How to Quickly Change Theme Colors in Google Slides for 2021

Color says a lot in a presentation. It sets the mood and tone. Many presenters rely on color to represent their brand. Pro presenters need tools to easily adjust color options in Google Slides. That's what you'll learn in this tutorial.

Need to learn how to change the color of a theme in Google Slides? You've come to the right place. You'll learn key skills to change practically every part of your presentation. Let's learn how to change the colors in Google Slides presentations.

In this tutorial, we're going to feature colorful Google Slides themes. You'll see unlimited downloads of Google Slides templates from Envato Elements. Plus, outstanding pay-as-you-go options from GraphicRiver. Both bring eye-catching colors to your presentation.

How Can You Use Color to Tell Stories With a Google Slides Presentation?

Color is more than a stylistic choice that you select at random. Pro presenters use colors to complement their content and match the mood of a presentation.

Here are three ways that color controls the presentation and how your audience perceives the presentation:

• Color sets the mood of a presentation. A bright red presentation brings energy to the room. Cool colors bring relaxation and a sense of calm.


• Color carries through the branding that you wish to represent. Many companies have designated colors that help represent the brand image. That creates consistency while presenting.


• Color complements content. Choosing a color scheme that makes it easier to read the content increases the chance that the audience will hear, see, and understand the message.

In this tutorial, you'll become a master of editing and changing colors in your Google Slides presentation. Learning how to change the color of themes in Google Slides gives you creative control to bring your vision to life. Let's learn how below. 

But first, we'll take a look at another Google Slides tool: color themes.

The Best Way to Work With Custom Color Themes in Google Slides 

Before we go in depth on how to change the color of a theme on Google Slides, let's take a close look at Google Slides themes.

Enter Envato Elements. It's an all-you-can-download library that creatives use to save time and money while building projects. Best of all, it includes unlimited Google Slides themes with eye-catching colors.

Not only does Elements give you Google Slides themes, but you'll also unlock extras like stock photos and graphics. It's all included for a single flat rate so that you'll never break the bank while designing a presentation.

Learning how to change the color of a theme on Google Slides is a great skill to add to your toolbelt. It helps you work with custom Google Slides themes easily. Grab a template from Envato Elements, customize your colors, and you're ready to go!

Here are three templates from the deep Envato Elements library with rich colors that are sure to catch the eye:

1. Colors - Google Slides Template

This creative Google Slides template feels like it was sourced straight from an art studio. It's perfect for presenting any content thanks to colorful yet minimalist slides that leave plenty of room for content. Try out the 30 slides in five color schemes for endless combinations of colorful content.

2. Colorful Dots Google Slides

You've got 20 slide masters to choose from to quickly develop a colorful presentation. Best of all, the well-documented and simple structure makes it easy to edit the color themes. Use this template in conjunction with this tutorial for a totally customized presentation.

3. Hoyoonk - Colorful Google Slide Presentation

If some color is good, more color must be better, right? That's the lane that this incredibly bright and colorful chooses. It won't be the perfect choice for every presentation, but that isn't the purpose. Instead, it's a bold selection to stand out from the boring presentations that your audience might be accustomed to.

There are many more template options for creating a custom Google Slides presentation. Check out more than 30 of our favorites in the article below:

• 
  Google Slides
  
  
  30+ Cool Google Slides Themes (With Aesthetic Slide Design Ideas for 2020)
  
  
  Sean Hodge

Find More Colorful Google Slides Themes on GraphicRiver

Do you still want to see more options to create a colorful Google Slides presentation? We've got you covered. On GraphicRiver, you can buy single Google Slides themes. 

GraphicRiver's library is every bit as expansive, but you can buy single templates. When you know exactly what you need to create a great presentation, it's a great option to keep your costs low.

Themes in Google Slides give you even more options to work with the best Google Slides templates. Use those skills combined with GraphicRiver to creatively create a presentation.

Now let's dive into our tutorial on changing the colors of themes.

How to Change Colors of Themes in Google Slides

In this section, we'll learn how to change the color of a theme in Google Slides. Don't feel limited to the pre-built designs in your Google Slides template. 

We're going to work with a colorful theme for Google Slides from Envato Elements, Colorful Dots. It's plenty colorful on its own. But this section will teach you how to change the color of the theme in Google Slides to your preferences.

There are four crucial skills to master as you learn how to change the color in Google Slides. Let's dive in.

1.  How to Change Background Colors on Google Slides

The background might be the single largest element on your slide. Learning how to change the background on Google Slides ensures that you can set it to the perfect color to match your presentation's tone and style.

Slide backgrounds are typically layers of their own. They might be hidden behind other objects. The best way to change this is by clicking on the Background button on the toolbar. Most modern templates support this and make it easy to change the background.

Now, it's as simple as choosing a new background color from the pop-up menu. Choose a color swatch from the menu or a custom option with the color-chooser.

That's it! You'll see your background transform with the new color selection once you click Done.

Want more options for amazing backgrounds in Google Slides? Check out this article to see templates with the best Google Slides backgrounds:

• 
  Presentations
  
  
  20 Google Slides Themes With Cool (Customizable) Background Template Designs 2021
  
  
  Alexis (Lexi) Rodrigo

2. How to Change the Color of "Locked" Elements on Google Slides

Here's a helpful troubleshooting step as you're learning how to change the color (of any item) in Google Slides.

Sometimes, it seems like you can't select a specific object. When you click on it, the app doesn't select the object. What gives?

The answer is likely that this object is on the slide master. The object is visible on your active slide, but it's actually designed on the master that controls many slides. To edit the slide master for your Google Slides theme, you'll need to switch to the Master view.

Go to the View > Master menu. Now, you'll see a new view that allows you to select objects that may have been locked. Select those shapes, then choose new color fills from the dropdown.

Once you're finished, exit this screen by clicking View > Master again.

Slide masters control the design of many slides. Any slides that share this master are affected when you make these changes. Remember this if you can't seem to change the color on Google Slides.

3. How to Change the Color of Text in Google Slides

Text is another important slide element that you might want to recolor. And it's super easy to do just that!

Highlight text on your slide. Then, click the paint bucket icon on the toolbar. Choose a replacement color.

That's all there is to it. Keep readability in mind by selecting contrasting colors. For example, use dark text on a light background or vice versa.

If you want a short video tutorial to pass along to your fellow presenter, check out our quick screencast:

• 
  Google Slides
  
  
  How to Change Text Color in Google Slides in 60 Seconds
  
  
  Andrew Childress

4. How to Save Colorful Themes in Google Slides

The final skill that we'll cover is how to make a custom color theme in Google Slides. If you're going to invest the hard work of learning how to change the color of themes in Google Slides, it helps to save those for future use.

Before you start adding the content to your Google Slides template, you might want to save a copy of it. After you tweak the background color, shapes, and text, take a moment to save the template.

Use the File > Make a copy menu option to duplicate your presentation. This gives you a secondary version that you can use as a starting point. Remembering how to make a custom color set pre-built in a Google Slides theme saves you time in the future.

You learned how to change the color in Google Slides with these four key skills. See fun themes with built-in color schemes in this article:

• 
  Google Slides
  
  
  20 Cute Google Slides Themes With Fun Colorful Presentation Designs (2020)
  
  
  Andrew Childress

Five Quick Presentation Design Tips For 2021

Now that you know how to change theme colors in Google Slides, let’s talk about the design of your slide deck. Design is crucial if you want to make your presentation more memorable. We've got five quick tips to help you design a stunning Google Slides deck:

1. Don’t Limit Color to Background Only

The primary place to use color in your presentation is the background. You can also use color in shapes as well as in text to make your presentation more colorful. Take cues from the Galleria Google Slides template. As you can see from the screenshot below, it uses colors in headings and in shapes throughout the slide design.

