a:clrScheme (Color Scheme)

Defines a set of theme colors for use throughout a document or presentation.

Parent elements

a:theme

Child elements

Description

a:clrScheme defines a color scheme (palette) that establishes the theme colors for an entire document. It is defined in ECMA-376 Part 1 §20.1.5.7.

A color scheme typically contains:

2 background colors (dark and light): a:dk1, a:lt1
2 text colors (dark and light): a:dk2, a:lt2
6 accent colors: a:accent1 through a:accent6
2 hyperlink colors: a:hyperlink, a:folHyperlink (followed hyperlink)

Elements throughout a document reference this scheme via a:schemeClr (scheme color) references rather than hard-coded RGB values. This allows consistent theming and easy color updates.

Attributes

Attribute	Type	Possible Values	Description
`name`	`xsd:string`	Text identifier (e.g., “Office”, “Apex”)	Name of the color scheme.

Examples

Minimal Color Scheme

<a:clrScheme name="CustomScheme">
  <a:dk1><a:srgbClr val="000000"/></a:dk1>
  <a:lt1><a:srgbClr val="FFFFFF"/></a:lt1>
  <a:dk2><a:srgbClr val="44546A"/></a:dk2>
  <a:lt2><a:srgbClr val="E7E6E6"/></a:lt2>
  <a:accent1><a:srgbClr val="4472C4"/></a:accent1>
  <a:accent2><a:srgbClr val="ED7D31"/></a:accent2>
  <a:accent3><a:srgbClr val="A5A5A5"/></a:accent3>
  <a:accent4><a:srgbClr val="FFC000"/></a:accent4>
  <a:accent5><a:srgbClr val="5B9BD5"/></a:accent5>
  <a:accent6><a:srgbClr val="70AD47"/></a:accent6>
  <a:hyperlink><a:srgbClr val="0563C1"/></a:hyperlink>
  <a:folHyperlink><a:srgbClr val="954F72"/></a:folHyperlink>
</a:clrScheme>

using DocumentFormat.OpenXml.Drawing;

var colorScheme = new ColorScheme { Name = "CustomScheme" };

// Dark background
colorScheme.Append(new Dark1(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "000000" }));
// Light background
colorScheme.Append(new Light1(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "FFFFFF" }));

// Dark text
colorScheme.Append(new Dark2(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "44546A" }));
// Light text
colorScheme.Append(new Light2(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "E7E6E6" }));

// Accent colors
colorScheme.Append(new Accent1(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "4472C4" }));
colorScheme.Append(new Accent2(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "ED7D31" }));
// ... remaining accents ...

// Hyperlink colors
colorScheme.Append(new Hyperlink(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "0563C1" }));
colorScheme.Append(new FollowedHyperlink(new RgbColorModelHex { Val = "954F72" }));

Color Scheme with Theme Color References

<a:clrScheme name="OfficePalette">
  <a:dk1><a:srgbClr val="000000"/></a:dk1>
  <a:lt1><a:srgbClr val="FFFFFF"/></a:lt1>
  <a:dk2><a:srgbClr val="1F497D"/></a:dk2>
  <a:lt2><a:srgbClr val="EBEBEB"/></a:lt2>
  <a:accent1><a:srgbClr val="0070C0"/></a:accent1>
  <a:accent2><a:srgbClr val="FFC000"/></a:accent2>
  <a:accent3><a:srgbClr val="00B050"/></a:accent3>
  <a:accent4><a:srgbClr val="C00000"/></a:accent4>
  <a:accent5><a:srgbClr val="9E480E"/></a:accent5>
  <a:accent6><a:srgbClr val="636363"/></a:accent6>
  <a:hyperlink><a:srgbClr val="0563C1"/></a:hyperlink>
  <a:folHyperlink><a:srgbClr val="800080"/></a:folHyperlink>
</a:clrScheme>

// Color schemes are typically defined in the theme and then referenced
// by name throughout the document using a:schemeClr elements:
var schemeColor = new SchemeColor { Val = ColorSchemeIndexValues.Accent1 };

// To apply a color modification (e.g., tint) to a scheme color:
schemeColor.Append(new Tint { Val = 20000 });  // 20% lighter

Notes

Color schemes are defined in the theme and reused throughout documents for consistency.
12 theme color slots are standard: 2 text/background pairs (dk1, lt1, dk2, lt2), 6 accents, and 2 hyperlink colors.
Each color slot can contain a:srgbClr (RGB) or a:sysClr (system color) elements.
Other elements reference scheme colors via a:schemeClr with the color index (e.g., accent1, accent2).
Changing the color scheme automatically updates all elements that reference it throughout the document.
The name attribute helps identify the scheme but is not required for functionality.