Can text-boxes have translucent backgrounds on Google Slides?
Google Slides is a fantastic presentation app packed with functions. In fact, it has so many functions it can feel daunting to use at first.
I am K-Bo, a user of Google Slides for more than 5-years, here to solve some issues you might be facing when starting with this app.
I was planning to start this blog writing about Google Classroom. But, I had a little trouble with Google Slides Have you ever felt it is impossible to make the text readable when placing the text-box on top of a picture?
Read further to find out about coloring text-boxes to deal with this issue.
What is Google Slides?
Google Slides is a slideshow program provided by Google. It’s a program that allows you to create and present slides like a picture-story show.
There are apps that run on tablets and smartphones, but Google Slides is used within a web-browser on a computer. I’ll be writing about how to use Google Slides on a Mac. It is basically the same on Windows PC, tablet or smartphone.
What is a text-box?
A text-box is used to write on Google Slides. Some people might not think much about it, but texts are written inside a box-shaped object that has a transparent background and outline. One characteristics of Google Slides is that these text-boxes can be moved around freely and placed anywhere on a slide like an image or shape.
This means that text can be placed on images, shapes and other text-boxes. If you do it nicely you can make something that looks like an IKEA catalogue cover.
What is a text-box color fill?
As mentioned earlier, textbooks are box-shaped objects that contain writing. These boxes are transparent, but can be colored like shapes that can be inserted using the functions Google Slides is equipped with. If you wanted, you can also give it a colored border.
By placing text on top of a picture, it is possible to express a message in a dynamic kind of way on Google Slides. Unfortunately, this can sometimes cause a problem. The writing can become difficult to read depending on the text color and the color of the image the text-box is sitting on (image below). One way to make the text easier to read, is to color the background of the text-box.
How can text-boxes be colored?
The first step is to select the text-box you want to color. When selected, the text-box will have a blue line around it (shown as '1’ in image below).
Next, click on the 'fill color’ icon that can be found above the slide you are editing. It looks like a tilted bucket that’s half filled (shown as '2’ in the image above).
Choose a color from the color-pad that appears and your are done.
If you don’t like solid colors, try clicking on 'gradient’ found at the top right of the color-pad.
How can the background color-fill be made translucent?
Having color in the background makes the text easier to read when the text-box is located on top of a picture. Downside is, it doesn’t always look that nice. Making the color-fill translucent can help.
The process is almost the same as simply coloring the background of a text-box. The only difference is you need to click on 'custom’ after clicking on the 'fill color’ icon.
A small window will pop up. After choosing a base color, you can change the transparency by sliding circle on the transparency slider towards the left (shown as '3’ in the image below). The further the slider goes, the more translucent the background becomes. I
If you think you might need the same color at the same transparency again, it is a good idea to write down the hex code that can be found a the top of this window (shown as '4’ in the image above). You can replicate the color effect by typing in the hex code on a different text-box or object.
Before I go…
I’ve been using Apple’s Keynote and Microsoft’s PowerPoint for years. I haven’t had to look up how to do things for these two applications for some time now. I’ve been noticing that procedures for some function on Google Slides is a little different sometimes.
Maybe I should write about how to use Keynote and PowerPoint for people that are more accustomed to Google slides.