how to make a good presentation on google slides

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

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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How To Make Google Slides Look Good [Complete 2024 Guide]

• Last updated January 2, 2024

Making a standard presentation is easy, but knowing how to make Google Slides look good is an entirely different challenge. In my guide, I will show you how to make your Google Slides better , both functionally and aesthetically.

Keep reading to learn how to take your Google Slides presentation from good to great !

Table of Contents

1. Choose a Google Slides Theme

Themes ensure your presentation has visually consistent colors, fonts, sizes, and layouts. This goes a long way toward providing a professional and polished appearance, and it’s much easier for the audience to follow along.

• Choose a theme that aligns with the tone and purpose of your presentation.
• Ensure slides have a consistent set of colors, fonts, and layouts.
• Select a visually appealing color scheme and legible font combination.

While you can handpick background color palettes, typefaces, and slide layouts, many of the best Google Slides templates are built into the program! In a blank presentation, you’ll find them on the right-hand side.

Creating Your Own Google Slides Theme

It’s fairly straightforward to create your theme in Slides. Add whatever background color, images, shapes, and page formatting you prefer. Right-click your chosen slide and select “ Add to theme .”

Related : Don’t want to make one from scratch? I’ve got you covered with some of my favorite Google Slides templates  at the bottom of this article.

How To Import a Theme to Google Slides

• Create a new presentation or open an existing one.

Note : Importing a theme into your presentation will impact all of your slides.  To revert to the previous version, use the “ Undo ” button by pressing the keyboard shortcut  Ctrl + Z  (on Windows) or use  Command + Z  (on Mac).

2. Choosing Color Schemes in Slides

A color scheme is one of the first things your audience will see, so it’s one of the most critical elements. Google Slides offers plenty of color options, including gradients  (which can be used for almost all the elements, including background, font, and shapes).

Use color theory principles  (like complementary colors) to create combinations that stand out for the right reason. Color psychology is also a great way to express emotions or convey messages purposefully:

• Warm colors (e.g., red, orange, yellow) can express warmth, energy, or even a warning.
• Cool colors (e.g., blue, green, purple) can represent relaxation, sophistication, or security.

Use Color to Make Sections Stand Out

Strategically use color to highlight essential elements (e.g., headings, critical data). To guide the audience’s attention:

• Use vibrant shades that contrast the color scheme.
• Assign specific colors to categories, sections, and team members.

Be Mindful of Contrast

Check that the text and background colors have enough contrast for better reading. The most readable combination is dark text on a light backdrop (or vice versa). In charts and graphs, use color to improve focus and understanding.

Note :  Avoid colors that can blend together or present difficulties for people with color blindness .

3. Choosing Text and Fonts

Your chosen font portrays information and dramatically improves your presentation’s overall aesthetic. If you’re trying to make a cool presentation on Google Slides, you’ve got a lot to consider!

Use Clear, Legible, and Easy-to-Read Fonts

Avoid overly decorative or ornate fonts because they can hinder readability (especially when projected on a larger screen). Stick to widely available and compatible fonts across devices like Arial, Georgia, or Open Sans.

Ensure Font Sizes, Weights, and Styles Stand out

Headings should stand out; supporting text should be smaller (or less emphasized). This is done to guide the audience’s attention and improve readability.

Note : While they can add visual interest, excessive use of font styles can be distracting and more challenging to read.

Complement Font Pairings

Select a combination of fonts  that contrast each other and create visual interest. Consider using online resources or font pairing tools for inspiration. We recommend sticking to a maximum of two to three fonts to prevent visual chaos.

Use Fonts That Align with Branding Guidelines

If your website uses a specific font and color scheme, incorporate them into your presentations to support the organization’s visual identity.

Align Text and Spacing

Align text and leave enough white space for a clean, organized look.

4. How to Add Word Art to Google Slides:

• Select “ Insert ” > “ Word Art ” from the drop-down menu.

• Type your text, then press the “ Enter ” key on your keyboard.

There you have it! Your Word Art will now appear on your selected slide.

Note: If you want to edit the font or color, click the Word Art, and a formatting box will pop up.

5. How To Add Google Slides Transitions

You can ensure seamless transitions from slide to slide with a couple of clicks:

• If you want to apply the selected transition to all slides in your presentation, click “ Apply to All Slides .”
• Any transitions applied to skipped slides won’t play during the preview.
• Click the “ Stop ” button when you’re finished.

Tip : You can configure your presentation to play automatically  using Google Slides’ automatic transitions. This removes the need to press the spacebar or click on the screen to trigger the next slide.

How Many Transitions Are Available in Google Slides?

At the time of writing, Google Slides offers seven built-in transitions . There is currently no option to add or download additional transitions.

6. How To Add Animations on Google Slides

Enhance the visual appeal of your slideshow by incorporating animations (i.e., effects that make elements move). They can be applied to almost every object, from images to tables to bullet points. Follow the steps below to add animations to your slides:

• You’ll notice that your selected object’s “ Animation Type ” is set to “ Appear .”

• Fade in : This transition introduces the object by gradually fading it in.

• Fly in from left/right or top/bottom : The object flies into the slide from one side.

• Zoom in : The object starts small and slowly increases in size.

Under “ Animation Type ,” you’ll see the “ Start Condition ” drop-down. Open it to select whether the animation should play upon clicking a slide, with the previous animation, or after the previous animation.

Note: The start conditions “With Previous” and “After Previous”  will only work if there is another animated object immediately before your selected object .

• Click on the “ Play ” button to preview your animation(s).
• Click the “ Stop ” button to end the preview and continue working on your slideshow.

Related : Google Slides vs. PowerPoint: Which Program Is Better?

Tips for Using Transitions & Animations

We recommend using these effects sparingly to emphasize essential elements or facilitate the flow of information. Avoid using them solely for decorative purposes.

Pick Subtle and Smooth Transitions

Flashy or distracting effects can overshadow your content. Your goal is to provide a seamless flow between slides. Try a simple fade or slide transition.

Adjust the Timing and Duration

Transitions shouldn’t be too fast or slow. Aim for a natural pace that allows the audience to follow along comfortably.

Highlight Specific Elements Within a Slide

Selectively animating text, images, or charts can emphasize critical points (or reveal information) in a controlled manner. Avoid excessive animation that appears gimmicky or distracting.

Be Consistent

Choose a specific transition style or animation effect — then stick to it. This will help you avoid distractions and inconsistencies.

7. Using Images and Videos

Adding images and videos to slides can greatly enhance visual appeal and engage your audience. Here are some points to consider when choosing an image:

• Choose images that are relevant to your content.
• Use high-quality images that are clear, crisp, and well-composed.
• Use images that evoke emotions or illustrate concepts.
• Strike a balance between text and images on your slides.
• Consider using images as slide backgrounds.
• Adjust transparency or apply overlays to maintain readability.
• Experiment with image formatting options (e.g., cropping, resizing, transparency, brightness).

8. How To Include Infographics in Google Slides

Infographics in a presentation can communicate complex information effectively. Use the drawing feature in Google Slides to make attractive and informative infographics. Keep these points in mind when using infographics:

• Keep your infographics clean and basic.
• Choose from bar charts, pie charts, line graphs, timelines, flowcharts, maps, and diagrams.
• Avoid overwhelming your audience: Use limited details, succinct labeling, and clear graphics.
• Use custom colors, typefaces, and visual styles to reflect your presentation or company identity.
• Highlight the most significant facts or data.
• Make sure infographic details are simple to read and understand.

How Can Poor Design Affect A Presentation?

Your presentation could be significantly impacted if you haven’t learned how to make Google Slides look professional. Here’s why:

Lack of Clarity

Poor aesthetics often make it more difficult for the audience to grasp — or focus on — details. Avoid cluttered or crowded presentations, imprecise typefaces, and insufficient color contrast. Key points might be missed, or the audience may get distracted.

Unprofessionalism

A disorganized presentation might give the appearance of being unprofessional, affecting the presenter’s credibility.

Poor Readability

Small fonts, poor contrast, and ornamental typefaces can strain the eyes and make it difficult to follow a presentation.

Lack of Visual Appeal

A presentation with a dull or unappealing design may fail to catch attention (and make the material less memorable).

9. A Few of My Favorite Google Slides Templates

If you’re not interested in using stock templates (let alone creating your own), I’ve got you covered with these slick presentations:

Ganymede Template

The Ganymede template offers a modern style with bold text for extra impact. Whether you aim to make a lasting impression with your pitch deck — or simply want to use colors that align with your brand — this template suits your needs.

Access Template

Dynamic Business Template

An effective project management report is characterized by clarity, and your color scheme plays a significant role. I love the streamlined theme of this Google Slides template and appreciate that a blank timeline chart, roadmap diagram, and funnel are included for incredible customization.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make google slides vertical.

You can make Google Slides vertical  by following simple steps:

• Open a new or existing presentation.
• Click the “ File ” button to open a drop-down menu.
• Click the “ Page setup ” option.
• Select the “ Custom ” option and set your desired size (width and height)
• Hit “ Apply ” to save the changes.

Can You Do Hanging Indent in Google Slides?

