Microsoft PowerPoint 2007

Customizing Slides: Using Color

When designing a PowerPoint presentation, color is an effective way to make your presentation eye-catching and persuasive. PowerPoint 2007 offers several ways to manipulate the colors in your presentation. You can apply colors to most objects (e.g., text or shapes), or you can choose to apply fill effects such as a texture or gradient.

Accessing Color and Fill Options
Selecting Colors
Selecting Fill Effects

Accessing Color and Fill Options

Most objects that can be colored will provide you with the same options for adding color or fill effects. However, you will need to access these options differently based on the object that you are altering. For example, to change the appearance of text you would click the TEXT FILL or TEXT COLOR buttons, or to change the appearance of a shape, use the SHAPE FILL button.

PowerPoint 2007 provides numerous ways to access color and fill effect options. Basic colors, as well as some basic gradients and textures, are available from palettes accessed from the Ribbon. If you prefer more options, these palettes allow you to open dialog boxes to select a custom effect. Additional fill effects are available through the Format dialog box for each object.

To access basic palette options:

Select the object to modify
From the Format tab, click the appropriate FILL button (e.g., TEXT FILL, SHAPE FILL)
NOTE: Not all objects provide the same fill options.
A color palette and menu of additional options appears.
HINTS:
From the palette and menu that appears, if you do not see an option for the fill effect you are interested in, it is probably unavailable for this object.
You may need to navigate through the menus to find the desired fill effect.

To open the Colors dialog box:

Select the object to modify
From the Format tab, click the appropriate FILL button (e.g., TEXT FILL, SHAPE FILL) » select More Fill Colors...
The Colors dialog box appears.

To open the Format dialog box:

Select the object to modify
Right click the object » select Format (Object)
The Format (Object) dialog box appears.
HINTS:
If you would like to format text, be sure to select Format Text Effects... to format the text itself rather than the text box.
The fill effects and color options are generally available with the Fill options.

Selecting Colors

PowerPoint provides a number of common colors for quick access from the FILL buttons on the Ribbon. If you prefer to use a different color or a customized color, you may use the Colors dialog box.

Selecting Colors: Standard Colors

Standard colors are available directly from the FILL buttons on the Ribbon.

Select the object you want to alter
From the Format tab, click the appropriate FILL button (e.g., TEXT FILL, SHAPE FILL) » from the Theme Colors or Standard Colors section, select the appropriate color
HINT: To preview what the object will look like with a specific color, hover your mouse over the color. The object will preview its appearance in that color.

Selecting Colors: Additional Colors

Access the Colors dialog box
The Colors dialog box appears.
Select the Standard tab
From the hexagonal palette, select a color
The selected color appears with a white hexagon outline and the color appears in the New section.
If you are satisfied with that color, click OK
OPTIONAL: To adjust the color's opacity, click and drag the Transparency scroll bar to the appropriate degree
OR
In the Transparency text box, type a value or use the nudge buttons
NOTES:
Changes in color due to transparency will not be previewed in the New section.
When you adjust the Transparency, the color becomes less see-through as the value decreases, more see-through as the value increases.

Selecting Colors: Custom Colors

Using the Custom Colors tab allows you to use custom colors. It allows for precise color selection when you type exact values of hue, saturation, lightness, red, green, and/or blue.

Access the Colors dialog box
The Colors dialog box appears.
Select the Custom tab

From the Color Model pull-down list, select RGB (Red, Green, Blue) or HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness)
The value text boxes change according to your choice.
HINTS:
Different color models may cause the selected color to appear slightly differently.
RGB mode is more common and often used for photographs and Web publishing.
HSL mode can allow colors to be more easily tweaked.
From the color palette, click and hold the CROSS HAIR and move it to the desired color
OR
In the Red, Green, and Blue text boxes, type the appropriate number
OPTIONAL: From the color bar, click and hold the ARROW » move the arrow up or down, as appropriate, to choose a lighter or darker shade of the color
When you are satisfied with your color, click OK

Selecting Fill Effects

Fill effects allow you to apply a gradient, texture, or picture to your object. Some basic fill effects options are available from the FILL buttons on the Ribbon, but more effects are available from the Format dialog box for each object.

Selecting Fill Effects: Basic Effects

You may select basic gradient or texture effects from the menus available from the FILL buttons.

Select the object you want to fill
From the Ribbon, select the Format tab
Select the appropriate FILL button (e.g., TEXT FILL or SHAPE FILL) » select the desired type of effect (i.e., Gradient or Texture) » select the desired effect

Selecting Fill Effects: Gradients

Access the Format dialog box
The Format (Object) dialog box appears.
From the Categories list, select Fill
In the Fill section, select Gradient Fill
The Gradient Fill options appear.
Adjust the options as desired

Preset Colors
Provides access to a gallery of pre-created gradient effects.

Type
Selects the pattern that the light and dark portions of your gradient follow.

Direction
Selects which direction the progression from light to dark proceeds.

Angle
For linear gradients, selects the amount of slant visible in the gradient.

Gradient stops
Allows you to add, delete, change, or move colors to be included in the gradient.

When you are satisfied with the gradient of your color, click CLOSE
The gradient is applied to the selected object.

Selecting Fill Effects: Texture

Access the Format dialog box
The Format (Object) dialog box appears.
From the Categories list, select Fill
In the Fill section, select Picture or texture fill
The dialog box refreshes to display the Picture or texture fill options.
From the Texture pull-down list, select the desired texture
Click CLOSE

Selecting Fill Effects: Pictures

Access the Format dialog box
The Format (Object) dialog box appears.
From the Categories list, select Fill
Select Picture or texture fill
The dialog box refreshes to display the Picture or texture fill options.
To use a picture that is currently copied to the Clipboard, click CLIPBOARD
To use an image from file of a piece of clip art,
1. Click FILE... or CLIP ART... as appropriate
  The Insert Picture or Select Picture dialog box appears.
  HINT: Clicking CLIP ART will bring up a dialog box already directed to the clip art galleries.
2. Navigate to and select the desired image
3. Click INSERT or OK
If the image is smaller than the selected shape and you would like it to repeat it throughout the object, select Tile picture as texture
Click CLOSE