2. Leave White Space Around Elements

Ensure there's enough white space around individual elements on your slide. This will give your presentation a light and airy feel that makes it easier to focus on the point you’re making with the slide. 

3. Ensure There's Enough Contrast

No matter what color scheme you decide to use, be sure there's enough contrast between the text and the background. Otherwise, your text will be hard to read, and your audience will lose interest. The Apaya template makes good use of contrasting colors to maintain legibility. 

4. Use Animations Sparingly

Animations can enhance your presentation but it’s also all too easy to get carried away and go overboard. Use them sparingly and choose between slide transitions or using animations for different elements on the slide.

5. Don't Use Too Much Text

Don’t go overboard with your text either. Remember, your slide deck is supposed to enhance the presentation and help you cover the main points. Don't overwhelm your audience with walls of text. The Simple Color template is a good example of a slide deck with minimal text.

Five Presentation Design Trends for 2021

Design trends will help you keep your presentation looking professional and polished. It'll also show that you’ve put great care and effort into making the best possible presentation on your topic. That’s why we’re sharing the top five design trends for presentations to keep in mind for 2021:

1. Pastel and Bold Colors Rule the Day

Pastel and bold color schemes are very trendy right now. Colorful is just one example of a Google Slides template that uses a bold color scheme. If you’re not a fan of bold colors, you can easily change the theme using the steps laid out in this tutorial.

2. The Use of Visuals

Most modern presentation templates nowadays include slides that are more visual in nature. This includes using photos, charts, graphs, infographic elements, and other visuals that enhance your presentation. 

3. Abstract Shapes

Forget circles, rectangles, and squares. Use abstract shapes as accents and colorful elements behind your photos or text. This will make your presentation more engaging. The Rastel template is a great template that makes use of abstract shapes.

4. Bold Fonts

Like bold colors, bold fonts are also trendy right now. This is a good way to make your slide titles and headings stand out and catch the attention of your audience.

5. Full Color Backgrounds

Lastly, don’t limit yourself to colorful accents. Be bold and stand out by using full-colored backgrounds in your presentation. You can use a template like Fancy as a starting point if you want to make use of this trend.

The Best Way to Learn Google Slides

You've already seen a crucial skill to master working in Google Slides: how to change the color of themes on Google Slides. But maybe you still want to learn more about how to give a great presentation with the help of Google Slides. 

With the help of a few more tutorials, you're well on your way to mastering the app. Use our resource, How to Use Google Slides (Ultimate Tutorial Guide,) you're sure to become a presentation pro.

More resources are ready to help you learn how to use Google Slides. Here are three of the best tutorials to learn Google Slides:

• 
  Google Slides
  
  
  20+ (Quick) Tips & Tricks to Use Google Slides Like a Professional in 2020
  
  
  Laura Spencer


• 
  Presentations
  
  
  How to Convert PowerPoint (PPT) to Google Slides Presentations on Import
  
  
  
  Laura Spencer


• 
  Google Slides
  
  
  10+ Google Slides Presentation Tools: To Learn How to Use (Now)
  
  
  Laura Spencer

You've Just Learned How to Change the Color in Google Slides Themes

Now you've mastered the art of how to change the color of a theme on Google Slides. But maybe you're looking for a bit of inspiration to design your next presentation.

Don't feel limited by the built-in colors of the Google Slides theme that you choose. You learned how to change the color of key elements on Google Slides so that you've got complete control over your presentation.

The templates you saw in this tutorial from Envato Elements and GraphicRiver are major resources. And remember, you now know how to change the color in Google Slides of every element. That gives you all the creative control you need.

Start with a template, add your custom colors, and presto! You've created a great presentation in less time than ever before.

Editorial Note: This post has been updated with contributions from Brenda Barron. Brenda is a freelance instructor for Envato Tuts+.