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39 Free Google Slides Templates For Your Next Presentation

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By Iveta Pavlova

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6 years ago

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Update June 2022: We added more free templates for Google Slides. Scroll down to check them out.

Google Slides have been gaining popularity more and more in the last few years as an alternative to PowerPoint . The cloud-based software used for presentations comes with plenty of opportunities and convenient features for modern users saving them time and effort in their busy day-to-day schedules.

To help you save even more time preparing your presentation, we browsed the web to gather 39 eye-catchy free Google Slides templates that you can use as a base for your own presentation.

Before we move on, let’s see why some people use Google Slide templates instead of PowerPoint templates. Here are the advantages of Google Slide templates :

• Fully free to use.
• You get automatic saves while you create your presentation which means no loss of data.
• You also have access to history and all changes made by team members. This allows you to restore previous versions if needed.
• Multiple users can work on one presentation simultaneously and all the edits appear instantly. You can also chat with your team members while you work.
• Google Slide templates are saved on cloud storage which allows for easy access from any desktop and mobile device. This also means no set up needed before presenting.*
• Google Slides are also adapted for Chromecast, Google Meet, and AirPlay.
• You can easily convert PowerPoint presentations into Google Slides . You can also edit PowerPoint templates but you need to install  Office Editing for Docs, Sheets & Slides if you haven’t already.
• It’s easy to insert links, videos, YouTube videos, and images.
• Includes a gallery of pre-made templates for various purposes.
• You can install 3rd party Add-ons to Slides to add additional features and speed up your work.

* You can also use Google Slides offline by following our guide , this way you can edit and present your project without an internet connection.

With all of these features in mind, it’s no wonder that Google Slides is rapidly becoming a preferred software for presenting ideas and strategies . Now, if you decide that it’s high time you give this software a shot, we give you a collection of 39 free templates for Google Slides  that may come in quite handy for different occasions and presentations. Enjoy!

1. Volos Free Presentation Template 

– Elegant and classy business design – 23 Slides with handy layouts – Compatible with Google Slides, Powerpoint, Keynote

2. Free Template with Conceptual Outline Illustrations

– Associations: business planning, teamwork, marketing strategy; – Free to download; – 25 Slides for presenting different concepts; – 16:9 Aspect ratio which can be changed in Google Slides; – A nice violet theme and attractive conceptual outline illustrations; – Includes over 80 icons, a world map, and more; – Download for Google Slides or PowerPoint.

3. 20 Free Infographic Templates for Google Slides

Bundle of slide templates with over 500 premade infographics. The bundle includes 20 free infographic slides, which you can import into your Google Slides presentation. You will find a wide range of styles and slide themes, such as timelines, comparisons, steps, options, etc. – 20 Free Templates (539 total infographics) – Editable in Google Slides, PowerPoint, Keynote, Adobe CC – Well-structured and organized files

4. Presentation Template in Pastel Color Scheme

– Associations: tranquillity, feminine, childhood; – Free to download; – 25 Slides in different pastel colors and presentation concepts; – 16:9 Aspect ratio that can be modified in Google Slides; – Comes with more than 80 icons, a world map, etc; – Available for Google Slides or PowerPoint.

5. Classy Minimal Google Slides Theme

– An ultramodern minimalist design – 12 Tasteful free slides with handy layouts – Compatible with Google Slides, Powerpoint, Keynote

6. Free Bright Yellow Google Slides Template

– Download it for free; – Easy to change the color from yellow to your brand color; – 25 Slides for different content types; – 16:9 Ratio which can be turned into 4:3 in Google Slides; – Comes with more than 80 icons, a world map, and more; – You can use the template in Google Slides and PowerPoint.

Google Slides Tip:

Experts recommend up to six words per slide is enough to gain the attention and get the audience to listen to what you have to say.

7. Free Black & White Google Slides Theme 

– Fully free to download; – Minimalist theme suitable for any kind of projects; – 25 Slides adapted for various content types; – 16:9 Ratio with the option to turn into 4:3 in Google Slides; – In the package you’ll find 80 icons, a world map, and more; – Use Google Slides or PowerPoint, it’s up to you.

8. Free Artsy Google Slide Theme

– Free to download and use; – Watercolor backgrounds and brush stroke effects; – 25 Slides purposed for different content; – 16:9 Ratio which can be adapted for 4:3 in Google Slides; – You’ll receive 80 icons, a world map, etc; – You can use the template in Google Slides and PowerPoint.

9. Geometric Colorful Google Slides Template with Circles

– Fully free to download; – Bright design with colors and circles; – 25 Slides that can be used for various content; – 16:9 Ratio with the option to be turned into 4:3; – Comes with 80 icons, a world map, and more; – Compatible with both Google Slides and PowerPoint.

10. Free Business Google Slides Template

– Free dark blue theme perfect for business presentations; – 25 Slides adaptable for all kinds of content; – 16:9 Ratio that can be changed to 4:3; – Contains over 80 icons and a world map; – Use in Google Slides or PowerPoint.

11. Free Stylish Google Slides Presentation Template

– Soft colorful gradient theme for modern presentations; – 25 Slides for various types of content; – 16:9 Aspect ratio that can be altered to 4:3; – The package includes over 80 icons and a world map; – Use in Google Slides or PowerPoint.

12. Blue & Orange Clean Free Google Slides Template

– Flat design in contrasting blue and orange shades; – 25 Slides suitable for different content types; – 16:9 Aspect ratio that can be turned into 4:3; – The template includes more than 80 icons and a world map; – Get it for Google Slides or PowerPoint.

13. Free Google Slides Template with Color Gradients

– Free presentation design with 6 gradient themes; – 25 Slides useful for different content types; – 16:9 Aspect ratio which can be modified into 4:3; – The presentation includes over 80 icons and a world map; – You can use the template in Google Slides and PowerPoint.

14. Open Book Free Google Slides Template

– A realistic design with an open book on wooden background; – 25 Slides that can be used for different content types; – 16:9 Aspect ratio which can be changed to 4:3; – The template comes with over 80 icons and a world map; – You can use the template in Google Slides and PowerPoint.

15. Lively Green Google Slides Presentation Template

– A vibrant green design with geometric icons; – The color can easily be changed to another of your choice; – 25 Slides purposed for different content types; – 16:9 Aspect ratio that can be changed to 4:3 according to your preferences; – The presentation comes with over 80 icons and a world map; – Use the design in Google Slides or PowerPoint.

16. Neon Theme Free Google Slides Template

– Super trendy neon gradients on a dark background; – Geometric shapes and semi-transparent elements; – 25 Slides that can be used for various content types; – 16:9 Aspect ratio with the option to be changed to 4:3 in Google Slides; – The template comes loaded with over 80 icons and a world map; – You can use the template in Google Slides and PowerPoint.

