Create PowerPoint Backgrounds with Photo-Brush
Reviewed: Geetesh Bajaj
Date Created:
Last Updated: February 25th 2009
Photo-Brush is a great new image editing application - it has its share of special effects - let's try out a simple way to create PowerPoint backgrounds with Photo-Brush. Such backgrounds can be used in any other multimedia or presentation program.
You can download a 30 day trial version of Photo-Brush from:
Step 1
Start Photo-Brush. Create a new file using File -> New. The 'New' dialog box opens.

Choose a width and height ratio of 800 x 600 or as per your requirement. Choose White as your canvas colour.
Step 2
Choose the brush tools from the Tools palette and paint streaks with random colours. You don't have to be able to paint perfect curves or lines - we're just using these streaks as a way to input colour into a blank canvas. Retain plenty of white area within your canvas.
Step 3
Once your streaks cover the canvas as in the example shown above, we're ready to apply our first filter.
Choose Filters -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur. Adjust your settings to duplicate those displayed in the screenshot below:

Step 4
We now have a gaussian blurred canvas with all colours merging into each other.
Choose Filters -> Special -> Triangular Mosaic. Replicate settings as under or tweak as desired. The objective is to end up with a mosaic which is simple and uncluttered, since its intended use is in a presentation.

Step 5
Save your image in a format such as BMP, JPG or PNG and format the background of your PowerPoint presentation. Detailed instructions on changing PowerPoint backgrounds are available in Indezine's PowerPoint And Backgrounds page
Carmine Gallo is a communications coach for the world’s most admired brands. His client list includes Intel, Chase, Barclays, IBM, Nokia, and many others. 
