How to Change the Color Scheme of a PowerPoint Presentation

In this article, let’s take a look at all the ways you can change the color scheme of a PowerPoint presentation.

Option A – Change the Color Scheme of a PowerPoint Presentation

Select ‘Design’ tab from the toolbar at the top. Click on the drop down button next to ‘Variants’ and select ‘Colors’ button to preview the results of the color scheme changes (by pointing) or click on the theme you need to apply for each slide of your PowerPoint presentation.

Option B – Change the Color Scheme of a PowerPoint Presentation

In the slide master editing mode (View>Slide Master) at the top toolbar you will find ‘Colors’ button. Use it to view a result of the color scheme changes (by pointing) or click on the theme you like, to apply it for every slide of the presentation. When the changes are done, click ‘Close Master View’ at the top menu.

How to Create Custom Color Schemes in PowerPoint

Every MS PowerPoint theme includes a built-in color scheme to apply to the slides.

If you don’t like the available combination of colors, you can create custom color schemes in PowerPoint to use in your presentation.

• Select a theme you like to edit from the theme choices available under the Design tab, OR simply move to the next step and start from the beginning.
• Click the Design tab and click on the Colors button.
• From the bottom end of the drop-down menu select “Customize Colors…” to open up the ‘Create New Theme Colors’ box.
• Select the colors you prefer for your slide by clicking the color button just beside the item you wish to change and then choose a new color from the pull-down menu. The Standard tab of the Colors dialog box will show a total of 127 colors, along with white, black, and different shades of gray. Click the Custom tab, to use a color that doesn’t appear in the dialog box.
• Note: The Sample image on the left is representative of the different features in your slide, so as to see how well the colors match. The image will change as you choose a new set of colors.
• Click Reset to start over from the beginning with the colors, you first began.
• To save the color palette you have customised, type a name in the Name field below and click Save. The palette you saved will be added to the Colors pull-down gallery.

How to Apply a Theme to your PowerPoint Presentations

Click the Design tab from the toolbar at the top.

Several built-in templates available for you will be displayed just below the tab. Click and select the theme of your choice. By hovering your mouse over each theme for a few seconds, you can have a preview of the theme.

Note: To view the extra pre-installed themes, click the arrow key to the right of the Themes section.

How to Customize the Fonts in PowerPoint

After you have chosen a theme, you can modify the font scheme by following the following steps:

• Again select the Design tab, and in the variant section click the down arrow and then click on the Fonts menu.
• From the drop-down menu, you can select a font theme you like. As mentioned before, by hovering your mouse over each font for one to two seconds, you can preview the fonts.
• If you want to use custom fonts, click on ‘Customize Fonts…’ at the bottom.

• In the ‘Create New Theme Fonts’ dialog box that will appear, enter how you want your font to be modified and then click Save.
• Select a Heading font from the drop-down menu.
• Select a Body font from the drop-down menu.
• Give a name for the theme font in the text box.

How to Customize the Background Colors in PowerPoint

The background of individual slides can be customized by changing the color and adding shades, patterns or texture.

• First, select the slide that needs to be customized.
• Under the Design tab in the Background group, you can either click the Background Styles button and then choose “Format Background…” or click the menu arrow to bring up the Format Background dialog box.
• You can choose from a gradient, solid fill, or picture/texture. Play around with the settings until you are content.
• Hint: As you change the settings in the menu, you can preview the changes on the slide.
• If you want to apply the changes only to the selected slide, click Close.
• To apply the changes to all the slides, click Apply To All.
• To undo any changes you have done, click Reset Background.

Applying Effects to Slides in PowerPoint

The Microsoft PowerPoint comes incorporated with a number of theme effects that can change the look and feel of various elements; such as graphics, shapes, and SmartArt. To change the theme effects:

• Below the Design tab, click on the Effects menu from the variant section.
• A drop-down menu will appear from which you can choose an effect scheme you prefer. As mentioned previously, you can view the effects taking place by hovering your mouse over each effect.

Hint: When it comes to effects, it is recommended to have all the modifications done before selecting a theme effect.

Modifying or Changing the Background in PowerPoint

If you wish to modify or change the background of a PowerPoint slide or the whole presentation, then:

• Again from the menu that appears on clicking the Design tab, select a background of your choice. Again, you can preview the background by placing your mouse pointer over each background.
• To change the settings, click on Format Background at the right end of the menu box.
• A box will appear on the right end of the screen, and you have options available for modifying the background; such as changing the color, rotation, applying a pattern, or inserting a picture.

If you need more help with PowerPoint presentation backgrounds, check out this useful article.

So there you have it, a quick guide that teaches you how to change the color scheme of a PowerPoint presentation, with some extra tips and tricks. We hope this article has been useful to you. Check out our blog for more useful content like this!