Tag: how to use templates in PowerPoint

  • How to Use Templates and Slide Master in PowerPoint

    How to Use Templates and Slide Master in PowerPoint

    Templates in PowerPoint are predesigned presentations from which you can create and customize a presentation. Slide master in PowerPoint is used to store information about a theme and the slide layouts of a presentation.

    Both tools are important when creating professional-looking presentations. With PowerPoint templates, you can easily rely on existing styles, backgrounds, and colors to create a presentation.

    With slide master in PowerPoint, you can create a uniform presentation by presetting and formatting all principal elements in your presentation. You can edit layouts and reposition placeholders in your presentations to suit your brand or maintain the organization’s identity.

    In this tutorial, you will learn how to use templates, and how to use slide master in PowerPoint presentations.



    Templates in PowerPoint

    A template is a pre-designed presentation from which you can easily create your presentation. Templates store design information that you can apply to a presentation to consistently format the content on all slides.

    Use templates as a foundation to create future and similar presentations. You can create a custom template that will form a basis for future presentations or use installed templates.

    Microsoft PowerPoint has installed templates that you can use to create a presentation. You can also download a template online if you did not see a suitable template to create a presentation.

    To use one of the installed templates in Microsoft Office PowerPoint, do the following:

    1. Click the File, and then click New. The New Presentation Window opens in backstage view.
    2. Select Installed Templates under Templates and select any one of the templates on the list.
    3. Click on the Create button to open the template you selected. The template will open with slides of different layouts in PowerPoint.
    4. You can start modifying your template as you desire by selecting each slide thumbnail and editing accordingly.

    Difference between templates and themes

    Templates are different from themes. A template is a predesigned presentation that can be used as a standard to produce other presentations. A particular theme can be used as a base to create a template when content is added. Hence, a template includes a theme with the content of a presentation.

    Templates can be created for different purposes. For example, an organization can create templates for marketing reports, business proposal pitches, staff training, etc. So, with colors, font, content, and effects in a template, you can easily develop a presentation by changing base content.

    If you are working with a desktop application, you can get preinstalled templates, or search for templates online. You can also download free PowerPoint templates from the internet (please, ensure that the download is safe).

    Microsoft has pre-built templates that you can use to easily create professional-looking presentations. You can visit templates.office.com to download a template for your presentations.

    How to use templates in PowerPoint

    To use a template in PowerPoint, do the following:

    1. On the backstage view, under the Search for apps, files, templates, and more textbox, type a template name. E.g. Pitch template, business plan template, etc, or simply templates.
    how to use templates in Powerpoint
    1. From the list of templates that appear, select a template of your choice. The template opens in PowerPoint for editing.
    working with templates in powerpoint presentation
    1. Change the content of the presentation to suit your needs. You can change the theme to suit your organization, business, or personal need.

    How to save a template in PowerPoint

    Templates in PowerPoint are saved with .potx file extension. When you save a template in PowerPoint, you have created a custom template.

    A custom template in PowerPoint captures all customizations that you made to a slide master (slide master: The slide that stores information about the design template applied, including font styles, placeholder sizes and positions, background design, and color schemes.), layouts (layout: The arrangement of elements, such as title and subtitle text, lists, pictures, tables, charts, AutoShapes, and movies, on a slide.), and theme (theme: A set of unified design elements that provides a look for your document by using color, fonts, and graphics.) combination. To create a custom template from your presentation, do the following:

    1. Open the presentation which you want to use as a template if it is not already open.
    2. From the File menu, select Save As.
    3. From the window that appears, select the location where you want to save your template.
    4. In the File name box, type a file name, or do nothing to accept the suggested file name.
    5. Click the Save as type dropdown arrow, from the list that appears, select PowerPoint Templates.
    Save a custom template in powerpoint
    1. Click the Save button to save your template.

    How to use themes in PowerPoint

    Themes contain a predefined set of colors, background, fonts, and effects that is applied to slides in any presentation. It is used to create a professional-looking presentation for a uniform appearance in a presentation.

    When a theme is applied to your presentation, the content changes to the colors, fonts, etc of the selected theme. You can choose a theme before creating a presentation, or at any point when creating your presentation.