Yes. There are three methods to do hanging indent in Google Slides:

• The ruler (blur triangle) along the top to position your hanging indent.
• The keyboard Tab key for quick indentation adjustments.
• Select “ Text Fitting ”> “ Indention ” > “ Hanging ” > “ First line indent ” > “ Hanging indent ” to the desired amount.

Are There More Google Slides Templates?

Yes. There are many free Google Slides templates out there. Here are ten additional templates  for you to use.

Bottom Line

Any presentation’s goal is to keep the audience’s attention, and you can do that with a balance between aesthetics and practicality.

I hope I’ve helped you learn how to make your Google Slides look good, express your message, and captivate your audience. If you need more assistance, Spreadsheet Point’s premium Google Slides templates  can take the pressure off you. When you use the code SSP, you’ll get 50% off !

Get Premium Templates

• How To Download Google Slides [Step-by-Step Guide]
• How To Add Bitmoji to Google Slides
• How To Make Google Slides Play Automatically

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15 Tips to Make an Amazing Google Slides Presentation Design!

By: Author Shrot Katewa

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!

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

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”

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

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

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 –

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 .

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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How to Create a Presentation Using Google Slides

Last Updated: November 30, 2023

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 17 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 236,694 times. Learn more...

This tutorial will show you how to make a PowerPoint-like presentation using Google Slides. Presentations can be used for school, business, and so much more.

• You can also just type in https://slides.google.com , log in if you haven't already, and will be taken to the Slides page.
• If you don't have a Google account, learn to create one now!

• For more options, hover over the arrow on the right edge of the Google Slides option, where a smaller drop-down menu will appear. From here you can select to create a presentation from a template or a blank slide.

• Be sure to add a title and subtitle by clicking where you are prompted to add text.

• You can also change a pre-existing slide's layout by clicking the layout option on the upper editing bar.

• As you add animations to each element by clicking the blue "+ Select an object to animate", they will begin to pile up. Click on each one to edit it.
• Change the transition from slide to slide by clicking the default "Slide: No transition" at the top of the sidebar. You can choose whether to apply to all slides or just one.
• Preview your animations by clicking Play at the bottom of the sidebar.
• Remove an animation by clicking the small x on its rectangle, and drag each animation up or down to change the order.

Community Q&A

wikiHow Video: How to Create a Presentation Using Google Slides

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• Hover over each tool to see its keyboard shortcut and function. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Remember, these are the basic functions- Google Slides contains many more tools that you can work with as you explore the creator. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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About This Article

To create a new Google Slides presentation, open a web browser and go to Slides.Google.com. If you want to start from a template, you can choose one from the template gallery. Otherwise, click "Blank" to create a new blank presentation. Your blank presentation starts with a single simple slide with space to enter a title and subtitle. You can personalize this slide, as well as other slides you add, by editing the placeholder text, as well as choosing a slide theme from the panel to the right. To insert another slide, click the "Insert" menu and select "New Slide," or press "Control M" for a quick keyboard shortcut. You'll also find other things you can add to your slide on the Insert menu, including the option to add an image, a text box for typing, videos, shapes, charts, and other features. After adding a new slide, click the "Layout" menu to choose a slide layout—you can give each slide its own layout or reuse the same layout as much as necessary. Edit the placeholder text, and then insert objects from the Insert menu. To move an object, click the arrow in the toolbar, hover the mouse cursor around the object's border line until it turns to a 4-point arrow, and then click and drag it. Each slide you add will have a thumbnail in the left panel—click a slide's thumbnail to open that slide for editing. To see your presentation as a viewer would, click your first slide in the left panel, and then click "Present" at the top corner. Click the Escape key to go back to editing. Google Slides also has some built-in effects you can access from the "Transition" menu—here you can animate a slide's transition into the next slide, as well as animate individual objects. To apply an effect, background, theme, layout, or any other setting to more than one slide at once, select the slides in the left panel by holding down the Control key as you click each thumbnail. Your presentation will automatically save to your Google Drive as you work—type a name for the presentation in the top-left corner so you can easily find the file when you need it. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Google Slides 101: Tips and Tricks Every Teacher Needs To Know

Everything you need to become an expert in no time!

Google Slides is a favorite teaching tool for many educators, both in person and online. With a huge selection of free features and options, this powerhouse allows teachers to create dynamic, interactive presentations that really engage their students. Whether you’re new to Google Slides or are looking to up your game, these resources will help you make the most of it.

Start with the basics

If this is all new to you, watch this video to see how to create simple Google Slides. It walks you through the process one step at a time. Plus, grab a free Google Slides Cheat Sheet from Shake It Up Learning .

Share slides with your students

You aren’t limited to using slideshows to accompany in-class presentations. Share them with students to use when studying, assign them as homework or for asynchronous learning, or create interactive slides (more on that below). Assigning Google Slides to your students is easy in Google Classroom. Teaching With Jennifer Findlay shows you how it’s done.

Use themes and templates

Jeoparty! Theme from SlidesCarnival

Google Slides themes are a pre-set group of colors, fonts, backgrounds, and layouts.  You may sometimes see themes called “templates”—these two terms are interchangeable and work in the same way. Themes/templates allow you to enter your own information but save you a lot of time by taking care of the overall look and layout for you.

Doodles Theme from SlidesMania

You’ll find a variety of themes built into the program itself (watch the Google Basics video above to see how to use them). You’ll also find thousands more available for free or purchase online. Using them is generally as simple as clicking a link and then choosing “Use Template” to customize.

Add sounds to Google Slides

Adding sounds like music or narration can make your slide presentation a lot more interesting. Play bird songs in a lesson on ornithology, listen to a concerto as you discuss Mozart, or even create your own read-aloud. Narrated slides are terrific for asynchronous learning situations too. Learn how to add audio from Fluxing Well.

Don’t forget video

The nice thing about embedding a video directly in your Google Slides presentation is that you (or your students) don’t have to worry about clicking over to another window or website. Instead, you can simply set the video to play automatically (or once the Play button is clicked). You can use YouTube videos, videos from other sites, or those you’ve created yourself. (Pro tip: You can set a video to start and stop at any time you like !)

Make your Google Slides interactive

If you think a slideshow is something for students to sit and watch passively, Google Slides is here to prove you wrong. Have kids click on correct answers, type in text, and a whole lot more. This in-depth video demonstrates the entire process. Get more info from Super Sass and Science Class.

Choice boards are a popular way to make slides interactive. This video has the quick how-to.

Drag-and-drop slides are another terrific way to draw learners into a slide presentation. It’s amazing how much of a difference this makes in student engagement!

Link to internal slides and external sites

Adding links really ups the interactivity of your slides and turns them into self-directed activities in a snap. You can link kids to other pages in the slides for self-checking assessments or to external sources like websites or Google Classroom docs. This is one (easy) skill every teacher should master.

Check out Google Slides add-ons

Google Slides itself has lots of features, but you can also get lots of (often free) add-ons to make certain tasks easier. Add-ons are available to make diagrams, find better images, and display math equations … just to name a few. Ditch That Textbook has a list of 20 add-ons all teachers should try here.

Source: Maneuvering the Middle

One add-on teachers swear by is Pear Deck . It makes it easy to drop in formative assessments and evaluate student progress. The basic program is free for all users; learn how it works here .

Get in on the Bitmoji classroom trend

Those Bitmoji classrooms that are all the rage are right at home on Google Slides. Learn more about these virtual classrooms here, including how to make your own.

If you’re really ambitious, you can “animate” your Bitmoji to create a cool effect that kids will enjoy. It takes a bit of time, but as this video shows, it’s really not that hard to do.

Teach students to use Google Slides

Once students know how to use the program, there are all sorts of awesome assignments they can take on. Even elementary kids can learn how it works. Two Boys and a Dad has an awesome free project to get them started. Once they’ve got the basic skills, here are a few ideas to try.

Challenge your students to create an e-book using slides. Have them illustrate their creative writing, or try it for a different twist on a standard report. Get the quick tutorial from Shake Up Learning.

Digital interactive notebooks make it easy for you to monitor student progress, online or in-person. Plus, no more worries about kids “forgetting” to bring their notebook! Two Boys and a Dad shows you how they work. Make your own, or find ready-to-use templates on the web like this one from Student Savvy .

Looking for more ways to use Google Slides? Learn How Teachers Can Plan and Use Virtual “Stations” Online.

Plus, 30+ Virtual Learning Platforms and Tools for Teachers and Kids .

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How to Make Google Slides Look Good And Add a Touch of Finesse?

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From ancient times to today, people have been obsessed with beauty. People have adored art, whether we talk about cave drawings or Renaissance art. Our nature has remained the same – only the means have changed.

Regardless of the presentation software you use, a top-notch performance is about three key details: a confident speaker, helpful content, and great design. And while many people aim to add tons of information and become exceptional orators, many presenters overlook visual elements for some reason.

In this article, we will see how to make Google Slides look good and what is the benefit of adding design elements.

Article overview:

1. Why should you make your Google Slides visually appealing 2. What are the benefits of stunning Google Slides presentations? 3. How to Make Google Slides Look Good?

1. How can poor design affect your presentation?

Your audience is exposed to a lot of information daily – news, social media feeds, videos, chats, etc. A brain has been so used to receiving lots of info daily that it filters out most of it. At the end of each day, you remember the brightest moments.

