Themes, backgrounds, and audio

Quick start

1. Open a presentation in the editor.
2. Click Change theme in the header; preview themes on your slides; click Apply theme.
3. Open Settings to change Screen shape or Screen layout if needed.
4. In the insert bar, click Slide background — choose type, set Apply to, click Apply.
5. Click Background audio — choose a track, set scope and Loop, click Apply.

You should see the canvas and filmstrip update to reflect the new theme and backgrounds.

Deep dive

Theme panel

Click Change theme (swatch icon) in the header to open the Theme panel.

1. Use Popular, All, or a category tab to filter the theme grid (Popular is the default)
2. Search themes to narrow by name
3. Click a theme to preview it on your slides
4. Review how titles, text, and backgrounds look on the canvas
5. Click Apply theme to save, or Cancel to revert to the previous theme

The hint reads: Click a theme to preview it on your slides. Apply to save, or cancel to revert.

Apply theme is disabled until you select a different theme than the one already saved.

Use Customize themes at the bottom of the panel to open the church theme library (/presentation-themes) for advanced theme design.

Themes set default colors, fonts, and slide backgrounds. Individual slides can still override backgrounds — see below.

You can also pick a theme when creating a presentation.

Screen shape

Open Settings in the header to change Screen shape:

Option	Ratio
Wide (16:9)	Landscape projector and stream
Vertical (9:16)	Portrait displays and social
Classic (4:3)	Legacy projectors

Screen shape affects the editor canvas and how slides render on outputs during present mode.

Screen layout

The Screen layout dropdown (in Settings, or the header on large screens when layouts exist) assigns which multi-screen template this deck uses:

• Church default — use the church-wide default layout
• Named layouts — templates your admin created under Screen layouts

Screen layouts define how many outputs you have and which content variant each screen shows. See Screens and layouts for how layouts work during present mode.

Layout templates are designed in Settings; this dropdown only assigns a template to the current presentation.

Slide background

Click Slide background in the insert bar (layers icon). The button highlights when the active slide has a custom background.

Apply to scopes

Scope	Applies to
Entire presentation	Every slide in the deck
Main slide / Variant {letter}	All slides in that variant role
Current slide only	Just the active slide
Current group	The main slide and all its variants

Choose the scope first, then configure the background type.

Background types

Type	Description
Style	Solid color or gradient from the theme color picker
Image	Image from the media library with size, position, repeat, and backdrop color
Video	Looping background video behind the selected scope

Image options include Cover, Contain, Auto, Stretch, position (center, top, bottom, left, right), and repeat modes. Use Backdrop color for transparent areas of PNG images.

Video backgrounds loop continuously. Adjust Playback rate if needed.

Click Apply to save the background to the selected scope. Use Clear to remove a staged selection before applying.

Effective backgrounds

The modal shows Effective backgrounds for this slide — a summary of which scoped backgrounds apply to the slide you are viewing, with Active marking the one currently visible.

If the selected scope already has a background, applying replaces it.

Reset to theme

The Reset to theme button (circular arrow in the insert bar) clears all custom backgrounds on the current slide and restores the theme default. Tooltip: Clear all custom backgrounds for this slide and use the theme background.

Background audio

Click Background audio in the insert bar (play icon). The button highlights when the active slide has scoped audio.

Apply to scopes

Audio uses the same scopes as slide backgrounds:

• Entire presentation
• Main slide / Variant {letter}
• Current slide only
• Current group

Configure and apply

1. Choose Apply to scope
2. Click Choose background audio (or Change) to open the media picker
3. Preview the track with the play button
4. Toggle Loop on or off
5. Click Apply

Effective audio

The modal lists Effective audio for this slide — which scoped audio tracks apply to the active slide.

Use Clear to remove staged audio before applying, or clear individual effective entries from the summary list.

Background audio is separate from Audio elements inserted on the canvas. Background audio is scoped to slides or the deck; canvas audio is a slide element. See Insert content for slide audio elements.

Live behavior

Themes, backgrounds, and background audio are authored in the editor. How they play on outputs during Start is covered in Live controls and Presentation present mode.

Tips

• Preview several themes before Apply theme — cancel reverts instantly.
• Use Entire presentation for a consistent brand background across every slide.
• Use Current group when variants need different backgrounds on side screens.
• Set Screen layout before adding variants so each screen gets the right content.
• Use Reset to theme to quickly undo experimental backgrounds on one slide.

[!note] Change theme in the header updates the whole deck's look. Slide background overrides the theme for specific scopes without changing fonts and colors globally.

Troubleshooting

Apply theme is disabled

• You are previewing the theme already applied to this deck. Select a different theme first.

No screen layouts in Settings

• An admin must create layouts under Settings → Screen layouts. Until then, use Church default.

Apply is disabled for backgrounds

• Choose a Style color, select an Image, or pick a Video before clicking Apply.

Background does not appear on a variant

• Check Apply to — you may have applied to Current slide only instead of Current group or a variant role.

Video background does not play in the editor

• Background video previews in the canvas during editing. Confirm playback on an output in present mode for final confidence.

Background audio does not play

• Confirm Loop and scope settings. Test in present mode — live audio sync is described in presenting articles.

Reset to theme did nothing visible

• Reset to theme only clears custom backgrounds on the current slide. Other scoped backgrounds (presentation-wide or role-level) may still apply.

Theme preview looks wrong on worship slides

• Worship slides with chord layouts may need a theme tuned for lyrics. Try a worship-oriented theme or adjust after applying.