Custom Backgrounds for Slide Master and Layouts in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac

Content and look are the two major components of presentation slides. Among them, the former is always more significant than the latter. But that does not mean that you should neglect the latter. A simple looking presentation with a clean background is always a great idea since that doesn't overpower your message. Yet, there are plenty of opportunities to go beyond a plain background and use a less restrained background instead. Your choice for a slide background should complement the content of your presentation. For example, you'll want a flashier background for slides created for kindergarten students, or if you were creating a PowerPoint greeting card. On the other hand, you may want a washed out, faded, or even a subtle patterned picture for a typical business presentation. PowerPoint 2011 for Mac does provide you with 12 default slide Background Styles which can be applied to both the Slide Master and individual Slide Layouts. Other than these default background styles, you can also opt to use a custom slide background such as a solid color, a gradient, a pattern or texture, or even a picture.

Note that the process to change the slide background for the Slide Master or individual Slide Layouts is almost the same. The difference lies in what you select before applying these changes. For more background info, explore our Slide Layouts within Slide Master View in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac tutorial, which explains the differences between the Slide Master and its Slide Layouts. For now, follow these steps to change the default slide background for Slide Master and Slide Layouts:

1. Launch PowerPoint. By default, PowerPoint opens a blank presentation. Select the View | Master | Slide Master menu option, as shown in Figure 1, below.
2. 
   Figure 1: Slide Master option within the View menu
2. This opens the Slide Master View, as shown in Figure 2, below. In Slide Master view, you'll find that the left pane contains two distinctly different elements: a larger thumbnail representing the Slide Master, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 2, and several smaller slide thumbnails below representing individual Slide Layouts, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 2.
3. 
   Figure 2: Slide Master and Slide Layouts within PowerPoint
3. Now, based on your requirement, select either the Slide Master, or any of the individual Slide Layouts. For this tutorial we have selected the Title Slide Layout, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 3, below. Next, click the Styles button, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 3.
4. 
   Figure 3: Styles button within the Slide Master view
4. This brings up the Styles drop-down gallery. Within the Styles drop-down gallery, select the Format Background option, as shown in Figure 4, below.
5. 
   Figure 4: Styles drop-down gallery
6. Alternatively, you can right-click or Ctrl + click) the selected Slide Layout (or the Slide Master), and from the context menu, select the Format Background option, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 5, below.
7. 
   Figure 5: Format Background option to be selected
5. Either of these options will launch the Format Background dialog box, as shown in Figure 6, below.
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   Figure 6: Format Background dialog box
6. The options within the Format Background dialog box are explained below, as marked in Figure 6, above:

   A. Solid

   Adds a solid color background to your slide. You can use any of the Theme colors, standard colors, or any other color of your choice. Learn more about solid fills for slide backgrounds in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac.

   B. Gradient

   Applies gradients as slide background -- a gradient is a blend of two or more colors merging into each other. Explore more in our Gradient Fills for Slide Backgrounds in PowerPoint 2011 tutorial

   C. Picture or Texture

   Allows you to use a picture or a texture as slide background. To learn more, read our Picture Fills for Slide Backgrounds in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac and Texture Fills for Slide Backgrounds in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac tutorials.

   D. Pattern

   Choose from 48 two-colored patterns contained within PowerPoint. In our Add Pattern Fills for Slide Backgrounds in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac tutorial you can explore more about this option.

   E. Hide Background Graphics

   This option is meant for individual Slide Layouts. It is used to hide or show any graphic that you might have inserted into master view, on a particular slide layout.

   F. Cancel

   If you want to abandon all changes you made to the slide background, click the Cancel button.

   G. Apply to All

   Make changes as required, and click this button if you want the changes to be applied to all Slide Masters and Slide Layouts within the active presentation.

   H. Apply

   Click this button to apply the changes made only to the active Slide Masters and Slide Layouts.

   I. Background Picture Editing Options

   If you have used a picture as a background (or as a part of the slide background), you can make adjustments to that picture with the help of the Adjust Picture option that you can see in the sidebar of the Format Background dialog box, as shown highlighted in green within Figure 6, above. To learn more about this option, refer to our Adjust Picture used as Slide Background in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac tutorial.

7. Choose any of these options to change your slide background. This will apply the selected custom background style to the selected Slide Layout or the Slide Master. In Figure 7, below, you can see a texture applied to the Title Slide Layout since we had selected that Layout earlier (see Figure 3 on this page). If you had selected the Slide Master, all Slide Layouts following that Slide Master will be applied with the selected custom background style.
8. 
   Figure 7: Custom Background Style applied to the selected Slide Layout
8. Click the Close button, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 7, above, or the Close Master button, as shown highlighted in blue within Figure 7. This will get you back to Normal View, where you can see the new Background Style applied to any slide (or slides) that uses this particular Slide Layout.
9. Save your presentation often.