Google Presentations App: A Comprehensive Guide

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Google Presentations App is a powerful tool for creating and sharing presentations. It's a part of the Google Drive suite of productivity tools.

You can access Google Presentations from the Google Drive app or website. Just sign in with your Google account and you're good to go.

Getting Started

You can access Google Presentations from the Google Drive homepage.

Google Presentations is free to use, and you don't need to create an account to start working on a presentation.

To get started, click on the "New" button and select "Google Slides" from the dropdown menu.

You can also create a new presentation from the Google Drive homepage by clicking on the "New" button and selecting "Google Slides".

Google Presentations offers a range of templates to help you get started quickly.

Features

The Google Presentations app is a powerful tool for creating and sharing engaging presentations. It's available on both desktop and mobile devices.

You can add text, images, and other multimedia elements to your slides with ease. The app also allows you to format text and add animations to make your presentations more dynamic.

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One of the standout features of Google Presentations is its real-time collaboration capabilities. This means that multiple people can work on a presentation simultaneously, making it a great tool for team projects.

You can also use Google Presentations to create interactive presentations with polls, quizzes, and more. This feature is perfect for engaging your audience and encouraging participation.

The app also includes a built-in image editor, which allows you to edit and enhance your images right within the presentation. This can save you time and effort when creating your slides.

What Are Google Presentations?

Google Presentations is a free online tool that lets you create, edit, and share presentations. It's part of the Google Drive suite of productivity tools.

You can start a new presentation from scratch or use a template to get a head start. Presentations can be shared with others, who can then view, edit, or comment on them.

Google Presentations is accessible from any device with an internet connection. You can even work on a presentation on your phone and then pick up where you left off on your computer.

The tool allows you to add text, images, and other multimedia elements to your slides. You can also use Google's built-in drawing tools to create custom illustrations and diagrams.

What's Available?

A professional business meeting with a man presenting ideas on a cork board.
Credit: pexels.com, A professional business meeting with a man presenting ideas on a cork board.

There are over 50 websites where you can download Google Slides themes.

Google Slides itself has a limited number of themes available for use.

You can find a wide variety of free themes on these websites, making it easy to create a beautiful presentation for business or other purposes.

Add Flair with GIFs and Stickers

Adding a dash of creativity to your presentations is easier than you think. You can use GIFs and stickers directly in Slides to give your content a fun and engaging twist.

GIFs can be used to break up text-heavy slides and add visual interest. Slides offers a range of GIFs to choose from, so you can pick the ones that best fit your message.

Stickers can also be used to highlight important information or add a touch of personality to your slides. They're a great way to make your content more interactive and engaging.

By incorporating GIFs and stickers into your presentations, you can make your message more memorable and enjoyable for your audience.

Supported File Formats

Close-up of hands holding a tablet showing a presentation on a wooden desk.
Credit: pexels.com, Close-up of hands holding a tablet showing a presentation on a wooden desk.

Google Slides supports a variety of file formats, making it easy to share and collaborate on presentations.

You can import files with the following extensions:

  • .GSLIDES: Google Slides Shortcut
  • .JPG: JPEG Image
  • .PNG: Portable Network Graphic
  • .SVG: Scalable Vector Graphics File
  • .TXT: Plain Text File

The .gslides format has a file size limit of 100 MB.

Built for the Cloud

Google Slides is fully cloud-native, making it accessible from any device using any modern web browser.

This means users can access and edit their Slides decks on as many devices as they want, at no extra charge.

Slides being cloud-based also means all updates are automatically handled by Google, so users never have to worry about running an outdated version of the software.

This is a big advantage over PowerPoint, which still requires users to install it on their local devices and is limited to five devices per license.

PowerPoint's web-based version lacks some key features, including advanced design tools and the ability to integrate Excel charts.

Google Slides users enjoy the same user interface, functionality, and integration with the rest of Google Workspace regardless of which browser, operating system or device they’re using.

Technology

A Woman in a Business Meeting Doing a Presentation
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In the world of technology, presentations need to be just as cutting-edge as the products and services being showcased. This is where Google Slides Themes come in, providing a sleek and modern look to any presentation.

For a more literal representation of technology, consider using the Free Technology Google Slides Template, which features a human head with connecting dots to depict thought or strategy.

