Google Slides is a versatile presentation tool, and while it’s primarily used for creating and delivering presentations, it also offers some basic drawing capabilities. Whether you want to annotate a slide during a presentation, highlight key points, or create simple illustrations, knowing how to draw on Google Slides can be incredibly useful. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the various methods and tools available for drawing on Google Slides, providing detailed steps and instructions to help you unleash your creativity.
Why Draw on Google Slides?
Before we dive into the how-to, let’s consider why you might want to draw on Google Slides in the first place:
- Annotation During Presentations: Draw attention to specific elements or concepts during live presentations.
- Visual Emphasis: Highlight key data points in charts or graphs.
- Creating Simple Diagrams: Illustrate processes or relationships visually.
- Interactive Learning: Engage students by drawing on slides during online lessons.
- Collaboration and Feedback: Provide visual feedback on presentations under development.
- Adding Personality: Incorporate hand-drawn elements to make your presentations more engaging and memorable.
Methods for Drawing on Google Slides
There are several ways to draw on Google Slides, each with its own advantages and limitations. We’ll cover the following methods:
- Using the Line Tool (Lines, Arrows, Scribble): The built-in line tool offers various options, including lines, arrows, and the scribble tool for freehand drawing.
- Using Shapes: Google Slides provides a library of pre-defined shapes that can be customized and combined to create more complex drawings.
- Using the Polyline and Curve Tools: These tools allow for drawing more intricate and irregular shapes.
- Using the ‘Insert’ > ‘Drawing’ feature: This opens a separate drawing canvas where you can use a wider range of tools.
- Using Extensions and Add-ons: Several third-party extensions enhance the drawing capabilities of Google Slides.
- Using a Touchscreen Device or Stylus: Drawing directly on the screen with a touchscreen device and stylus provides a more natural drawing experience.
Method 1: Using the Line Tool (Lines, Arrows, Scribble)
The Line tool is the simplest and most basic way to draw on Google Slides. It allows you to create straight lines, arrows, and freehand scribbles.
Steps:
- Open your Google Slides presentation: Go to Google Drive and open the presentation you want to work on.
- Select the slide: Choose the slide where you want to draw.
- Access the Line tool: In the toolbar at the top, click on the ‘Line’ icon (it looks like a slanted line). A dropdown menu will appear.
- Choose your line type:
- Line: For drawing straight lines.
- Arrow: For drawing lines with an arrowhead.
- Elbow Connector/Curved Connector: For connecting shapes with lines that automatically adjust.
- Curve: For drawing smooth, curved lines.
- Polyline: For drawing a series of connected straight lines to create custom shapes.
- Scribble: For freehand drawing. This is the option you’ll primarily use for drawing.
- Draw on the slide:
- Line/Arrow: Click and drag your mouse to draw a line or arrow. Release the mouse button to finish.
- Curve: Click to start the curve. Each click adds a point to the curve. Double-click to end the curve.
- Polyline: Click to start the line. Each click adds a point to the polyline. Double-click to finish the shape.
- Scribble: Click and drag your mouse to draw freely. Release the mouse button to stop drawing.
- Customize your drawing (Optional): Once you’ve drawn your line, you can customize its appearance:
- Line weight: Change the thickness of the line using the ‘Line weight’ option in the toolbar (usually represented by a line with different thicknesses).
- Line color: Change the color of the line using the ‘Line color’ option in the toolbar (usually represented by a pencil icon with a color palette).
- Line style: Change the line style (e.g., solid, dashed, dotted) using the ‘Line dash’ option in the toolbar (usually represented by a line with different dash patterns).
- Arrow style: If you drew an arrow, you can change the style of the arrowhead and tail using the ‘Line start arrow’ and ‘Line end arrow’ options in the toolbar.
- Move and resize (Optional): Click on the line to select it. You can then drag it to a new location or use the handles (small squares) around the line to resize it.
Tips for using the Line Tool:
- Hold Shift for straight lines: When using the ‘Line’ or ‘Arrow’ tool, hold down the Shift key while dragging to create perfectly straight horizontal or vertical lines.
