Get-Set Colors & Outline

Transform your presentation's visual consistency with Get-Set color and outline tools. Apply perfect styling across dozens of shapes in seconds.

Get/Set Color

Copy fill colors from one shape to others.

Get Color

Captures the fill color of the selected shape.

How to Use:

1. Select shape with desired color
2. Click "Get Color"
3. Offgen stores the fill color

What's Captured:

• Fill color (RGB values)
• Solid color fills
• Transparency level
• Theme colors (if applicable)

Supported:

• ✅ Solid colors
• ✅ Theme colors
• ✅ Transparency

Not Supported:

• ❌ Gradients
• ❌ Patterns
• ❌ Textures
• ❌ Picture fills

Set Color

Applies stored fill color to selected shapes.

How to Use:

1. After using Get Color
2. Select shapes to recolor
3. Click "Set Color"
4. All selected shapes update to match color

Behavior:

• Changes fill color only
• Preserves shape size and position
• Maintains outline/border settings
• Works on multiple shapes simultaneously
• Replaces existing fill (even gradients) with solid color

Visual Example:

Get Color from:    Set Color on:
┌──────┐          ┌──────┐  →  ┌──────┐
│ BLUE │          │ RED  │      │ BLUE │
└──────┘          └──────┘      └──────┘
(reference)       (before)      (after)

Get/Set Outline

Copy complete border styling from one shape to others.

Get Outline

Captures all border properties of the selected shape.

How to Use:

1. Select shape with desired outline
2. Click "Get Outline"
3. Offgen stores all outline properties

What's Captured:

• Outline Color: RGB values
• Outline Weight: Line thickness (in points)
• Dash Style: Solid, dashed, dotted, etc.
• Transparency: Outline transparency level

Full Property List:

• Color (including theme colors)
• Weight/Thickness (0.25pt to 20pt+)
• Dash style (solid, round dot, square dot, dash, dash dot, long dash, long dash dot, long dash dot dot)
• Transparency (0-100%)

Set Outline

Applies all stored outline properties to selected shapes.

How to Use:

1. After using Get Outline
2. Select shapes to update
3. Click "Set Outline"
4. All selected shapes get matching outlines

Behavior:

• Applies all outline properties simultaneously
• Preserves fill color
• Maintains shape size and position
• Works on multiple shapes at once
• Can add outlines to shapes without borders
• Can remove outlines if reference has no outline

Visual Example:

Get Outline from:
┏━━━━━━┓  (Thick, blue, dashed)
┃      ┃
┗━━━━━━┛

Set Outline on:
┌──────┐  →  ┏━━━━━━┓
│      │      ┃      ┃
└──────┘      ┗━━━━━━┛
(thin solid)   (now matches reference)

Common Use Cases

Brand Color Consistency

Problem: Need all branded shapes in exact brand colors

Solution:

1. Create reference shape with official brand color
2. Get Color
3. Select all branded elements
4. Set Color

Result: Perfect brand color consistency

Styling Infographic Elements

Problem: Multiple shapes need matching outlines

Solution:

1. Style one shape's border perfectly
2. Get Outline
3. Select all related shapes
4. Set Outline

Result: Consistent border styling

Theming Presentations

Problem: Want to change color scheme across entire presentation

Solution:

1. Update reference shape with new color
2. Get Color
3. Select all shapes using old color (use Select Similar)
4. Set Color

Result: Presentation-wide color update

Creating Color Families

Problem: Need multiple related colors for charts/diagrams

Solution:

1. Create palette of reference shapes
2. Label them (Primary, Secondary, Accent, etc.)
3. GET from appropriate reference as needed
4. SET to create consistent color usage

Result: Organized, consistent color palette

Advanced Techniques

No Outline

To remove outlines from shapes:

1. Create reference shape with no outline
2. Get Outline
3. Select shapes with outlines
4. Set Outline

Result: All outlines removed

Transparent Fills with Borders

Create outline-only shapes:

1. Create shape with transparent fill and styled border
2. Get Color (transparent)
3. Get Outline (styled border)
4. Select solid shapes
5. Set Color (makes transparent)
6. Set Outline (adds border)

Result: Outline-only shapes

Matching Complex Borders

For shapes needing identical borders:

