Border and fill colors. Opacity

When you insert any Object into a Frame, it is placed into the rectangular placeholder. Use Color tab of the Format dialog window to specify placeholder’s background color. Note that these parameters pertain only to the Object’s placeholder, rather than the Object itself. If the Objects fit the entire rectangular placeholder (for example pictures), it is appropriate to specify the placeholder’s background color only when the pictures contain transparent areas.

EXCEPTION. Autoshapes - fill and border colors are applied directly to Autoshapes.

On the same tab, move the Transparency slider to modify the opacity of the Object’s placeholder as well as the opacity of the Object itself.