The same thing applies to presentations. If you have spent much effort delivering your presentation, you win points, and your idea might get “sold.” However, it would help if you had that extra bit of something – like a pinch of salt, to make the difference between a good presentation and an outstanding one.

Visually appearing presentations can have a profound effect on your audience. Imagine seeing the same person in the subway – on day one they wear an old jacket and dirty jeans, and they are dressed up a day later. If they come to you, asking for a small favor – when will you trust them more?

2. What are the benefits of stunning Google Slides presentations?

Whether you are a teacher, student, or business person, you want valid reasons to add graphic elements to your presentation. Modifying the themes in Google Slides , inserting shapes, and creating animations are all time-consuming. A couple of minutes here and there, and you have already spent hours on the presentation. But how do you compensate for this time? Let’s see what is the added value from making your Google Slides presentation more attractive.

✅ A better understanding of your concept  – Google Slides presentations have a main topic and sub-topics. If you organize your slides and make them more appealing, it will be easier for your audience to understand what you’re saying.

✅ Data visualization  – in most presentations, the main focus is on 2-3 slides that contain data. Proper data visualization can convince your audience and sell your ideas.

✅ More confidence – just like formal clothes, good-looking presentations give that extra confidence in speakers required to perform more assertively.

✅ Improved conversions  – while the term “conversion” might create associations with sales, it doesn’t have that purpose only. While for salespeople good presentation design could result in more products/services sold – students might convince their teachers they deserve an A+, and professors could keep their students hooked during the whole lecture.

3. How to Make Google Slides Look Good?

Google Slides offers a lot of functions that could be utilized to make your presentation look better. Below, you can find eight tips and tricks to improve your design and grab the audience.

3.1. Use presentation templates

Time is money. While you can optimize your presentation design every single time you create a new presentation, it is extremely time-wasting. Doing the same thing over and over again is not a viable strategy. This is where templates come into place. Instead of doing everything from scratch, you have a ready-made backbone, and your task is to enter your content and tweak the template a little bit, depending on the presentation.

Google Slides comes with 20+ default templates to choose from. You can then edit the colors from the Theme builder but that’s about it. You also have the option to customize each slide individually but remember – you should keep the consistency with the colors and the structure of the slide.

The last option is preferred by many. Instead of using a generic template, you can download a pre-made template mixed with some tweaks. There are plenty of free Google Slides templates. Of course, you can also buy paid templates which can be extremely useful if you carry out presentations frequently.

But no matter which ones you download – the paid or the free templates, you should know that they have been created by designers, so you should only change minor details. There’s no need to worry about font compatibility, color contrast, and other details which would otherwise be hard to manage.

3.2. Choose the right colors

The Color Theory is applicable in any area of our lives. Your Google Slides presentation makes no difference. Depending on the topic you are presenting, you need to select your colors carefully. If you offer a banking product, you might want to use light blue background combined with red and white. For presentations about nature and biology, using green and brown as more earthy colors will be a good idea.

Don’t forget to play with the font colors, too. For presentations with darker backgrounds, fonts have to be light and have bright accents. If you have a very light background, you have to make your text darker and bolder.

Colors are a substantial part of branding. If you have a Google Slides presentation and you want to showcase your branded goods, you might want to use the brand colors, as to highlight your product and add more value to it.

3.3. Pay attention to fonts

The fonts you pick will set the tone of your presentation. There are many things to consider when adding fonts. Make sure your topic matches the seriousness of the fonts – for more formal presentations (like medical presentations), you have to use more formal fonts – like Roboto, Arial, Helvetica Neue, and Garamond. You can easily add some of the best free fonts to your Google Slides presentation .

You need to focus on one critical detail, though – it’s not a good idea to use more than 2-3 fonts in your presentation. If you break this rule, you risk distracting your audience. Also, you need to be consistent with your choice of fonts – picking fonts that are either too similar (lack of visual hierarchy) or too different is a big blunder.

A quick tip : If you don’t know which fonts to choose, you can select fonts from the same family or combine one serif for the title text and a sans-serif for the standard text.

3.4. Add transitions

Knowing how to make Google Slides look good is important. So are the transitions. Finding the right balance between adding too much and having none is fundamental. Also, try to use a maximum of 1 transition per slide. It’s a good practice to set the same effect on all slides, as to keep consistency.

It will not be a bad idea if you avoid using Cube and Gallery transitions. They are a bit too overwhelming. You can also use object animations. They are quite useful if you have an important chart to show, as they can attract your audience’s attention.

3.5. Use infographics

Infographics (a combination of information + graphics) are a great way to make data more accessible to your audience. They are visual representations of necessary facts you would like to share with your audience and are a much-preferred way to present information more clearly.

Instead of explaining the details and having a slide with two long paragraphs where people get lost, creating a simple radial chart in Google Slides and displaying it in front of the others, for example,  might better convey your message.

But infographics are not limited to charts. You can display all types of data – process steps, historical values, etc. Ensure you have the right infographic for your information. If you discuss the project scope, you might want to visualize it with a Gantt chart or step-by-step infographic. A pie helps show a percentage of the whole. And be careful – even if you come up with a good infographic design, you need to create a legend so that people can understand it.

If you need infographics, you can check our collection of 500+ infographics compatible with Google Slides (including freebies).

3.6 Embed videos

In one of our previous guides, we showed you how to embed videos in Google Slides . Both Millennial and Gen Z audiences consume a lot of video content. As a result, you can create a lasting impression on them by adding useful videos to your topic. The good news is you can edit the videos, so they can watch the part which is most relevant to the slide topic. It’s not a good idea to stream more than 2 minutes per slide, as you will lose your impact as a speaker. Also, don’t show more than 3 videos per presentation, as videos aim to support you, rather than be the main source of content.

As both YouTube and Slides are part of Google, it’s elementary to add videos from the video streaming platform directly. If, however, your want to add videos that aren’t uploaded on YouTube, you simply have to download them (Vimeo has such an option) and implement them through Google Drive.

3.7. Add GIFs

GIFs are the perfect mix between single-frame images and videos. With them, you can catch your audience’s attention on particular details from your presentation. GIFs are one of the cool things you can do with Google Slides. Since a GIF is practically an image, you can add them easily – by URL or from your computer. You can check one of our articles about free GIFs for presentations .

GIFs find great application in pinpointing certain phrases or infographics that readers should pay attention to. You can also create a GIF to make a demo of how something works, so it can be utilized in tutorials. But GIFs should be used moderately. Abusing these visuals will result in diminishing returns – the audience will get distracted and the GIFs won’t be able to fulfill their goal.

Regarding memes, you’d better not use them. While a positive impact is possible, the chances are that you will most probably make your presentation less serious and change the topic of the whole presentation.

3.8. Add 3D shapes

Design is design – whether we speak about presentation design or UX design. Making your Google slides aesthetic brings a lot of added value but you should know that trends are changing, and coming up with dated designs will not make a good impression. And speaking of trends – 3D shapes are an inevitable part of modern design, a 3D image might be more relevant and easily understood than a simple 2D drawing, especially if the presentation is about architecture and engineering.

Currently, Google Slides doesn’t have its own 3D shapes and charts, but you can easily add one from external sources – you can use your computer (if you have it there), a URL address, or if the image is shared with you in Google Drive.

You should learn how to make Google Slides look good, as your audience is demanding – people want to hear someone who is confident in presenting something which is visually attractive. If you manage to use Google Slides to your advantage, you can come up with outstanding presentation designs and enjoy the deserved applause at the end.

If you found our post useful, you can also take a look at our collection of Google Slides tutorials , or browse some of these:

• How to Calm Down Before a Presentation: 10 Practical Tips and Techniques
• How to Start and End a Presentation: 10 Practical Tips to Grab Attention and Make an Impact
• 20 Google Slides Tips to spice up your Presentations

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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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Google Slides Tips and Tricks 2024: How to Make Google Slides Look Good?

Google Slides tips and tricks have been so helpful, especially to those who are new to this online tool in professional settings. Learn how to make Google Slides look good through our latest Google Slides tips and tricks, elevating your content with design finesse and engaging visual appeal.

Google Slides is a go-to tool for making outstanding presentations, thanks to its user-friendly interface, accessibility from anywhere, and easy collaborative options. It improves presentation skills regardless of whether you’re a working professional or a student. In addition, it is a great choice for teams that work remotely. Hence, you should consider learning how to make Google Slides look good.

Learning some quick and easy tips and tricks for Google Slides presentations can help you create, edit, and present more effectively. In this blog, you will discover how to make a good Google Slides presentation by incorporating tips and tricks to enhance the overall visual appeal of your presentations. So, let’s get started. 

What Are The Benefits Of Good Looking Google Slides? 

Several good reasons explain why making your Google Slides look good is crucial:

Increased engagement

Beautifully crafted to not only spark interest but retain a focus that will have your audience stay hooked right through your presentation. Well-designed slides can engage interest and maintain focus, which ensures increased information retention.

Enhances Professionalism

It shows professionalism. Well-prepared, this presentation points out your professionalism. It is proof of investing time and effort into producing a sleek, visually appealing deliverable, a factor speaking to the credibility and authority of your presentation.

Better Communication

Clear, visually attractive slides help you communicate your message to the audience. These may be pictures, graphs, or charts that draw the audience’s attention to certain points or explain difficult ideas.

