Utilizing pictures as your background for a slide can give you that extra touch to your presentation. However, it is usually necessary to add transparency to the image so that the rest of the slide is easily viewed by your audience. To do this . . .
1. Right-click on the background object.
2. Select Format Shape.
3. Select Fill in the left pane.
4. Click the radio button next to Picture or texture fill.
5. Click the File button under Insert from.
6. Browse to the desired image file and select it.
7. If the image is to utilized as a texture, check the Tile picture as texture checkbox.
8. Adjust your offsets and alignment as desired.
9. Use the Transparency slider bar to adjust the level of transparency to apply to the image. You will see a live preview of the effect.
10. Click the Close button.
11. Adjust the size of the object to properly view your image.