Top 15 Amazing Google Slides Hacks, Tips & Tricks 2024

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Top 15 Amazing Google Slides Hacks, Tips & Tricks 2024

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Imagine if your professor simply read out massive pieces of information without any visual help and then compared it to the fun presentations you may have witnessed in some of your favourite classes. Which one would you prefer? The presentation, right? In this article, we will explore 15 amazing Google Slides hacks that will take your presentations to the next level. From designing visually stunning slides to leveraging advanced features and collaboration tools, these Google presentation hacks will help you create impactful and memorable presentations that captivate your audience.

Top 15 Google Slides Tips and Tricks 2023

This presentation software offered by Google is sure to leave your best friends and teachers in awe with its ability to make visually appealing presentations. Don't forget to brush up on PowerPoint presentation tips to make good presentations with another amazing creative tool! 

These Google Slides hacks are sure to elevate your presentations to new heights. Get ready to unleash your creativity and create presentations that leave a lasting impression!

Top 10 Google Slides Hack

Here are the top 15 Google Slides tips and tricks 2023

1. Choose the Perfect Theme

First up on our list of Google Slides hacks are themes. Themes on Google Slides are basically pre-made visual frameworks for your presentation’s slides. This can be a great tool for people who believe they are creatively inept at creating gorgeous-looking presentations. A well-chosen theme will not only make your presentation visually appealing but also create a cohesive and professional look throughout.

2. Design with Consistency

Consistency is key to creating a polished and professional presentation. Ensure that fonts, colours, and slide layouts remain consistent throughout your slides. Stick to a limited colour palette that compliments your theme, and use fonts that are easy to read. Consistency in design will help your audience focus on your content without distractions. This is one of the Google Slides hacks that will make your presentation stand out amongst your competitors. 

3. Use High-Quality Images and Graphics

Another on the list of Google Slides hacks is images and graphics. Using HD images and graphics that are relevant to your content will be key in taking your PPT to the next level! Google Slides provides access to a vast library of stock images, or you can upload your own. Ensure that images are properly sized and positioned, and use graphics and icons to illustrate key points or data.

4. Incorporate Captivating Transitions and Animations

Transitions and animations can add a touch of dynamism to your presentation and make it more engaging. Use slide transitions to smoothly transition between slides, and employ animations to bring elements on your slides to life. However, use them sparingly and purposefully, as excessive or distracting animations can take away from your message. This is one of the powerful Google Slides hacks that can do wonders for you. 

5. Master Slide Layouts

Google Slides offers a range of slide layout options to choose from, including title slides, content slides, and section breaks. This is one of the Google Slides hacks that can make a lot of impact on your presentations. Take advantage of these layout options to structure your presentation effectively. Use title slides to introduce new topics or sections, content slides to present information, and section breaks to divide your presentation into distinct parts visually. A well-organised slide layout will make your presentation flow seamlessly. It can be daunting to present to a large group. Learn How to Give a Presentation in Class as a College Student .

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6. Utilize Speaker Notes

Another one of the important Google Slides hacks is Speaker notes. If you find yourself drifting or forgetting important portions of your presentation, Speaker notes can be of great help. They usually contain additional information or reminders that are not visible to the audience. To add speaker notes in Google Slides, go to the "View" menu and select "Speaker notes." Use these notes to jot down key points, talking cues, or references to ensure a smooth and confident delivery.

7. Collaborate in Real-Time

One of the standout features of Google Slides is its real-time collaboration capabilities. No more inviting all 15 of you to sit and work on a single presentation or maybe hand the entire responsibility to one individual. Now, all of you can collaborate on the same presentation together. To collaborate in real-time, click on the "Share" button in the top-right corner, enter the email addresses of your collaborators, and assign their permissions (view, comment, or edit). This is one of the most seamless features by Google. This is one of the best Google Slides hacks that can help you make a lot of impact in your presentation. 

8. Embed Videos and Audio

Embed videos and audio directly into your Google Slides and stand out amongst the rest. This is one of the Google Slides hacks that allow you to incorporate multimedia elements such as YouTube videos or audio recordings to enhance your content. To embed a video or audio, click on the "Insert" menu, select "Video" or "Audio," and choose the source of the media. This addition can help illustrate concepts, demonstrate processes, or provide additional context to your audience.

9. Utilize Smart Guides and Alignment Tools

To ensure a polished and visually appealing presentation, take advantage of Google Slides' smart guides and alignment tools. One of the best Google Slides hacks that will help you create powerful presentations. These features help you align objects and elements on your slides precisely. When you move an object or resize it, the smart guides will automatically appear to assist you in aligning it with other objects or the slide itself. You can also use the alignment tools to align objects horizontally and vertically or distribute them evenly across the slide. 

10. Practice with Presenter View

When delivering your presentation, Google Slides offers a useful feature called Presenter View. This view allows you to see your speaker notes, the current slide, and upcoming slides while your audience sees only the slideshow. To access Presenter View, click on the "Present" button and select "Presenter View" from the options. This is one of the easiest Google Slides hacks that can make a whole lot of impact on your entire presentation. 

11. Create a Table of Contents that links to other slides

Navigating through Slides can get quite tricky, which is why having a table of contents at the start of your presentation can be quite useful. This also helps the viewers get a better feel of what they’re in for the next few minutes. And that’s exactly what makes it one of the best Google presentation hacks. This is one of the visual cool Google Slides tricks.

12. Use Shapes to customise your slide

Legos, Tetris, and Minecraft - these are all identified by their close connection to shapes. If, like Ed Sheeran, you find yourself in love with shapes, this Google Slides hack is sure to become your go-to! Of course, shapes can help you give a creative look to your presentation. But by cropping your images into different shapes, you can further personalise the appearance of your presentation. 

13. Download aesthetic slide templates from Canva

Spent hours trying to perfect your presentation’s layout, but the pieces just don’t seem to fit. Well, it’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Canva, your design superhero! Here, you’ll find enough ready-made templates to last you a lifetime. To import a Canva template, follow these steps: Click ‘Share’, followed by ‘More’. Then, select the Google Drive icon. Now, all you need to do is open the template in Google Slides, and you’re done! One can use applications like Canva to make their presentation look more aesthetically appealing. Understand the 15 Canva Tips and Tricks to Enhance Your Designing Skills .

14. Use GIFs to get animated slide backgrounds

If using moving elements helps wow your audience, why stop at animations and transitions? Chuck out basic backgrounds and make way for GIFs! These can help keep your audience engaged. However, they can also steal the spotlight. But don’t worry, there’s an easy fix! Simply lower the transparency of the GIF through the ‘Format Options’ menu, and you have yourself one of the cool Google Slides tricks.

15. Add some music to the mix!

Unfortunately, Google Slides doesn’t allow users to add background music to their slides. But we’ve got the perfect Google Slides hack to fix this! All you have to do is find the desired sound effect or song on YouTube and copy its URL. Next, insert the video into your presentation and change the format option. You can simply reduce the size of the video and hide it away in a corner so it doesn’t take up a lot of space on the slide.

With these 15 amazing Google Slides hacks, you can elevate your presentations and create impactful and memorable experiences for your audience. From choosing the perfect theme to incorporating captivating transitions and animations, each hack enhances the visual appeal and effectiveness of your slides. Since we are on the topic of the Google Suite anyway, you can explore some amazing tips and tricks on Microsoft Word to upskill your Word game. Dive into the captivating tale of Google's co-founder, Larry Page , and unlock the secrets behind his visionary journey in our spellbinding webstory.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you add animations to google slides, what are the best add-ons for enhancing google slides presentations, how can you collaborate with others on a google slides presentation, how do you create interactive quizzes in google slides, what are some advanced design tips for making professional google slides presentations.

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8 Google Slides Hacks To Zhush Up Your Next Presentation & Score Extra Points For Effort

cool google presentation tricks

Google slides hacks

Whether it’s for a school presentation or you’re pitching an idea to your lao ban , one of the defining factors of an engaging presentation is how you verbally communicate your points. They should be simple, easily understandable, and straightforward. But it’s no secret that your presentation slides are equally as important in getting your audience’s attention. 

Here are some Google Slides hacks to make your presentation much more engaging and interesting – so you can score extra points for that long-awaited promotion.

Table of Contents

1. Create a table of contents that links to other slides

2. crop your images to different shapes easily using slide tools, 3. align elements perfectly with the distribute tool, 4. animate words & images for a keynote-level powerpoint, 5. use shapes to customise your slides, 6. get high-quality icons from the noun project for a profesh look, 7. download aesthetic slide templates from canva, 8. use gifs to get animated slide backgrounds, make a powerful point with these google slides hacks.

Google slides hack - table of contents

Adding a table of contents to your slides helps to give an overview of your presentation. It can also serve as a list of clickable links that jump to the slides you need right off the bat. This is probably one of the only few times when spoilers are acceptable. 

This way, you and others looking through your presentation can jump to the relevant sections right away without having to scroll tirelessly. This will also come in handy when referring to a slide during Q&A sections.

To do this, list out the points you want to link to. Then, highlight each point and click “insert link”. At the bottom of the pop-out menu is another button that will lead you to a list of all the slides in the presentation. Pick the slide you’d like to link from there.

Clickable links

Tip: You can add an image or icon in the bottom-right corner of all your slides that link to the first slide, which leads you right back to the table of contents

Instead of just slapping on your images, add some uniqueness to your slides by cropping them into different shapes like circles and hearts. Select the image, click on the drop-down arrow beside the crop button, and pick your desired shape.

Google slides hack - shadow and reflection effects

Rounded cropping will make your slides look more aesthetic. You can also add drop shadows and reflection effects to images to give more dimension. Though subtle, it does make a difference. You can find them in “format options” after clicking on your desired image.

If you’ve been dragging your text boxes and images around until they align, this tip will be a life – saver. Select the elements you want aligned, right-click, and then select the desired alignment. You can align them to the left, right, or centre. 

This simplifies the process and makes your slides look much cleaner. 

Add some personality to your slides with a cute cat popping up from the bottom of the slide or a rocket zooming in from the right. You don’t have to pick up any animation software for this hack – everything can be done on Google Slides. Make your words and images move, appear, and disappear during your presentation. 

Simply select the desired element, press “ animate” and a sidebar will appear. From there, choose to have your element start moving once the slide comes on or on your click. 

For a seamless animation that plays one after another without pause, select “after previous” instead of “on click” under each of the animation commands. Hit “play” at the bottom to check how your animation sequence plays out.

Use shapes to customise slides

Shape how you want your slides to look by customising them with shapes of your choice. You can pick different colours to outline and fill your shapes. For a super minimalistic aesthetic, make your background a light neutral colour with muted-coloured shapes.

Google slides hack - slideshow view

Aside from that, you can use the scribble feature to add scribbles and doodles of your own. You don’t have to make sure it’s perfect, as Google Slides will clean up your doodles for you. So let your inner Bob Ross jump out.

The Noun Project icons

Add visuals to support your pointers with icons. You can outsource them from sites such as Flaticon and The Noun Project . The latter has over 5 million icons in black and white for a more professional look. With its wide variety of assets, you’ll get more complex and specific icons such as a wheelchair-bound person watering plants and a man bowing on the ground to his boss.

For a more vibrant and iconic presentation, try IconScout ’s 3D icons. This is especially helpful when you want to stand out in school presentations.

Pixabay stock images

And if you need some good stock images, look no further than Unsplash and Pixabay . Pixabay has free downloads without the need to credit them, for faster and stress-free image-sourcing.

Canva presentation templates

Trick your lecturer and classmates into thinking you’re a graphic design pro . Slide on over to Canva and you’ll find a ton of ready-made templates. From minimalist earthy tones to simple professional slide decks, you’ll find something that fits any aesthetic.

Export canva to Google Drive

To import your chosen Canva slide template to Google Slides, select “share”, followed by “more” – then, find the Google Drive icon. You can even link your Google Drive to your Canva account for a seamless transfer. Once shared to the Drive, all you have to do is open the template in Google Slides and get to editing it to your heart’s content.

Do take note though, that some fonts don’t get transferred over to Google Slides – you can instead choose to put your slides together on Canva to keep the beautiful fonts intact. Once done, save it as .png, then paste each slide in its corresponding order on Google Slides.

Colourhunt.co Colour palettes

Besides Canva, you can find more free yet beautiful slide templates on Slides Carnival , SlidesGo , and Graphic Panda . SlidesGo and Slides Carnival templates come with the fonts intact so you can import and use them with ease.