Brand Representation

Google Slides ensures that your brand is consistently represented through common design elements like color schemes, fonts, or logos. That way, with the consistency in the Google Slides presentation and that of your brand’s visual guideline, an image of cohesion is portrayed, signaling professionalism. Hence, you should consider how to make Google Slides look good.

More Persuasive

Presenting your slides visually and aesthetically increases the perception and persuasiveness of your target audience. Research has shown that individuals are more likely to be persuaded by information that is presented with visual appeal. You can make slides attractive so that you have more persuasive power in presenting your ideas.

Competitive Advantage

Presentations are mostly used in academic, professional, and corporate worlds to display concepts, projects, or proposals being made, whether orally or in writing. When your presentation is visually compelling, you have a competitive advantage, and the decision-maker or stakeholder will remember you.

Create Your Presentation Outline First

The first and foremost step to making a good-looking Google Slides presentation is to plan it out. You should create an outline before actually creating your Google Slides presentation. How can you effectively design a presentation without thinking about what your slide will present? That’s why before discussing how to make Google Slides look good, we will see how to create an outline.

An outline of the presentation ensures that you include all the crucial elements and meeting agenda in your slides. It helps you clarify the goal of the meeting. It also saves time and makes the whole process more effective, as you already know what items to add to the presentation.

You need to think clearly about your discussion topic and meeting agenda to create an outline. A few things to consider while making the outline are as follows :

• What are the objectives you want to achieve from this presentation?
• Who is your audience?
• What are the frequently asked questions?
• How will you structure the content?

After you have listed all the required elements, you are ready to create the Google Slides presentation. Now, let’s discuss how to make your Google slides look cool.

How To Make Google Slides Look Good? 

Making good-looking presentations is crucial for effective presentation and to captivate your audience’s attention. Google Slides has various features that can be used to improve the appearance of your presentation. Here are a few Google Slides design tips and tricks to help you improve your visual elements and capture audience attention:

Choose Better Slides Layout

• Add well-structured quality content
• Pay attention to fonts
• Select the right color

Mask Your Images Into Different Fun Shapes

• Include animations and transitions
• Use Infographics to present data 

Add a Q&A section to make your presentation interactive

Let’s look deep into each of these tips on how to make Google slide look good:

The most crucial aspect of making a good-looking presentation is its layout. Google Slides offers multiple layout options so you can better present your content. It provides placeholders for texts, images, and other elements where you can easily add your content. Choose a layout that best suits your presentation style and customize it according to your needs.

You can utilize the master slides tool. All you have to do is customize the master slide, and all the settings of your master slide will reflect in all the other slides. This master slide can help you change the backgrounds, themes, and placeholders of all your slides. It will save you time; you won’t have to edit each slide separately. Using the master Slides tool also ensures consistency throughout your Google Slides presentation.

Add well-structured & quality content

We all know content is the king. You can try all the hacks to make your Google slides look good, but they will not attract your audience unless the content is of good quality. Your content should have a clear hierarchy with headings and texts. Your audience should clearly understand what you are talking about. Keep your font size consistent. Well-structured content with a good flow of information always works.

Your slides should contain well-structured and formatted content. This means you have to present your content in a flow—start with the basics and then gradually discuss each section. This keeps your audience aligned with the presentation, and it’s easier for them to comprehend your point. 

How to make Google Slides look good using proper fonts?

• Choose fonts that are easy to read, legible, and clear. You can also choose to add fonts to your presentation to improve your text.
• Create a visual hierarchy by using various font sizes, weights, and styles. 
• Make sure that essential headings and titles are more noticeable, and supporting material should be less stressed or smaller.
• Predefine the font size based on the headers and in a single slide. To maintain consistency and avoid visual clutter, limit the number of typefaces you use to two or three.

READ MORE: How to Embed Fonts in PowerPoint?  

Select The Right Colors

• Choose a consistent color scheme that goes well with your presentation. 
• Apply the principles of color theory and vision sciences to produce pleasing pairings and recognize the psychological effects of various hues to use them to communicate messages.
• Use colors to highlight crucial components, such as headlines, titles, critical information, or call-to-action options. 
• Ensure sufficient contrast between the text and backdrop colors for reading. Dark text on a light background or vice versa makes for the best readable combination.

Add Images 

A presentation with only text is dull, especially if it is lengthy. Too much text makes your presentation boring, and your audience might lose interest. The best way to keep your audience hooked is by using Images. Add Images that align with your content piece. The added images will enhance your presentation, and it will become easy for your audience to grasp the concept.

Your image should clearly portray the theme you are talking about. Even if users don’t read the text, they will still understand the topic just by looking at your images. You should add images at regular intervals to make your Google slides visually appealing. Ensure your images have a consistent visual style across your slides.

Reflect the Images

You can also use this feature for some of your images in Google Slides to make your presentation more creative and grab your audience’s attention. 

To apply this feature, select the image you want to reflect, go to the “Format” option, and choose the desired reflection. Click “Flip horizontally” or “Flip vertically” to reflect the image along the horizontal or vertical axis. You may adjust the size and transparency of your image.

Now we will discuss how to make Google Slides look good using shapes. Break free from the confines of square or rectangular images. Unleash your creativity by transforming your images into various PowerPoint shapes , arrows, callouts, or equations using Google Slides. Here’s how:

• To access the hidden photo masking choices, click the image you wish to cover up on your Google Slides presentation.
• Locate the ‘Mask picture’ option near the Crop symbol. It’s the tiny triangle button that you need to toggle. To reshape your image, choose the shape, arrow, callout, or equation you want to use. There are numerous shapes to choose from.
• Using shapes, arrows, callouts, and inserting equations , you may alter images in Google Slides.

Feel free to try new things and explore your alternatives. Remember that you can permanently erase changes you make to Google Slides.

READ MORE: How to Make An Image Transparent in Google Slides?

Use Infographics to present data

Infpgraphcos combines information and graphics to help you present complex data easily. Infographics are suitable for showcasing diverse data, like process steps or historical values, not just paragraphs or charts. Even Google Slides offers a built-in feature to create infographics. 

You can create infographics by navigating to the Insert menu and selecting diagrams. From there, you can choose multiple templates, such as hierarchical charts or flowcharts . You can customize the infographic and add content and colors to suit your preferences.

 Use infographics templates , or make one yourself using graphical tools. Convert two long paragraphs into visually engaging bullet points in Google Slides presentation using infographics. 

How to make Google slides look good with Animations & Transitions?

Now, we will discuss how to make slides look good. Transitions and animations are some of the visual effects offered in Google Slides. These effects increase how the slides change from one to another and how elements in the slides either appear or move while making a presentation. These attributes make them livelier and more attractive.

Transitions

These assist in controlling how slides change from one to the other during the presentations. The transitions are the movements and effects to and from slides that set the stage for its movement from slide to slide. Some common effects include fades, slides, flips, and dissolves.

Google Slides offers different transition options that may be assigned to individual slides or even the whole presentation. Animations:

Slide animations help in adding movement and effects to text, pictures, shapes, and other elements of an individual slide. They can appear, disappear, or move from place to place on the slide. The users are able to add animations to individual elements and set the timing, duration, and effect details for those elements. Among those are entrance animations, exit animations, emphasis animations, and motion paths. Users may add animations to specific elements and set up their timing, duration, and effect by applying custom emphasis, exit, or entrance animation to the object.

Follow the below tips to learn how to make your Google slides look better by adding animations and transitions:

• Choose smooth, unobtrusive slide animations and transitions. Avoid using distracting or flashy effects that might obscure your text.
• Create visual links between slides for seamless flow using one transition. 
• Adjust timing for a smooth pace of transition, enabling the audience to follow the progression of your slides smoothly.
• Employ animations judiciously to emphasize essential points or reveal information by selecting animating text, photos, or charts.

Let’s discuss how to make Google Slides look good by adding a Q&A section at the end. The best presentations are interactive in nature, where both parties engage—the presentation host and the audience. To fully engage your audience, you should add an O&A section at the end of your presentation. It will allow you to address and resolve your audience’s queries during the presentation. Allow your audience to ask questions and provide them with clear answers.

Google Slides Tips And Tricks

Getting well-versed with some of the most essential Google Slides tutorials and hacks is vital to making your presentation unique and appealing. Below are some of the most used Google Slide hacks and tricks:

• Maintain consistency across slides
• Insert images directly from Google Images
• Add various Google Slides diagrams
• Modify the slide master to make extensive changes
• Embedding YouTube videos to Google Slides
• Use Google Slides Templates

How to make Google Slides look good by Maintaining Consistency Across Slides?

Are you thinking about how to make your Google slides look cool? One of the easiest options is to maintain consistency in your slides. Consistency in Google Slides maintains professionalism, brand identity, and audience appeal. 

The consistency of design elements like font, color, or layout retains a professional outlook. At the same time, this is good for the audience because it does not put extra pressure on them, avoiding cognitive loads that enable better understanding and retention of information. Consistent branding elements might further help in branding identity and sometimes even help improve the visibility of the brand. 

At the same time, templates and master slides foster the process of presentation creation in general since visual inconsistencies and lack of polished looks across the slides are already taken care of. This, in other words, showed that consistency in design conformed to the better professional, cohesive, and engaging presentation experience of the audience in general.