Google Slides Themes like Mowbray and Valentine are also great options, with Mowbray's teal hues and Valentine's blueprint background and sketchy graphics making them stand out from the crowd.

Here are some popular Google Slides Themes for technology:

  • Mowbray: A free template with teal hues and a unique design.
  • Valentine: Suitable for engineering, architecture, programming, interior design, or technology, with a blueprint background and neat sketchy graphics.
  • Free Technology Google Slides Template: Features a human head with connecting dots to depict thought or strategy.
  • Gajah: A clean and minimalist design with over 100 premade colors.
  • Digital Utopia Google Slides Template: One of the best-selling themes on Envato market, with relevant icons, beautiful illustrations, and a variety of diagrams.

Best

The best Google Slides themes are truly a game-changer for presentations. They can make your slides stand out and convey your message more effectively.

Mowbray is a free Google Slide Template that's perfect for those who want to add a bit of personality to their slides. Its teal hues are a refreshing change from the usual blue or grey colors.

Smiling Woman Doing a Presentation
Credit: pexels.com, Smiling Woman Doing a Presentation

If you're looking for a theme that's specifically designed for technology, Valentine is a great choice. Its blueprint background and neat sketchy graphics make it look like pure brilliance.

Some Google Slides themes are more literal than others, and Free Technology Google Slides Template is a great example of this. Its design features a human head with connecting dots, which is a clever way to represent technology.

Gajah is another great option, with over 100 premade colors to choose from. Its clean and minimalist design is perfect for tech start-ups or companies who want a modern look.

Here are some of the best Google Slides themes for technology, with a brief description of each:

Digital Utopia Google Slides Template is also worth mentioning, as it's one of the best-selling themes on Envato market. Its relevant icons and beautiful illustrations make it a great choice for digital industries.

Designed for Collaboration

Google Slides is designed with collaboration in mind, allowing multiple users to edit and comment on a presentation in real-time. This feature is a game-changer for teams and businesses working on presentations together.

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Edits and comments appear instantly and are visible to all users, regardless of the device or browser they're using. This means you can work on a presentation from your computer, and your team members can view and edit it from their mobile devices.

To share a presentation with others, you can enter their email addresses under "Share with people and groups", and Google will send them invitations to access the document. Alternatively, you can choose "Get link" to receive a link, which can be sent to other users manually.

Multiple users can be editing and viewing the presentation at the same time, making it extremely convenient when you have multiple contributors working on one collaborative presentation. This is especially useful when working on a presentation with a team, as everyone can contribute their ideas and feedback in real-time.

Here are the steps to share a presentation with others:

  1. Enter the other users' email addresses under “Share with people and groups,” and Google will send them invitations to access the document.
  2. Choose “Get link” to receive a link, which can be sent to other users manually.

With Google Slides, you have granular control over who gets to edit, comment, or view your slides, making it easy to manage sharing permissions. This feature is essential for presentations that require input from multiple stakeholders or team members.

Productivity

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To boost your productivity, consider using Google Meet for presentations. You can access all of your Slides and Meet controls in one place.

Presenting with Google Meet allows for smoother high resolution presentations. This can make a big difference in how engaging and effective your presentations are.

With Google Meet, you can present like a pro, directly from the app, making it easier to share your ideas with others.

Stay Productive Offline

With the Google Slides app, you can stay productive even without an internet connection.

You can access, create, and edit your Slides presentations offline. This means you can work on your projects from anywhere, without worrying about connectivity issues.

To view and edit presentations offline, you need to be using the Google Chrome web browser.

The Google Chrome browser has a Chrome extension called Google Docs Offline that allows you to enable offline support for Slides files on the Google Drive website.

The Android and iOS apps natively support offline editing, so you can work on your presentations on your mobile devices even without internet access.

Auto Save and Versioning

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Auto Save and Versioning are game-changers for productivity.

In contrast to PowerPoint, which only has autosave if users are logged into their OneDrive or Sharepoint account, Slides automatically saves all files in Google Drive for easy access from any web browser, on any device.

With Slides, you don't have to worry about losing your work because autosave is always on.

Versioning is also automatic in Slides, so you can easily revert back to a previous version of a slide deck or view edit history without any hassle.