Change out the colours on the slide template if you like a design but want it in a different colour. Simply click “background” and change the colour. You can also select individual elements and change their colour to match.

Just like how you awe at live wallpapers, wow your audience with moving backgrounds. You can do this by inserting gifs as the background of your slides – but perhaps lay off The Office and other internet memes for this one. Whether it’s a cartoon traffic scene or a natural landscape, you can slap it onto the slide, select “order”, then “send to back”.

You can get gifs from sites such as Giphy . Simply save it then drag and drop it onto your desired slide. If you don’t want the gif to steal the show, toggle and lower its transparency under “format options”. 

Videoplasty moving vectors

Besides backgrounds, you can also get moving icons to add dynamics to your slides. For stock gifs and animations, try Videoplasty . You get interesting icons ranging from hand-washing to a dizzy zombie woman. They have both free and paid content with packs of specific characters. 

Whether for school presentations or a work proposal, we’re often finding presentation tips to score points. And many of us often use Google Slides for its ease of sharing and collaborating with team members. 

Besides the public speaking part of it, slides are equally as important in drawing attention. So pick up some of these Google Slides hacks and apply them to your next presentation.

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30+ tips and tricks to make Google Slides presentation look good

Home 30+ tips and tricks to make Google Slides presentation look good

cool google presentation tricks

Let’s face it, it’s no fun to look at a slide with heavy texts and overcrowded images. It leaves the audience bored and disinterested. It’s very important for your Google Slides presentation to look good in order to have your audience on board. You don’t need to be a designer to learn how to make aesthetic google slides. You can make some basic editing and formatting easily in Google Slides presentation to take it to the next level. In this article, we present some amazing hacks to have a killer presentation that leaves the audience in awe.

Be prepared for a bonus at the end!

Use Google Slides layouts wisely

1. customize slide layouts.

Every presentation needs to follow a basic layout which is regular throughout. Google Slides have a set of layout and theme options to choose from. But in case you wish to edit certain elements, you are free to do it. This will make the presentation truly yours. Click here for a complete guide on using layouts any fresher can use.

2. Use pretty backgrounds for Google Slides

Most of the professional presentations contain a lot of jargon-heavy information written in plain texts on plain backgrounds. Instead, include a transparent or mild background to support your text. The background can either be related to the story or just a plain color wall that goes with the text font and the context.

3. Draw attention with dark background

Audience gets tired of looking at bright colors all day. So, using a dark background not only catches their attention, but is also pleasant for the eyes. But remember to use the matte finish or mild colors for text with the dark background.

4. Try black and white theme to look professional

Often, a black and white theme stands out both because of the professionalism it conveys. This keeps your presentation minimal in appearance and adds to the authenticity of your delivery. But you should be careful not to make it look boring.

5. Use the Master Slides tool

Any change you make in the master slide will automatically reflect on all other slides. Customize the master slide first so that you can save time. You can modify backgrounds, rearrange placeholders, or change theme for the whole presentation with Master slides tool.

6. Keep it minimal

Don’t go fancy with the designs and fonts, keep it minimal. Overcrowding the slides with bulky texts and images or vibrant colors is not a good idea. It will distract the audience and make the presentation look unprofessional.

How to make Google Slides look good with Images

1. use shape masks to make creative images.

Using regular shapes like square and rectangle for images can get boring. To make it interesting, give different shapes to the images.

How to use shape masks in Google Slides:

Select the image you want to apply a shape mask on. Crop the image to the size you want. In crop tool, go to Shapes and choose a shape from the drop-down menu.

2. How to import images from the web

Adding relevant and catchy images make your google slides aesthetic. But you may not have the perfect image to go with the slide. In that case, you can directly download the picture from Google without leaving the tab.

How to import Google images into Google Slides:

Go to Insert >> Image >> Search the web >> Type in the name of the image you want. Or, go to Explore section and Google directly from the Slides tab.

3. Reflect your images if it suits the context

This will be a really cool effect, especially for slides with a single important image. Reflecting your images is a creative way to grab the attention with a single slide. But, this is a bit outdated feature, so it’s better to avoid for professional presentations.

How to reflect an image in Google Slides:

Select an image. Go to Format options and tick the box next to Reflection. Use the slider to adjust the size and transparency.

4. Make the image transparent

Another tip is to adjust the transparency of your image rather than adding a plain image. Plus, you can write relevant text on top of a transparent image.

How to make an image transparent in Google Slides:

Right-click on the picture and go to Formats option. Go to Adjustments >> Transparency. Adjust the transparency as per your requirements.

5. Resize and rotate shapes and images

When you import an image from the web, it might not be the right size for your slides. Google Slides allows you to resize and rotate the images and shapes.

To resize a picture, simply select the picture and move the cursor to bring to the desired size. To rotate an image, click the picture and choose Arrange. Then, click Rotate and select the preferred orientation. Avoid these while using images in Google Slides presentation: Though there are a hundred things you can do to your image, overdoing it will beat the point of making your Google Slides presentation look good. Following are some of the things you should avoid so that the slides look professional.

Using blurry or irrelevant pictures. Stretching or cropping the image more than necessary Low resolution images Watermarked images Not adding citations while using a picture you don’t own Crowding the slides with pictures Using reflection or transparency settings in all the images

Make your Google Slides presentation interactive

1. use the interactive q&a tool.

Having a Q&A section at the end helps you clear any doubts your audience might have. You can make it more interesting by using the Q&A tool. The audience don’t have to wait till the end of the presentation, they can type in the question whenever they want.

How to use the Q&A tool:

During your presentation, activate the Q&A feature by clicking on the Q&A tool. Audience sees a weblink where they can submit their questions. You can answer them at the end of the presentation. You can check the past questions by going to Tools >> Q&A history

2. Create a timeline

In many business presentations, you might need to present the progress of a project and timeline is an important part of it. It is easy to understand and remember. This can be used for interactions and discussions with the audience.

How to create timeline in Google Slides:

Go to Insert >> Diagram This shows a list of different types of timeline templates in built with Google Slides. Choose the one you like and edit it for your data.

Color schemes for your Google Slides presentation

1. edit theme colors.

Every Google Slide theme you choose comes with a pre-set color scheme. However, you can customize the theme according to the color you prefer.

Go to Slide >> Edit Theme Choose a color from the drop-down menu. Here’s a guide on choosing the right color for your Google Slides presentation.

2. Use color split

Using two different colors on the same slide is visually appealing. Make sure you use complementary colors like yellow and blue. For example, if you are using a blue background, use orange color for the texts.

3. Create a color overlay

Color overlay is a technique to make transparent shapes appear on your images or text. You can either apply it to the whole slide or a part of it.

Go to Insert >> Shape Choose a shape if you want to overlay only a part of your slide. Place the selected shape on the slide. Click on the shape and go to Fill colors and choose the color you want. Avoid these while choosing colors for your Google Slides presentation: While adding colors in a smart way can grab the audience’s attention, there are certain rules you should stick to while using them. Here is a small list of things to avoid in order to make your Google Slides look good.

Using multiple bold colors in a single slide Using same color for theme and texts Not sticking to your brand colors Using bright colors for reflection of images or texts. Overusing color gradient

Tips for text in Google Slides presentation

1. try different font attributes.

No one is going to read all the text in your presentation. So, you can highlight the parts which you want to stress on. You can make the text bold, italics, or underlined.

2. Research the top text fonts to use in Google Slides

There are a number of text fonts available in Google Slides, but not all of them make it to a professional presentation deck. So, it’s very important to know the most preferred text fonts to use in Google Slides.

Here are the 5 top text fonts:

Open sans Montserrat Cabin Ubuntu Lato

3. Use text box to have neat texts

Texts randomly strewn across the slides can be distracting for your audience. So, use a text box to have the texts placed in a neat way. You can also align your texts to left, right or centered to make it look professional.

4. Add a drop shadow to the text

Another way to make your texts look interesting is to use a drop shadow effect for Google Slides. However, if you lack experience in designing, we suggest you not to use this effect.

How to add drop shadow:

Select the text you want to use drop shadow on. Go to Format and check the box near Drop Shadow. Use the slider to adjust blur, transparency, and angle.

5. Add the technical terms to your personal dictionary

There might be terminologies or names that are specific to your topic, which may come off as spelling errors. In slides, they may appear in red and you may lose your credibility. To remove this, you can add those terms to the personal dictionary.

Go to Tools >> Personal dictionary Add the technical terms. They will no longer be shown as spelling errors. Common mistakes people make in Google Slides text: While the above features can make your text professional and easy to read, most people miss out on the basics.

Omitting indentation Wrong alignment of text on the slide Using very large or very small texts Not proofreading for typos Inadequate spacing between texts or lines.

Include infographics in Google Slides presentation

1. experiment with different types of diagrams.

If you have a lot of data to present, it’s better to present as graphs or charts instead of pulling off large sheets of data. There are different types of graphs you can use like line graph, bar graph, histogram, pie chart, etc. So, use them in your presentation. This adds credibility to your work and presentation.

2. Let your graph speak for itself

This means you must label, highlight or add everything in the graph such that anyone can analyze it. A single graph with right labels and arrows to show the trend can convey the meaning much better than large amount of texts or spreadsheets.

Add animation to make Google Slides presentation attractive

1. add subtle animation effects on texts.

If you have a lot of information to share on a single slide, use animations to delay some texts instead of displaying everything at a time. This works well for bullet points where you can display one point after another.

2. Add a GIF or a meme

One of the main reasons why presentations are boring is the lack of fun element. Adding a GIF or a relatable meme is not only funny, but helps you put the message across easily. It is an effortless attention grabber.

But you have to make sure it gets added as an animated GIF rather than a still image. For this, the following steps will help:

Find the GIF in Google and copy the image address. Go to Google Slides >> Image >> by URL Paste the URL and click Insert. Remember you have to insert the image by URL for it to play.

3. Add trimmed videos in Google Slides

People recollect visuals better than written text. So, if there is a video on YouTube which can explain what you want to convey, use it. But instead of including the full video, you can add only the relevant part by using the embed option.

4. Use transitions for slides

Adding smooth transition effects for individual slides helps in keeping the flow. The most recommended transition effects to use in a professional presentation are dissolve, fade in, slide from the left, fly in from bottom and fly in from left to right.

Go to Insert >> Animation Select a transition from the available options. Apply to a single slide or all slides, as you wish.

Are you terrified by the amount of effort you have to put in researching about fonts, choosing best colors and get the formatting perfect? This can be time-consuming if you designing is not your biggest flex.

Don’t worry! Here’s the good news!!

You can skip all these steps and still have an amazing presentation deck if you use professional templates!

Use Google Slides presentation templates

Making a presentation from the scratch is wasted time and energy which could be spent on crafting the story you want to convey. That’s why we bring to you the best presentation templates to help you tell your story in your unique way. SlideKit has professional templates designed by experts and you can customize it according to your needs. This can be installed as an add-on in Google Slides for free. It ensures consistency of aspects like font, theme, color scheme and layout used throughout the deck.

SlideKit has slides in the business and other professional domains which you can download, edit and use for free. Premium membership gives you access to 3500+ templates over 35+ niches. Using these templates will make your Google Slides presentation stand out. Here are a few tips to make the most out of SlideKit’s professional google slides templates .

1. Customize the templates

The presentation deck you choose will have all the design and infographic elements you need; but you need to customize them according to your data and your preferred color and font. In SlideKit, you can add images, videos, or hyperlinks, and place them wherever you want on the slide. Additionally, you can acquire hyperlinks from other websites to your own which is referred as niche edits .

2. Use niche-specific templates

There are templates available for different domains, so choose the one that fits your industry. Templates are perfect for branding since they come with placeholders for logo, letterhead, contact details and website address. But it’s important to choose the one that is aligned with the industry. SlideKit makes it easier for you by giving you a variety of industry-specific options to choose from. Moreover, incorporating effective SEO strategies , such as optimizing presentation titles, using relevant keywords, and providing quality content, can significantly enhance the online visibility of your Google Slides presentations, making them more accessible to your target audience and boosting overall engagement.

3. Plug in your data to relevant infographics

As mentioned before, including graphs and charts is beneficial for both you and your audience. Depending on the domain, SlideKit offers relevant infographics which can be customized according to your data. You can change the labels, legends, scale and figures, among many other features.

Now you have the best resources and tools to make your Google Slides presentation look compelling.

Happy presenting!

