How to Apply Themes in PowerPoint

Edited 1 week ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

Microsoft PowerPointPresentationMicrosoft OfficeOffice ToolsDesignProductivitySlidesCustomizationTemplatesEducation

PowerPoint is a great tool for creating presentations that communicate your ideas effectively. One of the ways to enhance the visual appeal and professionalism of your PowerPoint presentations is to use themes. Themes provide a consistent set of design elements, such as colors, fonts, and effects, that you can apply with a single click. They help ensure that your presentation has a consistent and polished look. In this lesson, we will go through the process of applying themes in PowerPoint, explaining every aspect in detail, without using any code snippets.

Understanding PowerPoint themes

Before going into the steps to apply a theme, it is important to understand what a theme is in PowerPoint. A theme is a comprehensive design for a presentation that includes the following components:

• Color: Defines a set of complementary colors that are used for text, background, hyperlinks, etc.
• Font: Specifies a set of different font options for headings and body text.
• Effects: This includes special visual effects such as shadows, reflections, etc. for objects in your slides.

By using themes, you can streamline the design process and ensure that your presentation has a consistent look and feel.

Accessing themes in PowerPoint

PowerPoint offers a variety of built-in themes that you can use straight away. Find them here:

1. Launch PowerPoint: Open PowerPoint by clicking Applications from your device's Start menu or Applications folder.
2. Go to the Design tab: When you open PowerPoint, go to the top of the window where you will find a series of tabs. Click on the “Design” tab.
3. Theme Gallery: In the Design tab, you'll see a section called "Themes." It shows various theme thumbnails you can choose from.
4. Click to apply: Clicking one of these theme thumbnails will apply that theme to your entire presentation.

Customizing themes

While built-in themes are convenient, sometimes you want a theme that more closely matches your brand or personal style. PowerPoint allows you to customize themes. Here are some ways to customize themes:

Changing theme colors

Colors play an important role in how your presentation is viewed. To modify the colors used in a theme:

1. Open the Colors menu: In the Design tab, find the “Variants” group to the right of Theme. Click the “Colors” dropdown menu.
2. Choose a color scheme: Here, you will see a list of pre-set color schemes. You can choose any scheme you like.
3. Create custom colors: If none of the pre-defined color schemes match your needs, you can create your own color scheme. Select "Customize colors" at the bottom of the dropdown.
4. Set new colors: In the dialog box that opens, you can set new colors for text, background, etc.
5. Save and apply: After you've set your colors, save your custom color scheme and it will be automatically applied to your presentation.

Changing the theme font

Fonts are another important aspect of presentation design. To change fonts in a theme:

1. Open the Font menu: In the same “Variants” group, click the “Font” dropdown menu.
2. Select a font pair: Choose from a list of available font pairs that specify the fonts for headings and body text.
3. Create a custom font: For a more personalized font, select "Customize Font" below.
4. Define new fonts: You can specify new fonts for headings and body text in the dialog box that appears.
5. Save and apply: Save your custom font selection, and it will be applied to your presentation.

Changing theme effects

Theme effects bring a dynamic element to your presentation by changing effects such as shadows and reflections on objects:

1. Open the Effects menu: Again, in the “Variants” group, click the “Effects” dropdown menu.
2. Choose an effect: From this menu, choose from the various effects available.
3. Apply the selected effect: Once selected, the effect is applied to shapes and objects throughout your presentation.

Saving a custom theme

If you've taken the time to customize a theme, it's a good idea to save it for future use. Here's how to do it:

1. Go to the Design tab: Make sure you’re in the Design tab where you customized your theme.
2. Click More: Click the "More" button (usually a downward-pointing arrow) in the theme gallery.
3. Save current theme: From the dropdown menu, select “Save current theme.”
4. Choose a name: Enter a name for your theme that you'll remember and save it.
5. Access to saved themes: Your saved themes will appear under "Custom" in the theme gallery for easy access in the future.

Apply a theme to specific slides

There may be instances where you might want different themes for different slides in the same presentation. Follow these steps:

1. Select slides: Hold down the “Ctrl” key (or “Cmd” on a Mac) and click the slides to which you want to apply a different theme.
2. Go to the Design tab: Go to the Design tab.
3. Right-click themes: Right-click the theme in the Theme Gallery that you want to apply.
4. Apply to selected slides: Choose “Apply to selected slides.”
5. Repeat if necessary: You can repeat this process to customize other slides with different themes as needed.

Working with master slides

PowerPoint's Slide Master feature allows you to make changes to your slides on a global level. Any changes you make to the slide master affect all slides that follow the template. To use a slide master for a theme:

1. Open Slide Master view: Click the View tab, then click Slide Master.
2. Select the parent slide: The top slide in the left pane is the parent slide, which affects all other layouts.
3. Apply a theme: While in Slide Master view, go to the Design tab and apply or customize your theme. This applies the theme to all layouts that use that master slide.
4. Exit the Slide Master: Once done, click “Close Master View” to return to normal slide editing.

Best practices for using themes

Although using themes can greatly enhance your PowerPoint presentation, keep the following tips in mind:

• Consistency is important: Use themes to maintain consistency. Avoid using too many different themes in one presentation.
• Pay attention to colors: Make sure the text is easily read against your background colors.
• Keep your audience in mind: Choose topics that are relevant to your audience.
• Avoid overusing effects: Although effects can be attractive, overly complicated effects can distract from your message.

Conclusion

Themes are a powerful feature in PowerPoint that can enhance the visual impact of your presentations. Whether you use the built-in themes, customize them to your own style, or create entirely new ones, knowing how to effectively apply and adjust themes is a valuable skill. Through careful use of colors, fonts, and effects, you can create a well-structured, professional look that effectively tells your story. Remember, the goal is to support your message, not overwhelm it. By following these guidelines and best practices, you can get the most out of PowerPoint's theme functionality.

  Share This Article

If you find anything wrong with the article content, you can request an update