How to keep image as background

How to Keep a Picture as Background in PowerPoint?

The default background for the PowerPoint slides may seem boring. Built-in color options and gradients are great but what if you want to keep a custom photo as background? You might want to add your company logo or office photo as a background in PowerPoint. This article on how to keep a picture as background in PowerPoint covers all points that a new or pro user might want to know.

For a custom background, you need to select a photo that does not have text or many objects. A simple yet elegant photo works best for PowerPoint slide background. Not only company logo or custom images can go as background for PowerPoint slides but one can add aesthetic landscape or any other image too.

Keeping Custom Picture as Background in PowerPoint

Did you notice that most online PowerPoint templates have custom images and color schemes as background? You can also learn how to keep a picture as a background in PowerPoint.

Visuals are always way more captivating than text and simple colored backgrounds. A well-thought background image can make your presentation more engaging and effective. Only right background image should be used as background for a presentation.

An image or mountains or landscapes may be suitable for a travel presentation while a minimalistic background image is suitable for corporate and professional slides. Here are some benefits of using custom images as background for PowerPoint presentation slides.

Brand Image and Identity

Brand identity is not just about logo or business name but you have to enforce brand image in every aspect of communication. While presenting any idea in any setting, company logo or product image can be perfect backgrounds for slides.

Visual and Aesthetic Appeal

Plain backgrounds may make presentation boring and custom images make the experience more immersive. Even though background images have no direct impact on quality of information delivery yet these little details help to retain the attention of viewers.

Themed Presentation

Corporate slides with charts, figures and numbers might work with plain backgrounds but for creative projects, you have to stick to specific themes. For art and entertainment presentations, it’s better to use creative, colorful, and custom images that complement the color scheme of your project.

How to Keep a Picture as Background in PowerPoint?

Most PowerPoint features are easy, straightforward, and useful. New users are just afraid of trying new things. We highly encourage our readers to experiment with different features of the tool to get the best results.

If something does not go as planned, you can always undo it. Do you have the right image to add as a background to your slides? Here are the simple steps that you need to follow now.

Step 1: Open Presentation and Select Slide

Open the presentation file and choose the slide where you want to keep the image as background. A custom image can be used as background for a selected slide or all slides in a presentation. Every slide can have different background image too.

Step 2: Select Background Format Menu

Go to the slide where you want to keep image as background and right click on the slide. From the menu, choose “Format Background” option to change the background.

Apply background image

Step 3: Choose the right Background Option

The new window will show you different options that you can choose from to change and set background. Choose “Picture or texture fill” option and insert your custom image that you want to add to the slide.

Texture and image option

Step 4: Select Image as Background

Now, you have different options to add image as background. You can insert from file, insert from online source or clipboard. If you have the image available in your computer, choose the first option and upload the image to set as background.

How to Keep a Picture as Background in PowerPoint

Step 5: Adjust Image Settings

Now, the selected image is set as the background, but if there are any changes required, you can make different adjustments to the background image to make the text clear and easy to read. Before applying the image, there are different controls on the same window, including:

  • Transparency
  • Positioning
  • Brightness and Contrast

How to Apply Background to All Slides?

This method was for keeping a picture as background for one specific slide. You can use the same method and steps to add custom background to all slides in your PowerPoint presentation.

After uploading the image, there is an option on the same windows to confirm the action or “Apply to all”. This option will set the selected picture as background for all slides.

Image as background for slide

Finding the Right Image for PowerPoint Background

Users can add any picture or image as background, but make sure to maintain the visual appeal and professionalism of the presentation. There are online tools and editors that allow you to create custom images.

Instead of worrying about doing everything manually, we recommend ChatGPT for PowerPoint Add-in, a powerful solution to automate presentations. From creating presentations to styling them with AI, this single add-in is the answer to all of your queries.

Create PowerPoint Presentations with AI

With ChatGPT for PowerPoint, create and optimize slides with AI — download from Microsoft AppSource for free today.
Try for free

Here are a few tips for choosing the best picture or image as the background for PowerPoint:

  • The image must be of high-resolution
  • There must be minimal distractions
  • Branding consistency is a must for engaging viewers
  • The text of the slide must remain readable and prominent

If an image meets all these conditions then you are good to keep that picture as background in PowerPoint presentations. Don’t be afraid of trying different images for the background.

How to Keep a Picture as Background in PowerPoint- Conclusion

The format background option can be accessed by clicking on the slide of your choice. This window will show you different available options related to background. You can also set different textures as backgrounds for your PowerPoint presentations.

Frequently asked questions

You can either add an image from your computer or fetch from online source. There are different options available for setting background pictures for your presentations.

Yes, you can add the company logo or product image as the background for the slide. The image should be good enough to keep the slide’s contents readable for the viewers.

Right-click on the slide >> Format Background and then choose the reset background option at the bottom of the popup window.