How to Do Custom Themes on PowerPoint

Customize your PowerPoint slides to fit your presentation.

A theme adds consistency and color to your PowerPoint presentation. Themes also carry coordinating colors, backgrounds and fonts throughout your presentation. PowerPoint features a number of pre-designed themes you can choose from, but you also can create a customized theme for your presentation.

Instructions

Choose a Theme

1. Open PowerPoint.

2. Click the "Design" tab from the options at the top of your window.

3. Choose a theme from the "Themes" group that is similar to the customized theme you want to create. Run your pointer over the theme to preview what the slide will look like. If you don't see a theme similar to the one you want to customize click "More" to view other choices.

Customize Colors

1. Select "Colors" from the "Themes" group on the "Design" tab. Click "Create New Theme Colors."

2. Click the button next to the theme color element you want to change under "Theme colors." The elements you can change include text, background, accent and hyperlink colors.

3. Click the down arrow of the color that you want to change under "Theme Colors" and choose a color from the list. You can also click "More Colors" and choose a color from the "Standard" tab.

4. Change each of the theme color elements you want to customize using steps two and three in this section.

5. Type a name for the new theme colors in the "Name" box and click "Save."

Customize Fonts

1. Click "Fonts" in the "Themes" group on the "Design" tab and choose "Create New Theme Fonts."

2. Click the drop down boxes next to the "Heading font" and "Body font" boxes and choose the font you want to use for your customized theme.

3. Type a name for your new theme fonts in the "Name" box and click "Save."

Customize Effects

1. Click the "Design" tab.

2. Select "Effects" in the "Themes" group.

3. Look through the effects and choose the one you want to use for your presentation. Effects include lines and fill options on your slides.

Save the Theme

1. Click "More" in the "Themes" group on the "Design" tab.

2. Select "Save Current Theme."

3. Type a name for your theme in the "File Name" box.

4. Click "Save." Your customized theme is saved in the "Document Themes" folder on your hard drive and is added to the list of custom themes available in the "Themes" group on the "Design" tab in PowerPoint.

References

• Microsoft Office: Apply a Theme to Add Color and Style to Your Presentation
• Microsoft Office: Customize and Save a Theme in PowerPoint 2010