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Blog Graphic Design 15 Presentation Background Examples & Templates to Keep Your Audience Awake

15 Presentation Background Examples & Templates to Keep Your Audience Awake

Written by: Ryan McCready Jul 07, 2023

Backgrounds are the foundation for creating an engaging presentation .

A great background can elevate your visual content and help it reach millions of people. But a bad background will make the whole project fall apart.

This is especially true when it comes to presentation backgrounds.

Most of the time, the reader is only going to see the background image once. But with presentations, it’s a whole different story.

Depending on how long your presentation is, that background could be seen 25, 50 or even 100 times!

In fact, according to a recent presentation design statistics study we did, the majority of keynote speakers said their biggest challenge was formatting their slides to keep readers engaged.

So you need to pick something that won’t distract or bore your audience.

Sometimes that’s a very tricky line to walk, but fear not–I have a ton of experience picking the perfect presentation background!

I’ve rounded up 15 great presentation templates to help you pick the ideal background for your presentation. Keep reading to learn how you can pick the perfect background and ace your next presentation!

1. Open Computer Screen Presentation Background

I’m a huge fan of using mockups in my content and design work. If you check out Venngage’s  Gallery , you will see that it’s full of professional poster and flyer mockups.

These mockups are extremely useful because you can instantly place the reader in your shoes. Readers will see a computer screen,  flyer  or another object like it’s sitting right in front of them.

This presentation background example is a simple mockup that almost anyone can use. It would work perfectly as a business background for many purposes beyond presentations too. Check out how the designer used it in the title slide below:

CREATE THIS PRESENTATION TEMPLATE

With an image frame, you can make the computer screen show whatever you want, even the background image:

Learn how to customize this presentation template :

Creating an effective business presentation involves careful planning, organization and effective communication. Save yourself the time and hassle by customizing one of our professionally designed business presentation templates .

2. Zen Garden Presentation Background Image

Plants have been very popular for the past couple of years. If you have ever been in a new trendy restaurant, you definitely know what I’m talking about.

This simple background has the same feel as one of those hip establishments.

This background also embodies the colorful minimalism trend that is blowing up this year. In this case, a simple colorful subject dominates the graphic, but it still feels very light and airy.

And best of all, you can easily use a few different plant background images throughout the presentation. Take a look at how the designer used similar images to create a consistent design:

3. Simple Dot Pattern Background Image

Sometimes you want a presentation background that gives your slides a little bit of texture, without being distracting. I believe that this presentation background embodies that idea pretty well.

It is just interesting enough to catch your eye, but not pull your attention away from what the presenter is talking about.

As you can see in the presentation example below, each slide feels like it has real depth as well. Almost like the icons and information are jumping off the page:

4. Crumpled Paper Presentation Background Image

Realistic flat images always make superb background images, in my opinion. I like to use them when I want to create a minimalist graphic or add something extra to a slide.  

The flat textures and patterns on this simple background are extremely flexible as well!

Like a blank canvas, you can create almost any kind of presentation on top of this background image. It can be used to improve an art lecture, a business meeting or a recycling presentation:

With a simple color filter you can make the background image match your company branding as well:

Check out our presentation design guide . It includes a ton more presentation design hacks like this one.

5. Colorful Circles Presentation Background Image

Looking for a way to add a little color to your presentation? This background may be perfect for you!

It has a ton of white space for you to add content or headers to the slide. And the colorful circles make the presentation seem fun and light.

I would recommend using this background for a presentation that you want to keep casual and fun.

For example, the designers used this background as a title and conclusion slide for a social media presentation:

Remember to pick a color palette that reflects the mood of your presentation.

6. Bold Red Arrow Presentation Background

I would recommend finding a background before you start designing your presentation. This way you can create the slides around the background image.

With the right background image, you can give your slides structure and direction. Or at least improve the layout of your presentation .

Check out how the designers used this background image to improve the slides. The arrow of the background image perfectly fits the topic of the presentation.

And because it’s used on the title slide, it will put the audience in the right headspace from the beginning.

