AutoShapes are all created white by default - help!

[HappySpaceInvader]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I'm not very skilled with PowerPoint and I'm trying to create a presentation for next Monday, using my company's official PowerPoint template.

The problem is that for some reason, all AutoShapes are created as plain white under this template, which is really inconvenient as the background is also whhite, and I'd rather use the default colours they get when I open a new PowerPoint document without using this template.

I've looked in the Master view, but I can't find where to reset the AutoShape values to their defaults. Can anyone help?

 

[CyberTaz]

It sounds like the Document Theme may have been set to use a Custom Color
Scheme with white designated as the default fill color. Was this "template"
crated with PPt 2007 by any chance? At any rate try this:

Draw a shape, format it as you wish by Control/Right-Click> Format Shape,
then right-click it again & select Set as Default Shape from the shortcut
menu. Any additional shapes created in that file from that point on will be
formatted based on your new default, but you can still reformat each as you
wish. That also breaks the association with the Document Theme so that if
you change themes your existing shapes won't be affected.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[trent]

Hi,

This is good for shapes, but...

how do I change/set the default style for a SmartArt ? In particular, I want to create a powerpoint template and set the default SmartArt style so that whenever the template is used, we get the proper colors...

Trent.

 

[CyberTaz]

I don't believe you can -- at least not directly. The default formatting of
SAGs is based on the Font & Color Schemes of the Document Theme. If you set
the Document Theme in the Slide Master it will dictate the default for SAGs
created in files based on that Master.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac