Tutorial

We are looking back to February 2020 and the post entitled, “Use PowerPoint Text As Part of Background Design”. Click here to view the full 2020 post.  

Looking back, I feel this was a pretty simplistic example of a slide design. I know it was inspired by a real client project (and like most of our design work, that project was under an NDA and not able to be directly shared). But I have a new project that incorporates text into the background that I feel is much more dynamic! 

In this new slide design tutorial, we’ll use a speech bubble SVG from The Noun Project and transform it with shadows, bevels, AND a subtle logo texture as part of its background, all for a polished and presentation-ready design element. If you don’t have access to The Noun Project (highly recommended), you can replicate this slide using your own art. 

Step 1: Insert and Prepare the SVG

Start by downloading a speech bubble .SVG file from The Noun Project and inserting it onto your slide (I use the PowerPoint add-in, but you can also go to The Noun Project’s website).

Once placed, right-click and choose Convert to Shape (if needed) so all the PowerPoint style options are available. 

Step 2: Add a Drop Shadow

To give the icon a little depth, apply a drop shadow with these settings:
Size: 100%
Blur: 8.5 pt
Angle: 90°
Distance: 1 pt 

This creates a subtle, soft shadow that lifts the icon just enough off the background. 

Step 3: Apply a Bevel and Contour

For extra dimension, use a Round Convex bevel:
Width: 5 pt
Height: 5 pt
Then, add a contour set to 3.5 pt. This gives the edges of the speech bubble a nice highlight and makes it feel more 3D. 

Step 4: Fill the Speech Bubble with an Image

Next, fill the inner blank area of the speech bubble with an image of the Facebook logo:
Go to Shape Fill > Picture or Texture Fill
Choose the Facebook logo image (this Facebook logo is also sourced from The Noun Project)
Check “Tile picture as texture”
Set Scale X and Scale Y to 5% 

This creates a tiled pattern of the Facebook logo inside the bubble — a cool effect that works well for digital or social media-themed slides. 

Step 5: Add a Soft Color Overlay

To blend the texture and unify the look, copy and paste the same inner shape directly on top. Then fill it with a solid color and set the transparency to 25%. 

This soft overlay mutes the tiled pattern just enough while keeping the detail visible underneath, giving your speech bubble a professional, layered look. 

Step 6: Add Text on Top

Now add a text box over the speech bubble and type something like: Add Facebook stat/callout here. 

This is where you can highlight a key metric, social media insight, or fun engagement fact to make your design more informative and engaging. 

Now, Let’s Repeat the Same Steps Using a TikTok logo.  

Repeat the same steps as before, but with one small edit (I sourced the TikTok logo from The Noun Project).  

Back to Step 4: Fill the Inner Blank Area of the Speech Bubble with an Image of the TikTok Logo

Go to Shape Fill > Picture or Texture Fill
Choose the TikTok logo image
Check “Tile picture as texture”
Set Scale X and Scale Y to 5% 

Note: You may need to adjust the Scale X and Y percentages depending on the size of the logo being used for the repeated texture.  

Final Result

The final result is a presentation-ready graphic because all of the design was completed directly in PowerPoint! Not only is the branded and dimensional speech bubble a standout slide element, it’s native to PowerPoint, so it can scale and be edited easily. It’s a great example of mixing vector shapes, styling effects, and rich surface detail – all directly in PowerPoint, no Photoshop required.  

Want the final product for yourself? Download the editable TikTok PowerPoint slide HERE!

Hope you enjoyed these examples and design tutorial!

-Christie and the TLC Creative presentation design team 

Ever struggle with color matching within your PowerPoint slides? Maybe you want your text to match a logo, or you need a shape to blend in seamlessly with a background image. Whatever you need it for, PowerPoint has a simple but powerful tool that lets you pick up and reuse any color on your slide.  

What is the Eyedropper Tool? 

The Eyedropper is a color matching tool that grabs the exact hue from any visible element on your screen. It might be from a shape, an image, a logo, or a background. It is easy to use and guarantees your designs stay colorfully consistent.  

Accessing the Eyedropper tool can be a bit tedious, because it takes a few steps. You have to open the Format tab, click on the Fill Color, Font Color, or Outline Color dropdown (depending on what you’re changing). Then choose Eyedropper from the menu. Not too difficult, but it does take a few clicks. 

But First, Add the Eyedropper Tool to Your QAT: 

If you use the Eyedropper tool regularly, we suggest adding this feature to the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT) at the top of your PowerPoint window. 