17. Free Minimalist Multi-Color Google Slides Template

– Clean and professional design changing colors on each slide; – 25 Slides in different colors and different content types; – 16:9 Aspect ratio which can be turned into 4:3 in Google Slides; – The template comes with more than 80 icons and a world map; – You can use the template in Google Slides and PowerPoint.

18. Rainbow Google Slides Presentation Template

– A simple presentation template with a different color on each slide; – 25 Slides adaptable for different content types; – 16:9 Aspect ratio changeable to 4:3 in Google Slides; – A collection of 80 icons and a world map; – You can use the template in Google Slides and PowerPoint.

19. Red Color Free Google Slides Presentation Design

– Fully free to download the template that can be adapted to your brand color; – 25 Slides suitable for different types of content; – 16:9 Aspect ratio which can be changed to 4:3 if needed; – Comes with a pack of over 80 icons and a world map; – You can use the template in Google Slides and PowerPoint.

20. Free Google Slides Template in Fresh Colors

– Modern geometric shapes which create a dynamic and fresh design; – 25 Slides that can be used for various content; – 16:9 Widescreen ratio that can be turned into 4:3; – Contains over 80 icons, a world map, and more; – You can use the template in Google Slides and PowerPoint.

21. Square Blocks Free Google Slides Template Design

– Square tiles with conceptual photos that can be changed according to your taste; – 25 Slides for various content types and graphics; – 16:9 Widescreen aspect ratio with the option to be changed to 4:3; – The template contains more than 80 icons, a world map, and more; – Use it in Google Slides and PowerPoint according to your preference.

22. Flat Blue Free Template with Icon Pattern

– Soft blue on icon patterned background which conveys safety and tranquillity; – 25 Slides that can be adapted for various types of content; – 16:9 Widescreen aspect ratio which can be turned into 4:3 if necessary; – The package includes over 80 handy icons, a world map, and more; – Use it in Google Slides or PowerPoint according to your needs.

23. Yellow Free Google Slides Template Design

– An attention-grabbing template fully free to download; – 25 Slides to help you present different types of content; – 16:9 Widescreen aspect ratio (change to 4:3 if preferred); – The download file comes with 80 useful icons, a world map, and more; – Use the template in Google Slides or PowerPoint.

24. Free Business Google Slides Template Presentation

– A free-to-download classy template suitable for business presentations; – 25 Slides for various data and graphics; – 16:9 Aspect ratio (switch to 4:3 if necessary); – The template includes over 80 useful icons and a world map; – You can use the free template in Google Slides or PowerPoint.

25. Blackboard Free Template for Google Slides

– A fun design of an old school blackboard and writing with chalk; – 25 Slides suitable for presenting various data; – 16:9 Screen layout that can be changed to 4:3; – The design comes with over 80 useful icons and a world map; – Free to download for Google Slides or PowerPoint.

26. Free Technology Google Slides Template with Hexagons

– A modern design with geometric shapes and trendy colorful gradients; – 25 Slides that will help you present different types of content; – 16:9 Screen layout which can be adjusted as 4:3; – The template contains more than 80 handy icons and a world map; – Available for Google Slides or PowerPoint.

27. Colorful Free Google Slides Template With Circles

– A cheerful design with bright circles on a white background; – 25 Slides that come completely for free; – 16:9 Widescreen ratio that can be turned into 4:3; – The design includes over 80 useful icons and a world map; – You can use the free template in Google Slides or PowerPoint.

28. Feminine Pink Google Slides Template

– A feminine design with soft colors and pleasant patterns; – 25 Slides that can be used for different content and graphics; – 16:9 Aspect ratio is easy to be turned into 4:3; – The template comes with more than 80 nice icons and a world map; – Use it in Google Slides or PowerPoint.

29. Elegant Minimalist Google Slides Presentation Template

– A professionally looking free template with diamond shapes and a minimalist color scheme; – 25 Slides that can be adapted for various content types; – 16:9 Aspect ratio that can easily be changed to 4:3; – The template is available with over 80 icons and a world map; – You can use the free template in Google Slides or PowerPoint.

Fun fact about Google Slides:

Did you know that the people behind the Google Slides development are actually ex-Microsoft employees? It means Google Slides has a Microsoft DNA.

30. Dark Free Google Slides Template Design

– An elegant and free to use the black and white template with an accent color; – 39 Slides applicable for all kinds of content; – 16:9 Widescreen aspect ratio; – Vector-shaped graphics, editable without loss of quality; – You can use the free template in Google Slides or PowerPoint.

31. Modern Free Google Slides Business Template

– Fully free to download template with a grey overlay and a flat design; – 28 Slides that can be used for all kinds of written and graphic content; – 16:9 Widescreen layout; – Vector-shaped graphics, editable without loss of quality; – You can use the template in Google Slides or PowerPoint.

32. Stylish Free Google Slides Presentation Template

– A free template in grey and muted blue suitable for corporate presentations; – 34 Slides purposed for various textual and graphic content; – 16:9 Widescreen aspect ratio; – Vector-based shapes and icons; – Use it in Google Slides or PowerPoint.

33. 10 Modern Free Templates for Google Slides

– 10 Free Google Slides Themes in different styles – Purposes: business planning, startup projects, marketing, analysis, etc. – Styles: cartoon, hand-drawn, modern, corporate, pastel, etc. – 16:9 Aspect ratio – Total of 78 impressive slides for different purposes – Fully Editable – Compatible with Google Slides and Powerpoint

34. Free Template for Google Slides Presentation Pole

– A modern design with flat cartoon characters – 17 Attractive slides with diverse layouts – A collection of editable icons – Compatible with Google Slides and Powerpoint

35. Nash Free Multipurpose Template for Google Slides

– Stylish minimalist design with flat and outline geometric elements – A multifunctional design that can easily fit into different themes – 18 attractive slides with diverse layouts – Compatible with Google Slides and Powerpoint

36. Multipurpose Free Presentation Template with Bright Yellow

– Fresh and eye-catching multipurpose design – 25 slides with diverse layouts for your needs – Compatible with Google Slides and Powerpoint

37. Modern Minimal Free Google Slides Template

– Impressive minimalist design – 10 Modern slides with great layouts – Compatible with Google Slides and versions for Powerpoint and Keynote

38. Investor Free Google Slides Template

– A professional design in a fresh green – 16 Useful slides with easy-to-edit content – Compatible with Google Slides, Powerpoint, Keynote

39. Nature-Inspired Free Green Google Slides Template

– Associations: growth, freshness, creativity; – Negative space elements in the design; – Available for free download; – 25 Slides for different presentation concepts; – 16:9 Widescreen ratio that can be changed to 4:3 in Google Slides; – Contains more than 80 icons, a world map, etc; – Get this template for Google Slides or PowerPoint.