You can access File > Version history to browse the slide deck's full edit history and restore previous versions with a single click.

This feature is especially useful if you're working with a team, as it allows you to see who made changes and when, making collaboration a breeze.

Get More Done with Gemini

You can generate a slide with a simple prompt and your Drive content using Gemini in Slides. This feature helps you catch up with quick summaries of your content.

Gemini allows you to easily generate unique images, and visualize something that never existed. This can be a huge time-saver when creating presentations.

Try Gemini for Google Workspace today and see how it can boost your productivity.

Storage Preferences

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Having a reliable storage system is crucial for productivity, and both PowerPoint and Google Slides have their own ways of handling this.

With PowerPoint, manual saving is generally required, but there's an AutoSave function in Office that automatically saves presentations to OneDrive.

PowerPoint's AutoSave feature is a game-changer, especially for those who tend to forget to save their work.

Presentations are mainly stored in OneDrive, which provides a secure and accessible place to store your files.

In contrast, Google Slides operates in the cloud and directly saves presentations to Google Drive without manual intervention.

Google Drive offers an initial 15 GB of storage for each account, eliminating manual save hassles and giving users peace of mind.

Free Carnival

Free Carnival is a great resource for those on a budget. Slides Carnival offers a wide range of free templates.

Each template is carefully categorized according to style, making it easy to find the perfect fit for your needs. The designs look unique, with a different look and feel for each slide.

Science

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Productivity is not just about getting tasks done, it's also about presenting information in a clear and engaging way. A great tool for this is Google Slides, and if you're working on a science-related project, you'll want to use the right theme.

The Science theme has 25 unique slide presentations with icons, making it a great choice for science projects. This theme is also versatile, allowing you to modify and adapt it to suit your needs.

If you want to make your presentation stand out, consider using a theme with trendy colors, like Imogen. Its hexagon shapes look interesting and will add a modern touch to your slides.

For a more traditional look, you can't go wrong with the Science Lab theme, which uses green and purple hues. This theme is perfect for avoiding a mainstream look and adding some personality to your presentation.

Here are some Google Slides themes for science that you might find useful:

  • Friar* (blue sketchy icons with rockets, rulers, magnets, calculators, and chemistry related apparatus)
  • Science* (25 unique slide presentations with icons, suitable for science)
  • Imogen* (hexagon shapes, trendy colors)
  • Science Lab* (green and purple hues)

Marketing

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Marketing is a crucial aspect of any business, and creating effective marketing materials is essential for success. You can find a variety of Google Slides themes specifically designed for marketing, such as the Marketing Roadmap template with 25+ customizable slides.

These templates make it easy to add images, icons, charts, and graphs to help illustrate your marketing goals and strategies. You can also export your slides to PDF or JPG, download, or share them with others.

The Ethical Marketing template is a great resource for discussing marketing ethics with your company's managers. Its blue color scheme inspires trust, and the abstract background with waves makes it a versatile option. You'll find illustrations and photos with a blue filter to help convey your message.

A formal presentation is often necessary for business meetings or pitching startup ideas to investors. The Stylish Pitch Deck template is a great choice, featuring 25 different fully editable slides with tips to improve your presentation. You can also customize the yellow and blue palette to fit your brand.

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If you're looking for a modern and colorful design, the Modern Big Text template is a great option. It features 25 different slides that are fully editable, and you can choose from a rainbow palette of backgrounds or customize them to match your brand. This template also comes with a customizable icon family of 80 different icons and a world map.

Here are some key features of these marketing templates:

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google presentation free?

Yes, Google Slides is completely free to use, requiring only a Google account and internet connection. Get started with Google Slides for free and discover its features.

Does Google have a Slideshow app?

Yes, Google Slides is available as a mobile app in the App Store and Play Store, and can also be accessed from a computer. Download the app to view, present, and collaborate on Slides on-the-go.

Calvin Connelly

Senior Writer

Calvin Connelly is a seasoned writer with a passion for crafting engaging content on a wide range of topics. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for storytelling, Calvin has established himself as a versatile and reliable voice in the world of writing. In addition to his general writing expertise, Calvin has developed a particular interest in covering important and timely subjects that impact society.

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