How to Create a Custom Color Palette in PowerPoint

In any presentation of Power point, the content is always the fundamental element. However, when we look for a way for this message to better reach our audience, aesthetics becomes an indispensable value. And in aesthetics, color plays a key role. In this post we are going to see how to create a custom color palette in PowerPoint to ensure that our presentation is attractive and, at the same time, has our personal stamp.

Most users who create presentations on a more or less regular basis have gradually refined their options until they have a master color scheme in PowerPoint. From that, it is possible to create our own standardized font color for each use: background color, colors of tables and diagrams, links, etc. In marketing, this is important to meet corporate brand guidelines.

The PowerPoint color chart is limited to only 12 colors, the so-called «master colors». Although these offer a lot of play and interesting combination possibilities, it is obviously much better to be able to create custom colors that we can name and sequence ourselves.

Reasons to use a custom color palette

If we are only going to use the slide presentation resource occasionally,

more professional appearance, appropriate colors,

Creating our own color palette step by step

Once we have determined the importance of having our own chromatic “personal brand” in PowerPoint, let's get down to business: how to create a color palette. We explain all the steps below:

1. To begin, we open PowerPoint and in the ribbon of options and tools at the top of the screen, we go to the tab "Watch".
2. There we select the option «Slide master.
3. Then we click on "Colors" and, in the next options box, we select «Customize colors».
4. At this point we can create our own design field and all its options using the color circle or palette:
   • Select text colors.
   • Select background colors.
   • Select accent colors.
   • Select hyperlink colors.
5. Finally, after we have made all the selections, we click on "Save".

When define the colors, we have to take into account that the first corresponds to the font color. As texts usually always appear on a light background, it is best to select a dark color; the second color corresponds to a second font color, which could be rather light; the third color corresponds to the first background color. Here it is also better to choose a rather dark color; Finally, the fourth color corresponds to a second background, which logically must be lighter.

Moreover, accent colors (numbered 1 to 6) They correspond to the colors of the graphs and tables that we could insert in our presentation. Of them, the last two correspond to the colors of the inserted hyperlinks.

custom colors

In the process of creating the custom color palette for PowerPoint, there is the possibility of playing with the fixed colors (those that come by default) and the custom colors, that is, created by ourselves. To add the latter to our PowerPoint palette, this is what we need to do:

1. First we need to convert our color values ​​to HEX values. For this, we can use this converter.
2. Then we save our presentations and rename them to a .zip file.
3. Next, we open the folder "ppt" and the file "issue".
4. In this folder, We search and open the .xml file. Then we activate the line break.
5. At this point it is necessary to insert the following formula at the end of the document, just after the command: :
   • <a:custClr name= "color name" > «RGB in hexadecimal» />
6. Then we save this topic and We also replace it in the .zip file.
7. To finish, we rename the .zip file to a .ppts file.

We must repeat these steps for each of the new custom colors that we want to add.

Use the eyedropper tool

Finally, we mention a small resource that can be very useful for making minor chromatic changes, small touch-ups: the Dropper. Sometimes using this tool can make a huge change, without having to resort to the custom color palette in PowerPoint. This is how we can use it:

1. First, we select the shape or text where we want to assign a new color.
2. Then in the tab Format o shape format, We choose one of these two options:
3. Filling so.
4. Text fill.
5. Next, we select the option Dropper (we will see that the mouse pointer turns into an eyedropper tool).
6. By holding down the mouse button, moving it around the screen displays a dynamic preview of the color we are aiming for.
7. When pointing to the color we want to match, we release the mouse button. Thus, The color will be automatically applied to the selected object or shape.