1. Click the small dropdown arrow at the far right of the Quick Access Toolbar.

2. Choose More Commands.

3. In the new window, set the “Choose commands from” options to All Commands.

4. Scroll down and select Eyedropper (Eyedropper Fill in this case), then click Add >>

5. Click OK.

Now the Eyedropper tool is just one click away. No need to go through tons of color menus every time you need it!

Note: You can move the position of where the Eyedropper tool appears on your QAT by moving it up or down in the “Customize the Quick Access Toolbar” menu using the up and down arrows on the right. 

Once you have the Eyedropper tool added to your QAT, you’ll wonder why you didn’t add it earlier!  

The Eyedropper allows you to capture a fill color from any element on the slide – whether it be from an image, another shape, or even text: 

Extending Photo Backgrounds  

Here, we have inserted a square photo, but we’d would like to extend it to fill the whole frame.  

1. Select the image and click Crop from the Picture Format tab.

2. Drag and extend the crop area to fill the entire slide (trust us on this!).

3. Select and utilize the Eyedropper from the QAT and pick a color from the edge of the image’s background.

4. Done! You’ve created a seamless, solid background color.

What About a Color I Like from Outside PowerPoint? 

No worries! PowerPoint gives you the option to move the Eyedropper off the slide screen and onto something else open on your desktop. Borrow a color from a website, an image, or a document. In the example below, and in honor of the 50th anniversary of Jaws, we are picking up a hue from the movie’s color palette, which is a separate image I have open on my desktop.  

Again, select the Eyedropper tool from the QAT. This time, however, click and hold down the mouse button. Now, drag the cursor off the PowerPoint workspace and onto the desired color object. 

Final Thoughts 

Color matching just got a whole lot easier! The Eyedropper tool may be small, but it is an essential and powerful tool when it comes to slide design. Once it’s on your Quick Access Toolbar, it’s even faster to use and helps you stay on-brand and visually consistent with minimal effort.  

-Mike and the TLC Creative Design Team 

Want to make your presentation pop by showcasing a video inside a realistic iPhone frame? Whether you’re creating a product demo, UI walkthrough, or simply want a sleek modern look, this step-by-step guide will walk you through how to insert a video into PowerPoint, crop it, modify it to rounded corners (yes, video containers can have rounded corners!) – all while fitting seamlessly into a PNG or SVG image of an iPhone. 

Step 1: Insert Your Video 

• Go to the slide where you want the video. 

• On the Insert tab, click Video → choose This Device (note, for some of the styling options being applied, it must be an embedded video, not a web-based video). 

• Browse and insert your desired video file.

Step 2: Change Video Playback Settings to Set the Video to Play Automatically 

• By default, when you insert a video in PowerPoint, it’s set to play “On Click” as part of the animation timeline.   

• NOTE: Because this video is going to be underneath the iPhone image, it will not be manually clickable meaning you can’t “mouse over” the video to click it to play or pause. You can leave the animation setting to “On Click” but for our example we want the video to play automatically when the slide hits the screen.  

Click on the video to select it. 

1. Go to the Animation tab on the ribbon. 

2. Change to “Play” vs “Multiple”.

3. Look for the Start dropdown. 

4. Change it from “On Click” to “With Previous.”.

Now your video will begin playing as soon as the slide appears in Slide Show mode—no click required! For our example here, the video we chose is 1920×1080 (the teal gradation you see below).

Step 3: Layer the Video Behind an iPhone PNG Image 

Now, let’s place a phone on top of the video: 

1. Source an image of a realistic phone (ideally a PNG with a transparent screen area showing just the phone “frame”) or edit your image to remove the background and the screen area of the phone.

2. Insert your phone image onto the slide. 

3. Resize and position it as needed. 

Step 4: Crop the Video to Align to the Phone Screen 

To fit the video inside the vertical screen area of a phone (typically portrait aspect ratio), you’ll need to crop the video. You can do it like so:

1. Select the video and resize the video as needed to fit the phone (for our example, we’ve chosen a simple gradient with no content, so resizing isn’t critical).

2. With the video selected, in the Video Format tab, click Crop. 

3. Use the black cropping handles to trim the edges and create a portrait orientation, aligning the edge of the video just inside the edge of the phone. 

