Applying a Theme

Now we are ready to add some color to our presentation. While we could select a background color and then add design elements of our own, PowerPoint includes a feature that allows us to use predesigned color schemes that have been created by design experts at Microsoft.

As stated earlier in these materials, themes are combinations of fonts, colors, graphics, and formatting that give a presentation a uniform appearance. By using these predesigned themes, we can save time and effort, and yet still be confident that our slide show has a cohesive, professional look.

Since we plan on showing our presentation during Spirit Week, we will select a theme that includes our school's colors.

Step 1. To access the available themes, on the Ribbon,

Click the Design tab

Step 2. To view all available themes, in the Themes group,

Click

NOTE for MacOS Users: To view all available themes, Click the arrow underneath the Themes gallery, which is on the left side of the Ribbon.

The Themes gallery appears:

NOTE: Depending on which version of PowerPoint you are using, you may see different Themes.

Live preview is a great feature that allows us to see what the theme will look like before it is actually applied. However, because Live preview does not work in all versions of PowerPoint, in order to see how the theme looks on a slide, it may be necessary to click on a theme and select it. To see the name of a theme, point to the thumbnail. The name appears in a small pop-up box.

Keep in mind that high-contrast colors and large fonts can be important for accessibility, and if a presentation is going to be viewed through a projector, the colors and sizes may need to be even more pronounced.

Since our school colors are gray and blue, we will use the theme called Parallax.

Step 3. To apply a new theme to all slides,

Click (Parallax)

PowerPoint applies the theme to all slides. Now our presentation will be appropriate for Spirit Day at our school.

NOTE: To apply more than one theme to a presentation, select the slides from the slide thumbnail list and then Right-Click the theme you want to apply. Click Apply to Selected Slides. Repeat these steps to apply other themes to other slides.

Notice the thumbnails displayed in the Variants group on the Ribbon. These are variations of the theme we selected.

Step 4. To see more options for variations on this theme,

Click

NOTE for MacOS Users: To see more options for variations on this theme, Click the arrow underneath the variations, which are on the right side of the Ribbon.

A drop-down menu appears. Notice that we could edit the colors, fonts, effects, or background styles used in this theme. Today we will not customize the theme.

Step 5. To close this menu, press:

Esc key

Step 6. Save the presentation Creating_a_Presentation.pptx.

Since we have already saved the presentation once, this time the file is updated with the recent changes we have made. It is saved in the same location with the same name.