- Switch to the slide master view (or, if you wish to change only one slide, the slide view).
- Choose Format → Background.
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Click the drop-down arrow and choose Fill Effects.
Do not select a solid background color using the drop-down list's palette, and do not select More Colors to set a solid background color. This procedure is only to create a background that is not a solid color--that is a picture, texture, gradient, or other effect.
- Use the Fill Effects dialog box to configure the background.
- For a texture, click the Texture tab.
- For a picture, click the Picture tab. The picture will be automatically sized to fill the entire background of the slide. If the result is not what you desire, use the procedure: Create a background with a picture, logo, or other objects
- For a pattern or gradient, click the Pattern or Gradient tab. The important thing to be careful about is which colors you choose. We recommend highly that you do not use any "first row" colors, which are linked to the color scheme. Instead, use colors on the second row, which are custom colors or, if you don't see the color you want on the second row, click More Colors and specify the color you want.
- Click OK.
- If the result isn't what you expected, one of two things may be happening.
- Most likely, the color scheme is not correct--return to step 2
- It might be that there are objects on the slide that have been "sent to back" that are blocking the view of the actual background. Delete any objects that are interfering with the background of the slide master.
- If you are changing the entire presentation, you may wish or need to repeat this procedure on the Title Master.
After creating a background with a full-screen picture, texture or effect, you should configure the background color scheme color to be a color that reflects an "average" of your background color. For example, if your background has a gradient of dark blue to medium blue, you would set the background color scheme color to be a shade of blue in the "middle" of that gradient. If you are using a photo that has a lot of dark green, set the background color scheme color to a dark green.