While riding the Google Slides wave, why don’t you check out these related articles, as well:

• 56 Impressive free presentation backgrounds for outstanding presentations
• 20 Google Slides tutorials to help you master the popular tool
• How to convert your PowerPoint presentation into Google Slides
• How to add audio to Google Slides and make your presentation awesome

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Iveta Pavlova

Iveta is a passionate writer at GraphicMama who has been writing for the brand ever since the blog was launched. She keeps her focus on inspiring people and giving insight on topics like graphic design, illustrations, education, business, marketing, and more.

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How to Download Images From Google Slides

Lee Stanton Lee Stanton is a versatile writer with a concentration on the software landscape, covering both mobile and desktop applications as well as online technologies. Read more October 29, 2021

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Say you want to save an image from a particular presentation. It may be that you’re using it for study purposes, or perhaps you just like the content. Whatever your reason is, knowing how to download images from Google Slides is a handy tool.

Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to simply copy and paste an image from Google Slides to your computer or chosen device.

So how do you do it?

In this article, we’ll share the best ways to download images from Google Slides, depending on which device you are using.

Keep on reading to find out more.

How to Download Google Images From Google Slides on a PC

If you’re new to the world of Google Slides, it may come as a surprise to you that extracting images from your presentation can be done in more than one way. In this section, we’ll be discussing the most effective methods.

Save Objects as Pictures

This straightforward method is the same whether you are using a Mac or a Windows PC. The steps are as follows:

• Open the Google Slides presentation and choose the slide with the image on it you wish to save.

Take a Screenshot

While this method is undoubtedly the easiest, it may not always give you the best picture quality. Regardless, it’s still a useful function to know how to use. Here’s how to do it:

On Windows:

• Open the Google Slides presentation and choose the slide with the image you wish to save.

• Open your chosen presentation slide on Google Slides, with the image you wish to use on it.

• Open the folder where your screenshot is saved.
• Use your mousepad to click and drag how you wish your image to be cropped.
• Go to “File” and “Save.”

How to Download Images From Google Slides on an iPhone

Downloading images on your iPhone is perhaps even simpler than doing so on your PC. If you’re curious about how to download images from Google Slides onto your iPhone, here are the two simplest methods.

The ability to screenshot is a widely used feature on iPhones. If you’ve somehow managed to let the simple trick slip through your fingers, then fear not. Follow these steps, and you’ll be on your way to saving your desired images.

• Head to your Google Drive app and open the Google Slides presentation and the slide with the image on it you wish to save.

Save to Files

On the other hand, you may wish to download the image into another file. To do this, simply follow these steps:

• Open your Google Drive app, then open the Google Slides presentation onto your desired page.

How to Download Images From Google Slides on an Android Phone

Androids are among the most widely used smartphones in the world. It’s no wonder that they probably have the easiest method for downloading images from Google Slides. Simply follow these steps:

• Open Google Drive and head to the Google Slides presentation, highlighting the image you wish to save.

Otherwise, you can also use the screenshot method to save an image onto your Android. To do this, follow these steps:

• Open the Google Slides presentation on your Google Drive app.
• Select the image you wish to save.

How to Download Images From Google Slides on an iPad

Downloading images on your iPad is an easy process. The functions are equal to those seen on the iPhone. They go as follows:

As with iPhones, iPads also offer users the ability to screenshot an image. Here’s how:

• Head to your Google Drive app and open the Google Slides presentation, with the slide you wish to save opened.

Glide Through the Slide

Whether for a future project or just personal enjoyment, understanding how to download images from a Google Slides presentation can be very useful.

Whatever device you are using to download images from Google Slides, we hope that this article has helped you decide which method works best for you.

Are you struggling to download images from Google Slides? If not, then which method works best for you? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.

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Create images with AI in Google Slides (Workspace Labs)

On Google Slides, you can use the “Create image with Gemini” prompt to create images using artificial intelligence. For example, you can ask Google Slides to create an image of a picnic or an abstract painting.

This feature is currently available on desktop.

Use AI to create an image

• On your computer, open a presentation on Google Slides .
• Click the slide where you want to add the image.

• “A beautiful photograph of a Hawaiian beach at sunset with palm trees in the distance”
• “A plate of freshly baked blueberry muffins on a wooden kitchen table next to a large window”
• “Watercolor painting of hydrangeas in a water pitcher”
• “A futuristic cityscape with skyscrapers and flying cars set at night with HD details and shadows”
• For better results, consider including the subject, setting, distance to subject, materials, or background. For example: "A close up of a boat made out of wood on a lake surrounded by trees at sunrise."
• Avoid figurative language in your prompt.
• (Optional) You can click Add a style to customize the image you create.
• Click Create to see several suggested images.

• Edit your prompt: At the top of the panel on the right, click the prompt. Edit your prompt and click Create .
• See more suggested images: Click View more .
• When you’re finished, click Insert.

Give feedback on generated images

Gemini for Google Workspace is constantly learning and may not be able to support your request.

If you get a suggestion that’s inaccurate or that you feel is unsafe, you can let us know by submitting feedback. Your feedback can help improve AI-assisted Workspace features and broader Google efforts in AI.

• Click Submit .

To report a legal issue, create a request .

Turn off the “Create image with Gemini” prompt

To turn off any of the features on Google Workspace Labs you must exit Workspace Labs. If you exit, you will permanently lose access to all Workspace Labs features , and you won’t be able to rejoin Workspace Labs. Learn more about how to exit Workspace Labs .

Learn about Workspace Labs feature suggestions

• Workspace Labs feature suggestions don’t represent Google’s views, and should not be attributed to Google.
• Don’t rely on Workspace Labs features as medical, legal, financial, or other professional advice.
• Workspace Labs features may suggest inaccurate or inappropriate information. Your feedback makes Workspace Labs more helpful and safe.
• Don’t include personal, confidential, or sensitive information in your prompts.
• Google uses Workspace Labs data and metrics to provide, improve, and develop products, services, and machine learning technologies across Google.
• Your Workspace Labs Data may also be read, rated, annotated, and reviewed by human reviewers. Importantly, where Google uses Google-selected input (as described in the Privacy Notice) to generate output, Google will aggregate and/or pseudonymize that content and resulting output before it is viewed by human reviewers, unless it is specifically provided as part of your feedback to Google.
• Generated images are for use only within Google Slides.
• Workspace Labs generated images are designed to bring your imagination to life in Google Slides, and may not represent real world situations.

