Having an attractive and professional-looking presentation is key to effectively communicating your ideas and captivating your audience. One easy way to elevate your Google Slides presentation is by customizing the background.

Why Choose an Appealing Background?

Selecting the right background color or image can significantly enhance your presentation by:

Setting the tone and mood

Reinforcing your core message
Making text stand out
Adding visual interest

Reflecting your brand identity

The wrong background choice can be distracting or confusing for your audience. That’s why putting some thought into your background is time well spent.

Changing the Background Theme

The fastest way to modify your presentation’s look is to change the background theme:

Open your Google Slides presentation
Click on Slide > Change Theme (desktop) or More > Change Theme (mobile)
Browse the different themes and select one you like

The colors, fonts, backgrounds, and layouts will update automatically

Themes provide a quick way to apply cohesive formatting across your entire presentation. Feel free to browse both the default and premium themes until you find one that aligns well with your content.

Choosing a Custom Background Color

If you want more control than the premade themes offer, you can set a custom background color for your slides:

Select the slide(s) you wish to modify
Click on Slide > Change Background (desktop)
Choose the Color tab

Select a predefined color or create a custom one
Click Done to apply to selected slides only or Add to Theme to update all slides

Consider colors that fit with your brand identity or match the tone of your presentation. [Darker backgrounds][3] tend to make lighter text stand out more.

Using a Background Image

For maximum visual impact, use a background image instead of a solid color:

Select the slide(s) to customize
Click on Slide > Change Background (desktop)

Go to the Image tab
Choose an image from Google Drive, your computer, or a URL
Click Done or Add to Theme to apply the image

Background images work best when they are:

High resolution at least 1920×1080 pixels
Simple with lots of empty space

Thematically relevant to your content
Used consistently across slides

Note that background images can only be changed on the desktop version of Google Slides.

Additional Tips for Great Backgrounds

Here are some extra tips for taking your Google Slides backgrounds to the next level:

Add transparency to images so text is readable
Incorporate subtle background movement with GIFs

Overlay a shape or texture for more depth
Use the same image but different colors
Match key points in your presentation with distinct backgrounds

Limit backgrounds to 2-3 per presentation

With some strategic planning and design choices, your presentation backgrounds can really make your content shine. Don’t underestimate the power of a visually striking Google Slides foundation.

Conclusion

Customizing your Google Slides background is an easy way to elevate your presentation’s look and feel. Take advantage of the built-in themes, background colors, and images to find options that reinforce your message and captivate your audience. A memorable background is another useful tool in your presentation toolkit to effectively communicate ideas and make an impact.