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30 Time-Saving Google Slides Tips & Tricks (Even Experts Don’t Know)

Ashish Arora

Updated on 27 th March 2021

Google Slides is a freely available presentation tool that is already used by millions of people all over the world.

It provides a fast and effortless way to create compelling presentations right from our browser (or app). Without the hassle of installing third-party applications, you can easily work on Google Slides to draft your next presentation . It can also help you collaborate with your team and work on a presentation together.

If you are already using Google Slides, then you must be aware of its numerous advantages. Though, there are a few tips and tricks that even the most committed users of G Slides are not aware of.

For instance, did you know you can edit videos on Google Slides or can even dictate a presentation note?

Read on and be familiar with all the remarkable tips and tricks of Google Slides and be a pro in no time!

1. Use Master Slides to Save Your Time

Too many times, we wish to implement a change in all the slides without visiting them individually. This is exactly where Master Slides can help us. Simply go to the View > Master option to access it.

In this way, you would be able to edit all the slides simultaneously. From changing the background to adding the company logo – simply make an edit on the Master Slide and it will automatically be reflected in the entire presentation. You can learn more about Master Slides in this stepwise video tutorial.

2. Start Dictating Your Text

If you have a working microphone on your computer, then you can easily dictate presentation text or notes as well.

Go to Tools >“Voice type speaker notes” to access this feature. This will display a Microphone icon on the screen. Simply click on it to activate the Microphone on your system and start speaking. Whatever you will narrate will automatically be added as the presentation note. Once you are done, close the icon.

Start dictating your text

This feature will help you multitask and provide real-time feedback regarding the presentation.

Note: This feature is only available in Chrome browser.

3. Integrate Google Slides with Chromecast

Google Slides also provides a quick and easy way to be integrated with Chromecast using the Google Home app. You can download Google Home on your Android device from here or on your iOS device from here .

Afterward, launch the app and connect your smartphone to the Chromecast device. In this way, you would be able to share your screen with the display. Without including any unwanted cable or wire, you can give your next presentation.

Integrate Google Slides with Chromecast

Make sure that your phone is on the Airplane Mode beforehand to avoid any unwanted pop-up or notification while your screen is getting shared with your audience.

4. Do More with Images

If you want to make your presentations more appealing, then you need to take the assistance of some visual aids. Thankfully, Google Slides has tons of features to use images.

You can easily use an image as a background for your slides. Besides that, you can also crop it or add borders to the image to make it stand out. G Slides also has a feature for image masking that can be used to put the selected image in the shape of your choice. You can watch this quick tutorial to learn these tricks.

5. Add Sound to Your Presentations

Most of the people already know how to add images to Google Slides. Though, adding an audio to your slide might be a little tricky. There is no option to “Insert” an audio the way you can insert an image or a text box. Nevertheless, the solution is pretty simple.

Just copy the YouTube link of the audio you wish to add (or the link of any streaming service like Spotify, Apple Music, and more). Later, you can paste the link on the slide and hide it if you want to. This will automatically play the sound in the background. You can learn how to do it in this video.

6. Collaborate with Other Users

This is one of the most evident benefits of Google Slides. Unlike any other desktop software, you can easily share the Google Slide you are working on with others. This can help users to collaborate together and work on a document in a better way. Simply click on the “Share” button to do it.

You can either share the Google Slide with other users via its URL or by sending them invitations. Simply provide the email id of the collaborator, set privileges, and send them an invite to do it.

7. Maintain Your Personal Dictionary

Even though Google Slides has an inbuilt spell-checker, it is far from perfect. Chances are that it might miss brand names, places, key terms, and more. Therefore, you can maintain your own dictionary and include these terms. Simply go to the Tools menu to access the Personal Dictionary feature. Here, you can add the words of your choice.

8. Create a Drop Shadow of the Text

If you want to take a step-up from the basic formatting tips of text in Google Slides, then try to add a false drop shadow effect. To do this, you need to copy and paste the same text box adjacent to each other. Now, change the color of both the texts and adjust them in the right way to form a shadow-like effect. You can view it in practice right here.

9. Publish Your Presentation to the Web

If you like to share your Google Slide with someone who doesn’t have a Google account or would like to embed the slideshow in another web page, then this would be an ideal solution. Just go to the “File” menu and click on the “Publish to the web” button.

The interface will have two options. Under the “Link” tab, you can edit how the slideshow progresses when shared with someone else. It is mostly used to share the document with others (without inviting them via their email id).

If you wish to embed the slideshow in another web page, then click on the “Embed” tab. From here, you can alter its size, progress, and more.

10. Restore Previous Versions of the Presentation

A lot of users assume that since Google Slides is all about saving the content on a real-time basis, they can’t access a previous version. Don’t worry! You can easily restore an earlier version of the document without any hassle. Just go to the File > See Revision History option. This will provide a list of all the latest revisions made to the file. Simply select the one you wish to restore to launch it.

Restore previous versions of the presentation

11. Update Your Slides on a Real-time Basis

If you want to provide up-to-date statistics to your audience while presenting, then you should definitely use this feature. You can insert a chart from Google Sheets by visiting Insert > Charts > From Sheets option. While selecting the chart, make sure the “Link to Spreadsheet” feature is enabled.

Afterward, you can arrange the chart the way you like and click on the “Update” button. This will automatically reflect the changes made on the original Sheet. Therefore, if you are representing data that is being constantly modified, then this feature will certainly be a life-saver.

Here’s a quick tutorial from G Suite to teach you the same in a stepwise manner.

12. Editing a Video

Google Slides also provides a fast and hassle-free way to edit videos in its native interface. Instead of editing a video in another tool and later adding it to your document, you can do it all in one place. Simply insert the video of your choice, right-click it, and go to the “Video Options”.

This will launch different Video Options on the right panel. From here, you can easily trim the video, mute it, and make other changes. While the tool doesn’t provide a lot of options, it can certainly save your time while drafting an interactive presentation. You can learn how to do it in this tutorial as well.

13. Link Your Slides

It is quite easy to create a hyperlink in Google Slides. Though, you can also link different slides as well. If you are working on an extensive presentation, then this can help you jump from one slide to another pretty easily.

Simply insert a link and choose to link “Slides in the presentation”. From here, you can select the slide you wish to link.

Link your slides

14. Make the Q&A Session a Winner

The Q&A session is often considered the most mundane part of any presentation. With this advanced tool, you can certainly change that. The Slides Q&A tool can make the session fun, interactive, and time-saving. By sharing a link with your audience, you can automate the entire process. They can simply go to the URL and submit their questions. It also allows them to ask anonymous questions as well.

Later, you can go to the Presenter view to access these questions. Your audience can even vote up or down a question as well. If you think it’s complicated, then you can learn how to implement it in this tutorial.

15. Import and Export Files

Unlike other applications, Google Slides allows a seamless way to import and export documents to and from different formats. For instance, if you already have a PowerPoint presentation and would like to edit it on Google Slides, then go to File > Import option. Select the presentation you wish to edit and launch it. Though, you should review your content as there would be a change in its overall formatting.

Similarly, you can export the document in the format of your choice as well. Go to the File > “Download As” option. From here, you can export the presentation as PPT, PDF, ODP, and other formats.

16. Use Readily Available Templates

If you wish to stand out from the crowd while drafting a visually stunning presentation, then you should take the assistance of Google Slides templates. The tool supports readily available templates that can easily be loaded. Later, you can customize these slides and come up with a final presentation in less time. SketchBubble also has a wide variety of Google Slides templates that can help you step-up your game by drafting stunning presentations.

Some More Useful Tips

17. move slides between different presentations.

This is one of the easiest things to do in Google Slides that would certainly save your resources. Too many times, we wish to copy the content of one slide and paste it on another. To do this, just open the first presentation and select a slide. Now, press Ctrl + C keys or right-click and select the “Copy” option. Later, go to the second presentation and press the Ctrl + V keys or right-click > Paste to successfully move the entire slide.

copy slides

Alternatively, you can also link the copied slide. If you make any changes in the original slide, it will be reflected in the other slide with just a click. You will find an option “update” in the copied slide.

18. Explore More Fonts and Format Options

When Google Slides was initially released, it only had basic formatting options. This was all changed with the subsequent updates of the application. Now, it offers tons of formatting styles and options that you can easily explore. For instance, if you wish to access more fonts, then just go to the Fonts feature on the toolbar and click on “More Fonts”. This will launch a dedicated pop-up from where you can explore hundreds of readily available fonts.

Fonts option

Furthermore, you can even try several formatting options for these Google Slides design tips. Just click on the Format > Format Option on the menu bar. From here, you can set filters on the text, lock aspect ratios, add reflection, and do so much more.

Format Option

19. Do More with Keyboard Shortcuts

From text formatting to editing and navigation to selection, there is almost everything you can do with keyboard shortcuts on Google Slides. With these Google Slides tricks, you can not only impress others, but would also save your time. To get to know more about it, just visit Help > Keyboard Shortcuts feature. This will display a list of all the keyboard shortcuts supported by Google Slides so that you can make the most of your time.

Keyboard Shortcut

20. Add GIFs and Animations to Your Slides

If you want to make your presentations interesting, then consider adding more visually appealing and unique content to it. For instance, GIFs have been in the current trends and they will certainly make even a mundane topic interesting. To explore this, just go to the Insert tab on the Menu bar and choose to insert images. This will let you add GIFs from your local system, the web, or even Google Drive.

Animation in Google Slides

Apart from that, you can also animate any existing component (even a text box) to explore these Google Slides design tips. Just go to Insert > Animation and select an object you wish to animate to explore the available options.

21. Set Automatic Timing to Your Slideshow

Do you wish to give a presentation that people would remember for a long time? With the help of the auto-advance option of Google Slides, you can certainly do the same and impress your audience. Ideally, Google Slides will let you set a restricted duration for every slide (from one second to 30 minutes). To enable this, go to File > Publish on the Web and under the “Auto-advance Slides” option, mark a suitable transition duration.

Automatic Timing

After that, you can just publish your presentation on the web and play it whenever you want. Once the slideshow is started, every slide would be automatically advanced after the selected duration. Though, it is highly recommended to practice your timing beforehand so that you can ace your presentation.

Alternatively, you can also get this option while presenting the slides as well. Click on the “Present” button to start the slideshow and go to its settings from the bottom panel. Here, you can go to the auto-advance option and select the preferred timing.

Advanced Slideshow

22. Explore Other Languages

Not an English speaker? Don’t worry! Google supports almost a hundred different languages as well that you can explore on Google Slides. In this way, you can easily draft engaging presentations in the language of your choice and target your audience. Just go to the File menu > Languages and select your preferred option from here.

Explore Language

23. Turn Your Cursor into a Laser Pointer

Yes, you have read it right! Using this interesting Google Slides trick, you can turn your mouse cursor to a laser pointer. In this way, you can focus on certain objects on the slide without actually using a laser pointer. To do this, just click on the “Present” option at the top to start the slideshow. Now, go to the bottom panel with all the available features and click on the “Pointer” field to turn your mouse cursor into a red laser-like pointer. Later, you can click on the same button again to disable it.

Laser Pointer

24. Make the Most of Dynamic Transitions

Sometimes, it can be a tedious job to make standard presentations more interesting. Even if you are running short on time, you can take the assistance of the transition feature and explore Google Slides design tips. It will let you add all kinds of transitions to your content like fade-in, fade-out, flip, cube, dissolve, and so on. You can go to the Slide option on the main menu and visit the transitions feature to explore it.

Transitions in Google Slides

25. Get G-Suite Add-ons

If you are looking for additional features and more Google Slides tips that are presently not available on the native interface, then explore G-Suite Add-ons. To get them, just go to the “Add-ons” tab on the Main Menu. Here, you can see a list of the existing add-ons and explore more options as well. You can also open the G-Suite Marketplace to include different kinds of add-ons to your application. For instance, you can add mathematical formulae, professional charts, animations, and so much more.

Addons

26. Convert Text into Word Art

You can highlight your text by converting it into Word Art. For this, you need to go to Insert > Word Art . Then, add the desired text and press Enter on the keyboard. The best part is, just like normal text, you can easily change the size, color, and font of the Word Art.

Text to Wordart

27. Wireless Streaming to the Big Screen

Google Slides stream support for iOS and Android is provided via AirPlay and Chromecast. For using this new feature, open your presentation in Google Slides, go near a Chromecast device, and press the cast button. It will show up your presentation on the big screen. Now you can leverage the built-in timer to track your pace, view speaker notes, and do much more using your tablet or smartphone.

