Control the look and feel of your entire course from one place with slide masters. Each slide master includes layouts for managing themes, colors, fonts, backgrounds, and more across your project. When you update a slide master or layout, the changes automatically apply to all slides that use it. You’ll spend less time on repetitive formatting and more time creating quality content. Keep reading to learn more.

• Access Slide Masters
• Add Slide Masters and Layouts
• Manage Slide Masters and Layouts
• Design Slide Masters and Layouts
• Change Layouts for Existing Slides

Access Slide Masters

You’ll need to switch to the Slide Master view to access slide masters. Use any of these methods to get started:

• Press F4 on your keyboard.
• Click the theme name link in the lower-left corner of the screen. Click it again to return to Slide view.
• Go to the View tab on the ribbon and click Slide Master.

Here’s what to expect once you’re in Slide Master view:

Every course has at least one slide master. Thumbnails for all your slide masters appear in the left panel. If you haven’t created any yet, you’ll see the default one. Slide master thumbnails are slightly larger than the layout thumbnails nested below them.

Each slide master is a collection of layouts. Layouts inherit all the properties of their slide master, but you can customize each one independently. For example, your title slide, content slides, and question slides can each have a distinct look while still sharing a common foundation.

Add Slide Masters and Layouts

To add a new slide master, switch to Slide Master view, then do any of the following:

• Go to the Slide Master tab and click Insert Slide Master.
• Right-click anywhere in the left panel and select Insert Slide Master.
• Go to the Slide Master tab, click Themes, then right-click any theme thumbnail and select Add as New Slide Master.

To add a layout to a slide master, select it in the left panel, then go to the Slide Master tab and click Insert Layout. You can also right-click the slide master thumbnail and select Insert Layout.

The new layout inherits the properties of its slide master and includes a title placeholder by default. You can delete or hide the title placeholder if you don’t need it.

Manage Slide Masters and Layouts

To delete a slide master and all its layouts, select it in the left panel, then press Delete on your keyboard. You can also click Delete on the ribbon. To delete only a layout, select it and then do the same. Note: You can’t delete a slide master or layout that’s being used on slides in your course.

To rename a slide master or layout, select it, go to the Slide Master tab, and click Rename. You can also right-click it and select Rename Master or Rename Layout. Giving slide masters and layouts recognizable names makes them easier to identify and apply throughout your course.

To preserve a slide master you aren’t using but want to keep for later, select it, go to the Slide Master tab, and click Preserve. You can also right-click it and select Preserve Master.

To duplicate a slide master or layout, right-click it in the left panel and select Duplicate Slide Master or Duplicate Layout.

To find all slides using a specific slide master or layout, right-click it in the left panel and select Show Slides Using This Master or Show Slides Using This Layout. A window opens with a list of all slides that reference the selected master or layout. Each slide appears as a clickable link, letting you jump directly to it.

When you’re done working in the Slide Master view, go to the Slide Master tab and click Close Master View. Any changes you made are automatically applied to the slides in your course.

Design Slide Masters and Layouts

To design your slide masters and layouts, use the Home, Insert, Transitions, and Animations tabs on the ribbon. You can also use the following tools on the Slide Master tab:

Themes

To apply a theme to the selected slide master, click a thumbnail in the Themes drop-down. A theme includes colors, fonts, and objects.

You can also:

• Save your current design as a custom theme by clicking Save Current Theme.
• Use custom themes in other courses by saving them here: %AppData%\Articulate\Storyline\Themes
• Share a custom theme by sending the theme file to another creator. To use a theme you’ve received, click Browse for Themes and locate the file.

Learn more about managing and applying themes.

Colors

To apply a color theme, hover over a theme in the Colors drop-down to preview it, then click to apply it to the current slide master. To apply the same colors to all slide masters, right-click the theme and choose Apply to All Slide Masters.

You can also:

• Create a custom color theme by clicking Create New Theme Colors.
• Edit a custom theme by right-clicking it and selecting Edit.
• Delete a custom theme by right-clicking it and selecting Delete.

Note that built-in themes can’t be edited or deleted.

Fonts

To apply a font theme, hover over a theme in the Fonts drop-down to preview it, then click to apply it to the current slide master. To apply the same fonts to all slide masters, right-click the theme and choose Apply to All Slide Masters.

You can also:

• Create custom theme fonts by clicking Create New Theme Fonts.
• Edit a custom theme by right-clicking it and selecting Edit.
• Delete a custom theme by right-clicking it and selecting Delete.

Note that built-in themes can’t be edited or deleted.

Background Styles

To apply a background style, hover over an option in the Background Styles drop-down to preview it, then click to apply it to the current slide master. To apply it to a specific layout only, right-click the style and choose Apply Only to This Slide.

To customize a background, click Format Background and use the Fill and Picture tabs.

Note: The following options apply only to layouts.

Insert Placeholder

To add a placeholder to a layout, open the Insert Placeholder drop-down and choose a type: content, text, picture, character, video, or web object. After inserting it, resize and position the placeholder as needed.

Title

To add a title placeholder to a layout, check the Title box. Uncheck it to remove it.

Hide Background Graphics

To hide objects inherited from the slide master on a specific layout, check the Hide Background Graphics box. Hidden objects won’t appear in your published course for any slides based on that layout.

Change Layouts for Existing Slides

You can change the layout of any slide in your course. Here’s how, depending on your current view:

Story View

• Select one or more slides, go to the Home tab, click Apply Layout, and choose a layout.
• Or right-click the selected slides, then scroll to Apply Layout and choose a layout.

Slide View

• Go to the Home tab, click Apply Layout, and choose a layout.
• Right-click anywhere in the slide workspace, scroll to Apply Layout, and choose a layout.
• Right-click the slide thumbnail in the Scenes panel, scroll to Apply Layout, and choose a layout.