How Workspace Labs data in Google Slides is collected

When you use "Create image with Gemini" in Google Slides, Google uses and stores the following data:

• Prompts you enter or select.
• Image styles you select.
• Generated images.
• Your feedback on generated images.

To understand how this data is used, review the Google Workspace Labs Privacy Notice and Terms for Personal Accounts .

Related resources

• Get started with Google Workspace Labs
• Collaborate with Gemini in Google Slides
• Google Workspace Labs Privacy Notice and Terms for Personal Accounts

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How to Apply Effects to an Image in Google Slides

To improve how the images look in your presentations, there are several basic image editing tools at your disposal. In this Slidesgo School tutorial, you'll learn how to apply effects to the images in your Google Slides presentations .

Recoloring an Image

Changing the transparency of an image, changing the brightness and contrast of an image, adding a shadow to an image, adding a reflection to an image.

• Select the image you want to modify in your Google Slides presentation.
• Go to Format options and open the Recolor tab.
• Now choose the desired option. If you want to revert an image to its original state, choose “No recolor”.
• Open your Google Slides presentation and select the image you want to modify.
• Go to Format options and open the Adjustments tab.
• Click and drag the Transparency slider to adjust the transparency.
• Run Google Slides, open your presentation and select the image that you'd like to modify.
• Click and drag the Brightness slider to adjust the brightness.
• Click and drag the Contrast slider to adjust the contrast.
• Go to Format options and check the box next to Drop shadow. Then, open this tab to adjust the different settings for the shadow:
• Color: Here you can select the color of the shadow.
• Transparency: Click and drag the slider to adjust the transparency.
• Angle: Click and drag the slider to modify the angle from which the shadow is projected.
• Distance: Click and drag the slider to adjust the distance. The bigger the distance, the longer the shadow.
• Blur Radius: Click and drag this slider to adjust the blur radius of the shadow.
• Open your presentation in Google Slides.
• Select the image you want to modify.
• Go to Format options and check the box next to Reflection. Now open this tab to adjust the different settings for the reflection.
• Transparency: Click and drag this slider to modify the transparency levels.
• Distance: Click and drag the slider to adjust the distance. The bigger the distance, the farther away the reflection will be.
• Size: Click and drag to modify the size of the reflection.

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How to use Google Slides, Google's free slideshow presentation maker

• Google Slides is Google's slideshow presentation program that allows real time collaboration.
• Google Slides is part of the Google Workspace suite, which also includes Google Docs and Gmail.
• Google Slides differs from Microsoft PowerPoint in its simplicity and collaboration options.

Google Slides is a presentation program that's part of Google Workspace, a group of productivity apps that also includes Gmail, Google Sheets, Goole Docs, Google Meet , and more. Workspace has more than 3 billion users worldwide. 

With Google Slides, users can create, present, and collaborate via online presentations from various devices. You can present during Google Meet calls directly from Slides and embed charts from Google Sheets. You can also add YouTube videos to Slides presentations. 

Google recently announced plans to add artificial intelligence features like its Gemini AI tool to its Workspace programs, which include Slides. Users will be able to use Gemini to create images or written content for slides, or even reference other files in their Drives or emails in their Gmail accounts.

What is Google Slides? 

Google Slides is a cloud-based presentation program that's part of the Google Workspace. Google Slides can be used to create and deliver presentations online. 

Several different themes are available in Slides for designing presentations. Users can customize Slides presentations in a variety of colors and styles. You can add photos, videos from YouTube, charts from Google Sheets , and information from many other sources. Different members of a team can contribute and collaborate on the presentation in real time. 

There's no specific limit on how many slides you can add to your Google Slides presentation, but there is a 100 MB file size limit.

How to download Google Slides 

To access Google Slides, visit slides.google.com . 

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You can also open Slides while Gmail or Google Chrome is open by clicking on the Google Apps icon in the upper-right corner (shown as three rows of dots) and selecting Slides. 

Another option is to download the Google Slides app for your Apple or Android device. Search for Google Slides in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

What templates are available? 

Dozens of Google Slides templates are available, depending on your needs. For instance, there are general presentation templates, photography portfolios, pitch decks, case studies, science fair projects, and more. 

To browse the templates available, open Google Slides. Then, click Template Gallery in the upper-right corner. Scroll through the options, choose the one that meets your needs, and start creating a presentation. 

What's the difference between Google Slides and PowerPoint? 

Both Google Slides and PowerPoint are presentation programs. Google Slides is a program within Google Workspace, and PowerPoint is a Microsoft program. PowerPoint is an offline program, while Slides is online which allows for real time collaboration.

The programs share many features that allow for presentation creation and delivery, but PowerPoint may offer more advanced design features. 

You can convert Google Slides into PowerPoint presentations, and vice versa. From the top menu in Slides, click File, Download, and choose Microsoft PowerPoint. 

How to learn to use Google Slides 

Through Google Workspace, you can access several quick-start guides, cheat sheets, and troubleshooting resources to help you learn to use Google Slides. There are also many YouTube videos with tutorials for using Slides.

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Add images to a slide

This page describes how to add images to an existing Google Slides presentation. When adding an image, you provide the Google Slides API with a publicly accessible URL to the image.

About images

Images in the Slides API are a type of page element. As with any page element, you specify the visual size and position of the image using the size and transform properties of the PageElement . For more details on how to correctly size and position your image, see Size & position shapes .

To add an image, use the CreateImageRequest method. Images must be less than 50 MB in size, cannot exceed 25 megapixels, and must be in one of PNG, JPEG, or GIF formats.

This example uses the Slides API to add an image to a presentation.

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Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License , and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License . For details, see the Google Developers Site Policies . Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

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Home / How do I mask images with a shape in Free Google Slides Presentation Templates?

How do I mask images with a shape in Google Slides?

If you want to show your images in an appealing design, you can mask them to fit into a certain shape.

• Open the Insert menu, then select Image and choose a source.
• Once the image appears on your slide, click it. At the top, next to Crop , click the Down arrow.
• Click on the shape you want.
• Your shape will mask your image. To adjust your shape, click and drag the colored handles.

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Download your presentation as a PowerPoint template or use it online as a Google Slides theme. 100% free, no registration or download limits.

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How to Crop an Image in Google Slides? [An EASY Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

As they say, an image is worth more than a thousand words. That’s why, most of us like to use less text and more images while creating a presentations. But not every image you choose needs to be presented as it is. Sometimes, you want to cut some part of that image just to make it more engaging and to the point. But, how exactly do you crop an image in Google Slides?

To crop an image in Google Slides, first, insert the image by choosing your preferred image source in the “Image” option of the “Insert” tab. Then, “Right-click” on the image and choose “Crop image” from the menu. Drag the corner of the image sideways or inward to finally crop it.