Insert Images Directly From Google Images

One of the most useful Google slide tips is to insert images directly from Google. There are billions of images indexed in Google Image Search. To add pictures directly from Google Images:

• Open your Google Slides Presentation
• Select “Insert” > “Image” > “Search the web” from the drop-down menu.
• The “Search for Google Images” side panel will display on the right side of your screen.
• Just enter the keyword(s) for your image in the search box below to see the results. 
• The final step would be to click on the photo(s) you want to utilize in your slide.

Add Various Google Slides Diagrams

Follow the below steps to learn how to make Google Slides look good:

• Select “Insert” > “Diagram” to add a diagram to your slides. The diagrams side panel will show up on the right side of your screen.
• The six types of diagrams available are Grid, Hierarchy, Timeline, Process, Relationship, and Cycle diagrams.
• Please choose the most appropriate options and make changes until you discover your presentation’s ideal diagram.

One of the most helpful Google Slides tips and tricks has to be adding hyperlinks in your presentation to make it more engaging. Google Slides allows you to add hyperlinks to websites, images, texts in Google Slides presentation. You can link your files on Google Drive and even to other slides in your presentation! Here is how:

• Open Google Slides presentation.
• To insert a hyperlink, click on the text or image you wish to connect to.
• Next, press “CTRL+K” or right-click your mouse and select “Link” from the menu that appears.
• Enter or paste the web URL to add a link.
• Finally, press the “Apply” button.

You can also choose to link slides in the same Google Slides presentation. Google also will show relevant Google Drive files to link to your Google Slides presentation.

Modify The Slide Master To Make Extensive Changes

Instead of editing each slide, you may go to the slide master, and all of the slides in your presentation will be updated immediately:

• Select “Slide” > “Edit Master” to edit your slide master. 
• Click or select the elements you want to alter. For example, you can add your company’s logo to the header or footer, and it will automatically appear on all your slides.

Embedding YouTube Videos To Google Slides

You can embed YouTube videos in your presentation, one of the finest methods to make it more engaging. Follow the below steps to learn how to make Google Slides look good:

• Open your Google Slides presentation. Select “Insert” > “Video”.
• You can search for videos in your Google Drive account, add a direct link (URL) to a video that is already online, or search on “YouTube.”
• Clicking on the video will cause the “Format Choices” button to appear on the menu bar, allowing you to edit and format your video.
• The “Format options” side panel will appear on your screen when you click this button.
• You are free to change the drop shadow settings, drop shadow size and position, and the video playback parameters.

Using the above Google slides tips, you can deliver interesting and memorable presentations. Remember that the foundations of an effective presentation are simplicity, compelling imagery, and understanding your audience. 

Since you have learned these Google Slides tips and tricks, it is time to apply them using our top Google Slides templates. 

Make Use Of Google Slides Presentation Templates

• Optimizing your presentation design with each new presentation is time-consuming. This is where Google Slides templates help. 
• Instead of starting from zero, you have pre-made Google Slides themes, in which you can insert your content and alter the template based on the presentation. 
• Google Slides includes over twenty preset templates. You can use the theme builder to make changes to each slide individually.

Top 5 Templates for Google Slides Presentations

We discussed how to make Google Slides look good. But, it might be time-consuming for you to create Google Slides presentations from scratch. That’s why we have created numerous Google Slides templates for you to start with. We have compiled a list of the top 5 Google Slides templates:

Project Status Review Deck Google Slides Template

• 30-60-90-Day Plan Google Slides Template

Milestone Google Slides Template

• Startup Pitch Google Slides Template
• Business Review Google Slides Template
• The purpose of the Project Status Review Deck is to discuss and contrast project progress over a given time frame with the project plan. 
• They are used In project management. Any project’s success depends on the project status review process. 
• The Project Status Review deck provides crucial information in a compact format, helping with effective decision-making and informing all parties.

30 60 90 Day Plan Google Slides Template

• This 30-60-90-Day Plan template is a visual presentation demonstrating thorough planning for the first 90 days of employment. 
• The template is divided into three panes that are horizontally spaced apart so that new managers, new hires, team leaders, sales managers, and other users can express their aims and objectives simply. 
• 30-60-90-Day Plan Templates can be used as a goal-setting framework to show off your diverse priorities and track your efforts toward various goals.
• This Template gives your presentation a polished, expertly designed elegance. It has five customizable steps that deal with immersion, design, creation, operation, and measurement.
• Professionals use milestone templates when discussing the project’s objectives, activities, and results. 
• This template is also available in animation, giving presentations to stakeholders, investors, and clients with a professional image.

Startup Pitch Google Slides Deck  

• The Startup Pitch Deck is a valuable pre-made template for companies preparing to introduce a new service or product. 
• It is more geared toward companies looking to introduce their fresh product concepts to clients or investors. 
• The pitch deck templates are useful for marketers and young entrepreneurs to make presentations on competitive analysis, revenue models, roadmaps, financial needs, etc.

Business Review Dashboard Google Slides Template      

• Professionals can display and analyze business data more effectively with the help of this Business Review Dashboard template. 
• Its comprehensive dashboard architecture allows users to understandably present performance measurements, financial statistics, and other relevant data.

Google Slides is a flexible platform that enables users to produce engaging presentation material. By adhering to design principles, using its features, and adopting effective presentation techniques, you can create captivating Google Slides presentations that charm your audience and effectively communicate your message.

Using the above tips and tricks for Google Slides, you can deliver interesting and memorable presentations. Remember that the foundations of an effective presentation are simplicity, compelling imagery, and understanding your audience. 

You can make aesthetically stunning slides that successfully communicate your message by taking inspiration from several presentation themes and customizing them to your topic. Now that you have learned how to make Google Slides look good, it’s time to put your skills to the test and boast in front of your peers by exploring our vast gallery of Google Slides templates . If you wish to learn more of such tips and hacks to master the art of Google Slides presentation, check out our Google Slides tutorials .

How to make google slides more visually appealing?

Follow the steps below to make your presentation look good on Google Slides:

• Use a suitable Google Slides theme .
• Use consistent fonts.3
• Make use of high-quality photos.
• Layouts should be basic and aligned.
• Use subtle transitions.

How can I choose the best color scheme for my Google Slides presentation?

Keep these Google Slides tips in mind to choose the best color scheme for your presentation:

• Colors should complement the tone and purpose of your text.
• Avoid extremely bright or conflicting pairings.
• Always choose complementary colors.

How can I add visual effects to my slides in the best way?

 Here are a few points to add visuals to your slides in the best possible way:

• Ensure a unified design
• Time your animations and transitions carefully. Animations should coincide with your speech and flow naturally.
• Set Master Slide as the default for all fonts, colors, and background components.

How can text and images on a slide be balanced most effectively?

Keep these things in mind to make text and images on a slide look equally balanced:

• Add images to your post to help it along. 
• Use visuals, charts, or icons to convey difficult ideas.
• Avoid using only text to highlight crucial aspects.

How can I keep the audience engaged with slides effectively using transitions?

Follow the below steps on how to improve your Google slides:

• Utilize subtle transitions.
• Create seamless visual links between slides for a smooth flow.
• Adjust timing for a natural transition pace.
• Enhance key points with strategic animations.
• Avoid excessive animations that may distract or overwhelm your audience.

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Get started with Slides in Google Workspace

Create your first presentation in slides.

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Create or import a presentation, add slides to your presentation.

• Update your presentation

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Create your presentation

• Open the Slides home screen at Google Slides .

You can also create new presentations from the URL https://slides.google.com/create .

Import and convert an existing presentation

Converting your file from another program creates a copy of your original file in a Docs, Sheets, or Slides format. You can then edit the file in your browser.

If you have existing files, you can import and convert them to Docs, Sheets, or Slides.

• Go to Drive .

• Choose the file you want to import from your computer to add it to Drive.

Have a Microsoft file?

If you've already stored Microsoft files in Drive, you can also update them without converting them .

Add a slide with the same layout as the current slide

• On your computer, open a presentation in Google Slides .

Add a slide with a different layout

• Choose a slide.

Add a slide with your organization's branding

• At right, click the template you want to use.

Note: The Templates option appears only if your administrator makes organization-branded slides available.

Update your presentation

Choose a theme and layout.

When you first create a presentation, you can choose a theme for your slides. A theme is a preset group of colors, fonts, background, and layouts. Your presentation's layout is the way your text and images are arranged on a slide.

Change your presentation's theme

• On the right, click the theme you want.

Change the layout of your presentation

• Select a slide.
• At the top, click Layout .
• Choose the layout you want to use.

Arrange slides

Move slide —Drag the slide to a different position in the presentation. To move several slides at once, Ctrl+click  multiple slides before dragging them.

Delete slide —Right-click the slide and select Delete .

Duplicate slide —Right-click the slide in the sidebar and select Duplicate slide .

Add pictures, text, speaker notes, and more

Rename your presentation —Click Untitled presentation and enter a new name.

Add videos, shapes, charts, and more —Click Insert to add videos, shapes, charts, slide numbers, and other features to your presentation. You can also move, delete, or re-size these inserted features.

Add speaker notes —Use speaker notes to keep track of your talking points for each slide. In the presentation editor, speaker notes appear beneath the current slide. When you present your slides, your speaker notes show in a separate window.

