PPT98: Cannot Recolor Embedded Equations (188622)

SYMPTOMS

If you select an equation and click Recolor The Picture, you receive the following error message:

Sorry, PowerPoint is unable to recolor this picture because it has no colors and no fills. (Possibly due to PostScript in the picture).

In contrast, you can recolor equations if your presentation was imported from a version of PowerPoint for Windows.

NOTE: You may want to recolor equations because their text, which is always black, is difficult to read if your slide background is very dark.

CAUSE

PowerPoint does not allow you to recolor Equation Editor objects because they contain PostScript code. These equations are always printed in black and white.

WORKAROUND

You can work around this behavior by converting the Equation Editor object to a picture. To do this, follow these steps.

NOTE: When you convert an Equation Editor object to a picture, you will no longer be able to edit it in Equation Editor.

Select the equation object.
On the Edit menu, click Cut.
On the Edit menu, click Paste Special. In the Paste Special dialog box, select Picture. Click OK. The equation is pasted as a picture, rather than as an equation object.
Double-click the picture to convert it to a PowerPoint object.

You can now recolor the object by using the object and text color options in PowerPoint.