    To select a theme, do any of the following:

    1. On the backstage view, select one of the available themes.
    selecting a theme in powerpoint online
    1. When working with the office online, you can select the More themes link, and choose a theme from the list.
    Get more themes in PowerPoint online
    1. When working on a slide or a presentation, do the following:
      • On the Design tab, under Themes, select the More themes dropdown arrow and select a theme from the list.
    Select a theme in PowerPoint desktop app
    • Select the Designer button, and choose a design of your choice from the pane.
    Select a Designer in PowerPoint online app
    1. The selected theme and designer will apply to all slides in the presentation.

    Slide Master in PowerPoint

    What is a slide master?

    A slide master is part of a template that stores information about the theme and slide layout of a presentation. It is the top slide in a hierarchy of slides that stores information about the placeholder sizes and positioning, background, color, effects, etc.

    You can edit a theme using the slide master view, this will help you customize your entire presentation. As a result, you can modify the following in a presentation using the slide master:

    • Placeholder sizes and positioning: You can rearrange the positioning and size of the placeholders in your presentation using the slide master. When a particular slide layout is customized in the slide master view, it affects all slides with the same layout throughout the presentation.
    • Background and colors: You can change the background and font colors in the entire presentation in slide master view.
    • Text and effects: using the slide master view you can customize the text and effects on your presentation to save time.

    The slide master is especially useful when collaborating as a team. This is because elements set at the slide master level cannot be moved or deleted in the normal mode. Hence, when working with colleagues in a presentation, they cannot delete the changes made in the slide master.

    When an element is defined in the slide master view, you cannot be able to edit it in normal view. So when you are not able to delete or edit an element in the normal view, then switch to slide master view.

    You can save one or more slide masters as a single template file using the .potx file extension. This will create a template that you can use to create new presentations in the future. Each slide master contains one or more standard or custom sets of layouts.

    Where is slide master in PowerPoint

    To work with the slide master in PowerPoint, you will open the slide master view. The slide master view is located in the View tab. To open the slide master in PowerPoint, do the following:

    1. On the PowerPoint window, click the View tab.
    2. On the View tab, under Master Views, select Slide Master.
    3. The slide master tab opens. You can make the necessary adjustments you want on the slide master view.
    use slide master in PowerPoint
    1. When you are done, click on the Close Master View to close the side master view.

    Create a slide master

    To create a slide master in PowerPoint, do the following:

    1. Open PowerPoint presentation.
    2. On the View tab, under Master Views, select Slide Master. The slide master tab opens.
    How to use slide master in PowerPoint
    1. On the Thumbnails pane, select the Master Slide.
    2. On the Slide Master tab, under Master Layout, select Master Layout. From the dialog that appears, select the placeholders that will appear on the slide master.
    3. Edit the layout masters as you desire.
    4. Delete, rename, and customize the content of the layout masters.
    5. Save the changes made as a PowerPoint template file.

    How to Use Slide Master in PowerPoint

    When you make a change on the master slide, it appears on all the slides based on the slide master. For example, if you add a logo on the slide master, it appears on all slides based on the slide master.

    If a change is made to a slide layout, it applies to all slides with that layout in the presentation. Changes made in the slide master view cannot be changed in the normal view.

    Insert uniform content in slide master

    You can add uniform content to your presentation using the slide master view. For example, a logo or brand identity. To insert a brand identity in the slide master view, do the following:

    1. Switch to the slide master view
    2. On the slide master view, select the Slide Master thumbnail (usually the first slide in the list)
    3. While on the slide master view, go to the Insert tab and insert a logo design in the slide master. You can also use Shapes to create a design of your choice on the master slide.
    4. Adjust the logo or design you created and position it appropriately on the master slide.
    5. Close the master slide view. The added brand will appear in all the slides in your presentation.

    Use multiple themes in a presentation

    In the normal view, you can use one theme in a presentation. If you want to use more than one theme in a presentation, define more than one slide master. To do this, follow these steps.

    1. Navigate to the slide master view. Your present presentation has one slide master with one theme applied.
    2. On the Slide Master view, under Edit Master select Insert Slide Master. A second slide master is added.
    3. Select the second slide master, under Edit Themes, select Themes.
    4. From the list of available themes, select your desired theme. The selected theme applies to the second slide master and layout masters under it.
    Applying more than one theme using slide master in powerPoint
    1. Close the slide master view
    2. Navigate to the Home tab, under Slides group, select New Slide
    Select layout based on two themes in Powerpoint
    1. From the list of layouts, select a layout from any of the two themes defined in the slide master.