4. Click Crop again to apply changes. 

Step 5: Add Rounded Corners 

Our video now fits nicely inside the phone but you can see the corners. The good news is that videos in PowerPoint can be changed to any (yes any!) of the PowerPoint shapes. For this slide, we need rounded corners, which is an easy customization to the video. Believe it or not, PowerPoint is easier for this than video editing apps!

1. Select the video. 

2. Go to Video Format → Video Shape → Choose the Rounded Rectangle shape. 

3. Now use the yellow shape modifier (dot) to adjust the rounded corners to match the iPhone image’s rounded corners  

• TIP: zoom in on the slide for better control of the rounded corner adjustment. 

With just a few clicks, you’ve created a high-end, device-framed video display — no video editing software required. Perfect for UI demos, mobile app presentations, or just leveling up your PowerPoint visuals. 

Let your slides scroll like a screen — and wow your audience!  

-The TLC Creative design team 

Make your PowerPoint presentations more dynamic and engaging by using a great PowerPoint feature to add a live camera feed directly onto your slide. Whether you’re hosting a virtual meeting, presenting at a live event, or recording a tutorial, showing your face in real time can help you connect with your viewers and make the message much more personal. 

Cameo

Cameo is a feature that was added to PowerPoint in 2022 and provides many design options. For your slide layout and design, keep in mind exactly where on the slide (or slides) the live camera will appear. Make sure it does not cover any elements or distract from the slide content itself. This is definitely something to test before presenting, not only to confirm the slide layouts work, but also that animations and transitions work – and, of course, the technical connection of the camera to PowerPoint works. 

Add a Cameo Live Camera to a PowerPoint Slide 

To add a live camera feed, we will be using the Cameo feature.  

• Go to Insert > Cameo

• In the dropdown menu, there are two options – place a Cameo on “This Slide” or “All Slides.” Select the option needed.

• TIP: The live camera object that will be added can be adjusted or deleted from any slide, so “All Slides” is often the easiest workflow. 

Once selected, a placeholder for your camera feed will appear on the slide, as seen in the example below. By default, PowerPoint adds the placeholder in the lower right corner as a circle shape.  

Preview the Live Camera 

To preview how a live camera will look: 

• Click the placeholder  

• Click the camera icon 

• Use the “Camera Format” tab to choose your desired camera

• TIP: The camera you are using can be changed at any time – a common workflow is to test simply with your laptop’s built-in camera and then change to an external camera when you are setting up for the actual presentation (an external camera is usually of better quality)

Modify the Cameo Live Camera Object 

What is exciting is that the camera object can be modified like any PowerPoint shape. Moving, resizing, and changing shape are all options. 

• Select the cameo placeholder 

• Move and resize to fit the slide layout. For our example slide, we are moving the live camera to the upper left and downsizing it a little. 

In addition to moving and resizing, you can add styles, shapes, borders, and other effects to the video feed. Go to the “Camera Format” tab to add an outline, change shape, add a drop shadow, or soft edge. Be creative!

Presenting 

When going to Slide Show mode, the live camera will turn on automatically, and the live feed will be visible during your presentation. 

A Few Tips Before You Go Live

1. Always test before presenting – that means making sure your webcam or other camera is working and positioned properly.

2. Use lighting! Good lighting can dramatically improve how you appear on camera.

3. Limit the distractions. Before going, live consider turning off any video effects or anything in the background that might distract from your message.

4. Smile!!

Conclusion: 

Adding a live camera feed to your slides is possible – all using native PowerPoint features! There are technical considerations, yet in the right environment, this adds a nice visual touch and can be a fantastic storytelling tool.  

-The TLC Creative Design Team 

We love that PowerPoint has built-in video compression options, we really do. It’s a super handy feature when you’re trying to manage file size. But there’s one big catch: the compression is limited to a maximum of 1080p (HD)!

And let’s be real… plenty of modern presentations are being designed for higher resolution output these days. For example: 4K+ screens, LED walls, and wide-format displays. That makes this “HD-maximum” compression setting feel a bit dated. 

To make things trickier, PowerPoint doesn’t let you pick and choose which videos to compress within a slide deck. It’s all or nothing. Raise your hand if you’ve ever exported a single slide with video into its own temporary presentation, ran PowerPoint’s compression on it, and then reinserted the newly optimized video back into your original deck? Yeah. Us too. 

But let’s talk about video export. PowerPoint does a decent job here, too, offering resolutions up to 4K. But that’s where the options end. You can’t go beyond 4K. And again, for many modern uses, 4K just doesn’t cut it.

