What's in it for you
To personalize your presentations, you can import Google Slides directly from your Google Drive into My Files, and edit them seamlessly in real-time, either collaborating with others or on your own. You can also copy and edit slides provided by your Marketing administrator and feel confident on the go with your best custom presentations at your side.
See how it works
Key features
- Bring your own presentations to Showpad
- Edit Google slides with the click of a button
- See changes in real-time
You need this to succeed
- Access to a Showpad account with My Files enabled
- A Google drive with content to load
- This feature is available on Showpad's Web app
- .gslide presentations provided by your admin
The quick way to awesomeness
- Connect your Google Drive to Showpad
- Import or copy over a Google Slideshow to My Files
- Edit slides the same as in Google Drive
- Share your presentation creations
Note: Permissions for editing marketing admin uploaded Google Slides are handled by the admin by enabling the Can Be Personalized option. This setting is off by default.
Do this step by step
Setting up the connection with Google Drive and uploading content
- Add Google Slides from your personal or Shared drive by signing into Showpad.
- Navigate to Content, My Files, then click Add.
- Choose From Google Drive and use your Google account to log in.
- Click the files you wish to add from My Files, My Drive, or your Shared Drives then click Select. The asset will then be imported from Google Drive and processed into your My Files.
Once you set up your Google Drive link, you can Add from that Drive anytime.
Processing the imported Google Drive content
Processing happens in two steps.
- First, the slide is imported from Google.
- Next, it is optimized for a smooth display on Showpad. You will see a box in the lower right-hand corner of your screen as your file is imported that will let you know when it’s done. When you add a slideshow to your My Files, there will be a pop-up box in the lower right corner of your screen that shows a green checkmark when it has been successfully loaded.
Using and editing Google Slides within Showpad's Web App
You will only see the option to edit Google Slide presentations if your admin gave permission to personalize the files. The following steps will show how you can make a copy and edit a presentation from an Experience.
- Locate the file you are wanting to modify and select it to open the asset viewer.
- Click the Edit icon within the asset viewer.
- A window to create a copy and edit the file will open. If you have folders in My Files, you can choose a folder where the copy will live, or create a new one. Add a name for the copy and click Create a Copy and Edit File.
- If you are not yet logged in, you will be asked for your Google Drive credentials to access your content. In the event you have already logged in, you will go directly to the following step.
Note: If you are not redirected to Google Slides right away or the browser is stuck in loading, check your pop-up blocker and make sure that pop-ups and redirects are permitted from Showpad.
- The file will open in Google Slides so you can begin making edits. As there is no save button, the changes will be made automatically in Showpad. Do allow a few minutes to see those reflected in Showpad as delays may occur. After initial changes, the file will be autosaved to Showpad. If updates have been made in Google, you will see a red notification on the sync icon. Click the sync to update the version in your My Files.
Note: The "Saving..." and "Saved to Showpad" do not definitively indicate that the new version has been pushed to Showpad. With this in mind, the initial copy is not automatically saved to Showpad. It will push the edited copy to Showpad once changes have been made to the file.
- It is advised not to close the Google Slides tab until you have completed all the necessary edits to your file. If you go to edit the file again, you can overwrite the existing version or make another copy. Closing the tab will initiate the upload of the edited file to your My Files channel in Showpad automatically.
Editing Google Slides uploaded to My Files
When editing presentations you've uploaded or copied into your My Files, you will have two options:
- Overwrite existing: If you edit the existing version, all changes will be visible in any email shares, link shares, and/or Shared Spaces
- Create a Copy: To avoid making updates visible to previous shares, you can create a copy and it will be saved in your My Files
After you make your selection, you will be redirected to the Google Slide editor. If you are collaborating with others on your team, you will be able to see their edits within Google Slides in real-time.
Within the asset viewer of your uploaded presentation, you will also see options for:
- Share: via Email, Get a Link or Add to Shared Space
- Add to collection: either the entire document or select just the pages you want
- Annotate the slide: add notes and comments without changing the original slide
- Edit the slide: directly edit the content or create a copy
- Show pages: open a menu of the slides on the left side of the screen
- Sync: If there has been changes to the slideshow you're viewing, you can sync the updates
- More actions: Download, Like and Comment on the presentation
Note: For the quickest processing time, edit in Google Slides first, then head to Showpad to see the change. It is possible to edit within Showpad as well via the redirect to Google. Changes will process and update no matter which way you decide to edit.
Google Slides with embedded media
When embedding video in your Google Slides for usage in Showpad, the video won’t play after processing in your account. Clicking a video in a Google Slide links to the video file in Google Drive instead. Some viewers might not have access to this drive and won’t see the video.
If you want to work with videos, an option can be to link to a public YouTube video and embed those inside your Google Slides. You also have the option to grant them access to the Google Drive video separately.
GIFs will keep working after the slide is optimized by Showpad. There’s no need to remove the confetti shower GIF at the end of your Google Slides. Now go forth, and create the best presentations this side of the universe!
Note: If a Google Slide presentation is downloaded, it will need to be opened in Presenter mode in order for embedded animations to render properly. This is found under the View drop-down.