Learn more about this feature here:

28. Offer a Less Intrusive Experience with the New Presenter Bar

Google Slides has replaced that long dark gray strip in the presenter toolbar with a shorter and light-colored background strip. Only four buttons have been provided in the toolbar; other options have been included in the three-dot overflow menu. Further, to prevent the presenter bar from impeding the content, the size of the trigger zone has been reduced.

New Presenter Bar in Google Slides

29. See Your Slides in a Grid View

Now you can see all the slides of your presentation in the Grid view. This view enables you to choose the slides easily, reorder them by dragging and dropping, and cut/copy/paste them. To toggle on/off the Grid view, go to View > Grid . You can also use Ctrl+Alt+1 (Keyboard Shortcut) or the small icon at the bottom left of the page.

Grid View Google Slides

30. Print Your Google Slides Presentation

Once you have finished the presentation, you can print out the slides. Go to File > Print . Before printing, you can do settings related to pages, copies, color, paper size, etc.

If you don’t want to print the slides on paper and save them as a PDF file,  click the “Destination” drop down menu on the Print screen and select the “Save as PDF” option.

I’m sure that after getting to know about these amazing Google Slides tricks, you would certainly be excited to give them a try. Go ahead and implement them while working on your next presentation. If you also have a secret tip regarding Google Slides that you like to share with the rest of us, then feel free to drop a comment below.

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Ashish Arora

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13 Essential Google Slides Tips to Use it Like a Pro

13 Essential Google Slides Tips to Use it Like a Pro

‍ 13 Tips and Tricks:

Google Slides is one of the best alternatives to PowerPoint. It’s free, easy to use, and easily accessible.

It is a dynamic, cloud-based presentation program that had been used more recently.

Whether you want to make a professional or a casual presentation, Google Slides has got you covered. Most of the users know the basics of how to use Google Slides, but let us tell you; it is jam-packed with amazing and time-saving features.

To help you make the most of Google slides, we have listed the 13 most essential tips you must know.

Without further ado, let’s begin:

  • Speaker notes with voice
  • Insert images
  • Text formatting
  • Master slide formatting
  • Gifs and Animations
  • Multiple Slides editing
  • Slides Interlinking
  • Graphs and charts
  • Language Conversion
  • Embed with website
  • Collaborate
  • Play Your Presentation Using Chromecast

1. Speaker notes with voice:

It is quite tiring to type the lengthy speaker noted. Isn’t it?

Well, Google Slides has simplified this by Voice Typing. With this feature, you can verbally dictate text onto new slides. The feature even recognizes punctuation and other commands to ensure each and every text appears exactly the way you want it to.

To use this feature your system (PC, laptop, and likewise) should have a microphone. Make sure your microphone is turned on. Click in the Speaker Notes section of your screen. Select Tools > Voice type speaker notes.

The Microphone icon will appear. All you have to do is click the Microphone icon and begin speaking. As you will speak, your text will get added to the speaker's notes. How impressive!

"A picture is worth a thousand words" is indeed a fact. Well, images and graphics are an important part of any presentation.

They add a lot to a presentation. It also adds interest to a slide and draws in your audience.

But, do you know you can do more than just inserting them? Here are a few ways how you can use images:

i) Use it as a background

A background image can help make your presentation be more visually appealing. And it's easier to use an image as a background in Google Slides than you might think.

  • Change the background colour
  • Add a background image

Let’s see how to do it:

  • Click the Background option on the toolbar
  • The Background dialog box will appear
  • Change the colour as you want
  • From the same dialog box, click on the word Choose to the right of the image option.
  • The Insert background image screen will appear. Choose the desired image and then you are ready to roll.

For better formatting, you can also make an image transparent, mask the image, add a border to the image or even re-colour the image. On top of that, you can even insert images directly from Google Images.

All you have to do is click on Insert > Image. Then select ‘Search the web’ from the drop-down list. The side panel ‘Search for Google Images’ will appear on the right side of your screen.

3. Text formatting

Just as visuals, texts are equally important.

Google Slides provide you with one of the most impeccable features - Drop Shadow. (Believe me, it is AESTHETIC!)

Firstly, duplicate the content and change the colour of the text. (you can also reduce the opacity of an image). Then, place it directly upon the original, a slight shadow will emerge. This is one of the assured techniques to highlight important facts in your presentation.

Along with this, you can also explore more font and formatting options.

To access more fonts, then just go to the Fonts feature on the toolbar and click on “More Fonts”. This will launch a dedicated pop-up from where you can explore hundreds of readily available fonts.

On top of that, you can highlight your text by converting it into Word Art. For this, you need to go to Insert > Word Art.

Then, add the desired text and press Enter on the keyboard. The best part is, just like normal text, you can easily change the size, colour, and font of the Word Art.

4. Master Slide formatting:

This is a life-saving hack if you are working on lengthy presentations with many slides. However, once you say from 10 slides onwards, then you can use this feature.

All you have to do is just go directly to the slide master and all slides in your presentation will automatically be updated.

  • Slide > Edit Master.
  • Click on the elements you want to change.

For example, if you want all titles and subtitles to be in Roboto font, then you can change that, or you want to add your company’s logo in the footer or header section, you can do it here.

All the changes done in the master slide will automatically appear on all other slides. This will save your time significantly.

Try it now and thank us later.

5. Gifs and Animations

Any presentation that is visually appealing will automatically become interesting.

There are two ways by which you can make your presentation drool-worthy.

  • By adding GIFs
  • By adding animations

TBH, GIFs have been in the current trends and they will certainly make even a mundane topic interesting.

Simply go to the Insert tab on the Menu bar and choose to insert images. This will let you add GIFs from your local system, the web, or even Google Drive. Apart from that, you can also animate an existing element of your slide.

Just go to Insert > Animation and select an object you wish to animate to explore the available options.

And Voila! You did it!

6. Cut, Copy, and Paste

Whenever you are working frequently on different presentations, many times you want to re-us the slide from one presentation to another.

Well, in that case, you don’t need to create the entire slide again. You can copy a single slide from one presentation to another. Or you can copy a single slide from a theme or template.

Open the Google Slides file with the slide you want. Click the desired slide and Ctrl + C to copy it to the clipboard. Then simply paste it into your existing presentation. Easy-peasy!

Similarly, you can perform cut and paste as well.

7. Slides Interlinking

With Google Slides, you’re not limited to adding just links to websites, you can also link to images, your files on Google Drive, and even to other slides in your presentation!

You can also link different slides as well. If you are working on an extensive presentation, then this can help you jump from one slide to another pretty easily. Simply insert a link and choose to link “Slides in the presentation”. From here, you can select the slide you wish to link.

In this way, you can easily organize your slides smartly.

8. Graphs and charts

More visuals, better the presentation. Besides, whenever you are working on some statistics or numerical presentation; it gets difficult for the audience to follow the complex numbers.

In that case, you can insert a chart from Google Sheets for effective presentation.

Simply go to Insert > Charts > From Sheets option. While selecting the chart, make sure the “Link to Spreadsheet” feature is enabled.

Afterward, you can arrange the chart the way you like and click on the “Update” button.

This will automatically reflect the changes made on the original Sheet. Therefore, if you are representing data that is being constantly modified, then this feature will certainly be a lifesaver.

9. Language Conversion

Not most people are aware of this feature, but it can stand as an incredibly beneficial feature.

Google supports almost a hundred different languages as well that you can explore on Google Slides.

In this way, you can easily draft engaging presentations in the language of your choice and target your audience. And doing that is quite simple.

Just go to the File menu > Languages and select your preferred option from there.

10. Embed with website

Do you know, you can directly embed your Google Slides presentation with your website? Well, you can do that easily!

Simply, go to File > Publish to the web menu option to embed a slide presentation on your website. Publishing a Google Slides presentation means that someone can see it without logging into their Google accounts.

(As opposed to sharing a presentation, where a user must be logged into Google Drive to see your presentation. Also, note that those who view a published presentation cannot edit or make comments.)

11. Collaborate

This is one of the most common features when it comes to using Gsuite applications.

You can easily share the Google Slide you are working on with others. This can help users to collaborate together and work on a document in a better way. Simply click on the “ Share ” button to do it.

Either share the Google Slide with other users via its URL or by sending them invitations. Simply provide the email id of the collaborator, set privileges, and send them an invitation to do it.

Google Slides allows you to define the level of access others have and what they can do. You decide whether they can edit the presentation, comment only, or just view it.

Furthermore, you can even create a shareable link to send out in the email.

12. Keyboard shortcuts

Just as routine shortcuts, Google Slides have its own set of shortcuts. Learning and using keyboard shortcuts can save a lot of time.

You can find the keyboard shortcuts at the Help > Keyboard shortcuts menu option.

13. Q&A session

Whether it is a presentation for your team, or for your clients; most of them are ended with a Q&A session.

Well, you can transform the mundane Q&A with Google Slides’ Q&A tool.

Firstly, share the link with your audience. Then, they can simply go to the URL and submit their questions. It also allows them to ask anonymous questions as well.

Later, you can go to the Presenter view to access these questions.

Your audience can even vote up or down a question as well.

Bonus: Play Your Presentation Using Chromecast

Chromecast allows you to share a presentation from an Android mobile device if you've got a Chromecast device available and set up. You also need to have a Google Home app on your mobile device, available Wi-Fi and be using the Google Chrome browser.

The Chromecast device plugs into the monitor you want to use. It even works with some Smart TVs.

When you open your Chromecast app, it looks for nearby Chromecast devices. Select the correct device, enter your password, and name your Chromecast. Select the Google Slides presentation you wish to stream to the TV or monitor. Then, click on the Chromecast button to stream your presentation.

This is not the end, you can accomplish more with Google Slides than you may have realized. Once you master these professional Google Slides tips, you'll be amazed at what you can do. Use the above-mentioned tips and tricks, and use Google Slides like a pro.

cool google presentation tricks

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20 Google Slides Tutorials To Master Your Presentation Skills

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Google Slides Tutorials To Master Your Presentation Skills

Learning how to work with Google Slides and master the popular presentation software  won’t be in vain. Many people know what Google Slides is and are taking good advantage of it.

Both students and teachers can use it for free , and on top of that, many business professionals can also implement it in their work free of charge, thus making it a valuable presentation software.

In this article, we will provide you with some beginner and some advanced Google Slides tutorials that you can utilize for your needs. In the end, you will know how to use all the features in Google Slides and speed up your workflow .

1. Getting started – Complete beginner tutorial

This is an amazing Google Slide tutorial that has more than 20 subtopics. You will learn how to create a Google account, start your first presentation, and do a whole lot of other things.

We usually start our articles with big video tutorials, as you can see how to achieve everything. Still, it’d be best that you have a separate tutorial for each action you need, as compressed tutorials are always straight-to-the-point and don’t add many examples.

2.  How to create a Google Slides presentation?

Creating a Google Slides presentation from scratch is an important first step in being successful with your project. It’s critical to have a Google Account first, so make sure you have one before you start.

In this beginner Google Slides tutorial, you will see how to create a new presentation, add a theme, and see how to share your Google Slides presentation with others.

3. How to add images to Google Slides?

Images are a crucial part of any design, so it’s not a coincidence that Google Slides offers not one but six ways to add them, and all of them have their benefits.

In this Google Slides tutorial, you will learn how to add images and then modify them to fit your presentations the best way possible. Another thing we liked is how you can use shapes and embed the images into them, to get a special “vibe”.

4. How to add a video to Google Slides?

Videos are a crucial element of presentations today. Why? Because they convert! Statistics show that video is the leading source of web content, with 82% attribution .

In this tutorial for Google Slides, you will learn how to embed a video, trim it, and customize it to fit your presentation agenda.

5. How to add fonts in Google Slides?

How to add fonts in Slides Presentation

Learning how to add fonts to Google Slides is crucial for your presentation. It can give you an extra bit of creativity but could also make the difference if you want to add more branding.

In our Google Slides tutorial, you will see in which case it’s a good idea to add fonts, how to use fonts properly, and how to change and add fonts from the selection. The steps on the guide are “served” with image guidelines for easier navigation.

6. How to add charts to Google Slides?

If you want to sound more professional in your presentation, then talking the talk won’t be enough. Adding charts to your Google Slides presentation will make it more credible and useful.

In this Google Slides tutorial, you will learn how to create a chart from scratch, or import a chart from Google Sheets. You will also see how to stretch the chart and modify the data inside.

