How to Put a Background Image in PowerPoint

Choosing the right images for a PowerPoint presentation is crucial! And when we talk about images, we can't forget about background images. A well-designed visual can make or break a presentation or event. Today, we'll see how to add a background image in PowerPoint and achieve the desired effect.

If you've already used this program, you'll know that PowerPoint offers a very original, educational, and engaging way to present different ideas . With it, you can create professional presentations that can incorporate sound, video, and images.

It's also striking to see how, more than thirty years after its creation, PowerPoint remains a relevant and widely used program worldwide . It's true that, since its inception, there have been fourteen updates, each adding new improvements and features.

There are many actions that can be carried out with PowerPoint: insert text, images and graphics, design and make transitions and animations, create slide shows and much more.

The instructions below will show you how to use any image as a background for one or more slides in your PowerPoint presentations . These instructions are valid for PowerPoint 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010, and PowerPoint for Microsoft 365.

How to add and format a background image

Let's get practical. To add an image as a background image for a PowerPoint slide, follow these steps:

1. 1. First, we open our PowerPoint presentation and go to the slide where we want to add a background image. In case we want to put the same image on all the slides, we can add it to any of them.
   2. Then select the tab "Design" and, within it, we choose the option Format background. Another way to do this is to right-click on the slide and select "Background format".
   3. The next step is to select "Filling" with image or texture.
   4. Then you have to select "Archive" to insert an image from our computer. Here we have different options to choose from:
      • Clipboard, to insert a previously copied image.
      • Online, to search for an image on the Internet.
      • Clipart in PowerPoint and choose one of those proposed by the program itself.
   5. Once you have chosen the desired image, you have to set the transparency level of the image with the slider "Transparency".
   6. Finally, we choose between these three options depending on the action we want to perform:
      • "To close", to apply the image to the selected slide.
      • "Apply to all" to make the chosen image the background of all the slides.
      • "Reset background" to delete the photo and start the whole process again.

Choose the right image

Before we're tempted by an image we like for our presentation, it's helpful to know a few things and keep certain aspects in mind. For example, we should know that by default, the image we choose for our slide background will be stretched to fit the slide's dimensions. To avoid distortion, it's best to choose a landscape image with high resolution.

A high resolution image will always look sharp and clear, while a low resolution image will appear blurry when we enlarge and stretch it to fit on the slide. And a distorted image is not the best business card for our creations.

If we want to avoid failure in this matter, we simply need to keep in mind some basic rules :

• I bet you quality images and with the correct proportions. This will increase the effectiveness of the presentation and give viewers a professional impression.
• It is recommended to choose backgrounds with light images and letters with dark colors. In this way, a greater harmony between the elements on the slide is generated and the ideas will be transmitted more effectively.

How to change the background color of a slide

There's another option you can use to personalize your PowerPoint presentation . The idea is simply to change the background color of a slide instead of using images. Here's how to do it in three easy steps:

1. First you have to click on the top menu in the tab "Design" and within it choose the option «Format the Background».
2. Then a menu will open on the right. In it we search and select the option «Solid Fill».
3. In the color palette shown to us, you only have to pick a color for it to be applied automatically. If what we want to do is apply the color to all the slides, we must use the «Apply to All”.

A tip: it is always better to use the theme colors that are included in the template. By doing this we will maintain visual harmony.