Customizing the Color Scheme

Customizing the Color Scheme

When you choose one of PowerPoint's presentation designs or presentation templates, you aren't required to choose coordinating colors for the slide objects. Each design and template has eight coordinating colors for the background, regular text, title text, fills, and accents. The color scheme affects every slide in your presentation. If you want to change the colors for your entire presentation, there's no need to go to each slide and change everything one item at a time. PowerPoint can easily do this for you.

There might also be times when you don't need any color, such as when your presentation will be given on an overhead projector or printed in black and white. You don't want to lose all the panache that the template gives you, but you do need to sell your ideas clearly. PowerPoint gives you the option of showing the presentation in black and white.

At other times, you may want to use your own custom colors, rather than the standard color scheme. When situations such as these arise, you have two options: You can choose from one of the standard color schemes already created, or you can create your very own custom color scheme.

Keep the format of your presentation in mind when deciding on a color scheme. Will you be presenting using an overhead projector with slide transparencies , a laptop and projector, or 35mm slides? Each of these optionsin addition to your target audiencewill determine the proper color scheme for your presentation. Use color schemes with light or nonexistent backgrounds for overhead projectors, and darker backgrounds for slide shows (either projectors or 35mm).

Standard Color Schemes

Each presentation design or template has a standard color scheme that is first displayed when you create the presentation. You can also select from at least one other predesigned color scheme, and a black-and-white scheme, as shown in Figure 25.1.

Figure 25.1. The Color Scheme dialog box gives you several color scheme choices.

Many of the template designs have more than one color scheme from which to choose. Use the black-and-white scheme for those occasions when you can't use a color printer and need to generate a presentation on transparencies or handouts.

To select another predesigned color scheme for the entire presentation, follow these steps:

1. Choose Format, Slide Color Scheme to open the Color Scheme dialog box.

2. Click the Standard tab.

3. Click any color scheme; the black-and-white color scheme is usually the top-right color scheme.

4. Click the Preview button to see a preview of the selected scheme.

   

   You may need to move the dialog box out of the way to see the preview. To move a dialog box, place the mouse pointer in the title bar of the dialog box, click and hold down the mouse button, and drag the box to another location.

   
   

5. Click the Apply to All button to accept the change.

When you're selecting a color scheme, PowerPoint also enables you to change the color scheme for just one individual slide. This feature lets you add emphasis to a specific slide.

To change the color scheme for just one slide, use the previous steps and click Apply instead of Apply to All.

Custom Color Schemes

If you don't like any of the standard color schemes, you can always create your own custom color scheme. When you create a custom color scheme, you can select a custom color for the following eight options: Background, Text and Lines, Shadows, Title Text, Fills, Accent, Accent and Hyperlink, and Accent and Followed Hyperlink. As you select a new color for each of these eight options, PowerPoint shows you a preview of what your choice will look like. Figure 25.2 shows the Custom tab of the Color Scheme dialog box.

Figure 25.2. The Custom tab of the Color Scheme dialog box.

To create a custom color scheme, follow these steps:

1. Choose Format, Slide Color Scheme from the menu.

2. In the Color Scheme dialog box, click the Custom tab.

3. Click the color box of the feature you want to change in the Scheme Colors section.

4. Click the Change Color button.

   

   The name of the color box you select in step 3 determines the name of the Color dialog box. Figure 25.3 shows that the Background color box was selected before the Change Color button was clicked.

   Figure 25.3. The Background Color dialog box offers you many color choices in the Standard colors tab.

   

   
   

5. Select a standard color, as shown in Figure 25.3, from the Background Color dialog box, or choose a color from the Custom tab.

6. Click the OK button.

7. Repeat the preceding steps for each feature you want to customize.

8. Click the Preview button to see a preview.

9. Click the Apply or Apply to All button to accept the change.

If you want to change the color scheme for only one slide, you must first display the slide.

If you want to create a custom color, use the Custom tab in the Background Color dialog box. You can then either drag the crosshair and scroll arrow to select a color, or be more scientific and type in the number (0255) for the Red/Green/Blue and Hue/Saturation/Luminance color component options.

After you have created a color scheme, you can add that color scheme to the standard list. That can save you time in the future if Bob wants to use the same colors over and over and over.

Follow these steps to save a custom color scheme:

1. Choose Format, Slide Color Scheme from the menu.

2. Click the Custom tab.

3. Create a custom color scheme by changing the Scheme Colors.

4. Click the Preview button to see a preview.

5. Click the Add As Standard Scheme button.