7. Split Slide Presentation Background Example 

This example is one presentation background that everyone has probably used a few times. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was part of the first presentation software ever.

It may be extremely simple, but it’s just as effective all these years later. That’s because you can use this on any presentation topic or in any industry. Get your message across in a simple but powerful way with these simple presentations templates .

This ease of use and flexibility will help you create a killer presentation in no time. Take a look at how it was used throughout the slides below:

8. Subtle White Grid Presentation Background

Like the white paper example above, this image will give your presentation background a lot of subtle depth. It’s engaging enough to grab someone’s attention, but not enough to distract from the written content.

I really like how the texture differs from one square to the next. It makes the whole image a lot more interesting to the eye.

Plus the white color palette will make it easy to place text, graphs or charts directly on top of it. This will ensure that your presentation isn’t cluttered or messy. Take a look at how it’s used in the presentation example below:

9. Purple Gradient Presentation Background Image 

If you haven’t heard, gradients are super popular and will be for the next few years. No, we haven’t gone back in time to the 1990’s — gradients are really back.

Gradients make great background images because they are unique and futuristic. If you want to stand out from the crowd, this background is perfect! Plus these color transitions look spectacular on HD screens and social media.

As you can see below, the white text and icons really jump off the page when placed on top of a gradient:

And you can make a gradient out of literally any combination of colors that you want:

10. Flat Typographic Background Image

Typography is a key part of effective design.

I really like this background image because it will add a lot of character to a slide or presentation. The subtle shadows and highlights actually make this black and white photo seem colorful as well.

A background image like this is very versatile because you can use a few different color palettes with it. Not many colors are going to clash with that monochrome photo.

And if you use a vivid color palette, which is very trendy this year, the colors will very eye-catching. Take a look at how great the different palettes look below:

11. Checkerboard Texture Presentation Background

If you are tired of using a flat background image, but not ready for something too flashy, this background texture is perfect for you!

As you can see, it uses the classic checkerboard pattern to break up the background layer. However, because the pattern is also flat, it won’t distract from your presentation content.

I would recommend using this pattern to add a clear visual break between sections, kinda like they did in the slides below:

Presentation slides play a crucial role in creating an engaging presentation. Browse our selection of engaging presentation templates to enhance your message and make it easier for your audience to understand and remember key points.

12. Geometric Pattern Presentation Background Image

This is one of the most interesting background images in the entire roundup, in my opinion. The bold colors and creative patterns will make the whole presentation feel extra exciting.

Another great feature of this background is that it can be used with a ton of different palettes. Go ahead, pick a color from the geometric pattern, and then use it throughout your slides.

13. Flat Creative Presentation Background Image Example 

Set the tone for your creative presentation from the start with this trendy background image. If you weren’t aware, succulents and plants are very trendy this year in creative circles.

The open section at the top of this background is the perfect spot to add a header or title as well. Check out how they used it in the title slide below:

Plus the bold colors of this image help you pick the color palettes of the other slides:

For more captivating presentation ideas , check out our selection of creative presentation templates .

14. Arrows Everywhere Subtle Background Texture 

A simple background like this can add some serious depth to your presentation. Or blog post.

With a myriad of textures, directions and sizes, the triangles will effortlessly draw the eye. I would recommend using this background in a tech and marketing presentation.

Also, you should try to stick to a geometric or minimalist theme for your slide. In the example below, they choose to use other simple shapes and it blends together extremely well:

15. City Skyline Background Image Example

Finding a subtle background image is hard, especially if you want to use a stock photo . A lot of the time they divert attention from the content on the screen.

Or, even worse, they don’t match your presentation’s color palette and theme. This city background is ideal because it has such a neutral color palette. Take a look at how well it matches the other slides below:

You can also use a color filter to make it a little less distracting and match your presentation theme:

City landscapes can be versatile and work well with a variety of presentation topics, especially with business presentations. Have a presentation coming up? Check out our gallery of pitch deck templates to deliver the perfect presentation.