7. How to create a flyer on Google Slides?

A friend of mine (a teacher) asked me if he could do something more than a standard presentation on Google Slides. And my reply consisted of a single video – this one.

While this is an advanced Google Slides tutorial, you can clearly see how you can optimize all the resources available for something much different than a normal presentation. All you need to do is make your slides vertical and show some imagination.

8. How to insert an Animated GIF into Google Slides?

How to add animated GIF in presentation

Adding GIFs to your Google Slides presentations will add a lot of value to them. More importantly, you will keep your audience’s attention for longer which is crucial

In our tutorial, we will show you why and how you should add GIFs to your Google Slides presentations. During the guide, we will also show you when it’s appropriate to use GIFs and some good places where you can find resources.

9. How to insert infographics in Google Slides?

Infographics are a great way to showcase your skills. Fortunately, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel, as there are plenty of free infographic templates out there.

In this Google Slides tutorial for teachers, you will learn how to add your infographics and customize them. It is important to align them with the theme and tone of your presentation.

10. How to print a Google Slides presentation?

Sometimes, you need to print your Google Slides presentation if it contains a lot of details that your audience should have available in front of them.

In this Google Slides tutorial, you will quickly see how to print your presentation and ensure you won’t leave your audience guessing.

11. How to add speaker notes in Google Slides?

How to add and show Speaker Notes in Google Sldies presentation

You can’t be a good presenter without knowing how to add speaker notes . They bring a lot of value to your confidence, as you will easily remember what you’re about to say in each slide.

In the article, you will first see the reason why speaker notes are crucial for you. Then, we will move forward to the next part – adding them. The third part of the article will go through the way you display them, and last but not least – we will show you a couple of free tips on how to write your speaker notes.

12. How to add a hanging indent in Google Slides?

How to add hanging indent in Slides presentation

Learning how to add a hanging indent is crucial in academic environments. Knowledge of APA and MLA citation styles shows that you have done enough resources to know how to use someone else’s information and credit them when due.

Our article is a detailed Google Slides tutorial with plenty of images and instructions on how to move the ruler, in order to fully customize it according to the best practices in each citation standard.

13.  How to make a radial chart in Google Slides?

How to create radial chart in Google Slides

Data visualization is critical for the success of any presentation. People love to see images, instead of large text batches. Audiences remember data much faster if presented in a visual way.

Learning how to make a radial chart in Google Slides will help you present data in a more “digestible” way, thus conveying your message better. In the article, you will learn why people create radial charts and see a step-by-step guide with images of each step, in order to not miss a detail.

14. How to group/ungroup elements in Google Slides?

Grouping elements have been a common thing in design platforms like Illustrator and Figma but it is certainly a novelty in Google Slides.

Well, in this Google Slides guide you will learn how to group and ungroup elements in just under a minute. However, this could save you valuable time, especially if you plan to merge different elements – like icons and images.

15. How to create a timeline in Google Slides?

Timelines are the perfect tools if you have a presentation in which you explain chronological events – for example, company annual growth between Q1-Q4, or so. Luckily, Google Slides offers you an option to insert a timeline but you can also many Google Slides templates .

This Google Slides tutorial shows you how to create a timeline chart from scratch, and then add interesting details. What we loved here is the idea of creating catchy messages.

16. How to design a concept map in Google Slides?

Concept maps are perfect when it comes to displaying relationships between different ideas. In order for your audience to understand the main topic, you can break it down in to subtopics and explain how they are related to each other.

In this video tutorial, you will see exactly how you can create a concept map in Google Slides. Of course, if you don’t want to bother creating something from scratch, you can always check out some templates.

17.  Google Slides transitions & animations: Complete guide

Transitions and animations are a significant part of Google Slides. You can add extra depth to your slides, provided that you don’t “overanimate”.

This Google Slides tutorial shows you where to access animations & transitions, and how to do them correctly. What we loved about the guide is that it shows you in real-time what is the “after effect”.

18.  Create a professional business card on Google Slides

We all know graphic design apps and we’re not going to lie – they are a better fit for business cards. But are they free? I doubt so. With Google Slides, you can create a business card free of charge.

What we love in this advanced Google Slides tutorial is how detailed each step is. For just under 15 minutes, you can create your first (or next) business card, and then print it, if you like.

19. How to make a social media post in Google Slides?

If you’re a marketing agency, you will probably laugh at the idea of using Google Slides ahead of Illustrator , CorelDRAW, Photoshop , etc. But that’s not the case with small businesses that don’t have large budgets.

Is this the case with you? Then, this Google Slides video tutorial is for you. You will see how to create social media graphics utilizing stock images and the large font selection available from Google.

20. Edit images in Google Slides: Complete tutorial

We have already shown you how to add images in Google Slides. However, there is a way to actually edit them semi-professionally.

This Google Slides tutorial will show you how to add and then process an image in Google Slides. And that’s not all – it’s done by a professional designer who will also show you how to use text and add it as part of the image!

Google Slides is an app that can do a lot of things. While you might consider it as an online presentation software, it can achieve a lot more things.

If you found this article helpful, you can also check some of our other content:

  • How to Convert Your PowerPoint Presentation into Google Slides
  • How to Make Google Slides Look Good And Add a Touch of Finesse?

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Nikolay Kaloyanov

Nikolay is a copywriter with vast experience in Technology, Marketing, and Design. When he isn't playing with words and crafting texts, he watches sports and asks questions. He is a funny person...until you put him on a diet.

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How to Make Your Google Slides Look Cool (A Guide)

Clean design, engaging visuals, subtle animations, and structured content elevate Google Slides for effective presentations.

How to make your google slides look cool

  • Select the Object: Choose the object or text you want to emphasize.
  • Go to Insert: Click on "Insert"/ ”link” in the top menu.
  • Choose Link: Select "Link" and then "Slides in this presentation."
  • Set Zoom: Pick the slide you want to zoom in on and adjust the zoom level.

notion image

  • Apply: Click "Apply" to create the zoom effect.
  • Select the Object: Choose the object you want to animate.
  • Go to Slide: Click on "Insert" in the top menu.
  • Select Animation: Choose "Animation" and pick from various animation options.
  • Adjust Settings: Customize the animation settings, such as duration and direction.
  • Apply: Click "Apply" to add the animation to your object.

notion image

  • Insert Audio: Go to "Insert" and select "Audio."

notion image

  • Choose a Track: You can upload an audio file from your computer or search for music in the YouTube Audio Library.
  • Adjust Settings: Set the playback options, such as auto-play or looping.
  • Place and Resize: Drag and resize the audio icon to position it on your slide discreetly.
  • Open Theme Options: Click on "Slide" in the top menu.
  • Choose Change Background: Select "Change background" and then "Theme."

notion image

  • Browse Themes: Browse the available themes and pick one that suits your content.
  • Apply Theme: Click "Apply" to change the theme for your presentation.

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  • Learning Guides

How to Use Google Slides (Ultimate Tutorial Guide)

If you're just getting started with making presentations in Google Slides, then this ultimate beginner tutorial guide is for you.  Google Slides is a powerful alternative to PowerPoint . It's great for designing and sharing your presentations online. It's freely available, easy to start using, and packed with powerful tools. 

Are you ready to start using Google Slides

Google Slides has the benefit of being integrated into Google Drive and GSuite. So, if you're already using Gmail, Docs, Sheets and other Google software, then it will fit right into your workflow. 

There are also plenty of professional Google Slides presentations themes you can use to make a great presentation design quickly: 

cool google presentation tricks

How to Use Google Slides: To Make Great Presentations Quickly

Creating a presentation takes quite a bit of work. You want to use a toolset that's intuitive and allows you to design quickly. Get a better grasp of Google Slides in this tutorial series and start making your own presentations.

Learn the details of how to use google slides, from setting up your slide designs, to working with text, bullet points, adding images, other media, and more. You'll learn all the core Google Slides presentation tools, discover how to make great presentations using Google Slides, and an efficient presentation design workflow.

Jump into one of these comprehensive beginner tutorials. Or bookmark this Google Slides guide to start working through each tutorial at your own pace.

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10 quick tips to spice up your Google Slides presentations

10 quick tips to spice up your Google Slides presentations

Presentations can be tough. We’re here to help. Gain expertise with these 10 essential Google Slides tips

PowerPoint may be the most popular presentation software out there, but not everyone can afford to pay for it. This is why many people consider Google Slides as one of the best alternatives to PowerPoint. It’s free, easy to use, and easily accessible. All you need is a Google account and Internet access, and you’re ready to roll!

So, how do you actually make the most of Google Slides and get your presentation looking top notch?

Well today we’ve reached out to our friends over at 24Slides for some Google Slides tips. As leading experts in custom presentation design, they know a thing (or ten) about how to make any slideshow more impactful, and your audience hooked.

So, here are ten quick Google Slides tips from 24Slides that will help make presentation wow your audience.

More of a Microsoft fan? Check out our pro- PowerPoint tips , or get some general presentation pointers here .

1) Insert images directly from Google Images

Google Image Search has billions of images indexed. When you use Google Slides, you don’t need to download images and then upload them again to your slide. Nope, you don’t even need to leave your browser tab to look for suitable images for your presentation.

All you have to do is click on Insert > Image. Then select ‘Search the web’ from the dropdown list. The side panel ‘Search for Google Images’ will appear on the right side of your screen (see screenshot below):

Google Slides Tips

Simply type in the keyword(s) for your image and the results will appear below the search box. The last step would be for you to click on the photo(s) you want to use in your slide. And that’s it! The entire process will only take you anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes!

2) Themes for Google Slides

You can do this by clicking on any slide thumbnail on the left side panel. You’ll then see these options in the menu bar:

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to add themes on your presentations

Click on Theme to access the Themes side panel. You will see something like this on your screen:

Screenshot from Google Slides showing the Themes side panel

Note that there’s no preview button. You simply need to click on the Theme you like and the changes will be applied in real time. Also, if you want to import a theme from an existing presentation, you can click on the yellow Import Theme button. Play around with the different theme options until you find one that works best for your presentation!

3) Mask your images into different fun shapes

Your photos need not be in the usual rectangular or square shape all the time. With Google Slides, you can change your image into various shapes, arrows, callouts, or equations. Here’s how:

  • Click on the image you want to mask to access the hidden photo masking options. For this example, I used this image I found on Google Images.

Screenshot from Google Slides showing an image of a pink birthday cake and flowers in the background

  • Click on Mask image (it’s the small triangular button beside the Crop icon)

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to mask images

  • Select the shape, arrow, callout or equation you want to reshape your image to. As you can see below, there are a lot of different shapes you can choose from:

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to reshape images using shapes, arrows, callouts and equations

  • For this example, I chose the lightning shape. By clicking on the lightning shape, I effectively transformed my boring, rectangular photo into this fun and exciting shape!

Screenshot from Google Slides showing a lightning shape image of a pink birthday cake

Feel free to experiment and explore the many different options. Remember, you can always undo your changes on Google Slides.

4) Insert different types of Google Slides diagrams

To insert a diagram on your slides, click on Insert > Diagram. The Diagrams side panel will appear on the right side of your screen. As you can see below, you can choose from 6 different types of diagrams: Grid, Hierarchy, Timeline, Process, Relationship and Cycle diagrams.

Screenshot from Google Slides showing grid, hierarchy, timeline and process diagrams

For this example, I clicked on the box for Timeline diagram. In the screenshot below, you’ll notice that I was able to customize my Timeline diagram. I changed the number of timeline dates from 4 to 6; I was also able to change the timeline’s color to green.

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to insert and edit a timeline diagram

Play around with the different options until you find the perfect diagram(s) for your presentation.

5) Got links?

With Google Slides, you’re not limited to adding just links to websites, you can also link to images, your files on Google Drive, and even to other slides in your presentation!

Here’s what you need to do:

  • Click on the text you want to add the hyperlink to. Then either hit CTRL+K or right-click on your mouse and look for the Link option.

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to insert links to your presentations

  • To add a web link, type in or paste the web address. Then hit the Apply button.

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to insert a website link to your presentation

  • To link to slides in the same presentation, select from available slides like you see below:

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to link slides from the same presentation

  • For even more link options, click on Find More and the Explore side panel will appear on your screen. You can then type your query in the Title box and Google will then search for relevant websites, images, and even your files saved on Google Drive.