You can also use the “Crop” icon in the toolbar or “Double-click” the image to crop the unwanted parts of the image.

This article will also help you to learn about resizing a cropped image or adjusting the image in the cropped area. Besides, making the image fit to the slides and masking the image into a circle will be a bonus to your knowledge.

That, and much more. So, let’s get started!

1. How to Crop a Picture in Google Slides?

The “Crop image” option in Google Slides allows you to quickly crop an image added to the presentation slide. By cropping an image, you can remove any part of the inserted picture that you do not want to show in the presentation. To crop an image on a slide, all you have to do is follow the 3 simple steps.

Step-1: Insert an image

The first step is to insert an image into the Google Slides slide. To do so, click on the “Insert” tab in the menu bar at the top of the screen. In the “Insert” menu, click on the “Image” option.

You can read my article here to learn how to insert a picture in Google Slides from different sources.

Step-2: Click on the “Crop image” option

The next step is to “Right Click” on the image that you want to crop. In the right-click menu, click on the “Crop image” option.

Alternatively, you can click on the “Crop” icon in the toolbar under the menu bar located at the top of the screen. You can also “Double Click” a picture in a slide to crop it.

Step-3: Drag the corners

To crop the image, drag the black corners of the clear part of the image. You can also drag the sides to crop the image. The blurred part of the image will be cropped out in the presentation.

1.1 How to Adjust the Image in the Cropped Area?

To adjust the image in the cropped area, you have to first access the uncropped image. To do so, “Double Click” the image on the slide. Then all you have to do is click on the clear part of the image and drag it over the blurred part.

You can place the clear part on your preferred part of the image. The rest of the image will be cropped out.

1.2 How to Resize Cropped Images in Google Slides?

To resize cropped images in Google Slides, you have to adjust the size of the original uncropped image.

First, you have to click on the “Crop” option in the toolbar to get the uncropped image. Then you have to drag the corners of the original image corners instead of the cropped image corners. The corners of the original image have small blue squares.

2. How to Make Image Fit to Slide in Google Slides?

In Google Slides, there is no option to autofit an image to the slide. However, you can move and resize an inserted image to fit to the slide. All you have to do is follow the 2 easy steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Insert” tab

The first step is to insert the image into the presentation slide. To do so, click on the “Insert” menu in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Then click on the “Image” option in the “Insert” menu to insert a picture into the slide.

Step-2: Drag the image corners

The next step is to move the image to fit to the slide. Click on a corner of the image and drag it to the corner of the slide. You will see a red line appear at the edge of the slide to indicate that the image is resized to fit to the slide.

3. How to Mask Image into a Circle in Google Slides?

The “Mask image” option in Google Slides allows you to add any shape to a picture inserted into the presentation slide. You can insert the picture into any of the pre-designed shapes available in Google Slides. To mask an image into a circle, follow the 3 simple steps.

Step-1: Click on the “Mask image” option

In the open slide, click on the image that you want to mask into a circle. Then click on the “Mask image” icon which is the down arrow by the “Crop” option in the toolbar located at the top of the screen.

Step-2: Click on the “Oval” option

The next step is to click on the “Shapes” option in the dropdown menu under the “Mask image” option. From the pop-up list by the “Shapes” option, click on the “Oval” shape.

Step-3: Adjust the shape to a circle

Now all you have to do is adjust the oval shape into a circle. To do so, click on the image masked into the oval shape. Then click on the small blue squares on each side of the image and drag them to change the shape into a circle.

4. How to Crop an Image into Any Shape in Google Slides?

In Google Slides, there are numerous preset shapes available. You can insert an image into any of those shapes. To crop an image into any shape, follow the 2 quick steps.

The first step is to click on the image that you want to crop. Then click on the “Mask image” option. It is the down arrow option beside the “Crop” option in the toolbar under the menu bar located at the top of the screen.

Step-2: Click on your preferred shape

In the dropdown menu under the “Mask Image” option, click on the type of shape that you want to crop the image into. The available options are “Shapes” , “Arrows” , “Callouts” and “Equations” .

Then all you have to do is select your preferred shape from the pop-up list to crop the selected picture into that shape.

5. How to Crop the Background of an Image in Google Slides? [Link to Existing Article

In Google Slides, you cannot crop the background of an image. Unlike Microsoft PowerPoint, there is no feature that allows you to remove the background of an image in Google Slides.

To crop the background of an image, you can use other third-party software before inserting the picture into your presentation slide. Read my other article for a step-by-step guide to removing the image background in Google Slides .

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How to Crop an Image into a Circle in Google Slides

Crop a Picture into a Circle in Google Slides Using Crop to Shape

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated August 1, 2021

Applies to: Google Slides ® (Windows or Mac)

You can achieve some interesting effects by cropping an image into a shape in Google Slides. However, if you want to crop an image into a circle, you'll need to use a few tricks.

To crop an image into a circle, you'll need to:

• Crop the image to a square
• Change the square to a circle
• Adjust if necessary

You can also adjust an oval into a circle as an alternative method.

Recommended article: How to Crop a Picture in PowerPoint (4 Ways)

When you crop an image, the image will appear in crop mode with two sets of handles (black crop handles and square blue sizing handles):

Step 1: Crop an image to a square

There are 4 ways to crop an image in Google Slides:

• Using the menu
• Using the Crop command on the Toolbar
• By right-clicking
• By double-clicking

To crop an image into a square in Google Slides using the menu:

• Select the image on the slide.
• Click Format in the menu, select Image and then Crop Image. The image appears in crop mode.
• Drag the black cropping handles to create a perfect square (it's usually best to use a corner cropping handle).
• Drag the square blue sizing handles to resize the image within the cropped area (it's usually best to use a corner sizing handle).
• Drag the image within the cropped area to the desired location.
• Click outside the image to exit crop mode.

The following menu appears with you select Format > Image > Crop Image:

To crop an image into a square in Google Slides using the Crop command on the Toolbar:

• Click Crop on the Toolbar. The image appears in crop mode.

The Crop command appears in the Toolbar when an image is selected:

To crop an image into a square in Google Slides by right-clicking:

• Right-click the image on the slide. A drop-down menu appears.
• Click Crop Image. The image appears in crop mode.

The following menu appears when you right-click an image:

To crop an image into a square in Google Slides by double-clicking:

• Double-click the image on the slide. The image appears in crop mode.

Step 2: Crop the image into a circle

The next step is to crop the image into a circle.

To crop an image into a circle in Google Slides using the Crop command on the Toolbar:

• Click the arrow beside Crop in the Toolbar. A drop-down menu appears.
• Select Shapes and then click the oval shape in the Shapes Gallery.
• If the cropped area does not appear to be a perfect circle, double-click the image and drag the crop handles until it appears as a circle.

