The Photopia Blog

Tips, tutorials & inspiration for making slideshows

JANUARY 3, By Photopia

Show Background vs Slide Background

Shows in Photopia can have a single Show Background seen on all slides, different backgrounds in individual slides, or both.

A Show Background is Global; meaning it will be visible on every slide in your show.  Show backgrounds can be still images or video files. 

To add a Show Background, select the Background layer at the bottom of any slide in the Layers list.

The Options Panel will show a Background tab. Click Edit Background (above left) and the tab will change to show Custom Background options. Click the folder icon (above right) to search for a new image.

The Browser window will open for you to search for an image, or choose a Solid or Gradient layer.

Once an image is added as your show background, you will see it appear on every slide.

An Adjustments tab is available for Show Backgrounds to be used for image adjustments, including physical adjustments, such as position and rotation, and color adjustments.  In the above example, the show background has White Point, Black Point, Saturation, and Blur adjusted.  The result is seen on the background for every slide.

When a Video file is used, options for trim, speed, loop, and hold will be available in the Background tab.  A looped video background will play seemlessly under all of your slides.

Show Background settings are also available in the Show tab in the Navigation Panel.  Keep in mind that changing the Show Background inside an individual slide will change the background for the entire show.

To add a background to a single slide, drag and drop any image into your Layers list, or add a Solid or Gradient Layer.  Drag your image or color layer below the word background in the Layers list. 

This background will appear in the current slide, but not on others. You can also hide the global background layer on any slide by clicking on the eye icon.

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