diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 15cd579..8d1ef4f 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -17,3 +17,4 @@ server.pid
 .classpath
 .project
 .settings/
+.DS_Store
diff --git a/app/com/gitpitch/models/MarkdownModel.java b/app/com/gitpitch/models/MarkdownModel.java
index 12798cd..096d19f 100644
--- a/app/com/gitpitch/models/MarkdownModel.java
+++ b/app/com/gitpitch/models/MarkdownModel.java
@@ -173,10 +173,12 @@ public class MarkdownModel implements Markdown {
 
                 String defaultBgSize = (yOpts != null) ?
                     yOpts.fetchImageBgSize(pp) : YAMLOptions.DEFAULT_BG_SIZE;
+                String defaultBgColor = (yOpts != null) ?
+                    yOpts.fetchImageBgColor(pp) : YAMLOptions.DEFAULT_BG_COLOR;
 
                 return new StringBuffer(delimiter(md))
                         .append(imageService.buildBackground(md,
-                                dp, pp, defaultBgSize, this))
+                                dp, pp, defaultBgSize, defaultBgColor, this))
                         .toString();
 
             } else if (gistDelimFound(dp)) {
@@ -634,6 +636,7 @@ public class MarkdownModel implements Markdown {
     public static final String DELIM_QUERY_CODE  = "code";
     public static final String DELIM_QUERY_LANG  = "lang";
     public static final String DELIM_QUERY_SIZE  = "size";
+    public static final String DELIM_QUERY_COLOR = "color";
     public static final String DELIM_QUERY_FILE  = "file";
     public static final String DELIM_QUERY_TITLE = "title";
 
@@ -647,6 +650,8 @@ public class MarkdownModel implements Markdown {
             "<!-- .slide: data-background-iframe=\"";
     public static final String MD_IMAGE_SIZE =
             "\" data-background-size=\"";
+    public static final String MD_IMAGE_COLOR =
+            "\" data-background-color=\"";
     public static final String MD_CLOSER = "\" -->";
     public static final String MD_SPACER = "\n";
     public static final String DATA_IMAGE_ATTR = "data-background-image=";
diff --git a/app/com/gitpitch/services/ImageService.java b/app/com/gitpitch/services/ImageService.java
index df178d3..3b67841 100644
--- a/app/com/gitpitch/services/ImageService.java
+++ b/app/com/gitpitch/services/ImageService.java
@@ -44,28 +44,36 @@ public class ImageService {
     public String buildBackground(PitchParams pp,
                                   YAMLOptions yOpts) {
 
-        return buildBackground(yOpts.fetchImageBg(pp), yOpts.fetchImageBgSize(pp));
+        return buildBackground(yOpts.fetchImageBg(pp),
+                               yOpts.fetchImageBgSize(pp),
+                               yOpts.fetchImageBgColor(pp));
     }
 
     public String buildBackground(String md,
                                   DelimParams dp,
                                   PitchParams pp,
                                   String defaultSize,
+                                  String defaultColor,
                                   MarkdownModel mdm) {
 
         String bgUrl = dp.get(MarkdownModel.DELIM_QUERY_IMAGE);
         bgUrl = mdm.linkLive(pp, bgUrl);
         String bgSize = dp.get(MarkdownModel.DELIM_QUERY_SIZE, defaultSize);
-        return buildBackground(bgUrl, bgSize);
+        String bgColor = dp.get(MarkdownModel.DELIM_QUERY_COLOR, defaultColor);
+        return buildBackground(bgUrl, bgSize, bgColor);
     }
 
-    private String buildBackground(String bgUrl, String bgSize) {
+    private String buildBackground(String bgUrl,
+                                   String bgSize,
+                                   String bgColor) {
 
         return new StringBuffer(MarkdownModel.MD_SPACER)
                 .append(MarkdownModel.MD_IMAGE_OPEN)
                 .append(bgUrl)
                 .append(MarkdownModel.MD_IMAGE_SIZE)
                 .append(bgSize)
+                .append(MarkdownModel.MD_IMAGE_COLOR)
+                .append(bgColor)
                 .append(MarkdownModel.MD_CLOSER)
                 .append(MarkdownModel.MD_SPACER)
                 .toString();
diff --git a/app/com/gitpitch/utils/YAMLOptions.java b/app/com/gitpitch/utils/YAMLOptions.java
index 66e7f0f..51d548e 100644
--- a/app/com/gitpitch/utils/YAMLOptions.java
+++ b/app/com/gitpitch/utils/YAMLOptions.java
@@ -183,6 +183,15 @@ public final class YAMLOptions {
         }
     }
 
+    public String fetchImageBgColor(PitchParams pp) {
+        String bgColor = _yProps.get(IMAGE_BG_COLOR_OPTION);
+        if (bgColor == null) {
+            return DEFAULT_BG_COLOR;
+        } else {
+            return bgColor;
+        }
+    }
+
     public String fetchTransition(PitchParams pp) {
 
         String transition = _yProps.get(TRANSITION_OPTION);
@@ -359,6 +368,7 @@ public final class YAMLOptions {
 
     public static final String PITCHME_YAML = "PITCHME.yaml";
     public static final String DEFAULT_BG_SIZE = "100% 100%";
+    public static final String DEFAULT_BG_COLOR = " ";
     public static final String DEFAULT_TRANSITION = "slide";
     public static final String MATHJAX_DEFAULT = "TeX-MML-AM_CHTML";
     public static final String HIGHLIGHT_DARK_DEFAULT = "github-gist.css";
@@ -373,6 +383,7 @@ public final class YAMLOptions {
     private static final String LOGO_POSITION_OPTION = "logo-position";
     private static final String IMAGE_BG_OPTION = "background";
     private static final String IMAGE_BG_SIZE_OPTION = "background-size";
+    private static final String IMAGE_BG_COLOR_OPTION = "background-color";
     private static final String TRANSITION_OPTION = "transition";
     private static final String AUTOSLIDE_OPTION = "autoslide";
     private static final String LOOP_OPTION = "loop";