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to find more links for your presentation using the Explore Side Panel

6) Make global changes by editing the slide master

If you’re only working with a few slides, then you may not have much need for a slide master. However, once you get to double figures (say from 10 slides onwards), then you’ll see just how much of a timesaver a slide master is. You don’t need to edit each individual slide, instead you can just go directly to the slide master and all slides in your presentation will automatically be updated.

To edit your slide master, simply go to Slide > Edit Master. This is how it looks like:

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to edit slides for your presentation using the Slide Master

Click on the elements you want to change. For example, if you want all titles and subtitles to use Monserrat font, then you can change that here. There’s a lot of things you can do with the master slide. You can add your company logo in the footer section or the header, and it will automatically appear on all your slides.

The main thing to remember is if you want something to appear on all your slides, the best way to go about this is by editing the slide master itself.

7) How to embed YouTube videos in Google Slides

One of the best ways to make your presentation come alive is by adding videos to it. To do so, click on Insert > Video and you’ll see this on your screen:

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to embed YouTube videos in your presentations

As you can see, you can search YouTube videos directly from your slides (no need to open up another tab and type YouTube ). You can also add a direct link (URL) to a video online, or you can search for videos stored in your Google Drive account.

To edit and format your video, click on the video itself so the Format options button will appear on the menu bar. Click on this button and the Format options side panel will appear on your screen.

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to edit and format YouTube videos in your presentation

Feel free to adjust the video playback options, size and position, and drop shadow settings.

8) How to do transitions on Google Slides

Google Slides transitions are easy to set. To add them, you’ll need to click on the slide thumbnails so you can see the hidden Transition button on the menu.

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to do transitions in your presentations

As you can see in the screenshot above, there aren’t a ton of options on Google Slides (unlike PowerPoint). It’s not necessarily a bad thing though. Most experts recommend keeping transitions to a minimum because it can distract the audience and can even cause motion sickness in some cases.

So, take your pick from the 7 transition options and focus on making your message heard loud and clear. For best results, I recommend you use the same transition effect throughout your presentation.

9) Accept questions from your audience

An interactive presentation is bound to get more attention than, say, a one-sided one. Since Google Slides is cloud-based, it’s easier to get your audience to interact and ask you questions in real time. Here’s how:

  • Click on Present > Presenter View (Present with audience Q&A and view speaker notes).

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to present with audience Q&A and view speaker notes

  • You’ll then see this pop-up on your screen. Click on Audience Tools then hit the Start new button at the bottom.

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to accept questions from your audience using audience tools

  • Google Slides will now generate a link to your online presentation. Simply copy the link and send it to your audience.

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to generate a link to your online presentation and send the link to your audience

  • When people start sending you questions, they’ll appear in the box. You can then answer the questions one by one.

The really cool thing about this feature is you can use it whether you’re in the same room as your audience or they’re halfway across the globe!

10) Collaborate with teammates in real time

Google products stand out with their top-notch online collaboration features. Google Slides is no different. If you’re working with a team of designers and content makers, then the yellow Share button is your friend.

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to collaborate with teammates in real time using the share button

Once you click on Share, you’ll see this pop up on your screen:

Screenshot from Google Slides showing how to collaborate with teammates and share with others in real time

You can either get a shareable link and send it to people via email or chat. Or you can type in people’s name and/or email addresses, then hit the blue Done button to send out your invite. Now, you’ll have an extra pair of eyes to look over your presentation and make sure it’s the best it can possibly be!

Bonus tip: use vector drawings

If you’re looking to wow with your presentation, you are probably using a lot of visuals. This means adding in a lot of JPEGs, videos perhaps even the occasional PDF. These files can be heavy, and quickly stack up, which runs the risk of your Google Slides presentation lagging and testing the patience of your audience.

But, there’s another way. If you have a designer at hand, open up Adobe Illustrator and give vector graphics a try. Creating something unique, custom and exporting as a PNG is likely to keep your slides looking stylish and functioning effectively.

Huge thanks to Guillaume Proux, co-founder of Oomnis Limited for the bonus pro tip!

Loving Google Slides Already?

Did we miss any pro-Google Slides tips? Let us know your favorite!

It’s really no wonder why Google Slides is touted as the best PowerPoint alternative by many experts in the presentation industry. It’s user-friendly, it’s highly customizable, it’s cloud-based, and it’s free.

On the other hand, if you’re pressed for time or simply want to focus on more important things, you can leave the design work to 24Slides. It costs as little as $7 per slide for a custom design and we can turnaround presentations in 24 hours.

Even better, we’re offering Airtame customers and readers a 20% discount off their first order. Simply visit  24slides.com and use the coupon code AIRTAME at checkout.

If you would like to know how to present from your mobile or computer devices to your TV screen or projector wirelessly, watch this short video:

Interested? Let’s talk.

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5 Quick Google Slides Tips & Tricks

If you aren’t using it already, Google Slides might quickly become one of your favorite tools. For anyone with a Google account, the presentation software is included to use completely free of charge.

It’s packed with tools to help you make great presentations with ease, and it supports downloadable templates to help you get started fast.

Make the most of this presentation tool with these tips and tricks that make Google Slides that much more functional!

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1. How to Wrap Text in Google Slides

google slides how to

As a designer, you probably love text wrap. Put a halo on an image and all the text just bumps right off it. Unfortunately, Google Slides doesn’t quite work this way.

To wrap text in Google Slides, take care with text and image frames.

Use the handles on text and image boxes to adjust the height and width of these boxes. That’s how you essentially wrap text using this tool. It is not as precise as design software, but it can do the trick for most slide designs.

One more trick? Send the image to the back using Arrange > Order > Send to back. Then use returns to stack text in a certain format within the text frame.

2. How to Add Bullet Points in Google Slides

google slides how to

Bulleted lists seem to be a staple in presentations.

Short lists can actually reinforce an idea without forcing the audience to read too many things during the talk.

Add bullet points in Google Slides text boxes by navigating to Format > Bullets & numbering > Bulleted list > Pick the style you like from the visual options. Make sure you first clicked on the box to which you want to add bullets (it will bullets to each paragraph) or highlight only the text elements you want to convert into a list.

Choose from multiple style options to find what works best for your presentation. Subsequent paragraphs will also use bullet formatting.

3. How to Print Google Slides with Notes

google slides how to

Plenty of presenters like to add what they plan to say or notes into the notes view of each individual slide. Google Slides allows printing with both the slide image and these notes printed on each page.

Navigate to File > Print settings and preview > Change dropdown to 1 slide with notes.

Other printing options include the ability to print single slides or handout views with 1, 3, 4, 6, or 9 slides per page. Prints can be done in landscape or portrait view and can be printed to a physical print or to PDF for digital sharing.

4. How to Insert a GIF into Google Slides

google slides how to

Spice up your presentation with an animated GIF.

Google Slides supports using still images in most common formats as well as GIF animations and video.

To insert a GIF, navigate to Insert > Image > then pick where your GIF file is located. If you will have an internet connection during the live presentation, you can even use that URL to pull and add the GIF to your slide.

To do this, select By URL and then paste in the image location. If an animated preview appears, you added a valid image address. (If the URL is not valid for a GIF image, it will return an error message.) Note that to use a URL, it has to be the image link, not a link to a webpage containing an image.

Click Insert to add the GIF. Then drag and drop the image to the preferred location on the slide.

5. How to Convert Google Slides to PowerPoint

google slides how to

Depending on where you are presenting, it might be better to convert your Google Slides to a PowerPoint document. This can be because of the computer or system you are using or because you might present in a location without an internet connection and don’t want to use offline mode.

Regardless of the reason, Google Slides can be exported into a number of different formats including PowerPoint. Note that internet-connected features, such as inserting a GIF from the web or linking to a video will render as still images in an exported Google Slides file.

To export Google Slides to PowerPoint go to File > Download as > Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppxt). Once you click the file type – in this case PowerPoint – the download should start. It will be located in the downloads folder of your local computer unless you specify otherwise.

You can open the file in PowerPoint and make changes or run the slide show. Formatting, text and image elements, and created slides will all download in the new file. Everything is editable so you can continue to work or make changes.

It is important to skim through slides before presentation after an export. If anything funny is going to happen to the formatting – from font changes to missing images – this is where it is most likely to happen. Look at all the slides ahead of time to make sure everything in your presentation is formatted and looks like you intend.

Google Slides is a powerful presentation tool and although it works differently than some other software you may be more used to, it is rather intuitive and easy to manage.

Jumpstart Google Slides projects with themes from our collections here on Design Shack . Themes can be a great design starter with slide options for almost every presentation imaginable. Pair them with these tips and you’ll be creating highly-visual presentations in no time.

Art of Presentations

15 Tips to Make an Amazing Google Slides Presentation Design!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

15 Tips to Make an Amazing Google Slides Presentation Design!

There are many reasons that people like to use Google Slides. It could be for a school project, work presentation or just to share information with friends and family.

Whatever the reason, one thing is certain: you want your design to look amazing! If you want an easy way to create a great-looking design for your next presentation then this blog post is for you.

In this article, we will go over 15 tips on how to make an amazing design using Google Slides. Whether it’s your first time creating a presentation on Google Slides or if you’re an experienced professional, these tips are sure to help guide you in the right direction!

So, let’s get started!

Note – if you are strapped for time , simply considering outsourcing the presentation design process to a professional! I’d recommend using Fiverr . It is completely hassle-free to set up and start using. Plus, you don’t need to pay anything to hire a professional. You only pay for the slide design! And, you can start with as little as $5 to $10 per slide!

Tips to Make an Amazing Google Slide Presentation Design!

Since this is going to be an action-packed article with a ton of suggestions, let’s just dive right in with the tips!

1. Create a Compeling Narrative Through a Story Arc

A presentation is only as good as the narrative it holds!

If your presentation doesn’t leave “ food for thought ” for your audience, they are less likely to remember your presentation, and even less likely to take any action afterward (which is mostly bad news especially if you are trying to convince your investors to give you more money!)

Presentation design goes hand-in-hand with the content that is going to be used for the presentation. Thus, start with a compelling story.

The best way to create a convincing story for your presentation is to use the “ Story Arc “.

A “ Story Arc ” or a “Narrative Arc” is something that has been successfully used by storytellers and writers for ages. The keyword here is “successfully”!

A powerful narrative can not only help your audience understand the intricacies of the subject of the presentation, but it also makes the presentation engaging and entertaining.

The best way to start working on a story arc is to either look at what is the most important aspect of your presentation and how can it be emphasized in a manner that takes the role of a protagonist?

Another way that I’ve used the story arc in my presentations successfully is to work backward. Think of what is the end outcome that you expect, and try to track things backward in order to achieve the end outcome.

No matter what approach you take, if you are able to fit a story arc in your presentation, you’d be golden!

Finally use stories from your life, or what you experienced while working on a project! I’ve seen this works really well and resonates with the audience. Here’s a quick video on tips for using storytelling in your presentation.

2. One Topic Per Slide

Now that you’ve identified the larger part of what you going to cover in your presentation – in other words, the content, you now need to lay it out on your presentation such that it can be consumed by your audience comfortably!

One of the simplest tips to design a better presentation is to make sure that you don’t cramp all the information in a single slide or 4-5 slides! Make sure that you spread out the presentation on multiple slides so that the audience can absorb all the information, but in short bursts, and then move on to the next topic!

A good rule of thumb for a good design is to try and cover just 1 topic on a slide.

I’ve seen this work plenty of times, and I personally also use this technique for my presentations. Simply divide the content of your presentations first into multiple key sections. Then, divide the sections further into key topics that should be covered within that section.

You can do this activity on a sheet of paper or just on the first slide of the presentation. Once you’re done with this activity, you’ll realize that the outline that you’ve just created also serves as the “Agenda” or the “Table of Contents” slide.

Now, all you’re left to do is fill in the information that needs to go under each topic.

You may be wondering how is this a design tip. Well, when you have just one concept present on a slide, it is not only easier for your audience to consume, but also easier to design. You’ll realize this when designing the presentation and thank me later!

Remember, there will be times when you will not have much to say about a particular topic, your slide will look empty, and you will be tempted to add another topic on the same slide. Don’t fall for that. Instead, use images that accentuate the text or the topic of the slide.

3. Start with a Template (Don’t Design from Scratch!)

This next tip might seem a bit obvious to some.

But, the reality is that quite a lot of people tend to miss out on the fact that you can use presentations that already look good, and just customize the slides for your content!

cool google presentation tricks

Google Slides already provides you with a number of free templates. Here’s how you can access them –

  • First, visit your Google Slides dashboard page.
  • Login to your Google Account (if prompted)
  • Choose a template from “Start a new presentation” section
  • You can also click on “Template Gallery” to view more templates.

