With seamless collaboration, a rich templates library, excellent integration with other Google apps, cross-platform availability, and many other features, Google Slides remains a go-to choice for most users to create and deliver beautiful presentations. Among all the Google Slides tools, templates and themes help you get started effortlessly. But what are the use cases and differences between them? Read along to clear up the confusion.
You can start with a blank canvas on Google Slides, but templates and themes save time. Before creating a presentation, learn the differences between templates and themes and pick the right tool for your project. The Google Slides template library and themes option is available on mobile, tablet, and web apps on desktop andtop Chromebooks.
What is a Google Slides template?
Google Slides templates are themes with ready-to-use content. The content can be related to a wedding plan, photo album, pitch, prototyping, marketing, sales, business plan, portfolio, and more. It depends on the template you use in Google Slides.
Apart from relevant content, a template features design elements like effects, backgrounds, fonts, colors, icons, and more. Everything works together to deliver a compelling story through slides.
When you launch Google Slides on the web, select the+icon in the lower-right corner and check the default templates gallery. The built-in template collection is slim. However, it’s divided into categories like Personal, Work, and Education.
If you are on a tight deadline, pick a relevant template to see how each slide looks with the added content. You can also create templates and reuse them for specific purposes.
What is a Google Slides theme?
The Themes menu is accessible from the Google Slider editor. A theme is a preset group of fonts, backgrounds, layouts, visual effects, and colors. When you select a theme, the app applies a new look on all slides for a constant and professional look.
Google Slides applies theme colors to graphics such as tables, shapes, and other elements. It handles the contrast well and changes the text color based on the selected background. For example, Google Slides applies dark-colored text when you pick a theme with a light background and vice versa. You can check a single slide in different themes in the example below.
Unlike a template, it doesn’t have predefined text, icons, and other graphic elements. You can also import a theme from another presentation and keep a harmonious appearance across all your presentations. Like templates, the default theme collection is slim and leaves much to desire for power users.
Google Slides: Templates vs. themes
The difference is clear between Google Slides themes and templates. Themes come into play when you are in the Slides editor and help you deliver a designer-quality makeover. Click theThememenu to sync colors, font styles, backgrounds, and effects across all slides.
To use a theme from another presentation:
You can upload a PowerPoint file to Google Drive and use its theme in Slides. You can also explore theTheme builderfrom theViewmenu. Use the Theme builder to apply your preferred look on all slides.
Templates offer a collection of slides with relevant content on a specific category. It contains themes, layouts, effects, descriptions, icons, shapes, and other elements. If you don’t like the default theme, change it or import another one from a different presentation.
A Google Slides template gives you a blueprint for each slide. A theme makes your presentation attractive and gives it a uniform look.
Google Slides templates and themes: Third-party options
Since Google Slides is popular, thousands of third-party templates are available on the web. The default templates gallery covers presentations from a handful of categories.
After uploading a third-party template to your Google Drive library, you can use its theme in other presentations.
Start building your upcoming presentation
Both templates and themes play a role in Google Slides. There isn’t a shortage of third-party options. Whether you want to create a yearbook, consulting proposal, status report, case study, or general presentation, templates and themes deliver a professional touch to your slides. While you are at it,add an audio clipto spice up your presentation.
