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Microsoft PowerPoint 2007

Customizing a Slide Master

Slide masters are special slides that allow you to format basic information and apply it to every slide in a presentation. Making changes to slide masters can be an efficient way of applying formatting and design elements consistently to every slide in your presentation.

return to topWorking with Slide Masters

There are a variety of slide masters corresponding to various slide layouts. Masters let you format the title, background, color, date, time, and slide number. By using the slide masters, you can add consistency to a presentation, making it easier to follow and understand.

return to topModifying Slide Masters

The slide master controls formatting for all slides with the specified layout. Changes made to the slide master will affect all slides with that layout.

  1. From the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click SLIDE MASTERSlide Master button
    The slide masters and Slide Master command tab appear.

  2. To make changes to your slides, in the Slides area, select the desired slide master layout
    HINT: You can work on the slide master just as you would a regular slide.

  3. Make the appropriate changes to the slide master
    NOTE: For instructions on how to change the background, fonts, bullets, color schemes, or removing images, see Customizing Slide Elements.

  4. When you have finished making your changes, from the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click NORMALNormal view button
    OR
    From the Slide Master tab, in the Close group, click CLOSE MASTER VIEWClose Master View button
    The changes will appear on all slides in your presentation.

return to topCustomizing Basic Slide Elements

You can change the color, size, and style of fonts and bullets. You can also change the background color or give it a shading effect or texture. Instructions for customizing the font, background, and bullets can be found in the Customizing Slide Elements document. 

return to topWorking with Placeholders

Placeholders are specified areas for text that appear when you create a new slide. Just click within a placeholder to add text. Placeholders can be moved, resized, and reformatted on the slide master by clicking and dragging them. When you format the placeholders on a slide master, the placeholders appear on all slides with that format. 
Placeholder

Working with Placeholders: Resizing

  1. Select the placeholder you want to resize by clicking within that placeholder

  2. Place the mouse pointer over any of the handles (squares) that appear around the outside of the selected placeholder
    The mouse appears as a double arrowArrow to shrink or stretch placeholder.

  3. Click and hold the mouse button
    HINT: To maintain the aspect ratio when resizing, press and hold [Shift] while selecting a corner handle.

  4. Drag the handle until the placeholder reaches the desired size

  5. Release the mouse button

Working with Placeholders: Moving

  1. Select the placeholder you want to move by clicking the mouse within that placeholder

  2. Place the mouse pointer over the shaded border of the selected placeholder
    The pointer turns into a four-sided arrowFour-sided curser.

  3. Click and hold the mouse

  4. Drag the placeholder to the desired location

  5. Release the mouse button

return to topInserting Date, Time, and Slide Numbers

Anytime during your creation process, you can go to the slide master to add the time, date, and slide numbers. The time, date, and slide numbers will be shown on slide shows, printed slides, handouts, and the notes pages. The time, date, and slide numbers will also be shown throughout every view (e.g., Normal, Slide Sorter, Slide Show, Notes Page, and the Slides and Outline tabs).

NOTE:  Date and time symbols are generally used to keep track of draft versions as the presentation goes through development stages. You might want to omit date and time symbols from the final printed versions.

  1. Open the desired slide master

  2. From the Insert tab, in the Text group, click DATE & TIMEDate & Time button
    The Header and Footer dialog box appears.
    Header and Footer dialog box

  3. Select the Slide tab

  4. In the Include on slide section, select the desired options:
    1. To have the date and time or slide number to appear on your slide, select those options
    2. To have the date and time to update each time you open the presentation, select Update automatically
    3. To have a static date and time appear, select Fixed » select the desired date and time
    4. To have a footer appear, select Footer and type the footer message

    5. To suppress the options on the title slide, select Don't show on title slide

  5. To apply changes to all slides (including the masters), click APPLY TO ALL
    NOTE: Because you are changing the header and footer from a slide master, you will not be able to apply the changes to only one slide. You are automatically making the changes to all the slides that are based on that slide master.

return to topResetting the Slide Numbers

If you do not want the numbers on your PowerPoint slides to start from the number one, you can change this in the Page Setup dialog box. The Page Setup dialog box allows you to type the number you wish to start numbering the slides from.

  1. From the Design tab, in the Page Setup group, click PAGE SETUPPage Setup button
    The Page Setup dialog box appears.

  2. In the Number slides from text box, use the nudge buttons or type the number from which to start numbering slides
    NOTE: This number determines the numbering in Normal, Slide Sorter, Slides and Outline views.

  3. Click OK

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