The one template that I end up using over and over again is the file name “ Consulting Proposal “. It has got a sleek modern design, a good mix of image slides as well as different text placeholder slide layouts for you to easily edit your presentation.

But, feel free to check out other templates and see which one fits your need the best.

The point here is that if you are not great at designing a presentation, you’d perhaps be better off using a template rather than starting from scratch!

4. Use Fonts the Right Way

When it comes to designing a good presentation on Google Slides (or any application for that matter), fonts do play a key role in how your presentation looks!

Thus, it is important to make sure that you use the fonts correctly when creating your presentation.

Here’s what you need to remember when using fonts for your presentation –

  • Use Just One or Two Fonts – Don’t use too many fonts in your presentation. Your presentation design will not look good. Plus, using too many fonts in a presentation shows lack of consistency and professionalism in design.
  • Combine Fonts – Ideally, just use one font if you are unsure of which fonts work great together. But, you can also combine fonts to make the content of your presentation standout!

If you do want to go with a two-font option, use the Google Fonts tool to identify the font combination.

Here’s how you can find a good font combination for your presentation –

Step 1 – Visit Googe Fonts and Search for a Font

cool google presentation tricks

Google Fonts site provides free fonts that are compatible with most modern internet sites and web browsers. Google Fonts are considered the gold standard for sites as these look very modern and are light.

The best thing is – most of them are already available in your Google Slides presentation by default.

So, the first step is to visit the Google Fonts website . Then, search for a font, to begin with. My favorite font is Montserrat . But, you can also go with Lato, Roboto, or Source Sans Pro if you are looking for a Sans Serif Font .

If you are looking for a Serif font , I would recommend using Merriweather .

Step 2 – Choose the Font and click “Pairings”

cool google presentation tricks

The next step is to choose a font. You can either type one of the fonts that I mentioned in the search bar and click on it once it appears OR you can also simply choose from the list provided below.

Just make sure that you click on the font that you like to open it.

Once the font is open, click on the “Pairings” tab on the top (as shown in the image).

Step 3 – Choose a Font Pair

cool google presentation tricks

Now simply choose one of the font pairs provided by Google Fonts. You can also click on a font pair to see how it looks on the section on the right.

Play with the options provided and choose the font combination that you like.

Now, simply go back to your Google Slides presentation and change the fonts according to your selection.

5. Choose the Right Color Combination

Just the way fonts are an important part of your Google Slides presentation design, choosing a good color combination can make your presentation look visually appealing, consistent, and professional.

Unfortunately, a lot of struggle with choosing a good color combination. Thus, I highly advise going with a monochromatic color scheme.

A monochromatic color scheme in a presentation provides a variety of color combinations of the same color. This makes your presentation look consistent and professional.

Moreover, using a monochromatic color scheme is a perfect way option for a beginner as it requires the least amount of time and effort to set up!

Check out my other article on using a monochromatic color scheme for presentations to understand the topic in-depth.

Then, also check out how to use the eyedropper tool in Google Slides to implement the color scheme that you end up choosing.

Make sure that you change the color at the theme level in Google Slides instead of changing it on every single slide. This will save you quite a bit of time!

6. Use the Expore Tool to Generate Slide Designs

Once you’ve decided the fonts, color scheme, and theme, and you have the content structured out, you’ve done most of the hard work!

All you are now left to do is create the slide designs. And, to help you with that, make sure that you use the “ Explore Tool ” in Google Slides.

The “Explore” feature in Google Slides generates slide designs based on the content that is already present on the slide. It is a great way to get a slide designed almost instantaneously!

The “Explore” feature in Google Slides works much as the design ideas feature in PowerPoint.

Based on the content on the slide, it will throw a few suggestions on how the content can be laid out on the slide. You can choose the design you like. If not, you can still design your own slide. But, it is definitely worth trying out first. Pretty cool, isn’t it!

I wrote a detailed article on the Explore Feature in Google Slides . Make sure you check out that article to learn where to find this tool and know how to use it!

That said, one thing to keep in mind is that this feature is still an experimental tool . And, while it is getting better with time, I wouldn’t recommend using it with every single slide.

In my experience, I’ve noticed that using the “Explore” feature in Google Slides works best when you want to create a title slide, a section break slide, or just want to get a few ideas on how the slide can be designed.

7. Apply the 3 by 3 Design Rule

The 3 by 3 design rule, otherwise also known as “ the rule of thirds “, is a principle that has been borrowed from photography. But, it is every bit applicable even for slide designs and other design elements!

As per the 3 by 3 design principle, you basically need to divide the visual canvas into 3 equal-sized vertical and horizontal grids with the help of 2 vertical grid lines and 2 horizontal grid lines.

Here’s a video that explains the concept of the rule of thirds for presentations –

Using these grids helps place the content correctly in the grids such that the key message usually aligns with the way our eyes like to see them visually!

The 3 by 3 design principle may seem confusing at first, but once you’ve understood how to use it, you can literally take your presentation design skills a few notches above the rest!

Using 3X3 Grids to Properly Layout Content on your Slides

cool google presentation tricks

The interesting thing is, you can take the same principle to make it work with elements apart from the images that are present on your slide. And, the results are just amazing!

The picture above shows how most people design their slides (on the left). However, you can literally transform the way your slides look by applying the concept of 3×3 grids to any existing content on the slides! (as shown on the right part of the picture above)

Here’s another video that explains how this concept of 3 by 3 grids can be used to take any existing slides and make them better (if they aren’t properly organized).

8. Use Powerful Images

They say – “An image speaks a thousand words!”. This absolutely holds true when it comes to big impact presentation!

If you recollect any one of the top presentations from Steve Jobs. His presentation was almost always using powerful images with very few words on them.

Using images, as opposed to a lot of text, on your presentation has a few advantages of its own –

  • Visual Appeal – Using images makes the slide visually appealing. Think about it – if there aren’t too many objects placed on the slide, the chances of making design related mistakes are also far lower!
  • Emotional Connect – Using images creates a subtle emotional connect in the minds of the audience with the topic of the presentation and/or the presenter.
  • Audience Focus – When you use text on a presentation, often the audience just reads the text and doens’t want to listen to the presenter. Instead, when using the images, you control the focus of the attention of your audience. Once you have their attention, making a presentation impactful is a lot easier!
  • Faster Design Process – In most cases, it is faster to find an image and add it to the presentation rather than think of a way to design a slide to communicate a concept. This is especially true if you have only basic design skills.

If you watch some of the most famous TED or TEDx presentations ( know the difference between TED and TEDx presentations here ), it is quite common to see presenters using high-impact images with text. Ever wonder why is it so?

Well, one of the most important reasons is that you are able to control the attention of the audience!

Now, if you are wondering how to find images for your presentation, keep reading as I’ve got some great recommendations for add-ons later in the article!

9. Keep the Text on the Slide Readable

If using images for most slides is not the way for you, then this section is going to be quite important!

In fact, even if you do plan to use just images on your slides, there may still be a few slides where you will need to have some text. If so, make sure that the text on the slide is readable!

Make sure that you don’t use text that is too small to read.

As a general rule – the further the audience is going to be away from the screen, the larger the size of the text!

Here’s what to remember for the size of the text on the slides –

  • Presentation seen on a computer screen – If the presentation that you are designing is going to be seen on a computer screen (either over an email or a zoom call), then make sure that the font size used for the presentation is not less than 16 points .
  • Presentation seen on a large screen – If the presentation is going to be delivered in an auditorium, then it is recommended to use a font size no less than 30 points . For the rest of the situations, anything in between should be fine!

Also, make sure that you don’t use too much text on the same slide. Remember – you only need to cover one key topic on one slide.

It is totally okay to just use one word in the middle of the slide, and talk about that topic rather than using text from a complete word document on a slide!

If your audience will have to squint to read what is written, it just creates a bad user experience and they quickly lose interest.

Also, for the above reason, don’t include everything on the slide that you plan to say! If you do so, you may come across as a person who is just reading from the slide! Most importantly, the audience is going to end up reading the text from the slide faster than you speak, and end up losing interest in the presentation!

10. Ditch the Bullet Points (Use Infographics Instead!)

Using bullet points on a presentation is so 1990s! It’s just not the way good presentations are given anymore!

If you want your presentation design to look good, make sure that you get rid of bullet points. Instead, you can either use images, icons, or even infographics!

I’ve written an entire article on how to use infographics in Google Slides where I also talk about SmartArt and charts in Google Slides. Make sure you check out that article!

There are a ton of different ways in which you get infographics for Google Slides. I’ve talked about that also in the same article that I’ve linked above.

Likewise, you can also use icons instead of bullet points. Although adding icons to Google Slides is not an option that is available by default, there are a few ways you can work around this problem. For instance, you can use an add-on like “Flaticon” that provides free icons for Google Slides!

If you are wondering how to create a slide with bullet points and use icons or other methods, here’s a good example of an actual client slide that I redesigned –

cool google presentation tricks

As you can see on the image, simply using icons and structuring the text to give proper hierarchy to the information can make all the difference to the design of the slide!

In case you don’t want to use icons, you can also use numbers with circles, and use a similar design instead of just adding bullets to your presentation. If you do so, your presentation will still look good!

11. Avoid Using Just Table or a Graph

The next tip to remember is to avoid using just a table or a graph on a slide. Make sure that you also include a few points that act as key takeaways from the information that you provide.

Using just a table will present a lot of information on a single slide. This will definitely cause an information overload. And, even though your audience may be able to assess what is being presented to them, it is important to either highlight key pieces of information in the table or a graph.

Alternatively, you can also add a couple of lines of text indicating the key learnings from the data set.

Don’t get me wrong, it is important to have data sets on a presentation if you have one! But, just make sure that you also highlight key pieces of information that your audience should pay attention to.

12. Keep Animations and Transitions Subtle

Another design tip that you should keep in mind is the use of animations and transitions in Google Slides.

You want to make sure when using animations in Google Slides , you don’t add any funny movements. Think old school when using animations and transitions in your presentation.

Any additional movement or sudden transitions can distract the attention of the audience from the core topic and the messaging of the presentation.

So, make sure that you keep the use of such animations or transitions to the minimal!

13. Use Professional Google Slides Templates

If you find that the free template doesn’t have enough slide layouts for your presentation or doesn’t really fit the topic of your presentation, you may want to consider using professional templates!

There are a ton of different ways you can get templates for Google Slides. Unfortunately, most of the free options (and even most paid options) have outdated designs!

My personal favorite method for getting amazing Google Slides presentation templates is using Envato Elements .

cool google presentation tricks

The best part about using Envato Elements is that not only does it provide you with the best-in-class designs for your templates, but it also provides you with an option to download an unlimited number of presentations! (yes, you hear that right!)

Moreover, the pricing of Envato Elements is also really affordable! All you need to do is click on Envato Elements to visit the website, view the templates, and click on the “ Get Unlimited Downloads ” button on the top.

You will be prompted to sign up and pay a subscription. Just go for a monthly subscription and pay for one month (You can easily remove the payment method and cancel your subscription anytime).

Once you’ve logged in, simply cancel your subscription. Your subscription will be valid until the next date of renewal even if you cancel it.

Now, for the one month that you’ve paid, feel free to download all the templates that you like including templates for Google Slides, and PowerPoint!

14. Use Add-ons for Faster and Better Designs

One of the challenges with Google Slides, as opposed to some of the most reliable presentation design software, is the limited number of features it offers.

I suppose we should not really be complaining about it given that we do get a great presentation design application for free along with several additional advantages with Google Slides ! That said, you do feel the need for a few pro-features that PowerPoint has to offer.

However, one way to fix this problem is to use add-ons with Google Slides!

Using add-ons allows you to use third-party tools and bring additional functionalities to your Google Slides presentation!

Add-ons on Google Slides are easy to add. Simply go to the Google Marketplace, and search for the add-on that you would like to add. Install it, and you are done!

Check out my complete guide on using Add-ons on Google Slides where I not only talk about how to use add-ons in Google Slides, but I also provide you with my personal favorite top 5 recommendations of add-ons that you should be using in Google Slides!

15. Hire a Professional

Well, the last tip is not so much as a tool that you can use on Google Slides. But, it is a great hack to ensure that you create great presentation designs!

Simply hire a professional to do the design work for you! You may be wondering that hiring a presentation professional might be difficult. However, that is not the case.