- Use short strokes for better control: When using the ‘Scribble’ tool, use short, controlled strokes rather than long, sweeping motions for more accurate drawing.
- Zoom in for detail: Zoom in on the slide for more precise drawing, especially when using the ‘Scribble’ tool.
Method 2: Using Shapes
Google Slides has a range of pre-made shapes. While not free-hand drawing, you can combine shapes to create more complex drawings.
Steps:
- Open your Google Slides presentation: Go to Google Drive and open the presentation you want to work on.
- Select the slide: Choose the slide where you want to draw.
- Access the Shapes tool: In the toolbar at the top, click on the ‘Shapes’ icon (it looks like a circle overlapping a square). A dropdown menu will appear with various categories of shapes.
- Choose a shape: Select the shape you want to use. Categories include: Shapes, Arrows, Callouts, and Equations.
- Draw the shape on the slide: Click and drag your mouse to draw the shape. Release the mouse button to finish.
- Customize your shape (Optional): Once you’ve drawn your shape, you can customize its appearance:
- Fill color: Change the fill color of the shape using the ‘Fill color’ option in the toolbar (usually represented by a paint bucket icon).
- Border color: Change the color of the shape’s border using the ‘Line color’ option in the toolbar.
- Border weight: Change the thickness of the shape’s border using the ‘Line weight’ option in the toolbar.
- Border style: Change the border style (e.g., solid, dashed, dotted) using the ‘Line dash’ option in the toolbar.
- Resize and reshape: Click on the shape to select it. You can then use the handles (small squares and circles) around the shape to resize and reshape it. The yellow diamond handles on some shapes allow you to adjust specific aspects of the shape.
- Add text: Double-click inside the shape to add text. You can then format the text using the text formatting options in the toolbar.
- Combine shapes (Optional): You can combine multiple shapes to create more complex drawings. To do this, select the shapes you want to combine (hold Shift while clicking to select multiple shapes), then right-click and choose ‘Group’. This will group the shapes together, allowing you to move and resize them as a single object. You can also use the ‘Order’ options to bring shapes forward or backward relative to each other.
Tips for using Shapes:
- Hold Shift for perfect shapes: Hold down the Shift key while drawing a shape (e.g., a circle or square) to create a perfect shape with equal width and height.
- Use the Arrange menu: The ‘Arrange’ menu (under ‘Format’) offers options for aligning, distributing, and ordering shapes, which can be helpful when creating complex drawings.
- Explore the different shape categories: Experiment with the different shape categories to discover a wide range of useful shapes.
Method 3: Using the Polyline and Curve Tools
The Polyline and Curve tools provide more flexibility for drawing irregular shapes and lines compared to the basic Line tool.
Steps:
- Open your Google Slides presentation: Go to Google Drive and open the presentation you want to work on.
- Select the slide: Choose the slide where you want to draw.
- Access the Polyline or Curve tool: In the toolbar at the top, click on the ‘Line’ icon, and then select either ‘Polyline’ or ‘Curve’ from the dropdown menu.
- Draw on the slide:
- Polyline: Click to start the line. Each click adds a point to the polyline. Double-click to finish the shape.
- Curve: Click to start the curve. Each click adds a point to the curve. Drag the mouse between clicks to create curves instead of straight lines. Double-click to end the curve.
- Customize your drawing (Optional): Once you’ve drawn your polyline or curve, you can customize its appearance:
- Line weight: Change the thickness of the line using the ‘Line weight’ option in the toolbar.
- Line color: Change the color of the line using the ‘Line color’ option in the toolbar.
- Line style: Change the line style (e.g., solid, dashed, dotted) using the ‘Line dash’ option in the toolbar.
- Fill color (for closed polylines): If you create a closed polyline (where the starting and ending points meet), you can change the fill color of the shape using the ‘Fill color’ option in the toolbar.
