Google Slides / Google Slides Power User
Add shapes to slides
While the pre-set diagrams are useful, it’s important to be able to create your own shapes from scratch - you can combine shapes with tables to create any type of diagram.
Drawing shapes
Shapes such as rectangles, ellipses and triangles can be added to a slide as follows:
Click on the Shapes button on the toolbar
Choose the type of shape you wish to draw
Choose the shape
Position the mouse where the top-left corner of the shape should appear and drag the mouse diagonally to create the required shape and size
Release the mouse button when the shape is drawn correctly on the slide
Drawing lines
To draw a line on the slide:
Click on the drop-down arrow of the Lines button on the toolbar
Choose the type of line you wish to create
Position the mouse where the beginning of the line should appear and drag the mouse to create the required length and direction
Release the mouse button when the line is drawn correctly on the slide
Tips for working with shapes
Hold Shift while drawing to create a perfect shape e.g. a square or circle
After drawing one shape, hold Ctrl and drag it to the right to duplicate it. Guidelines will show to keep the new shape aligned with the original and you can also hold Shift to keep it straight.
Double-click in any shape to add text inside it - this is really good practice as when you move the shape, the text will move too.
Use the format painter to copy formatting from one shape to another. Click on the shape that has the formatting you wish to use, then double-click on the Format Painter button. Now, click on each shape you wish to apply the formatting to.
You can change the shape of an existing object on the slide by right-clicking on the object, choosing Change Shape and the shape you wish to change it to.
