presenting in a lighted room, or when printing out slides to be viewed on paper, a light background with dark text is easier to read. It is important to have a strong contrast between the background and the text in order to have optimal readability.

How do I
choose a different
color scheme?


	How do I choose a different design template?	In Lesson 2 it was explained that a design template is the shell of a slide show presentation, with pre-defined background graphics, text style, and bullet style. Once you have selected a design template, you aren’t stuck with it forever; you can choose a new template at any time. To do so, pull down the Format menu and select Apply Design Template. A dialog box will show you the templates you can choose from. Click once on any file in the list to see a preview of that template. Select a template you like and click OK. All of your slides will automatically be updated. A design template has a standard slide background, and it also comes with several color schemes. You can modify these to personalize your presentation.

	What is a slide background?	The slide background is a backdrop against which all of the elements of your slides are displayed. You can change the appearance of your slide background by changing its color, shade, pattern, or texture. You can also use a picture as a slide background. When you change the background, you can apply the change just to the current slide, or to all of the slides and the slide master. This second option is extremely helpful in maintaining a consistent look and feel throughout your presentation.

	How do I change the slide background?	To change the slide background: 1) Pull down the Format menu and select Background: A dialog box will appear: 2) Click the down arrow in order to see your choices. The pull-down menu will appear: 3) Make your background selection: - Eight colors are suggested. To select one, click it. OR - To change to a color that is not suggested, click More Colors. Click the color you want on the Standard tab, or click the Custom tab to create your own color. Click OK when you have made your selection. OR - Click Fill Effects to select a texture, gradient, or pattern, or to import a picture for your background. Click the appropriate tab and choose your preferences. Click OK when you have made your selection. 4) To change the background color back to its default, click Automatic. 5) To apply the change to the current slide, click Apply. To apply the change to all slides and the slide master, click Apply to All.

	What are color schemes?	Color schemes are sets of complementary colors used in the design of a slide presentation — for text, background, fill, accents, etc. Each color in the scheme is used automatically for a different kind of element on the slide. Design templates come with several different color schemes for use with that template. You can choose among the available schemes. This can be helpful because you might want to use different variations on a theme depending upon how you are going to use the presentation. If you are presenting in a darkened room, a dark background with light text is easier to view. When presenting in a lighted room, or when printing out slides to be viewed on paper, a light background with dark text is easier to read. It is important to have a strong contrast between the background and the text in order to have optimal readability.

	How do I choose a different color scheme?	To view and select from available schemes: 1) Pull down the Format menu and click Slide Color Scheme: The following dialog box will appear:

		2) Make sure the Standard tab is selected. You will have a choice of several color schemes, including one which is completely greyscale. Click on a scheme to select it. If you wish to see what it will look like on your slides, click the Preview button. If you are satisfied with your selected color scheme, you can skip to step 4. 3) If you want to, you can customize the selected color scheme, changing individual colors to create your own look. To do so, click the Custom tab:

		You can now see the details of the selected color scheme. The background, text and lines, shadows, title text, fills, accent color, and hyperlink colors can all be individually assigned. To do so, click on the item and then click the Change Color button. 4) To apply the selected color scheme to only the current slide, click the Apply button. To apply it to all slides in the presentation, click Apply to All.
Copyright © 2002, Bloomsburg University Virtual Training Help Center. All rights reserved. This material may not be used without written permission. Contact Dr. Mary Nicholson at mjnich@bloomu.edu