- Edit points (Optional): Double-click on the polyline or curve to show its vertices (points). You can then drag these vertices to adjust the shape of the line or curve.
Tips for using the Polyline and Curve Tools:
- Use short segments for smoother curves: When using the ‘Curve’ tool, use short segments with subtle mouse movements to create smoother, more natural-looking curves.
- Plan your shape beforehand: Before drawing, take a moment to plan the shape you want to create. This will help you draw more accurately and efficiently.
- Experiment with different point placements: Experiment with different placements of points to achieve the desired shape.
Method 4: Using the ‘Insert’ > ‘Drawing’ Feature
The ‘Insert’ > ‘Drawing’ feature provides a separate drawing canvas with a wider range of tools than the basic Google Slides toolbar. This is the most powerful built-in method for creating drawings within Google Slides.
Steps:
- Open your Google Slides presentation: Go to Google Drive and open the presentation you want to work on.
- Select the slide: Choose the slide where you want to draw.
- Open the Drawing canvas: Click on ‘Insert’ in the menu bar, then select ‘Drawing’ and then ‘+ New’. This will open a new drawing canvas in a separate window.
- Use the drawing tools: The drawing canvas provides a toolbar with the following tools:
- Line: Similar to the Line tool in Google Slides, offering options for lines, arrows, polylines, curves, and scribble.
- Shape: Similar to the Shapes tool in Google Slides, offering a library of pre-defined shapes.
- Text box: For adding text to your drawing.
- Image: For inserting images from your computer or the web.
- Word Art: For creating stylized text.
- Create your drawing: Use the tools in the drawing canvas to create your drawing. You can combine lines, shapes, text, and images to create complex illustrations.
- Customize your drawing: Customize the appearance of your drawing elements using the formatting options in the toolbar, such as fill color, border color, line weight, and font.
- Save and insert: When you’re finished creating your drawing, click on the ‘Save and Close’ button in the top right corner of the drawing canvas. This will insert your drawing as an image into your Google Slides presentation.
- Move and resize (Optional): Click on the drawing to select it. You can then drag it to a new location or use the handles around the drawing to resize it.
- Edit the drawing (Optional): If you need to make changes to your drawing, double-click on it to reopen the drawing canvas. Make your changes, and then click ‘Save and Close’ to update the drawing in your presentation.
Tips for using the ‘Insert’ > ‘Drawing’ Feature:
- Use a large canvas: The drawing canvas defaults to a small size. Before you start drawing, resize the canvas to a larger size that suits your needs. You can do this by dragging the handles around the canvas.
- Take advantage of the layering capabilities: The drawing canvas allows you to layer elements on top of each other. This is useful for creating complex drawings with depth and detail.
- Use the ‘Group’ function: Group related elements together to make it easier to move and resize them as a single unit.
- Experiment with Word Art: Word Art is a great way to add visually appealing text to your drawings.
Method 5: Using Extensions and Add-ons
Several third-party extensions and add-ons can enhance the drawing capabilities of Google Slides. These tools often provide more advanced features and a more intuitive drawing experience.
Finding and Installing Extensions/Add-ons:
- Open your Google Slides presentation: Go to Google Drive and open the presentation you want to work on.
- Access the Add-ons menu: Click on ‘Add-ons’ in the menu bar.
- Get Add-ons: Select ‘Get add-ons’. This will open the Google Workspace Marketplace.
- Search for drawing tools: Search for drawing tools, such as “drawing” or “annotation”.
- Install an add-on: Choose an add-on from the search results and click on it. Then, click the ‘Install’ button. You will need to grant the add-on permission to access your Google account.
Examples of useful add-ons:
- Pear Deck: This is more for interactive learning but it has drawing tools for annotations during presentations.
- Slides Toolbox: Sometimes includes extra drawing features or easier shape manipulation.
Using the Extension/Add-on:
- Access the add-on: After installing the add-on, click on ‘Add-ons’ in the menu bar again. You should see the add-on listed in the menu.
- Use the drawing tools: Follow the instructions provided by the add-on to use its drawing tools. The specific features and interface will vary depending on the add-on.