You can create some really interesting effects in your presentation when you try cropping to a shape.

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How-To Geek

How to make an image transparent in google slides.

Make those images stand out less.

Quick Links

How to adjust image transparency in google slides.

If you want to put text in front of an image in Google Slides , you may want to increase the transparency of that image to make the text easier to read. You can do it in just a few clicks.

To get started, open your Google Slides presentation and navigate to the slide that contains the image you want to make transparent. If you haven't already inserted the image, you can do so by clicking Insert > Image and then choosing the location you want to upload the image from.

Related: How to Edit Images in Google Slides

Once the image is inserted, select it by clicking it with your mouse. A blue box will appear around the image when selected.

Once selected, right-click the image and then choose "Format Options" from the context menu.

Alternatively, you can click "Format" in the menu bar and then choose "Format Options" from the bottom of the drop-down menu.

Either way, the Format Options pane will appear to the right of the window. Click the right arrow to the left of the "Adjustments" option to expand the menu.

You should now see an option to adjust the transparency of the selected image. To do so, click and drag the box across the slider. Dragging the box to the right increases the transparency, while dragging it to the left reduces it. Transparency is set to 0% by default.

Adjust the slider until you get the image transparency exactly as you want it.

That's all there is to adjusting the transparency of your image in Google Slides. While extremely useful for most cases, it does lack some of the fine-tuning you may find when making images transparent in PowerPoint ---like adjusting specific parts of the image instead of the entire thing.

Related: How to Make an Image Transparent in Microsoft PowerPoint

Why I Prefer Google Slides to Microsoft PowerPoint

Quick links.

• Ease of Collaboration
• Offline Access
• Integration With Other Google Tools
• More Storage Space
• Compatibility With PowerPoint
• AI Features
• Provide Detailed Version History
• Customization Features and Template Options

PowerPoint and Google Slides are two popular options for presentations, but which one is best? As someone who has used both programs for a long time, I've found that Google Slides offers many advantages that make it my go-to choice.

Let's be clear: I'm comparing the web-based PowerPoint and Google Slides versions. It's unfair to compare Google Slides to the desktop version of PowerPoint, isn't it? Here are some reasons why Google Slides is my favorite presentation tool.

1. Ease of Collaboration

Ease of collaboration was the central reason I switched to Google Slides for my presentation needs. As a content creator, I always aim for a seamless collaboration experience while dealing with my clients and team members. Google Slides offered exactly that, and I was in love with it.

So, is Google Slides better than PowerPoint for collaboration? It certainly has advantages that make it an ideal choice for a lot of users.

With Google Slides, you can efficiently work with others and share your work , no matter what kind of computer or phone you use. If you have a Google account and the link to the presentation, you can join in and make changes simultaneously with other members.

In contrast, to collaborate in PowerPoint, you have to consider various external factors, such as the user's working device and storage locations. For example, you might not be able to easily collaborate with someone who has an older version of PowerPoint, or with someone using a PowerPoint mobile due to feature limitations. Some things that are restricted in the free web and mobile version compared to PowerPoint on desktop include limited commenting tags, editing options, and more.

Additionally, Google Slides also has built-in chat and commenting features. This feature allows all your team members to stay on the same page and communicate with each other to streamline editing. In PowerPoint, you're limited to comments only.

2. Offline Access

Another important reason for my switch to Google Slides is the offline access feature. With this feature, you can create, edit, and present presentations to others even without an internet connection. Any changes you apply offline are synced automatically once you're back online, so you can keep working even without an internet connection.

You can activate offline access by checking the offline mode option in your Google Drive settings.

Also, with Google Slides, you don't need software installed on your computer to access your presentations offline. However, Microsoft PowerPoint requires an internet connection to save changes to OneDrive storage. No internet, no autosave!

3. Integration With Other Google Tools

Switching to Google Slides is easy if you already use Google apps like Docs, Sheet, Meet, and Gmail. They all work well together. You can import charts and tables from Google Sheets into your presentations with just a few clicks. Any modifications to the original data in Google Sheets will automatically be reflected in your Google Slides presentation.

For example, on Google Slides, open the "Insert" tab and navigate to the "Chart" option. From there, click on the "From Sheets" option and import a chart from Google Sheets.

Furthermore, you can add Google Keep notes to your Slides and share your content in Google Meet with Smart Canvas without switching between tabs.

On the other hand, Microsoft PowerPoint integrates with other Microsoft tools, but it's not as seamless as Google Slides and has limited integration capabilities. For example, unlike Google Sheets, which updates data automatically in Slides, PowerPoint requires you to manual refresh to update Excel charts. This means you need to copy and paste the updated chart from Excel to PowerPoint.

4. More Storage Space

Google Slides offers more storage space through Google Drive. With a Google account, you get 15GB of storage shared across Google Photos, Drive, and Gmail. This is significantly more than what Microsoft offers with its free PowerPoint Web version, which only provides 5GB of OneDrive storage. If you create large presentations with many images or videos, Google's extra storage space can be a significant advantage.

Additionally, Google offers affordable plans to upgrade your storage if needed. For example, you can get 100GB of storage for a $20 annual fee, which is perfect for those who create and store a lot of presentations. However, it's important to note that pricing for additional storage might be different depending on your region.

For detailed information, it's best to check your plans manually by clicking the "Get More Storage" option in Drive.

5. Compatibility With PowerPoint

I know what you're thinking—what if I need to work with someone who only uses Microsoft PowerPoint? Fear not; Google Slides has got you covered. You can import and export PowerPoint presentations into Google Slides, making switching between the two platforms easy.

This feature has been a lifesaver for me when I work with my clients or colleagues who use PowerPoint. I can easily collaborate with them and edit their files without any hassle. After making changes, I can save the Google Slides file again as a PowerPoint file.

You can add your PowerPoint file to Google Slides by either uploading it on Drive or directly opening it from the File > Open option.

6. AI Features

You can also use Google AI tools like Gemini to improve your presentations. For example, the Gemini AI feature in Google Slides allows users to generate images and slides based on their prompts. You can access Gemini from the Slides side panel and input your prompts, such as "Create a slide about," and it will generate slides accordingly.

This feature lets you quickly add relevant and visually appealing presentation content without leaving the Google Slides platform. Using Gemini AI, you can also generate background images in various styles, such as Vector art, Photography, Watercolor, and others.

In contrast, Microsoft AI feature tools like Copilot are not available on the PowerPoint web version. To use Copilot and other AI features in PowerPoint requires a paid subscription to either Microsoft 365 or Copilot Pro.