Create an engaging presentation

Now that you made it to the end of our presentation background roundup, I would recommend checking out our collection of simple backgrounds :

35+ Simple Background Images, Templates & Design Tips

And if you want to learn more about using stock photos , read this first:

10 Simple Ways to Incorporate Stock Photos Into Your Designs

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Open a new project with a blank canvas. Choose the size you want your video presentation to be; apply preset aspect ratios 9:16, 4:5, 1:1, and vice versa.

Open the “Record” tab in the left-hand side and choose your recording settings to start recording. Or, browse the stock footage library to create a presentation without recording. 

(Optional): Use the AI video generator to create a video presentation for you with subtitles, background music, and an AI voiceover. 

Trim, crop, or add subtitles to your video presentation. Apply subtle background music to fill in silences, or remove silences automatically with Smart Cut.

Export your video presentation, download a video file, and share its unique video link. Have others leave comments at specific points in your video—all in real time.

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A simple guide to slideshows

Learn what slideshows are, how they’re used, common features, and how to choose a slideshow maker. Get started creating your own slideshows today with Microsoft PowerPoint.

What is a slideshow?

What are slideshows used for.

Meetings and presentations

Slideshows are most frequently used to create professional presentations for business meetings, conferences, and educational purposes. A  slideshow program  allows people to organize content, include visuals, and enhance the overall impact of their message.

Visual storytelling

Because slideshows sequentially display engaging visuals, text, and other multimedia, they’re a strong way to tell a cohesive and compelling narrative from start to finish.

Content creation

Slideshows give content creators a versatile and efficient way to organize information, increase visual appeal, and communicate effectively across different contexts.

Photo and video sharing

Slideshow makers are popular for creating photo and video presentations, especially for events like weddings, birthdays, and vacations. People can add transitions, music, and captions to fully bring the photo-sharing experience to life.

Training and tutorials

Slideshows help break down complex information into digestible chunks with the support of visuals and text, making them ideal for instructional materials, tutorials, and training modules.

Collaborative projects

In collaborative settings, teams use slideshow makers to create joint presentations or reports. The best slideshow makers enable multiple contributors to add their content simultaneously, which helps ensure a cohesive and unified presentation.

What are the features of a slideshow creator?

Slideshow creators vary in what they offer but ideally include:

A library of templates, themes, and images.

If you’re not a designer, this feature is huge. Simply browse the options available in your slideshow maker library to create a polished, professionally designed presentation in a flash. Be sure to confirm that access to the library is free and the images are approved for unrestricted usage.

Audio and video compatibility.

Keeping your audience engaged is key to any successful slideshow presentation. To mix things up, being able to add a multimedia element—like a song or a video clip—will help people stay focused and interested.

Presentation tools.

Handy presenter tools go a long way toward making your slideshow experience seamless. For example, straightforward slide navigation, slideshow keyboard shortcuts, pen and highlighter markup, and adjustable resolution settings.

AI assistance.

With AI revolutionizing content creation, using a slideshow maker that has AI capabilities will enhance efficiency and innovation. Depending on the slideshow app you have, creating an entire slideshow could be as easy as a quick prompt, like “Make a presentation about the benefits of sustainable fashion that has 15 slides.” 

Animations.

Like audio and video, animations give your audience a bit of sensory surprise that can capture their attention. 

Slide transitions.

Add some pizzazz to how you change slides with visual effects like fading, wiping, and zooming. 

Screen recording.

Being able to record your screen in a slideshow maker is helpful when giving an instructional talk, software demonstration, and other types of presentations that require visual aids.

A place to put speaker notes.

Having somewhere to jot a few notes down will help remind you of everything you want to cover as you present.

Different viewing options.

Looking at different views—for example, a presenter view, an audience view, and a high-level view of slide order—is useful when organizing your slideshow’s structure and understanding and preparing for what you’ll see versus what your audience will see.

How do I choose the right slideshow maker?

When choosing a slideshow maker, keep the following questions in mind to make sure you get the most for your money:

Is it scalable with your business?