Google, Google Workspace, and related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. All other company and product names are trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.

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Blog Beginner Guides

How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

By Krystle Wong , Jul 20, 2023

A top-notch presentation possesses the power to drive action. From winning stakeholders over and conveying a powerful message to securing funding — your secret weapon lies within the realm of creating an effective presentation .  

Being an excellent presenter isn’t confined to the boardroom. Whether you’re delivering a presentation at work, pursuing an academic career, involved in a non-profit organization or even a student, nailing the presentation game is a game-changer.

In this article, I’ll cover the top qualities of compelling presentations and walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to give a good presentation. Here’s a little tip to kick things off: for a headstart, check out Venngage’s collection of free presentation templates . They are fully customizable, and the best part is you don’t need professional design skills to make them shine!

These valuable presentation tips cater to individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, encompassing business professionals, sales and marketing teams, educators, trainers, students, researchers, non-profit organizations, public speakers and presenters. 

No matter your field or role, these tips for presenting will equip you with the skills to deliver effective presentations that leave a lasting impression on any audience.

Click to jump ahead:

What are the 10 qualities of a good presentation?

Step-by-step guide on how to prepare an effective presentation, 9 effective techniques to deliver a memorable presentation, faqs on making a good presentation, how to create a presentation with venngage in 5 steps.

When it comes to giving an engaging presentation that leaves a lasting impression, it’s not just about the content — it’s also about how you deliver it. Wondering what makes a good presentation? Well, the best presentations I’ve seen consistently exhibit these 10 qualities:

1. Clear structure

No one likes to get lost in a maze of information. Organize your thoughts into a logical flow, complete with an introduction, main points and a solid conclusion. A structured presentation helps your audience follow along effortlessly, leaving them with a sense of satisfaction at the end.

Regardless of your presentation style , a quality presentation starts with a clear roadmap. Browse through Venngage’s template library and select a presentation template that aligns with your content and presentation goals. Here’s a good presentation example template with a logical layout that includes sections for the introduction, main points, supporting information and a conclusion: 

2. Engaging opening

Hook your audience right from the start with an attention-grabbing statement, a fascinating question or maybe even a captivating anecdote. Set the stage for a killer presentation!

The opening moments of your presentation hold immense power – check out these 15 ways to start a presentation to set the stage and captivate your audience.

3. Relevant content

Make sure your content aligns with their interests and needs. Your audience is there for a reason, and that’s to get valuable insights. Avoid fluff and get straight to the point, your audience will be genuinely excited.

4. Effective visual aids

Picture this: a slide with walls of text and tiny charts, yawn! Visual aids should be just that—aiding your presentation. Opt for clear and visually appealing slides, engaging images and informative charts that add value and help reinforce your message.

With Venngage, visualizing data takes no effort at all. You can import data from CSV or Google Sheets seamlessly and create stunning charts, graphs and icon stories effortlessly to showcase your data in a captivating and impactful way.

5. Clear and concise communication

Keep your language simple, and avoid jargon or complicated terms. Communicate your ideas clearly, so your audience can easily grasp and retain the information being conveyed. This can prevent confusion and enhance the overall effectiveness of the message. 

6. Engaging delivery

Spice up your presentation with a sprinkle of enthusiasm! Maintain eye contact, use expressive gestures and vary your tone of voice to keep your audience glued to the edge of their seats. A touch of charisma goes a long way!

7. Interaction and audience engagement

Turn your presentation into an interactive experience — encourage questions, foster discussions and maybe even throw in a fun activity. Engaged audiences are more likely to remember and embrace your message.

Transform your slides into an interactive presentation with Venngage’s dynamic features like pop-ups, clickable icons and animated elements. Engage your audience with interactive content that lets them explore and interact with your presentation for a truly immersive experience.

8. Effective storytelling

Who doesn’t love a good story? Weaving relevant anecdotes, case studies or even a personal story into your presentation can captivate your audience and create a lasting impact. Stories build connections and make your message memorable.

A great presentation background is also essential as it sets the tone, creates visual interest and reinforces your message. Enhance the overall aesthetics of your presentation with these 15 presentation background examples and captivate your audience’s attention.

9. Well-timed pacing

Pace your presentation thoughtfully with well-designed presentation slides, neither rushing through nor dragging it out. Respect your audience’s time and ensure you cover all the essential points without losing their interest.

10. Strong conclusion

Last impressions linger! Summarize your main points and leave your audience with a clear takeaway. End your presentation with a bang , a call to action or an inspiring thought that resonates long after the conclusion.

In-person presentations aside, acing a virtual presentation is of paramount importance in today’s digital world. Check out this guide to learn how you can adapt your in-person presentations into virtual presentations . 

Preparing an effective presentation starts with laying a strong foundation that goes beyond just creating slides and notes. One of the quickest and best ways to make a presentation would be with the help of a good presentation software . 

Otherwise, let me walk you to how to prepare for a presentation step by step and unlock the secrets of crafting a professional presentation that sets you apart.

1. Understand the audience and their needs

Before you dive into preparing your masterpiece, take a moment to get to know your target audience. Tailor your presentation to meet their needs and expectations , and you’ll have them hooked from the start!

2. Conduct thorough research on the topic

Time to hit the books (or the internet)! Don’t skimp on the research with your presentation materials — dive deep into the subject matter and gather valuable insights . The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel in delivering your presentation.

3. Organize the content with a clear structure

No one wants to stumble through a chaotic mess of information. Outline your presentation with a clear and logical flow. Start with a captivating introduction, follow up with main points that build on each other and wrap it up with a powerful conclusion that leaves a lasting impression.

Delivering an effective business presentation hinges on captivating your audience, and Venngage’s professionally designed business presentation templates are tailor-made for this purpose. With thoughtfully structured layouts, these templates enhance your message’s clarity and coherence, ensuring a memorable and engaging experience for your audience members.

Don’t want to build your presentation layout from scratch? pick from these 5 foolproof presentation layout ideas that won’t go wrong. 

4. Develop visually appealing and supportive visual aids

Spice up your presentation with eye-catching visuals! Create slides that complement your message, not overshadow it. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, but that doesn’t mean you need to overload your slides with text.

Well-chosen designs create a cohesive and professional look, capturing your audience’s attention and enhancing the overall effectiveness of your message. Here’s a list of carefully curated PowerPoint presentation templates and great background graphics that will significantly influence the visual appeal and engagement of your presentation.

5. Practice, practice and practice

Practice makes perfect — rehearse your presentation and arrive early to your presentation to help overcome stage fright. Familiarity with your material will boost your presentation skills and help you handle curveballs with ease.

6. Seek feedback and make necessary adjustments

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek feedback from friends and colleagues. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots and fine-tune your presentation to perfection.

With Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature , receiving feedback and editing your presentation is a seamless process. Group members can access and work on the presentation simultaneously and edit content side by side in real-time. Changes will be reflected immediately to the entire team, promoting seamless teamwork.

7. Prepare for potential technical or logistical issues

Prepare for the unexpected by checking your equipment, internet connection and any other potential hiccups. If you’re worried that you’ll miss out on any important points, you could always have note cards prepared. Remember to remain focused and rehearse potential answers to anticipated questions.

8. Fine-tune and polish your presentation

As the big day approaches, give your presentation one last shine. Review your talking points, practice how to present a presentation and make any final tweaks. Deep breaths — you’re on the brink of delivering a successful presentation!

In competitive environments, persuasive presentations set individuals and organizations apart. To brush up on your presentation skills, read these guides on how to make a persuasive presentation and tips to presenting effectively . 

Whether you’re an experienced presenter or a novice, the right techniques will let your presentation skills soar to new heights!

From public speaking hacks to interactive elements and storytelling prowess, these 9 effective presentation techniques will empower you to leave a lasting impression on your audience and make your presentations unforgettable.

1. Confidence and positive body language

Positive body language instantly captivates your audience, making them believe in your message as much as you do. Strengthen your stage presence and own that stage like it’s your second home! Stand tall, shoulders back and exude confidence. 

2. Eye contact with the audience

Break down that invisible barrier and connect with your audience through their eyes. Maintaining eye contact when giving a presentation builds trust and shows that you’re present and engaged with them.

3. Effective use of hand gestures and movement

A little movement goes a long way! Emphasize key points with purposeful gestures and don’t be afraid to walk around the stage. Your energy will be contagious!

4. Utilize storytelling techniques

Weave the magic of storytelling into your presentation. Share relatable anecdotes, inspiring success stories or even personal experiences that tug at the heartstrings of your audience. Adjust your pitch, pace and volume to match the emotions and intensity of the story. Varying your speaking voice adds depth and enhances your stage presence.

5. Incorporate multimedia elements

Spice up your presentation with a dash of visual pizzazz! Use slides, images and video clips to add depth and clarity to your message. Just remember, less is more—don’t overwhelm them with information overload. 

Turn your presentations into an interactive party! Involve your audience with questions, polls or group activities. When they actively participate, they become invested in your presentation’s success. Bring your design to life with animated elements. Venngage allows you to apply animations to icons, images and text to create dynamic and engaging visual content.

6. Utilize humor strategically

Laughter is the best medicine—and a fantastic presentation enhancer! A well-placed joke or lighthearted moment can break the ice and create a warm atmosphere , making your audience more receptive to your message.

