The background is the color, texture, pattern, or image that is applied to the entire slide (or slide master), on which everything else sits. By its very definition, it applies to the entire surface of the slide; you cannot have a partial background. However, you can have a background graphic overlaid on top of the background.

A background graphic is a graphic image placed on the slide master that complements and works with the background. It’s important to understand the distinction between a background and a background graphic because even though most themes contain both, they are set up differently, and making the change you want to the overall appearance of your slides often involves changing both.

For example, Figure 22-15 shows the Concourse theme applied to a slide master. The slide background is pure white, and a blue and black background graphic is overlaid on it.

Most themes consist of both background formatting (even if it is just a solid color) and a background graphic. The background graphics included in the built-in themes in PowerPoint are unique to those themes, and not available as separate graphics outside of them.

So, for example, if you want the colored swoop shown in Figure 22-15, the only way to get it is to apply the Concourse theme. Because the decorative background graphics are unique to each theme, many people choose a theme based on the desired background graphic, and then customize the slide master’s appearance to modify the theme as needed.

FIGURE 22-15
A slide’s background is separate from its background graphic(s) if any are present.

To use a background graphic from one template with the look-and-feel of another, apply the first theme to a slide, and then in Slide Master view, copy the background graphic to the Clipboard. Then apply the second theme and paste the graphic from the clipboard into the slide master.

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