As your organization grows and changes, it’s important to have flexible technology that adapts to new needs. Having certain features—such as cloud-based collaboration, compatibility with other work apps, and a mobile app—will help ensure that no matter how your business changes, the slideshow maker is up to the task. This also applies to pricing plans. Consider choosing a slideshow app that has a subscription plan (so the software is always up to date), volume-based pricing, or enterprise-level pricing.

Does it have a variety of visual elements?

It’s pretty much a given that a slideshow maker will allow you to add images, but think outside the JPEG box—what other visual elements are available to you? Features like preset themes, free templates, SmartArt, a built-in clip art library, shape tools, background styles, 3D models, and charts and graphs provide diverse ways to switch up how a slideshow looks without relying solely on adding your own images.

Is it easy to use?

You could have the most feature-rich slideshow maker on the market, but if it isn’t easy to use, you probably won’t use it. Or you will, but you’ll be frustrated, waste valuable time, and have difficulty convincing people you work with to use it. As you research slideshow makers, look for videos that show the apps’ interfaces in action to help you decide if they’re intuitive and will have a shorter learning curve.

Does it have collaboration and sharing options?

Because making a slideshow is often a collaborative effort, it’s worthwhile to find a slideshow creator that was designed with this in mind. Pick one that offers editing controls and commenting, as well as the ability to work on a slideshow at the same time as someone else. Having a cloud-based slideshow maker will be key here. You’ll not only save yourself time but also keep things simple by not having multiple versions of the same slideshow.

Explore more about slideshows and slideshow makers

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Transform how you make slideshows with the versatile AI in Copilot for PowerPoint.

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Six slideshow tips and tricks

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How to make a branded slideshow

Create a cohesive visual identity for your brand that goes beyond adding a logo to every slide.

Try a photo album template

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The benefits of visual aids in slideshows

Discover why using visual aids helps communicate ideas and messaging more effectively.

Slideshows that reach all learners

Explore the different ways that people learn and how to include all learning styles in your presentations.

Frequently asked questions

How do i make a good slideshow.

Making a good slideshow in PowerPoint is easy:

Plan what you’d like to include in your slideshow.

Launch your slideshow creator.

Choose the theme you’d like.

Import media.

Add text, music, and transitions.

Record, save, and share your slideshow.

Learn more about how to make a slideshow .

How do I add music to a slideshow?

To add music to a slideshow, first make sure that you’re using a slideshow maker with music compatibility. In PowerPoint, follow these steps:

Open your PowerPoint presentation and select the slide where you want to add music.

Click on the Insert tab in the ribbon menu.

Click on the Audio button and select Audio on My PC.

Browse to the folder on your computer where the audio file is located and select it.

Click on the Insert button.

How do I record a slideshow?

The steps for recording a slideshow in PowerPoint will vary depending on the version that you own. Get help with slideshow recording based on your version. 

What types of files can I add to a slideshow?

File compatibility in PowerPoint includes the use of JPEGs, PNGs, TIFFs, GIFs, PDFs, MP3s, WAVs, MIDIs, MPEG-4 Videos, and Windows Media Videos.  

How do I share my slideshow?

To share your PowerPoint slideshow, follow these steps:

Open your presentation and click Share at the top right of your screen.

If your presentation isn't already stored on OneDrive, select where to save your presentation to the cloud.

Choose a permission level, like Anyone with a link , or maybe just people in your company. You can also control if people can edit or just view the doc. 

Select Apply.

Enter names and a message.

Select Send.

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AI presentation maker

When lack of inspiration or time constraints are something you’re worried about, it’s a good idea to seek help. Slidesgo comes to the rescue with its latest functionality—the AI presentation maker! With a few clicks, you’ll have wonderful slideshows that suit your own needs . And it’s totally free!

Generate presentations in minutes

We humans make the world move, but we need to sleep, rest and so on. What if there were someone available 24/7 for you? It’s time to get out of your comfort zone and ask the AI presentation maker to give you a hand. The possibilities are endless : you choose the topic, the tone and the style, and the AI will do the rest. Now we’re talking!