7. Practice active listening and respond to feedback

Be attentive to your audience’s reactions and feedback. If they have questions or concerns, address them with genuine interest and respect. Your responsiveness builds rapport and shows that you genuinely care about their experience.

8. Apply the 10-20-30 rule

Apply the 10-20-30 presentation rule and keep it short, sweet and impactful! Stick to ten slides, deliver your presentation within 20 minutes and use a 30-point font to ensure clarity and focus. Less is more, and your audience will thank you for it!

9. Implement the 5-5-5 rule

Simplicity is key. Limit each slide to five bullet points, with only five words per bullet point and allow each slide to remain visible for about five seconds. This rule keeps your presentation concise and prevents information overload.

Simple presentations are more engaging because they are easier to follow. Summarize your presentations and keep them simple with Venngage’s gallery of simple presentation templates and ensure that your message is delivered effectively across your audience.

1. How to start a presentation?

To kick off your presentation effectively, begin with an attention-grabbing statement or a powerful quote. Introduce yourself, establish credibility and clearly state the purpose and relevance of your presentation.

2. How to end a presentation?

For a strong conclusion, summarize your talking points and key takeaways. End with a compelling call to action or a thought-provoking question and remember to thank your audience and invite any final questions or interactions.

3. How to make a presentation interactive?

To make your presentation interactive, encourage questions and discussion throughout your talk. Utilize multimedia elements like videos or images and consider including polls, quizzes or group activities to actively involve your audience.

In need of inspiration for your next presentation? I’ve got your back! Pick from these 120+ presentation ideas, topics and examples to get started. 

Creating a stunning presentation with Venngage is a breeze with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and professionally designed templates for all your communication needs. 

Here’s how to make a presentation in just 5 simple steps with the help of Venngage:

Step 1: Sign up for Venngage for free using your email, Gmail or Facebook account or simply log in to access your account. 

Step 2: Pick a design from our selection of free presentation templates (they’re all created by our expert in-house designers).

Step 3: Make the template your own by customizing it to fit your content and branding. With Venngage’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can easily modify text, change colors and adjust the layout to create a unique and eye-catching design.

Step 4: Elevate your presentation by incorporating captivating visuals. You can upload your images or choose from Venngage’s vast library of high-quality photos, icons and illustrations. 

Step 5: Upgrade to a premium or business account to export your presentation in PDF and print it for in-person presentations or share it digitally for free!

By following these five simple steps, you’ll have a professionally designed and visually engaging presentation ready in no time. With Venngage’s user-friendly platform, your presentation is sure to make a lasting impression. So, let your creativity flow and get ready to shine in your next presentation!

How-To Geek

How to autoplay and loop a google slides presentation.

Play your presentation without touching a thing.

Quick Links

Set up autoplay and loop when presenting, set up autoplay and loop when publishing to the web.

If you don't want to worry about clicking through your slideshow, you can set up Google Slides to play your presentation automatically. Plus, you can have the slideshow loop, so it starts over at the beginning when it ends.

You might be playing your slideshow at a kiosk, during a conference, or publishing it to the web. These are the ideal times to use AutoPlay and Loop in Google Slides . You can automatically present the show and choose the timing between slides. Then, restart the presentation at the beginning each time it ends.

If you plan to start the slideshow and then let it play, you can set up AutoPlay and Loop , or simply one or the other.

Related: How to Loop a PowerPoint Presentation

Start the presentation by clicking "Slideshow" at the top of Google Slides. You can also use the arrow to pick either "Presenter View" or "Start From Beginning" per your preference.

When the slideshow opens, display the Presenter Toolbar by hovering your cursor over the bottom left corner of the presentation.

Click the three dots on the right of the Presenter Toolbar, then move to AutoPlay. You'll see a pop-out menu that lets you select the advance timing for the slides. You can pick from every second up to every minute.

If you also want to loop the slideshow, select "Loop" at the bottom of the pop-out menu.

When you finish, click "Play" to automatically play your presentation.

To stop the slideshow, simply click on a slide. You can then resume AutoPlay from the Presenter Toolbar by selecting "Play" again.

Maybe you plan to publish your slideshow to the web or embed it on a website rather than play it locally. You can set up AutoPlay and Loop as part of the publish settings.

Related: How to Share a Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides File as a Web Page

Go to File > Publish to the Web in the menu.

Choose either "Link" or "Embed" per your intent. Then use the Auto-Advance Slides drop-down box to choose the timing for the slides. Here again, you can pick from every second up to every minute.

To loop the slideshow, check the box for Restart the Slideshow After the Last Slide.

You can then mark the checkbox for Start Slideshow as Soon as the Player loads if you like, so that the viewer doesn't have to take any action to begin the presentation.

When you finish, click "Publish" and confirm to obtain the link or embed code for the slideshow.

To share a Google Slides presentation that doesn't require you to walk viewers through it, remember these steps to automatically play and loop the slideshow.

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

Partner Center

How to Record a Presentation on Google Slides

Do you want an easy way to record a Google Slides Presentation as a video to share later with your teammates? Once you have the Zight screen recorder, the process is easy and fast.

Article Last Updated: April 23, 2024

What Is a Google Slides Presentation?

What do you need to record google slides presentations, how to record a presentation on google slides with zight: step-by-step guide, faqs on how to record a presentation on google slides.

Here’s an interesting statistic: 91% of people believe a well-designed slide deck can increase your confidence as a presenter. The first step to creating a good presentation is to choose the best software, and then record the presentation in HD.

Tell you what? You can create slides with Google Slides, then use the Zight screen recording software to present and narrate your slides to your audience. This has many benefits, including saving your presentation for future collaboration or asynchronous communication , which, in many ways, has more benefits than synchronous communication in a digital and remote workspace.

Read on as we tell you how to create this presentation from scratch, in just a few steps!

Google Slides is a free web-based presentation software provided by Google as part of the Google Drive suite. You can use it on any device with an internet connection, offering various features like an easy-to-use presenter view, speaker notes, live captions, and the ability to present to Google Meet video calls. Plus, your slides can contain text, images, videos, animations, and more to create dynamic content.

While you can present live in a meeting, today’s work landscape teams need to improve communication and productivity with asynchronous video communication . So, when you can’t gather everyone in a Google meeting, you need a way to create and share a presentation with your teams. Your options include recording a Google Slides presentation with narration, just like you create a PowerPoint presentation with Zight .

Here’s what you need:

To record a presentation on Google Slides, you will need a few things:

• A device with an internet connection: It’s best to have a computer to make it easy to create and present Google Slides
• A screen recording software like Zight: While Google Slides allows you to present live in a meeting, it won’t record audio or video files to send later. That’s where Zight comes in, allowing you to record and narrate your slides as you present so you can share with attendees at a later time
• An external microphone (optional) to record audio for your presentation. However, you can still use your native microphone on your computer
• A webcam (optional): If you want to show yourself presenting alongside the slides, a webcam will be necessary for recording. To make things easy, you can just use the Zight webcam recorder which will use your native webcam app
• A Google account: You can only access Google Slides with a Google account, so make sure to sign in to be able to create slides
• Google Slides: Before using the screen recording tool , you want to create and add content to the Google slides you will be narrating. More on this below!

Before you start recording, search for Google Slides on your browser, log in to your account and open an untitled presentation.

Alternatively, click File on a current Google Slides presentation page, then New, and Presentation (or from the template gallery to pick a presentation template).

Add content to your slides, using the (+) sign on the upper left-hand side of your Google Slides presentation page (or Ctrl+M) to add new slides. You can also click the dropdown menu next to the (+) sign and choose slides with your ideal layout. Add content to the slides by typing in text, inserting images, videos, shapes, or charts, and customize them with a unique theme and background color.

Once your Google slides are ready, here’s how to start recording:

1. Download Zight

If you don’t have Zight, click the red button below to download.

• Record your screen with audio and webcam
• Annotate with arrows, lines, and blur
• Instantly share with a link or upload to YouTube or Vimeo

Alternatively, search for “Zight” on your web browser and create an account. Then, download the app that’s compatible with your computer. Zight is available for Mac , Windows , and even as a Google Chrome extension .

2. Choose your Screen Recording Preferences

Open your presentation on Google Slides and ensure you can easily navigate to the slides once you’re ready to record.

On the Zight App

Launch the Zight app and click Record.

You’ll find recording options like Full Screen and Select Region, plus the Screen Only or Screen & Cam options. Screen Only is good when you don’t want to use your webcam, while the latter allows you to incorporate your webcam for a personal touch.

Then, select your audio/mic and webcam options, move your webcam overlay to a good space on your screen, and click Start Recording. Wait for the 3-second timer to count down before you go to the Google Slides presentation.

On the Google Chrome Extension

Click on the Zight icon on the upper left of your Google Chrome browser, click Record, and select either Screen Only or Screen & Cam. Then, turn on your microphone and webcam camera.

Next, click Start Recording and choose Entire Screen. After that, select the screen you want to record, and click Share. Click your mouse on any part of the screen to start recording and wait out the 3-second countdown.

The Zight screen recorder software will now be recording your entire screen.

3. Start Narrating Your Google Slides Presentation

On the Google Slides presentation page, click on the dropdown menu next to Slideshow.

