Adding shapes to your Google Slides presentations can make them more visually appealing and help communicate your ideas more clearly. In this article, we’ll explore the various ways to use shapes for better slide design.
Inserting Shapes
To insert a shape into your slide:
- Click the Insert > Shape option in the toolbar.
- Select a shape category like lines, arrows, rectangles etc.
- Choose the specific shape you want to add.
- Click and drag on the slide canvas to draw the shape to desired size.
You can also hold the shift key while dragging to draw a perfectly proportioned shape.
Google Slides provides tons of pre-defined shapes to choose from. So whether you need a simple arrow or complex diagram, you’ll usually find the exact shape needed.
Customizing Shapes
Once inserted, shapes can be formatted and customized easily. Some key options are:
- Resize – Click and drag the round handles on the sides and corners.
- Rotate – Click and drag the round handle on top of shape.
- Change dimensions – Adjust height and width under Size in format panel.
- Change colors – Update fill color, outline color etc.
- Add effects – Shadow, reflection, transparency etc.
You can also change the line weight, dash type and other settings for shape outlines.
Converting Shapes
Don’t like the shape you inserted? No problem. Just select the shape, click “Change shape” option in the toolbar and choose a new shape from the panel.
The shape will change but all styling and formatting will remain intact. This makes iterating much faster.
Layering Shapes
Slides allow you to layer objects on top of each other. The layer order determines which object appears on top.
- To send an object to back, right-click > Order > Send to back
- To bring an object to front, right-click > Order > Bring to front
Use this to create a background shape behind other slide elements or stack shapes to create diagrams.
Grouping Shapes
To move multiple shapes together:
- Select the shapes by holding CTRL (or ⌘ on Mac)
- Right-click and choose “Group”
This groups all selected shapes into one object that can now be moved as a single unit.
To ungroup, right-click the group and choose “Ungroup”.
Aligning Shapes
To align multiple shapes:
- Select the shapes
- Click “Arrange > Align” on toolbar
- Choose align left, center, right etc.
You can also distribute shapes horizontally or vertically to space them evenly apart.
Adding Text to Shapes
To add text inside a shape, double click the shape and start typing. The text will automatically wrap inside shape boundaries.
This allows you to create callouts, title boxes, text heavy diagrams etc.
You can format the text inside shapes just like normal text boxes – change font, size color etc.
Using Shapes as Masks
Here’s a nifty trick – convert a shape into a mask to crop images:
- Insert image on slide
- Cover it with a shape placed on top
- Right click the shape > Format options
- Choose “Crop image” under mask section
The parts of image outside shape will be cropped automatically. Resize or rotate the mask shape to reveal desired sections of image.
Drawing Custom Shapes
While Slides has tons of built-in shapes, you can also draw custom shapes using the line or scribble pen tools.
Some tips for creating custom shapes:
- Draw outlines using smooth lines rather than sketches
- Hold down Shift when drawing lines for straight edges
- Press Ctrl+Z to undo mistakes
- Group lines once shape is complete
With some practice, you can create unique shapes tailored to your presentation content.
Key Takeaways
Adding and formatting shapes makes presentations more visually compelling and aids communication. Master these shape techniques in Google Slides:
- Insert readymade arrows, callouts, banners using the shape tool
- Customize shape fills, outlines, effects via the format panel
- Align, distribute, group, and layer shapes to organize slides
- Create custom shapes with line/scribble tools or as image masks
- Insert text in shapes for nice callouts and diagrams
With all these options at your fingertips, shapes can become an integral part of your presentation design workflow.
