How To Draw Over A Picture In Google Docs

Every bit the sometime maxim goes, a picture is worth a m words, correct? This is definitely something we live by here at BrightCarbon as we e'er aim to use less text and more than visuals to make our presentations powerful and engaging. And then, if you're looking for new ways to enhance your presentations, why not start with the pictures? Both PowerPoint and Google Slides offering some peachy image editing tools that are so like shooting fish in a barrel to utilise you don't need to be an expert to make your presentation look hit, but we're going to focus our time today on what Google Slides paradigm editing can offer.

Before we get started, if you need quality stock photos for your presentation, you tin can try sites like Unsplash or Pexels, as they offering a large online library of copyright-free, high definition images.

Now, with that sorted, here are half-dozen very elementary and effective editing tips to help take your presentation to the adjacent level.

1. Cropping and masking

The crop tool allows yous to trim the edges of an paradigm or remove any unwanted sections. Cropping helps bring focus to the relevant part of the motion picture and can also help develop a fashion or theme in your deck. For instance, you could crop all your images to a square for a consistent design identity.

How: To start, open up a presentation and go to Insert on the menu bar, scroll down to Image and select Upload from computer. Choose the image you want to insert and click Open. Now the picture has been inserted, allow'southward crop it. Double-click on the image and drag the black tabs to your desired size. Now hit enter to make the crop. Make sure y'all are dragging the black tabs and non the blue nodes, as those will change the size of your picture. If you accidentally pull the bluish nodes, just striking the Undo button (Ctrl + z) and try once more.

Cropping is i mode to hide parts of a moving picture, some other is masking. With masking you just add together shapes over the top of your picture to hide the unwanted parts.

Use cases

Sometimes simply cropping a picture or altering its dimensions can change the pregnant of a slide completely. Past simply cropping three images to equal rectangular shapes yous can create an impactful agenda slide highlighting dissimilar sections in your presentation. Really simple, but then constructive!

If you want to learn more than about how to align your slides neatly using guides, check out this article.

You tin besides apply the same rectangle crop to demonstrate an evolution, sequence or timeline, as seen on the slide below which shows the step past step process of how plastic can end up on our plates.

Next, by cropping various pictures to the aforementioned shape and size, we take created a collage event. If y'all're struggling to express your bulletin with just 1 picture, a collage is a great culling to bring various ideas together – in this case to bear witness the dissimilar means in which plastic can bear upon marine life.

Placing two cropped pictures side-by-side is an easy mode to make a comparison or show a before-and-after, as nosotros did here.

2. Crop to shape

This Google Slides image editing hack is one of our favourites, volition soon become a house favourite in your toolkit. This nifty tool allows you lot to change the shape of your moving picture to a circle, triangle or star, for example.

How: To crop your image to a particular shape, click on the arrow adjacent to the Crop image icon, scroll downward to Shape and select the shape you desire. In that location are lots of shapes, arrows and callout designs to choose from, like the heart example beneath.

If yous desire to avoid a warped or stretched epitome, you need to make certain your motion picture has equal proportions. To do this get to Format, scroll down to Format options and click the Size & Position box to make sure the width and meridian are equal.

Employ cases

Images cropped to shape can become much more compelling. By cropping different parts of this picture to hexagon shapes to resemble the internet that's trapping the turtle.

Hither, by cropping the picture to a pentagon shape, you can create a slicker, more professional person looking title slide.

By cropping a slightly dissimilar image to a circle and layering it on tiptop of another image, you can easily create a magnifying glass effect- a corking way to show a larger scene without missing of import details.

three. Add a border

Adding a simple border around your images can sometimes assist them look more polished. Having an chemical element like a border consistently throughout your presentation, gives it a stiff identity and mode.

How: Select your image and then get to the carte bar and click on the Border Colour icon to select the color y'all want. If you want to make the border thinner or thicker, click on the Edge weight icon and select your desired weight.

4. Image Callout

Image callout is a design must-take as information technology is and so incredibly useful and visually powerful. In a callout, y'all cut out a circle to a specific part of the moving-picture show, to describe attention to it. We take highlighted the faces in the oversupply to create focus points on the epitome.

In order to achieve this event, you need to go through a few more steps.

How: Firstly, Copy and Paste the image you lot desire to edit, then overlay information technology over the original paradigm. Click the driblet-downwards button next to the Crop tool, coil downwardly to Shapes and select the oval shape. Once this is done, go to Format, scroll down to Format options and click the Size & Position box in the format options and brand sure the width and height are equal to create a perfect circle. On the original paradigm, click on the adjustment box in Format options and reduce the brightness. This volition make sure that your callout stands out against the original image.

How to make an prototype callout in Google Slides from BrightCarbon on Vimeo.

5. Paradigm overlay

Positioning text over images can look very effective… if done well. Text can easily get lost on top of a busy epitome and go hard to read, merely we've got a handy trick you can employ to get around this problem – epitome overlay! This means calculation a translucent rectangle on height of an image: it should be nighttime plenty so that you can read the text, but articulate enough that you lot can see the film.

How: Go to Insert on the menu bar, scroll down to Shape, then Shapes and cull the shape you demand. In most cases it's a rectangle. Take hold of the corners and drag until your rectangle is the exact size of your picture and perfectly positioned on top of the image. Then go to the Fill colour icon button on the menu bar. Select the black colour option and then click Custom at the lesser. A small window volition open with 2 bars – one for the colour of your shape and the other for the transparency. Lower the transparency until it'southward well-nigh fully transparent: information technology needs to be simply dark plenty to read the text, whilst making certain the picture is all the same clear.

See how this simple and subtle image overlay helps the text stand out.

Apply cases

You can also choose a custom color overlay like on the slide beneath. Using a shade of blue that fits with the theme of the deck helps to maintain brand identity, whilst also slightly muting the image and then that the focus is on the quote instead.

six. Format Options

In one case you've decided on the size and shape of your movie, you can kickoff playing with its format. With Google Slides you can adjust the transparency, brightness, and contrast of your images, besides as change their colour. These simple alterations can make your presentations much sharper – and you don't need to be a Photoshop adept to be able to practice them!

How: To start, click the paradigm then go to Format on the menu bar. Scroll downward to Format options… and a sidebar will pop up containing the following tools.

Recolour

Using recolour you tin modify the colour of your image to either match the theme of your presentation or, as in this case, to create some contrast.

Transparency

This is a useful feature that tin can exist used on both images and shapes. Transparency works a treat for groundwork images, equally information technology helps fade back the image so that the text becomes the focus and is easier to read.

How to: One time you have opened the Format options bar, click on Adjustments and you will encounter the Transparency cursor. Move it upwards to your preferred level. Then one time you are satisfied, you lot tin can click on your epitome and pull the corners until it fills the slide.

Adding transparency to shapes can be useful likewise, particularly for overlaying text boxes on meridian of images.

Head over here to discover out how to employ transparency in PowerPoint.

Brightness

This tool is handy if your original picture is dark or faded. This simple aligning tin can highlight the best features of your photo and requite it a more professional look.

Driblet Shadow

Drop Shadows are a tiny detail that tin brand a world of departure. It's the simplest way to add depth and space between layers of shapes and images on the slide. The drop shadow effect on the circles below create a more realistic, 3D-like appearance.

Every bit you can run into, there are some great Google Slides image editing hacks out there, that let you lot create beautiful slides, chop-chop and hands, without having to get trained in graphic design kickoff. So become on, get started today!

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