How to Format Slides in PowerPoint

with Don Schechter

Transcript: How to Format Slides in PowerPoint

Hi, I'm Don Schechter for About.com Computing. Today I'll show you how to add different backgrounds in your PowerPoint presentation.

Format PowerPoint Slide Backgrounds

I want to change the background on my slides. Click on Design on the toolbar at the top of the screen.

The design templates will appear in a sidebar to the right. Click on one to change the look of your whole presentation. Your charts and graphs will automatically adjust their color to go with the new design, but all your information will remain intact.

Change PowerPoint Slide Color

If you want to add more color to your background, right-click on a slide and choose 'Background.' Here you can choose a different background color by clicking on the drop-down menu. Choose 'More Colors' to look at many solid color options.

If you want to customize your own color, click the 'Custom' tab at the top of the window. You can find a color either numerically or by clicking on the color palette. Once you've chosen a color, click 'OK.' Click the preview button to see it with the template design you've already chosen.

Add Effects to PowerPoint Slides

To apply fill effects to your background color, go to the drop-down menu and select 'Fill Effects.'

There are 4 different tabs:

• Gradient
• Texture
• Pattern
• Picture

Adjust the Gradient in PowerPoint Slides

On the 'Gradient' tab, you can choose between having one or two colors, and you can adjust the brightness if you only use one color. You can also select different shading styles at the bottom of the window. I am going to select this gradient so I'll click 'OK' and then 'Apply.' Now right-click on your slide and choose background again.

Change PowerPoint Slide Texture

Go back to 'Fill Effects' and click on the 'Texture' tab. Here are many different textures you can apply to your slides. You cannot change the color of the textures.

Add Pattern to PowerPoint Slides

The next tab is 'Patterns.' This has many different options for patterns to apply to your presentation. You can choose your foreground and background colors by clicking the drop-down menus.

Format Pictures in a PowerPoint Slide

Now click on the 'Picture' tab. Here you can set the background of your slide to a picture you have on your computer. Just click 'Select Picture' then choose your picture and then click 'Insert,' then 'OK.'

Preview and Apply PowerPoint Slide Formats

I can preview the picture by clicking the preview button. If I wanted to apply this to all my slides I would click 'Apply to All.' The gradient looks much nicer, so I'll hit cancel.

Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the Web at computing.about.com

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