Presentations today aren’t just being projected in boardrooms. We’re using PowerPoint to build visuals for LED walls, wide-format stage displays, and custom resolution outputs that don’t follow traditional 16:9 rules. Where is the 3:1, 3240×1080 resolution option? 

What we’d love to see from Microsoft: 

• Preset export profiles up to 8K
• Or better, allow the end user to set the video resolution for export (please!)
• Ability to individually select videos within a slide deck to be optimized 
• And most importantly: support for higher-than-1080p for video compression and optimization
• The ability to create and save custom export profiles

Speaking of custom export profiles, we really like the profile system NXPowerlite has available to users! Here are the 7 custom profiles we have available on all TLC Creative computers:

PowerPoint is evolving into a tool for so much more than standard presentations. The video compression and export engine need to catch up with the creative ways people are using PowerPoint today (yes, those “unlimited” LED walls in the below image are higher resolution than 4K! And no, we were not able to optimize videos on these ultrawide resolution slides within PowerPoint). 

Until then, we’ll keep doing our hacks and workarounds and dreaming of the day we get a “Custom Resolution” button next to “Ultra HD.” 

-The TLC Creative Presentation Design Team 

Have you ever tried to style a hyperlink in PowerPoint and wondered why you can’t remove that underline?! You’re not alone. Here’s the deal: a hyperlink underline is not the same as a text underline—and unfortunately, it can’t be turned off through standard formatting options.

But there’s a smart workaround, or as some might say, a “hack.”

The Problem: Hyperlink Underlines Behave Differently

In PowerPoint, when you add a hyperlink (to a website or email), the text automatically becomes underlined and blue, or the color that is assigned to the hyperlink color in the template color scheme.

The text color is treated like all text color – it can be changed to any color while keeping the hyperlink interactivity intact. As an example, when we want to deemphasize a hyperlink, we change the text to black or white to match the other text on the slide.

The good news is that the hyperlink underline color does change with the text color. However, changing the hyperlink underline is different. This underline is part of PowerPoint’s hyperlink styling—not a standard underline that can be toggled on or off. But selecting the hyperlink text and using the underline button, or keyboard shortcut, will not remove the hyperlink underline.

The Workaround: Add a Custom Underline

To take control over the appearance of your link text, including the underline color, here’s a clever trick:

1. Select the hyperlink text
2. Open the Font dialog (Ctrl + T, or Right Click > Font or Home Tab> Font dialog box)
3. Update Underline Style to a solid line (Single line or Heavy line usually works well)
4. Then, choose your Underline Color—any color you want!

The color of the text does not change, but visually, the hyperlink underline color is now what you selected in the Font dialog box.

So, it is possible to have hyperlink text and its underline be different colors!

What you’ve done is layer a custom underline on top of the hyperlink’s default underline—visually overriding it with your style (just to make it clear, we are covering up the hyperlink underline with another underline).

TIP: If the slides have a solid color background, one option to make the hyperlink underline not seen is to set the hyperlink underline color to the color of the background. For example, here is the same hyperlink as above, but instead of setting the underline color to orange, it is now white to match the slide background.

ISSUE: Changing the underline color does have an issue. The underline is not “under” the text; it is on top of it. So, our hack of changing the underline color to white to match the while slide background above, shows up in the descender letters as white “dashes.”

But what if we trick PowerPoint by setting the underline for just the descender letters to the text color? Unfortunately, because the underline is the character width, not just the visible character, this trick doesn’t work. ☹

With some work, we can “hack” our way into having no visible hyperlink underline. To do this, we will manually remove the hyperlink from each descender letter, to create the effect.  Of course, the new issue is that your mouse will change from hyperlink to non-hyperlink as you roll over the letters.

This is a lot of tedious steps, but it creates the visual aesthetic expected of TLC Creative when delivering a presentation (you decide if the added formatting time is needed for your project!).

Removing the Hyperlink Entirely

If you just want the text without the hyperlink styling:

Select the text within the text box, Right-click the link > Hyperlink > Remove Hyperlink

TIP: Select the hyperlink text and use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl K” to open the hyperlink dialog box.

This turns the text into plain, non-linked text, letting you format it however you like. No underline, and the text color is the text color of the other text. But also, no hyperlink.

Credit Where It’s Due

This smart workaround was shared by Sandy Johnson with Troy Chollar live during Episode 225 of The Presentation Podcast, around the 22-minute mark. It’s one of those subtle tricks that can make a big difference in professional design.

-The TLC Creative Design Team