The PowerPoint theme is a combination of predefined colors, fonts, and effects. Different themes will have different slide layouts. Whether you've used a theme or don't know that PowerPoint has a default Office theme, you can choose a new theme at any time to give your entire presentation a consistent and professional look.
What is Theme in PowerPoint?
In PowerPoint , themes give you a quick and easy way to change the design of your presentation. The PowerPoint theme controls the main color scheme, base font, slide layout, and other important elements. All elements in the theme will work in harmony with each other. So you won't have to spend a lot of time formatting your presentation.
Each theme uses its own set of slide layouts. These layouts control how the content is arranged, so the resulting effect can be dramatic. In the example below you can see the difference between placeholder, font and color.
If you use a unique slide layout like Quote with Caption or Name Card - then switch to a theme that doesn't include this layout, the results may not be as expected.
Each PowerPoint theme, including the default Office theme - has its own theme elements, including:
- Theme Colors : There are 10 theme colors, along with light & dark color variations, available in each Color menu.
- Theme Fonts : There are 2 theme fonts at the top of the Font menu in Theme Fonts.
- Theme Effects : These effects affect preset shape styles. You can find shape styles on the Format tab whenever you select a SmartArt shape or graphic.
When switching to a different theme, all of the above elements will be updated to reflect the new theme. You can dramatically change the appearance of your presentation in a few clicks.
Note:
- If you apply a font or color that is not part of the theme, nothing will change when you choose another theme, including the color selected from Standard Colors or More Colors and the font selected from All Fonts. Using non-themed elements can be useful when you want to colorize text or format fonts in a certain style, such as a logo.
- You can also customize the theme and define the elements yourself.
Apply theme to PowerPoint
All PowerPoint themes are in the Themes group on the Design tab . You can use or change the theme at any time.
To use a theme
1. Select the Design tab on the Ribbon , and then select the Themes group . Each image represents a theme.
2. Click the More down arrow to view all available themes.
3. Select the desired theme.
4. This theme will be applied to the entire presentation. To use a different theme, simply select it from the Design tab .
After you have applied a theme, you can choose a variation for the theme from the Variants group. Variations use different theme colors while keeping the overall look and feel of the theme intact.
Video tutorial on how to use themes in PowerPoint