Customize your AI-generated presentation online

Alright, your robotic pal has generated a presentation for you. But, for the time being, AIs can’t read minds, so it’s likely that you’ll want to modify the slides. Please do! We didn’t forget about those time constraints you’re facing, so thanks to the editing tools provided by one of our sister projects —shoutouts to Wepik — you can make changes on the fly without resorting to other programs or software. Add text, choose your own colors, rearrange elements, it’s up to you! Oh, and since we are a big family, you’ll be able to access many resources from big names, that is, Freepik and Flaticon . That means having a lot of images and icons at your disposal!

How does it work?

Think of your topic.

First things first, you’ll be talking about something in particular, right? A business meeting, a new medical breakthrough, the weather, your favorite songs, a basketball game, a pink elephant you saw last Sunday—you name it. Just type it out and let the AI know what the topic is.

Choose your preferred style and tone

They say that variety is the spice of life. That’s why we let you choose between different design styles, including doodle, simple, abstract, geometric, and elegant . What about the tone? Several of them: fun, creative, casual, professional, and formal. Each one will give you something unique, so which way of impressing your audience will it be this time? Mix and match!

Make any desired changes

You’ve got freshly generated slides. Oh, you wish they were in a different color? That text box would look better if it were placed on the right side? Run the online editor and use the tools to have the slides exactly your way.

Download the final result for free

Yes, just as envisioned those slides deserve to be on your storage device at once! You can export the presentation in .pdf format and download it for free . Can’t wait to show it to your best friend because you think they will love it? Generate a shareable link!

What is an AI-generated presentation?

It’s exactly “what it says on the cover”. AIs, or artificial intelligences, are in constant evolution, and they are now able to generate presentations in a short time, based on inputs from the user. This technology allows you to get a satisfactory presentation much faster by doing a big chunk of the work.

Can I customize the presentation generated by the AI?

Of course! That’s the point! Slidesgo is all for customization since day one, so you’ll be able to make any changes to presentations generated by the AI. We humans are irreplaceable, after all! Thanks to the online editor, you can do whatever modifications you may need, without having to install any software. Colors, text, images, icons, placement, the final decision concerning all of the elements is up to you.

Can I add my own images?

Absolutely. That’s a basic function, and we made sure to have it available. Would it make sense to have a portfolio template generated by an AI without a single picture of your own work? In any case, we also offer the possibility of asking the AI to generate images for you via prompts. Additionally, you can also check out the integrated gallery of images from Freepik and use them. If making an impression is your goal, you’ll have an easy time!

Is this new functionality free? As in “free of charge”? Do you mean it?

Yes, it is, and we mean it. We even asked our buddies at Wepik, who are the ones hosting this AI presentation maker, and they told us “yup, it’s on the house”.

Are there more presentation designs available?

From time to time, we’ll be adding more designs. The cool thing is that you’ll have at your disposal a lot of content from Freepik and Flaticon when using the AI presentation maker. Oh, and just as a reminder, if you feel like you want to do things yourself and don’t want to rely on an AI, you’re on Slidesgo, the leading website when it comes to presentation templates. We have thousands of them, and counting!.

How can I download my presentation?

The easiest way is to click on “Download” to get your presentation in .pdf format. But there are other options! You can click on “Present” to enter the presenter view and start presenting right away! There’s also the “Share” option, which gives you a shareable link. This way, any friend, relative, colleague—anyone, really—will be able to access your presentation in a moment.

Discover more content

This is just the beginning! Slidesgo has thousands of customizable templates for Google Slides and PowerPoint. Our designers have created them with much care and love, and the variety of topics, themes and styles is, how to put it, immense! We also have a blog, in which we post articles for those who want to find inspiration or need to learn a bit more about Google Slides or PowerPoint. Do you have kids? We’ve got a section dedicated to printable coloring pages! Have a look around and make the most of our site!