7. Provide Detailed Version History

Both Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint allow you to view and restore previously edited versions of your presentation. However, Google Slides stands out with its detailed version history feature. This feature groups certain versions of your presentation together if you make multiple changes over a short period. This makes it easy to find and select the version you need. These group versions are displayed under the Version History panel.

Another notable feature of Google Slides is the ability to name the modified versions. This is quite useful when working on large documents with multiple collaborators, as it can take time to find the version you want, among many others. To rename a version, open the "Version History" panel, click the three-dot icon, and then select "Name This Version" from the dropdown menu.

Once you've named important versions of your presentation, you can filter them by selecting the "Named Versions" option from the drop menu. This will highlight only the renamed versions, along with the current version of the document, making it easy to locate the version you need.

8. Customization Features and Template Options

The web version of Microsoft PowerPoint has limited features compared to the PowerPoint desktop app, which can sometimes be helpful while designing presentations. For example, you can't insert charts or equations in the web version. Additionally, you can't add hyperlinks to pictures or shapes. On the other hand, you can add equations, charts, and hyperlinks to images in Google Slides.

While both platforms offer a good selection of templates, I prefer Google Slides because its templates are user-friendly and easy to customize. It also provides more flexibility when working with themes compared to the web version of PowerPoint.

Google Slides isn't a flawless tool, but for me and many other presentation creators, it not only gets the job done but also has some advantages over PowerPoint. Whether you're a student, team, or regular user, you can use it to make clear and effective presentations.

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Commencement 2024

Honorary degree recipient Ken Burns delivers the Undergraduate Commencement speech at Brandeis University's 73rd Commencement Exercises on May 19, 2024.

Brandeisian, love it.

President Liebowitz, Ron, Chair Lisa Kranc, and other members of the board of trustees, Provost Carol Fierke, fellow honorees, distinguished faculty and staff, proud and relieved parents, calm and serene grandparents, distracted but secretly pleased siblings, ladies and gentlemen, graduating students of the class of 2024, good morning.

I am deeply honored and privileged that you have asked me here to say a few words at such a momentous occasion that you might find what I have to say worthy of your attention on so important a day in all of your lives. Thank you for this honor.

Listen, I am in the business of history. It is not always a happy subject on college campuses these days, particularly when forces seem determined to eliminate or water down difficult parts of our past, particularly when the subject may seem to sum an anachronistic and irrelevant pursuit, and particularly with the ferocious urgency this moment seems to exert on us. It is my job, however, to remind people of the power our past also exerts, to help us better understand what's going on now with compelling story, memory, and anecdote. It is my job to try to discern patterns and themes from history to enable us to interpret our dizzying and sometimes dismaying present.

For nearly 50 years now, I have diligently practiced and rigorously tried to maintain a conscious neutrality in my work, avoiding advocacy if I could, trying to speak to all of my fellow citizens. Over those many decades I've come to understand a significant fact, that we are not condemned to repeat, as the saying goes, what we don't remember. That is a beautiful, even poetic phrase, but not true. Nor are there cycles of history as the academic community periodically promotes. The Old Testament, Ecclesiastes to be specific, got it right, I think. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun. What those lines suggest is that human nature never changes or almost never changes. We continually superimpose that complex and contradictory human nature over the seemingly random chaos of events, all of our inherent strengths and weaknesses, our greed and generosity, our puritanism and our prurience, our virtue, and our venality parade before our eyes, generation after generation after generation. This often gives us the impression that history repeats itself. It does not. "No event has ever happened twice, it just rhymes," Mark Twain is supposed to have said. I have spent all of my professional life on the lookout for those rhymes, drawn inexorably to that power of history. I am interested in listening to the many varied voices of a true, honest, complicated past that is unafraid of controversy and tragedy, but equally drawn to those stories and moments that suggest an abiding faith in the human spirit, and particularly the unique role this remarkable and sometimes also dysfunctional republic seems to play in the positive progress of mankind.

During the course of my work, I have become acquainted with hundreds if not thousands of those voices. They have inspired, haunted, and followed me over the years. Some of them may be helpful to you as you try to imagine and make sense of the trajectory of your lives today.

Listen, listen. In January of 1838, shortly before his 29th birthday, a tall, thin lawyer prone to bouts of debilitating depression addressed the young men's lyceum in Springfield, Illinois. "At what point shall we expect the approach of danger?" He asked his audience, "Shall we expect some trans-Atlantic military giant to step the earth and crush us at a blow?" Then he answered his own question. "Never. All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa could not by force take a drink from the Ohio River or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we must live through all time or die by suicide." It is a stunning, remarkable statement, one that has animated my own understanding of the American experience since I first read it more than 40 years ago. That young man was of course Abraham Lincoln, and he would go on to preside over the closest this country has ever come to near national suicide, our civil war, and yet embedded in his extraordinary, disturbing, and prescient words is also a fundamental optimism that implicitly acknowledges the geographical forcefield two mighty oceans east and west and two relatively benign neighbors north and south have provided for us since the British burned the White House in the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key.

Lincoln's words that day suggest what is so great and so good about the people who happen to inhabit this lucky and exquisite country of ours. That's the world you now inherit: our work ethic and our restlessness, our innovation and our improvisation, our communities and our institutions of higher learning, our suspicion of power. The fact that we seem resolutely dedicated to parsing the meaning between individual and collective freedom; What I want versus what we need. That we are all so dedicated to understanding what Thomas Jefferson really meant when he wrote that mysterious phrase, "The pursuit of happiness". Hint, it happens right here in the lifelong learning and perpetual improvement this university is committed to.

But the isolation of those two oceans has also helped to incubate habits and patterns less beneficial to us: our devotion to money and guns and conspiracies, our certainty about everything, our stubborn insistence on our own exceptionalism blinding us to that which needs repair, especially with regard to race and ethnicity. Our preoccupation with always making the other wrong at an individual as well as a global level. I am reminded of what the journalist I.F. Stone once said to a young acolyte who was profoundly disappointed in his mentor's admiration for Thomas Jefferson. "It's because history is tragedy," Stone admonished him, "Not melodrama." It's the perfect response. In melodrama all villains are perfectly villainous and all heroes are perfectly virtuous, but life is not like that. You know that in your guts and nor is our history like that. The novelist, Richard Powers recently wrote that, "The best arguments in the world," — and ladies and gentlemen, that's all we do is argue — "the best arguments in the world," he said, "Won't change a single person's point of view. The only thing that can do that is a good story." I've been struggling for most of my life to do that, to try to tell good, complex, sometimes contradictory stories, appreciating nuance and subtlety and undertow, sharing the confusion and consternation of unreconciled opposites.