You can easily find some really good presentation designers on Fiverr , and you can start at as little as $5 to $10 dollars per slide! I’ve personally used freelancers from the site, and although finding a good freelancer may take you 15-20 minutes, you can easily outsource your work and let the designer worry about the rest!

The best part is – you don’t have to pay a single penny to hire a professional. You only pay to get the work done!

There are a ton of other platforms to hire professionals that can design a good presentation for you. However, I have found Fiverr (especially for presentation design work) and Upwork to be the most effective.

A Few Things to Remember When Delivering the Presentation

Once you have created an amazing Google Slides presentation, you are perhaps ready to deliver the presentation. However, I’d like to also share a couple of tips that can be helpful when you plan to give the presentation!

So, here they are –

1. Use a Presentation Remote

It doesn’t matter whether you are giving a presentation in an auditorium or online through Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Using a presentation remote helps you keep your hands free and allows for free movement and hand gestures. This does help engage with your audience.

Check out my other article on using presentation clickers with Google Slides where I provide you with a few tips and recommendations on which remote you should go with.

2. Use the Q&A Tool in Google Slides

A unique feature that Google Slides provides is the Q&A tool. This is great especially if you are delivering a webinar-style presentation or if you are simply addressing a large gathering.

This tool allows your audience to send questions during the course of your presentation. Then, at the end, you can simply view the questions in the Q&A session and answer them one by one!

It is a great way to deliver an engaging presentation using Google Slides!

Credit to cookie_studio (on Freepik) for the featured image of this article (further edited).

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Google Slides: Hacks, Tips, and Tricks for Teachers (Part I)

  • September 16, 2020

cool google presentation tricks

Because over and over I see teachers needing the nitty gritty back-end info about Google Slides that will let them use it for their own creative ideas. 

For today, feel free to call me Captain Nitty-Gritty. We’re going deep into the platform, so buckle up! These are answers to the questions I’m seeing a lot from the wonderful teachers in my membership, The Lighthouse, in my Facebook group, Creative High School English, and in my inbox. I hope they will be helpful to you! 

This is the first in a series of two Google Slides tutorials posts I’m going to be sharing. Today we’re focusing in on customizing slides, forcing copies, creating interactive slides, designing beautiful slides, creating digital interactive notebooks, formatting virtual galleries and easily adding audio to slides. This post starts with more basic concepts and moves into more advanced possibilities; please pick and choose what’s most helpful to you. Don’t miss the very last tip – it’s my FAVORITE (and possibly the subject of a whole blog post where we can dive deeper before long!). 

Next week we’ll talk about Nearpod and Peardeck, polls, the Slip-and-Slide extension, using slides to create essay portfolios and storyboards, and more. 

#1 How can I design my slide deck to be the size and shape I want? 

#2 How can I share just one slide with my students from this huge slide deck of curriculum I’ve got?

#3 How can I share a link that forces the recipient to make a copy of my slides into their own Google drive (thereby avoiding a million “requests for access”)?

#4 How can I use a collaborative slide deck to make a virtual gallery for my students without them deleting each other’s work?

#5 How can I more effectively use graphic design in my slides? 

#6 How can I create Google Slides with interactive elements students can drag and drop? 

#7 How can I easily add audio to Slides? 

#8 How can I use Slides to create an interactive notebook with master slides? 

OK, that’s a wrap on a whole lot of video creation for this week! More to come next week. Until then, have fun experimenting in this lovely platform. 

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Essential Google Slides Tips

Google Slides is cloud-based presentation software that has gained a lot of popularity among business professionals. However, earlier, it was being used by millions of people worldwide, mainly for academic purposes.

Google Slides allows us to make compelling presentations quickly and easily right from our browser or application. You can effortlessly draft your next presentation using  Google Slide Templates without having to install third-party programs. It can also assist you in collaborating with your teammates and collaborating on a PowerPoint presentation.

Despite the fact that a large number of employees have signed up to Google Slides, few appear to be taking advantage of its extensive feature set. Continue reading to know about some of the tips and tactics that even the most devoted users are unaware of. Then, look into the strategies below to overcome mediocrity and become great at using Google Slides, and if you fell like you need a refresher on Google Slides features, check our guide .

1. Use the Master Slides Tool for modifications:

If you don’t have enough spare time, you should try to use the master slides tool to change a group of slides at once rather than doing them individually. This tool is particularly useful if you want to change your entire PowerPoint presentation to reflect a specific theme or style, as it saves you the time and effort of altering each slide separately.

2. Merge Other Formats together:

It’s not necessary that all of your colleagues would switch to Google Slides because you are making use of it. So no worries, if you’re using PowerPoint to create a business presentation with someone else. Fortunately, you can read and edit your PowerPoint documents in Google Slides very easily without having to convert them to a Google file. To get started with it, all you need to do is open Google Slides in your Chrome browser and install the Chrome extension of “Office Editing” for Sheets , Docs , and Slides.

3. Take advantage of image masking:

You can modify the form of an attached image in Google Slides as it provides a variety of image masking options that can be utilized very easily. This option is especially very beneficial if boxy, sharp photos don’t compliment your presentation’s entire theme.

4. Add a drop shadow to the text:

The aesthetics are important if you want your presentation to stand out among others. To make this happen, you can consider inserting a drop shadow. This is one approach to bring attention to important text. By doing so, a tiny shadow is created, duplicating the content. You have the full authority to adjust the color of the text or reduce the opacity of an image as per your preference. Once you are done modifying, you can drop it right onto the original one. Content headers, in particular, benefit greatly from this.

5. Bookmark Key Text:

Having a Large presentation would necessitate a lot of scrolling to locate in particular exactly what you are searching for. So don’t squander all of that time. Rather, it would be great if you utilized the program’s bookmarking feature in your presentation. With the help of it you can quickly zoom to different spots or passages within your PowerPoint presentation.

6. Undo changes:

No issues if you have made any recent big modifications but unfortunately, that do not get along with your vibe, you are always free to go back to a prior version. Google Slides keeps a comprehensive revision history that allows you to examine all past document changes and enables you to go back to the original if in need. Moreover, it also keeps a record of who has made the changes so that you can view what changes are made and by whom. 

7. Do a dictation for each slide:

Do you get tired of inputting text boxes repeatedly? If yes, then Google Slides is your way to go since it has a “Voice Typing” feature that can be used to dictate the text into new presentation slides. In addition, the functionality even recognizes punctuation commands, ensuring that each slide is exactly as you want it to be. It is giving you the best quality work.  

8. Incorporate Into Your Website:

You can very easily integrate your company presentation onto your web page if you think your target audience would be interested. However, remember that each website’s method is a little different. You would need to research before you attempt to do it. In case you are using WordPress, you can find thorough instructions for embedding your Google Slides presentation in here .

9. Project Using Chromecast or AirPlay:

Going fully wireless to give a presentation will turn heads and will make your life much easier. However, you must ensure that you know how to project directly through your mobile onto a compatible television if you have access to your Google Drive. Moreover, you should also be able to use Chromecast to project your Google Slides presentation if you have an Android smartphone. This will give your audience a good impression of you making your grounds good.

10. Establish a Shared Folder:

Last but not the least, you can easily upload company stock pictures to your Google Drive if you have to share your piece of information with multiple team members. Shared access would help to prepare your Google Slides presentations well on behalf of your organization. All you need to do is, create a new folder on Google Drive and share it with your colleagues if you want to have access to the photographs. Your entire staff can then quickly drag and drop company logos and stock photos into presentations without bothering anyone.

Conclusion:

We hope that this article might have added to your knowledge. These are just a few pointers that can get you started easily. However, Google Slides offers dozens of other unique features that can help you leverage your presentation. So research a little and give it a try yourself; you’ll see the difference.

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How to Lower the Size of a Google Slides Presentation: Simple Hacks

Google Slides file icons with an arrow indicating size reduction on a yellow background with the SlideEgg logo.

Crafting a captivating Google Slides presentation is an art form. But sometimes, your masterpiece can become a bit… cumbersome. Sharing a presentation that’s too large can lead to slow loading times, frustrated recipients, and even email bounce-backs. This blog dives deep into simple tips and tricks to effectively reduce your Google Slides file size without sacrificing visual impact. It will ensure smooth sharing and audience engagement.

Why Does File Size Matter?

Large file sizes can create hurdles for both you and your viewers. Uploads take longer, emails bounce back, and some platforms restrict file size. A streamlined presentation ensures seamless delivery, especially for online presentations or remote collaboration.

Trimming the Fat: Image Optimization Is Key

Leaves image with SlideEgg logo. Crop option is selected to crop the image.

Images are often the biggest culprits behind bulky presentations. Here’s how to tame those pixels:

  • Resize Images: Most images don’t require their original high resolution for a presentation. Use the “Crop” or “Resize” function within Google Slides to reduce image dimensions without sacrificing quality. Aim for a balance between clarity and file size.
  • Compress, Don’t Squash: Google Slides offers built-in image compression. Go to “Format” > “Images” > “Compress Images.” Choose “High quality” for a good balance. Avoid “Low quality” as it might noticeably degrade the image.

Pro Tip: Many online tools offer free image compression while maintaining quality. Explore these options for further optimization.

Lighter Links, Happier Audience

Embedding large videos directly into your slides can inflate the file size considerably. Consider these alternatives:

  • Link to the Source: If the video resides on YouTube or Vimeo, simply embed a link. Viewers can click the link to watch the video directly on the platform.
  • Upload to Cloud Storage: Upload the video to Google Drive or another cloud storage service and share the link within your slide. This keeps the presentation itself lightweight and offers viewers easy access to the video.

Beyond Images: Streamlining Other Elements

While images are a primary focus, other aspects can contribute to file size:

  • Fonts: Fancy fonts are visually appealing, but some can be resource-intensive. Stick to standard fonts like Arial or Calibri for a professional look without file size bloat.
  • Animations and Transitions: While these can add pizazz, excessive use can lead to a larger file size. Use them strategically for emphasis, not as a constant feature.

Housekeeping: The Art of a Clean Presentation

  • Delete unused slides: Evaluate each slide and remove anything that doesn’t directly contribute to your message.
  • Tame those animations: Excessive animations can bloat your file size. Use them moderately and strategically for maximum impact.
  • Clean up after yourself: Remove unnecessary formatting like extra spaces or unused text boxes.

Exporting for Efficiency: Choosing the Right Format

Downloading files in various formats like PowerPoint, PDF, JPEG, PNG, etc. in Google Slides

Once you’ve optimized your presentation, it’s time to export! While Google Slides (.pptx) is the native format, other options can lead to smaller file sizes:

  • PDF Power: Exporting as a PDF is a great option for presentations that won’t be edited further. PDFs are generally smaller than .pptx files and ensure consistent formatting across devices.
  • Presentation for the Web (.odp): This format is specifically designed for web presentations and can result in a significantly smaller file size compared to .pptx. However, keep in mind that some formatting elements might not translate perfectly.
  • PNG Images (Slides Individually): If you only need to share specific slides, exporting them as individual PNG images provides maximum control over file size.

Presentation Powerhouse: Leverage Pre-Made Themes

Smart presenters know the value of pre-made themes. High-quality free Google Slides themes , available online, offer visually appealing layouts with pre-formatted elements.  These themes not only elevate your presentation’s design but can also help maintain consistency, reducing the need for extensive customization and potentially lowering file size.

A captivating presentation doesn’t rely solely on file size. Focus on delivering a clear, concise message with impactful visuals. For a deeper dive into presentation mastery, explore our tips & tricks page , where you’ll find valuable resources to learn more hacks. Also, check out our guide on How to Change Your Google Slides Template Size in Minutes to learn the steps for changing the size of Google Slides.

Let’s Conclude

Reducing the size of your Google Slides presentation doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By following these tips, you can create a streamlined, efficient presentation that’s easy to share and perform seamlessly. Keep your presentations light and effective with these strategies, and you’ll be well on your way to impressing your audience with not just your content but also your technical prowess. Go forth and present with confidence, knowing your audience will receive your message loud and clear and without any file-size roadblocks!

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Arockia Mary Amutha

Arockia Mary Amutha is a seasoned senior content writer at SlideEgg, bringing over four years of dedicated experience to the field. Her expertise in presentation tools like PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Canva shines through in her clear, concise, and professional writing style. With a passion for crafting engaging and insightful content, she specializes in creating detailed how-to guides, tutorials, and tips on presentation design that resonate with and empower readers.

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