PowerPoint Tips Blog

Create multi-color gradients in PowerPoint

Gradients make effective simple backgrounds. Unfortunately, PowerPoint 2003 and earlier versions only allow two colors in a gradient and gives you little control over where the colors change, so I show you a trick to get more interesting gradients. PowerPoint 2007 & 2010 offer lots more options.

PowerPoint 2007 & 2010

PowerPoint 2007 and [...]

Using web page backgrounds in PowerPoint

Did you know that you can use web page backgrounds in PowerPoint? Web page background pictures are usually just a narrow strip or box. When placed on a web page, they are tiled, or repeated to cover the entire web page. PowerPoint creates a similar effect by stretching pictures to cover the entire slide. [...]

Create an instant background from a photo

Would you like a quick way to create a background from any photo? You don’t need to use expensive software like Photoshop — whether because you don’t have it or find it hard to use. Instead, use a simple PowerPoint tool for instant results.

Follow these steps:

Display the slide or the slide master. [...]

Create a simple border

If you’re not ready to eliminate backgrounds all together, but want something very simple, you can create a simple border. It’s dignified, elegant, highly customizable, and you can create it yourself.

First cover the entire slide (or slide master) with a rectangle. Adjust the fill and outline to your liking.

covering the whole [...]

Copying Colors from a Web Site

You can easily take colors from a Web site. Perhaps you want your presentation to use the same colors as your company’s Web site. Or you might simply find a color that you like on a Web site. HTML uses hexadecimal codes to define colors, but these codes are still in the familiar Red-Green-Blue [...]

Backgrounds: Using mid-range colors

Backgrounds that are neither very light nor very dark can work well for onscreen presentations. A very dark background is usually used with white or yellow text for contrast, but the result can be harsh. In a dark room, the white background can have the same effect. When you want to create a softer [...]

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You'll find free tips, techniques, articles, and tutorials here, all designed to help you succeed when you present. This blog gives you knowledge. I'm passionate about turning Death by PowerPoint into Life by PowerPoint. Discover books and courses to help you become an outstanding presenter. Find out more about training, consulting, webinars and coaching on presentation skills and PowerPoint.

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