1. Perfect one shape's outline (color, weight, dash, transparency)
2. Get Outline
3. Apply to all related shapes
4. Much faster than setting each property individually

Color + Outline Styling

Complete visual styling:

1. Get Color from reference A
2. Get Outline from reference B
3. Select new shapes
4. Set Color
5. Set Outline

Result: Mix and match colors and outlines from different sources

Combining with Other Actions

Color + Size

Create consistent styled elements:

1. Get Size, Get Color, Get Outline
2. Create new shapes
3. Set Size, Set Color, Set Outline

Result: Perfectly matching styled shapes

Color + Text Formatting

Complete element styling:

1. Style reference shape completely
2. Get Color, Get Outline, Get Text Formatting
3. Select unstyled shapes
4. Set Color, Set Outline, Set Text Formatting

Result: Fully styled shapes with text

Color + Alignment

Organize and style:

1. Align shapes
2. Get Color from styled reference
3. Set Color on aligned shapes

Result: Organized and consistently styled layout

Tips & Best Practices

1. Create Color Palettes

Build reference slide:

- Create swatches for each brand color
- Label them clearly
- Keep at end of presentation
- Quick access for GET operations

2. Name Your References

In Selection Pane, rename shapes:

- "Brand Blue - Primary"
- "Accent Orange"
- "Background Gray"

3. Test Colors First

Before bulk operations:

1. GET color
2. SET on one shape to verify it looks good
3. If good, SET on all others

4. Use Theme Colors

When possible, use PowerPoint theme colors:

• Easier to update entire presentation
• Maintains color relationships
• Professional color coordination

5. Document Your Palette

Keep color reference document:

- Primary: #0066CC
- Secondary: #FF6600
- Accent: #00CC66
- Neutral: #666666

Common Workflows

Recoloring Diagrams

1. Design diagram in grayscale
2. Create color references for each category
3. Get Color from each reference
4. Set Color on corresponding diagram elements

Result: Consistently colored diagrams

Matching Slide Themes

1. On template slide: Get Color from theme elements
2. On content slides: Create custom shapes
3. Set Color to match theme

Result: Custom shapes match presentation theme

Creating Button Styles

1. Style primary button (color + outline)
2. Get Color, Get Outline
3. Create secondary buttons
4. Set Color, Set Outline
5. Optional: Adjust Color for variations

Result: Consistent button family

Updating Brand Colors

1. Update reference shapes with new brand colors
2. Get Color from each
3. Find and select all shapes with old colors
4. Set Color to update

Result: Brand refresh across presentation

Understanding Outline Properties

Outline Weight

Common weights and usage:

• 0.5pt: Thin, subtle borders
• 1pt: Standard border weight
• 2-3pt: Medium, noticeable borders
• 4-6pt: Thick borders for emphasis
• 10pt+: Extra thick, design element borders

Dash Styles

Visual guide:

Solid:     ____________
Round Dot: • • • • • • •
Square Dot: ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
Dash:      __ __ __ __
Dash Dot:  __ • __ • __
Long Dash: ___ ___ ___

Transparency

• 0%: Fully opaque (default)
• 25%: Slightly transparent
• 50%: Semi-transparent
• 75%: Very transparent
• 100%: Invisible (same as no outline)

Troubleshooting

Problem: Color Looks Different After Setting

Cause: Lighting, shadows, or gradient overlays

Solution:

• Check for shape effects (shadows, glows)
• Remove effects first, then apply color
• Ensure both shapes have same effects

Problem: Can't Get Color from Shape

Cause: Shape has gradient, pattern, or picture fill

Solution:

• Get Color only works with solid fills
• Manually note gradient settings
• Or use Format Painter for complex fills

Problem: Outline Disappears

Cause: Reference shape had no outline

Solution:

• Verify reference has visible outline
• Check outline isn't transparent (100%)
• Undo and Get Outline from different shape

Problem: Color Doesn't Match Exactly

Cause: Different color profiles or theme colors

Solution:

• Use exact RGB values for precision
• Avoid theme colors if exact match needed
• Check color settings in PowerPoint options

Color Picker Alternative

For one-off color matching:

1. Use PowerPoint's eyedropper tool
2. Or use Get/Set Color for bulk operations
3. Get/Set is faster for multiple shapes

What's Next?