Changing the Background


The background is the color, texture, pattern, or image that is applied to the entire slide (or slide master), on which everything else sits. By its very definition, it applies to the entire surface of the slide; you cannot have a partial background. However, you can have a background graphic overlaid on top of the background. A background graphic is a graphic image placed on the slide master that complements and works with the background.

It's important to understand the distinction between a background and a background graphic because even though most themes contain both, they are set up differently, and making the change you want to the overall appearance of your slides often involves changing both. For example, Figure 5.15 shows the Concourse theme applied to a slide master. The slide background is pure white, and a blue and black background graphic is overlaid on it.

image from book
Figure 5.14: A slide's background is separate from its background graphic(s) if any are present.

image from book
Figure 5.15: Apply a preset background style.

Most themes consist of both background formatting (even if it is just a solid color) and a background graphic. The background graphics included in the built-in themes in PowerPoint are unique to those themes, and not available as separate graphics outside of them. So, for example, if you want the colored swoop shown in Figure 5.14, the only way to get it is to apply the Concourse theme. Because the decorative background graphics are unique to each theme, many people choose a theme based on the desired background graphic, and then customize the slide master's appearance to modify the theme as needed.

EXPERT TIP 

To use a background graphic from one template with the look-and-feel of another, apply the first theme to a slide, and then in Slide Master view copy the background graphic to the Clipboard. Then apply the second theme and paste the graphic from the clipboard into the slide master.

Applying a Background Style

Background styles are preset background formats that come with the built-in themes in PowerPoint. Depending on the theme you apply, different background styles are available. These background styles all use the color placeholders from the theme, so their color offerings change depending on the color theme applied.

To apply a background style, follow these steps:

  1. (Optional) To affect only certain slides, select them.

  2. On the Design tab, click Background Styles. A gallery of styles appears. See Figure 5.15.

  3. Click the desired style to apply it to the entire presentation. Alternatively, you can right-click the desired style and choose Apply to Selected Slides.

You cannot customize background styles or add your own custom background styles; there are always 12 of them, and they are always determined by the theme. If you need a different background, you can choose Format Backgrounds and then customize the background settings as described in the following sections.

Applying a Background Fill

A custom background fill can include solid colors, gradients, textures, or graphics. Because Chapter 10 covers these in more detail, this section covers how to specify your own background fill, which involves the following steps:

  1. (Optional) To affect only certain slides, select them.

  2. On the Design tab, click Background Styles. The Background Styles gallery opens.

  3. Click Format Background. The Format Background dialog box opens.

  4. Choose the option button that best describes the type of fill you want. See Figure 5.16.

    image from book
    Figure 5.16: Select a background fill type, and configure the options for the type you chose.

  5. Set the options for the fill type that you chose. For example, in Figure 5.16, click the Color button and choose a solid color. The changes you make apply immediately.

    CROSS-REF 

    See Chapter 10 for details about these fill types and how to configure their options.

  6. (Optional) To apply the change to all slides, click Apply to All. Otherwise the change will apply only to the slides you selected in step 1.

  7. (Optional) To apply a different background to some other slides, select them and repeat steps 4 and 5. The Format Background dialog box is nonmodal, so its changes are applied immediately and you can select things in the presentation file without closing it.

  8. Click Close to exit the dialog box.

Working with Background Graphics

In the preceding steps, one of the fill types you could choose was Picture or Texture Fill. This type of fill covers the entire background with the picture or texture that you specify.

This is not a background graphic, however. A background graphic is an object or a picture overlaid on top of the background on the slide master. It complements the background, and it might or might not cover the entire background.

Note 

Some theme-provided background graphics actually consist of multiple shapes grouped together. You can ungroup them, as shown in Chapter 10, so that you can modify or remove only a portion of the background graphic.

Displaying and Hiding Background Graphics

Sometimes a background graphic can get in the way of the slide's content. For example, on a slide that contains a large chart or diagram, a background graphic around the border of the slide can overlap the content. You don't have to delete the background graphic entirely to solve this problem; you can turn it off for individual slides. To hide the background graphics on one or more slides, follow these steps:

  1. Select the slide(s) to affect.

  2. On the Design tab, mark the Hide Background Graphics check box.

Clear the check box to redisplay the background graphics later as needed.

Deleting Background Graphics

The background graphics reside on the slide master, so to remove one, you must use Slide Master view. Follow these steps:

  1. On the View tab, click Slide Master. Slide Master view opens.

  2. Select the slide master or layout master that contains the graphic to delete.

  3. Click the background graphic to select it.

  4. Press the Delete key on the keyboard.

EXPERT TIP 

Some background graphics are on the slide master itself, and others are on individual layout masters. The background graphics on the slide master trickle down to each of its layout masters, but can't be selected/deleted from the individual layout masters.

To use a background graphic only on certain layouts, cut it from the slide master to the Clipboard (Ctrl+X), and then paste it individually onto each layout master desired (Ctrl+V). Alternatively, turn on the background graphic for the slide master and then use Hide Background Graphics on individual layout masters that should not contain it.

Adding Your Own Background Graphics

You can add your own background graphics, either to the slide master or to individual layout masters. This works just like adding any other graphic to a slide (see Chapter 13) except you add it to the master instead of to an individual slide.

Inserting pictures is covered in greater detail in Chapter 13, but here are the basic steps for adding a background graphic:

  1. Display the slide master or layout master on which you want to place the background graphic.

  2. Do any of the following:

    • On the Insert tab, click Picture. Select a picture to insert and click Open.

    • On the Insert tab, click Clip Art. Search for a piece of clip art to use, and insert it on the master.

    • In any application (including PowerPoint), copy any graphic to the Clipboard by pressing Ctrl+C; then display the master and paste the graphic by pressing Ctrl+V.

EXPERT TIP 

Most of the background graphics that come with the built-in themes are either semi-transparent or use one of the placeholder colors for their fill. Therefore changing the color theme also changes the color of the background graphic. Keep that in mind if you are creating your own background graphics; it's better to use theme colors or transparency than to use fixed colors that might clash with a color theme that you later apply.




Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 Bible
Microsoft Powerpoint 2007 Bible
ISBN: 0470144939
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2007
Pages: 268
Authors: Faithe Wempen

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