But it's clear as individuals and as a nation we are dialectically preoccupied. Everything is either right or wrong, red state or blue state, young or old, gay or straight, rich or poor, Palestinian or Israeli, my way or the highway. Everywhere we are trapped by these old, tired, binary reactions, assumptions, and certainties. For filmmakers and faculty, students and citizens, that preoccupation is imprisoning. Still, we know and we hear and we express only arguments, and by so doing, we forget the inconvenient complexities of history and of human nature. That, for example, three great religions, their believers, all children of Abraham, each professing at the heart of their teaching, a respect for all human life, each with a central connection to and legitimate claim to the same holy ground, violate their own dictates of conduct and make this perpetually contested land a shameful graveyard. God does not distinguish between the dead. "Could you?"

[Audience applauding]

"Could you?" A very wise person I know with years of experience with the Middle East recently challenged me, "Could you hold the idea that there could be two wrongs and two rights?"

Listen, listen. In a filmed interview I conducted with the writer James Baldwin, more than 40 years ago, he said, "No one was ever born who agreed to be a slave, who accepted it. That is, slavery is a condition imposed from without. Of course, the moment I say that," Baldwin continued, "I realize that multitudes and multitudes of people for various reasons of their own enslave themselves every hour of every day to this or that doctrine, this or that delusion of safety, this or that lie. Anti-Semites, for example," he went on, "are slaves to a delusion. People who hate Negroes are slaves. People who love money are slaves. We are living in a universe really of willing slaves, which makes the concept of liberty and the concept of freedom so dangerous," he finished. Baldwin is making a profoundly psychological and even spiritual statement, not just a political or racial or social one. He knew, just as Lincoln knew, that the enemy is often us. We continue to shackle ourselves with chains we mistakenly think is freedom.

Another voice, Mercy Otis Warren, a philosopher and historian during our revolution put it this way, "The study of the human character at once opens a beautiful and a deformed picture of the soul. We there find a noble principle implanted in the nature of people, but when the checks of conscience are thrown aside, humanity is obscured." I have had the privilege for nearly half a century of making films about the US, but I have also made films about us. That is to say the two letter, lowercase, plural pronoun. All of the intimacy of "us" and also "we" and "our" and all of the majesty, complexity, contradiction, and even controversy of the US. And if I have learned anything over those years, it's that there's only us. There is no them. And whenever someone suggests to you, whomever it may be in your life that there's a them, run away. Othering is the simplistic binary way to make and identify enemies, but it is also the surest way to your own self imprisonment, which brings me to a moment I've dreaded and forces me to suspend my longstanding attempt at neutrality.

There is no real choice this November. There is only the perpetuation, however flawed and feeble you might perceive it, of our fragile 249-year-old experiment or the entropy that will engulf and destroy us if we take the other route. When, as Mercy Otis Warren would say, "The checks of conscience are thrown aside and a deformed picture of the soul is revealed." The presumptive Republican nominee is the opioid of all opioids, an easy cure for what some believe is the solution to our myriad pains and problems. When in fact with him, you end up re-enslaved with an even bigger problem, a worse affliction and addiction, "a bigger delusion", James Baldwin would say, the author and finisher of our national existence, our national suicide as Mr. Lincoln prophesies. Do not be seduced by easy equalization. There is nothing equal about this equation. We are at an existential crossroads in our political and civic lives. This is a choice that could not be clearer.

Listen, listen. 33 years ago, the world lost a towering literary figure. The novelist and storyteller, not arguer, Isaac Bashevis Singer. For decades he wrote about God and myth and punishment, fate and sexuality, family and history. He wrote in Yiddish a marvelously expressive language, sad and happy all at the same time. Sometimes maddeningly all knowing, yet resigned to God's seemingly capricious will. It is also a language without a country, a dying language in a world more interested in the extermination or isolation of its long suffering speakers. Singer, writing in the pages of the Jewish Daily Forward help to keep Yiddish alive. Now our own wonderfully mongrel American language is punctuated with dozens of Yiddish words and phrases, parables and wise sayings, and so many of those words are perfect onomatopoeias of disgust and despair, hubris and humor. If you've ever met a schmuck, you know what I'm talking about. [audience laughs] Toward the end of his long and prolific life, Singer expressed wonder at why so many of his books written in this obscure and some said useless language would be so widely translated, something like 56 countries all around the world. "Why," he would wonder with his characteristic playfulness, "Why would the Japanese care about his simple stories of life in the shtetls of Eastern Europe 1,000 years ago?" "Unless," Singer paused, twinkle in his eye, "Unless the story spoke of the kinship of the soul." I think what Singer was talking about was that indefinable something that connects all of us together, that which we all share as part of organic life on this planet, the kinship of the soul. I love that.

Okay, let me speak directly to the graduating class. Watch out, here comes the advice. Listen. Be curious, not cool. Insecurity makes liars of us all. Remember, none of us get out of here alive. The inevitable vicissitudes of life, no matter how well gated our communities, will visit us all. Grief is a part of life, and if you explore its painful precincts, it will make you stronger. Do good things, help others. Leadership is humility and generosity squared. Remember the opposite of faith is not doubt. Doubt is central to faith. The opposite of faith is certainty. The kinship of the soul begins with your own at times withering self-examination. Try to change that unchangeable human nature of Ecclesiastes, but start with you. "Nothing so needs reforming," Mark Twain once chided us, "As other people's habits." [audience laughs]

Don't confuse success with excellence. Do not descend too deeply into specialism. Educate all of your parts, you will be healthier. Do not get stuck in one place. "Travel is fatal to prejudice," Twain also said. Be in nature, which is always perfect and where nothing is binary. Its sheer majesty may remind you of your own atomic insignificance, as one observer put it, but in the inscrutable and paradoxical ways of wild places, you will feel larger, inspirited, just as the egotist in our midst is diminished by his or her self regard.

At some point, make babies, one of the greatest things that will happen to you, I mean it, one of the greatest things that will happen to you is that you will have to worry, I mean really worry, about someone other than yourself. It is liberating and exhilarating, I promise. Ask your parents.

[Audience laughs]

Choose honor over hypocrisy, virtue over vulgarity, discipline over dissipation, character over cleverness, sacrifice over self-indulgence. Do not lose your enthusiasm, in its Greek etymology the word enthusiasm means simply, "god in us". Serve your country. Insist that we fight the right wars. Denounce oppression everywhere.

Convince your government, as Lincoln understood that the real threat always and still comes from within this favored land. Insist that we support science and the arts, especially the arts.

[Audience cheering]

They have nothing to do with the actual defense of our country; They just make our country worth defending.

Remember what Louis Brandeis said, "The most important political office is that of the private citizen." Vote. You indelibly... [audience applauding] Please, vote. You indelibly underscore your citizenship, and most important, our kinship with each other when you do. Good luck and godspeed.

• Honorary Degree Recipients