Google Slides is one of the most popular presentation tools in the world, and people use Google Slides to create and share millions of different types of presentations.
For many users, it’s important to create a cohesive identity for their brand across all of their presentations. One of the best ways to create a cohesive visual identity across your presentations is to create a custom Google Slides template. You can do this using an AI design tool or by using the “Edit theme” feature in Google Slides.
Here are several ways to create your own Google Slides presentation template:
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Method 1: Use Plus AI to generate a custom template
The easiest way to quickly create a custom Google Slides template for your business is to use an AI tool like Plus AI.
To generate a custom template using Plus AI, you can install the Plus AI add-on for Google Slides and click on the design tab to generate a new theme or fill out this form to have a theme sent to you directly over email.
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Method 2: Use the “Edit theme” menu
The other way to create a custom Google Slides template for your business is to manually edit the master slide template in Google Slides and set the colors, fonts, layouts to fit your design guidelines.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to edit your Google Slides theme:
1. Open a Google Slides file and click Slide -> Edit theme
2. Set the background and theme colors
3. Add design elements (e.g., background, shapes, divider bars, etc.) using the normal editing toolbar. Make sure to color them using the theme color options
4. Add new slide types as necessary and rename them using the Rename button
5. Once you have all of the slide types and design elements you want, click the small gray X at the top right of the editing window to leave the theme editor
6. To turn it into an “official” template, open the Template gallery, click Submit template and select the presentation where you edited the theme
(Note: This only works if you have a premium Workspace subscription for your organization. If you do not have an organization subscription, you will have to just open the template deck each time, click “Make a copy” and then edit the copy of the template deck)
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Can you create your own theme in Google Slides?
Yes, Google Slides allows you to create custom themes with slide layouts, designs, colors, and fonts. You can either customize the theme manually or use an AI tool like Plus AI to design your theme for you.
Can I save a Google Slide as a template?
Yes, to create a template from any Google Drive document, open Google Docs, Slides, or Sheets, and then click the template gallery button at the top right. From there, click on the name of your organization at the top left of the screen and then click the submit template button at the top right of the screen.
How do I upload a template to Google Slides?
There is no direct way to upload a template to Google Slides. If you have an existing PowerPoint template, you can import it to Google Slides and then save your new Google Slides presentation as a template.
How do I create a custom Google Slides theme?
To create a custom Google Slides theme, you can click the Edit theme button from the Slide menu inside of Google Slides and manually edit the slide masters to customize the layouts, colors, fonts, and formatting for each slide type in your document.
If you want to quickly generate a new theme, you can get a head start on designing a new theme by using a tool like Plus AI for Google Slides.
How do you create a custom template and quickly apply it to slides?
To create a new template and quickly apply it to existing slides, you should create a new Google Slides presentation with the colors and fonts that you would like to use. Then, you can copy-paste the existing slides into your new deck and select the “Match styles in this presentation” option after you paste the slides.
Unfortunately, this often results in slides that look like something in between your old slides and your new slide template because it only applies colors and fonts without taking layouts and other theming options into account.
To intelligently reformat or transform your slides, you can try using Plus AI’s Remix feature which uses AI to convert existing slides into a new format or theme.
What is the difference between a theme and a template?
People often use the terms presentation “theme” and presentation “template” interchangeably.
Google uses template to mean a document you click on which opens a new copy of the document with the same content, while theme refers to the specific design options in the document.
At Plus, when we say theme we are typically referring to the colors and fonts in a document, while a template also include the slide layouts and other design elements on the slides.
Conclusion
While the process for creating a new Google Slides template is pretty easy, it’s not always easy to make presentations look professional and to write great content. Check out our guides on how to make slides look good and how to write a presentation outline for more tips on building great slide decks.
Or, if you’d rather have AI take care of the grunt work of presentation making, try out Plus AI for Google Slides!