Tips for using Extensions and Add-ons:
- Read reviews before installing: Before installing an add-on, read the reviews to see what other users have to say about it.
- Check permissions carefully: Pay attention to the permissions that the add-on requests. Only install add-ons from trusted developers.
- Experiment with different add-ons: Try out several different drawing add-ons to find one that suits your needs and preferences.
Method 6: Using a Touchscreen Device or Stylus
If you have a touchscreen device (such as a tablet or a touchscreen laptop) and a stylus, you can draw directly on Google Slides with a more natural and intuitive drawing experience.
Steps:
- Open your Google Slides presentation: Go to Google Drive and open the presentation you want to work on.
- Select the slide: Choose the slide where you want to draw.
- Use the Scribble tool: Select the ‘Scribble’ tool from the Line menu.
- Draw on the screen: Use your stylus to draw directly on the screen. The Scribble tool will translate your stylus movements into lines on the slide.
- Customize your drawing (Optional): Customize the appearance of your drawing using the formatting options in the toolbar, such as line weight, line color, and line style.
Tips for using a Touchscreen Device or Stylus:
- Use a stylus with good pressure sensitivity: A stylus with good pressure sensitivity will allow you to vary the thickness and darkness of your lines by applying different amounts of pressure.
- Calibrate your stylus (if necessary): Some touchscreen devices require you to calibrate your stylus for optimal performance. Follow the instructions provided by your device manufacturer.
- Zoom in for detail: Zoom in on the slide for more precise drawing, especially when creating intricate details.
- Rest your hand on the screen: Most touchscreen devices have palm rejection technology, which allows you to rest your hand on the screen while drawing without creating unwanted marks. However, it’s still a good idea to experiment with different hand positions to find what works best for you.
Advanced Techniques and Tips
- Using Transparency: Adjusting the transparency of shapes and lines can create interesting visual effects and allow you to layer elements effectively.
- Creating Shadows: Adding shadows to shapes can add depth and dimension to your drawings. Use the ‘Format options’ menu to add shadows.
- Duplicating and Rotating: Duplicate existing shapes and rotate them to create more complex patterns and designs.
- Using Guides and Rulers: Google Slides has built-in guides and rulers that can help you align and position elements accurately. You can access them from the ‘View’ menu.
- Keyboard Shortcuts: Learn keyboard shortcuts to speed up your workflow. For example, Ctrl+C copies, Ctrl+V pastes, Ctrl+Z undoes, and Ctrl+Y redoes.
- Practice Regularly: The more you practice drawing on Google Slides, the better you will become. Experiment with different techniques and tools to develop your own style.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Lines are not smooth: If your lines are not smooth, try using the ‘Curve’ tool or the ‘Scribble’ tool with short, controlled strokes. Zooming in can also help.
- Shapes are not aligning properly: Use the built-in guides and rulers to align shapes accurately. You can also use the ‘Arrange’ menu to align and distribute shapes.
- Drawing disappears when I click away: Make sure you are using the correct drawing tools and that you have completed the drawing process before clicking away. For example, when using the ‘Polyline’ or ‘Curve’ tool, you need to double-click to finish the shape.
- Cannot edit a drawing: Double-click on the drawing to open it in the drawing editor. If the drawing was inserted as an image, you may need to recreate it using the drawing tools within Google Slides.
- Add-on is not working: Make sure the add-on is properly installed and enabled. Check the add-on’s documentation for troubleshooting tips.
Conclusion
Drawing on Google Slides can add a new dimension to your presentations, allowing you to annotate, illustrate, and emphasize key points in a visually engaging way. Whether you’re using the basic Line tool, combining shapes, exploring the drawing canvas, or leveraging third-party extensions, Google Slides offers a range of options to suit your needs. By following the steps and tips outlined in this guide, you can unlock your creativity and create more impactful and memorable presentations. Don’t be afraid to experiment and explore the various tools and techniques available to discover what works best for you. Happy drawing!