    Edit a slide Master in PowerPoint

    Create a slide layout

    A slide layout is a container that has placeholder boxes that are used to insert content to a slide. Different layouts have different placeholders for different contents, positioning, and formatting in a presentation.

    You can create a new slide layout in the slide master view and use it in your presentation. This can be an entirely new layout or customized from an old layout. To create a new slide layout, do the following:

    1. Open PowerPoint presentation window, and navigate to Slide Master View
    2. On the Slide Master View, under Edit Slides, select Insert Layout. A new slide layout appears.
    3. You can customize the layout as you wish. For example, to customize the layout, do the following:
      • Move the present title placeholder to the right of the slide and change the font color to light blue.
      • Add a placeholder to the slide layout, do this.
        • Under Master Layout group, select Insert Placeholder.
        • From the list that appears, select your desired placeholder, e.g. Picture
        • Drag and draw the placeholder on the slide layout and adjust the positioning appropriately.
      • Add background color as follow:
        • On the Slide Master view, under the Background group, select Background Styles.
        • From the list of backgrounds, select a background you desire.
        • You can also customize a background by selecting Format Background… from the list.
      • Add any other item you wish to the slide layout. For example, you can add shapes from the Insert tab.
    4. When you are done editing the new slide layout. Select Rename under Edit Master group.
    5. From the dialog that appears, enter a name for your new slide layout. I named mine My slide.
    create a new slide layout for your presentation
    1. To apply the new slide layout you created in your presentation, do the following:
      1. Close the slide master view
      2. Navigate to the Home tab, under Slides group, select Insert Slide.
      3. From the list of slide layouts, you will see your new slide layout. Select it for your new slide.
      4. You can also right-click a slide thumbnail and change the layout as you desire.
    Applying custom slide layout in powerpoint
    1. You can save the changes you made as a custom theme. Follow these steps:
      1. On the Slide Master view, under Edit Themes select Themes.
      2. From the dropdown menu, select Save Current Theme…
      3. The Save As dialog box appears. Enter a name for your theme and click save.

    How to change slide master in PowerPoint

    You can customize the slide master in PowerPoint by changing the font, deleting, and adding masters. We discussed how to add a slide master above. There are yet other things you can do to change the slide master in PowerPoint.

    1. Remove/ add a placeholder:
      • If you want to remove an unwanted, default placeholder, click the border of the placeholder, and then press DELETE.
      • If you want to add a placeholder, do the following:
        1. Click a thumbnail slide layout below the slide master that you added.
        2. On the Slide Master tab, in the Master Layout group, click the arrow next to Insert Placeholder, and then click a placeholder from the list.
        3. Click a location on the slide master, and then drag to draw the placeholder. To resize a placeholder, drag one of its corner borders.
    2. To Rename a Master Slide:
      1. On the View tab, in the Presentation Views group, click Slide Master.
      2. In the slide thumbnails on the left, click the slide master that you want to rename.
      3. On the Slide Master tab, in the Edit Master group, click Rename.
      4. In the Rename Master dialog box, in the Master name box, type a new name, and then click Rename.
    3. Change fonts, colors, and effects in slide master:
      • To change the fonts, navigate to the slide master view. On the Background group, select Fonts. From the dropdown list, select a font group of your choice.
      • To change the colors, navigate to the slide master view. On the Background group, select Colors. From the dropdown list, select a color group of your choice.
      • To change the visual effects, navigate to the slide master view. On the Background group, select Effects. From the dropdown list, select an effect group of your choice.

    Conclusion

    We have been able to teach you how to use templates and slide master in PowerPoint. We discussed the difference between a template and a theme and how to apply them to your presentations.

    We also discussed the meaning of slide master, its location in PowerPoint, and how to create it. Furthermore, we discussed how to use the slide master to apply uniform content to your presentation. Also, how the slide master helps you to use multiple themes in a presentation.

    Finally, we discussed how to use the edit the slide master through creating a new slide layout. And by customizing existing layouts and themes. Thank you for being part of this tutorial. Kindly share with friends and colleagues.