Click Presenter View if you are viewing the first Google slide. Alternatively, click Start from the beginning if you are not on the first slide. This will turn your presentation into a full-screen view and you will see that Zight is sharing your screen.

Then, start narrating your Google slides in high video and audio quality.

You can pause and resume your screen recording and restart it to capture moments you may have missed in the beginning. You can also cancel the recording and delete the file to avoid uploading it to the cloud.

4. Annotate Your Presentation

One of the best things about presenting your Google Slides with Zight is that you can annotate the video just as easily as you narrate it.

If you are recording from the Zight app, you can pause the recording and then click the annotations button on the recording menu (the icon looks like a pen).

Once you do, you will see the different annotations you can add to the slides, including a pen, highlighter, arrow, line, ellipse, and rectangle. You can choose a different color for your annotations, even how long the annotation lasts on the final recorded video.

After annotating, resume the recording, rinse and repeat!

5. Finish Recording and Edit Your Video

Once you narrate all your Google slides, click the Finish recording button and wait for the file to upload to the cloud. Zight will also open the file on your default browser where you can edit the video file further.

When the video link opens, click the Edit button, and continue to split and merge sections, trim, crop, filter, and finetune different sections until the presentation is faultless. Click Done to save those settings.

On top of the recording, annotating, and editing of your Google Slides presentation, Zight will also transcribe your video and send the text to your email so you can go through the notes in case you missed something.

You can also add custom branding, and use AI features to generate a video summary and video titles. If you want to share the presentation with global teams, you will also love that you can translate the video file into 50 different languages for seamless communication.

6. Share the Presentation for Asynchronous Communication

To share the presentation, you can send the shareable link to your teams via Slack , Asana , Trello , and other chat boards and productivity software you use at work.

Alternatively, you can embed the video file in an email, or even download it on your computer then upload it on a platform like YouTube to reach a global audience.

7. Collaborate and Track Analytics

The best part about recording your presentation in superior video footage with Zight is how you can save it for collaboration later.

Firstly, you can save the video to a Collection on your Zight dashboard or add it to a Favorites list. This way, the video will be readily available and you can track how many people interact with it, either through comments or reactions to finetune your collaboration and communication strategy.

In addition, this video presentation will always be available on your Zight cloud account, and, as long as you keep it, even your colleagues or recipients can always retrieve it for future reference.

There you have it, an easy way to record your Google Slides presentation using Zight! With this method, you can easily create and share professional-looking recordings of your presentations to a global audience.

If you want to feel more confident before your audience with a well-designed and narrated deck, ensure you have a reliable internet connection before starting the recording. In addition, close any unnecessary tabs or programs on your computer to avoid interruptions. Finally, while Zight may use the native mic on your computer, you can prefer to use a high-quality microphone for better audio clarity.

Most importantly, don’t forget to rehearse and practice your presentation beforehand to ensure a smooth delivery and minimize any mistakes during the recording. With these tips in mind, you can confidently create engaging presentations that will impress your audience.

So why wait? Get Zight today and take your presentations to the next level!

I) Can I Record My Screen in Google Slides?

No. Google Slides does not have a built-in screen recording feature. However, you can use third-party apps like Zight to record your presentation.

II) How do you turn a Google slide into a video?

Since Google Slides does not record the screen and audio (apart from when you’re presenting in a Google meeting), you will need a third-party app to record your screen and turn your slides into a video. Follow the steps mentioned above to record and then export your presentation as a video.

When you record your Google Slides presentation with Zight, you’ll also be able to explain the contents of your slides in high-quality audio for an even better personal touch to what would be a boring presentation without narration.

III) How Do You Create a Presentation on Google Slides?

To create Google slides, follow these steps:

• Go to Google Drive and sign in.
• Click on the “New” button, then select “Google Slides.”
• Choose a template or start with a blank slide.
• Add your content by typing in text, and inserting images, videos, shapes, or charts.
• Customize your slides by changing the theme, background-color

Create & share screenshots, screen recordings, and GIFs with Zight

Get Zight for iOS.

5 Better Alternatives To Google Slides

I f you're looking to create a compelling presentation to showcase a new idea or persuade others, Google Slides may be the first option that comes to mind. But with few built-in templates, basic themes, and a limited graphics collection, you'll likely have a hard time making your presentation stand out against others.

If you want to make your presentation truly stand out, there are several alternatives to Google Slides that offer extra perks and features to give your presentations an edge. While Google focuses on integrating Slides with its other work-based apps like Sheets and Docs, other presentation apps focus more on design elements, transitions, and themes to help you convey your brand or personal image throughout your presentation.

We've tested these Google Slide alternatives to give you an idea of other available options to deliver impactful presentations. If you're looking for a way to make boring information more fun and engaging, here are the best presentation apps to replace Google Slides.

Read more: Major Graphics Card Brands Ranked Worst To Best

Microsoft PowerPoint

There's a reason so many businesses around the globe use Microsoft PowerPoint. Building its reputation as the go-to option for delivering high-quality presentations, the software generated $100 million in annual sales only three years after its initial release in 1990.

Microsoft PowerPoint may be Google Slides' largest competitor, but there are plenty of unique features that can add an extra flourish to your slides. PowerPoint excels in its impressive library of custom animations and slide transitions, which are fairly limited in Google Slides. Another unique feature is its AI-powered Designer tool. This provides professional design schemes that mirror the words used in your slides. For instance, if your title slide is named "Basketball Team 2024," Designer will automatically suggest pictures and slide layouts associated with basketball.

As PowerPoint has been in development longer than Google Slides, it naturally offers more nuanced features if you're looking for something specific. For example, you can save individual slides as an image file (using .png or .jpeg formats) or as a separate presentation file. There's also a large library of free PowerPoint templates designed to speed up your workflow. Moreover, PowerPoint integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Teams with its PowerPoint Live function, allowing you to easily share your presentation with your co-workers.

Prezi offers an innovative approach to showing presentations with its unique canvas feature. Unlike traditional presentation software, Prezi lets you zoom and pan around a flexible canvas. The canvas may feel distant to something of a presentation program, but there is still some linear order provided thanks to the Timeline view.

Finding ways to visualize data is one of the biggest challenges when dealing with presentation software. Prezi resolves this struggle with the help of its Story Blocks: a series of infographics available in multiple designs to visually represent data. You can easily edit infographics and even add animations to individual shapes. This can help add a story to your presentation and help you emphasize key points.

To further enhance your presentation visually, Prezi offers several topic path settings, which let you change how Prezi transitions from one topic to another. These options include subtopics, which are super helpful for breaking large chunks of information down. If you're looking for a unique, modern approach to presenting information, Prezi is a top pick.

If you're looking to create a professional presentation to convince potential clients about your business idea, Slidebean is a popular choice among professionals with plenty of customization options. One of the issues with Google Slides is its fairly limited template library, which is filled mostly with basic designs. Slidebean offers a better alternative with a broad selection of innovative templates split into categories for convenience.

The app's user interface is easy to navigate so that you can create slides in less time. Each slide has a dedicated Design and Outline tab. You can use the Outline tab to quickly edit the information on each slide without being distracted by all the visual elements. Another productivity-enhancing feature is the ability to generate a presentation theme from your website. Simply enter your URL, and Slidebean will automatically apply the theming to your presentation.

Slidebean is another presentation app to take advantage of AI. Using the Auto-Design feature, you can generate recommended slide layouts based on your existing content. It also features AI text suggestions designed to suit different industries. Overall, Slidebean offers a quicker, more efficient method for creating stunning presentations compared to Google Slides.

Canva is a well-known app among graphic designers, but it's also capable of making stunning presentations. The app also has mobile editions, so you can easily create and edit presentations on your Android phone , iOS device, or tablet. As long as you have an internet connection, you can modify your designs wherever you are.

To get started, head to Canva's online presentation maker . Canva offers a vast range of templates categorized by topic, which easily surpasses the simple templates in Google Slides . While some of the templates are only available to Canva Pro members, there is an ample amount of free templates to help you get started. You'll also find a large selection of stock photos, shapes, and illustrations to create beautiful customized slides.

Because Canva is built for graphic designers, you can access several features to give your presentation consistent theming. These include color palettes, font sets, and even a brand kit that allows you to add your company's fonts (available to Pro members only). One time-saving feature is Canva's Uploads tab, which lets you access recently uploaded media files. This offers a convenient way to copy content between different presentations.

Visme is a powerful visual design tool able to create videos, infographics, and presentations. One of the perks of using Visme is the company's free educational content, which offers advice on how to create impactful content to boost your brand. After signing up, the company also asks whether you're using Visme for your business, education purposes, or personal use to offer personalized tips.

In terms of charts and graphs, Visme offers some of the most impressive features we've seen from a presentation app, so you can effortlessly convey important statistics. From the Data tab, you can access dozens of graph styles to visually represent your data. Then, simply double-click a chart inside your presentation to edit the values instantly in a simple table format.

Another area that Visme excels in is collaboration. You can either generate a link to publish your presentation on the web or share your presentation privately with others. For each team member, you can choose who can view, edit, and comment slides for a seamless workflow. There's also a Slack integration that lets you receive messages whenever changes are made to your presentation. Visme is free for all users, with limited features available in its premium plans.

Read the original article on SlashGear .