Adding Color and Slide Color Schemes

Add color

Slide Color Schemes

Now for some color!

There are a number of different methods you can use to add color.  First we’ll use some basic methods and then try some “exotic” effects. 

First go to Slide Sorter View by clicking-on the Slide Sorter button in the lower left corner of your screen.

 Then click-on Slide 1.  By being in Slide Sorter View you’ll be able to see the different color effects in several slides at the same time.

Now, click-on Format in the Menu Bar and then click-on Slide Design.

The following Slide Design menu screen will appear in the right area of your PowerPoint screen.  As you can see, PowerPoint XP uses the right side of the screen for just about anything on which you’re working. 

Notice at the top of this Slide Design area that it indicates Design Templates, Color Schemes, and Animation Schemes.

We’ll choose Color Schemes to begin our slide coloring process.  So, click-on Color Schemes and the right area of your screen will change to the screen at the top of the next page.

As you can see in the screen to the left, there are several color schemes from which you can choose (notice the elevator bar on the right side of the Apply a color scheme choices).  We moved down the list of color schemes and are going to choose the dark blue scheme you see at the left and below.  Be careful and follow the instructions just below this blue slide selection. 

Look at the image to the upper right.  Notice, once again, when you move your cursor over the right side of the blue slide, you see a small triangle.  Click-on this triangle and select Apply to Selected Slides (in our case Slide 1).  Notice in Slide Sorter View that Slide 1 now has this Color Scheme. 

Note:  If you accidentally clicked-on the blue selection Apply to all Slides in Slide Sorter view were colored with this Color Scheme.  To “undo” this mistake (you may wish to do this in the future), click the Undo button at the top of the screen in the button bar.  It looks like an arrow pointing in a counter clockwise direction (like the one to the right).  One click-on it and you’re ready to try coloring just Slide 1 again.

Don’t forget to Save your work every now and then!

Changing Colors in Color Schemes

If you do not like the color of the blue background (or the text color, bar fill colors or arrow color) you can change them by moving your cursor over Edit Color Schemes… at the bottom of the Slide Design Task Pane. Click-on Edit Color Schemes. 

In the Edit Color Scheme menu that appears (see below image), select Background (or any of the other Scheme colors) by clicking-on the “color square” to the left of the item you desire to change.  Then click-on the Change Color button.  Choose a color you like from the color “chart” and then click-on OK.

Click-on the Apply button and you will return to Slide 1 and your new colors will be visible. 

Note of Caution:  Be very careful when you are working with background colors.  Many times color changes will make the text on the slide hard to read against a background.  All of the templates in PowerPoint are OK with color and text, but when you start changing the either the background or text color, you may create a slide where the text is hard to see.  So, again be careful – and remember the Undo Arrow.

You can try this on several slides, if you want.  Once you have the hang of it, there are several ways you can enhance these effects.

Backgrounds

You should still be in Slide Sorter View.  If you are not, click-on the Slide Sorter button at the bottom left of the screen.  Then click-on Slide 2.  We’ll do something different to place a colored background in this slide.

Now click-on Format in the Menu Bar again.  Next, click-on Background.

The Background Menu Screen (like the one on the right) will appear.  Click-on the small triangle in the bottom portion of this screen. Now click-on Fill Effects.

Notice, in the Fill Effects Screen Menu below, that there are a number of choices (tabs at the top) – Gradient, Texture, Pattern and Picture (see arrows below). 

Gradient

Click-on several of the Shading Styles (Horizontal, Vertical, etc.) and observe the effects in the lower right in the Variants and Sample areas.  Notice that there are four choices in the Variants area.  As you click-on each of the individual “squares” the choice will appear in the Sample area. If you click on OK at any time, the Background you see in the Sample will be the background on the slide.  You will return to the Background Menu screen when you click-on OK. You will see a miniature version of what your slide will look like in the lower right corner of the Background menu screen.  Click the OK button to see a miniature preview of your slide.  To return to the Fill Effects menu screen follow the instructions at the top of Page 51.

Note there are three color choices:  One color, Two colors and Preset.  If you click-on one of these, you will see the same color choices that you saw when you used them for text.  So, have some fun and “click-away.”

Texture and Pattern

Also, note the other tabs at the top.  Click-on Texture and Pattern and observe the effects.  In Texture you use the “elevator bar” to the right of the textures to see all the selections.  You then click-on the Texture of your choice.  In Patterns, you simply click-on the Pattern of your choice. Click the OK button to see a miniature preview of your slide.  To return to the Fill Effects menu screen follow the instructions at the top of Page 51.

Picture

If you want your entire slide to have a picture as its Background, this is what the last tab is for.  You need to click-on Select Picture.  This will take you to the Windows “Open File” menu screen and then you can select a picture you have saved.  The FrontPage 2000 tutorial goes into this in great detail. When you have the picture you like, click-on OK and then click-on Apply.

Using Design Templates