Images, video and deck assets

Use this page to put pictures, vector graphics, video and audio on a slide, reuse the images a deck already holds, and keep a picture-heavy deck fast. You insert media from the insert bar described in Edit slides and elements, and you change its settings in the properties panel.

Add a picture

1. In the insert bar at the top of the canvas, click Image.
2. Pick a PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF or SVG file.

The picture is uploaded to the deck's assets and placed on the slide. You can also paste a picture onto the canvas while you edit. It is stored in the same way.

A slide keeps a reference to the deck's copy by file name, not the picture itself. A copied deck or an imported deck file resolves its own copies under the same names, so nothing needs to be re-linked.

Crop, fit and style a picture

1. Select the picture and, in the Image section of the properties panel, click Crop. You can also double-click the picture on the canvas.
2. Drag inside the frame to move the visible part of the picture, and drag its handles to resize the frame. The area outside the frame dims.
3. Press Enter to apply the crop, or Escape to cancel it. The canvas chip reads Enter - apply, Esc - cancel.

Nothing is written while you drag: Enter applies the whole session as one undo step, and Escape leaves the picture exactly as it was. Selecting another element also ends the session.

Replace a picture or reuse one from the deck

1. Select the picture. In the Image section, drop a file onto Replace image, or click it and pick a file. Replace takes one file at a time.
2. To reuse a picture the deck already holds, click Choose from assets. The picker describes itself as Pick one of this deck's uploaded images for the selected element. Click Use this image on a card to assign that picture and close the picker.

Replacing a picture does not delete the earlier one from the deck's assets.

Manage the deck's assets

1. Click the chevron beside the presentation title, then click Assets.
2. The Deck assets dialog lists every picture uploaded to the deck.

In the dialog:

• Drop images onto Drop images here, or click to pick files to upload them. You can upload up to 20 files at once, up to 20 MB per file, and files upload one after another.
• Each card has a download button and a delete button. To delete a picture, click its delete button, then click Delete in the Delete this image? dialog. Slides that use the picture show a Missing image box until you give them another picture.
• A card shows File missing when its stored file is gone, and Could not load when the picture fails to load.
• While the dialog opens it reads Loading deck assets; if the list fails to load, it shows Could not load the assets. An empty dialog says No uploaded images yet.
• When a file name is already taken, the upload is stored under a free name. If no free name can be found, the upload is refused: Could not find a free name for this file. Try renaming it and uploading again.

Pictures that travel inside an imported presentation may be moved into the deck's assets, so they behave like any other upload; the version history notes Images moved to deck assets. For what a deck file carries, see Export and import.

The Assets option appears only for people who can edit the deck.

Compress pictures

Large photos make a deck slow. To reduce them:

1. Right-click the canvas and choose Compress pictures....
2. Wait while the dialog reads Reviewing the deck's pictures....
3. Check Pictures, Size before, Size after and Saving, then click Compress. Compress stays off until there are real numbers to act on.

Each picture is resized to a 1920 px longest edge and re-encoded as JPEG at 85% quality. Pictures with transparency stay exactly as they are, and so does anything with nothing to save. The dialog lists them: Left unchanged: N (transparency kept, or nothing to save). and Could not be read, left unchanged: N. Compression can never make the deck bigger.

When it finishes, a notification named Pictures compressed reports how many pictures changed, their sizes and the space saved. It also says that undo restores the originals.

Add a vector graphic

1. In the insert bar, click Vector graphic and pick an SVG file.
2. To get the file back out, select the graphic and click Download as .svg in its section of the properties panel.

A vector graphic is kept inside the deck, so it is limited to 5 MB. An SVG picked with Image goes to the deck's assets instead, which allows 20 MB. Scripts are removed from an SVG uploaded as a deck asset before it is stored.

Add a video or audio

1. In the insert bar, click Video or audio, then click Video or Audio.
2. In the Video or Audio section, paste the address into Source. For a video, you can also paste a Poster address.
3. Set Autoplay, or keep Controls on, so the media can start during the show.

Source takes direct media links, and YouTube and YouTube Music links. Playback settings apply in present mode only, never on the editing canvas.

Video and audio play in present mode only. They never play on the editing canvas. For how a show runs, see Present.

A YouTube or YouTube Music link shows a still until someone plays it: your Poster if you set one, and YouTube's own thumbnail otherwise, so the element is never blank. The live player loads only in a show, and pressing the still is the play gesture. The player has no fullscreen button in a show, and the printed output shows a link to the video in place of the player.

YouTube mutes playback while Autoplay is on. The Muted switch then stays on and cannot be changed, and a hint named Why Muted is locked explains why. When you turn Autoplay off, your earlier Muted choice comes back.

If a direct video or audio file has both Controls and Autoplay off, the panel warns Cannot start in present mode and explains: Controls and Autoplay are both off, so this video has no way to start in present mode. YouTube is not affected, because its play button stays on the still.

When media is missing

An element points to its picture, graphic, media or logo by reference. When the thing it points to is gone or cannot load, the element keeps its frame and shows a dashed box named for what is missing: Missing image, Missing media, Missing graphic or No company logo. The deck stays editable and printable while the box is there.

Common causes:

• You deleted the picture from the deck's assets.
• An imported file refers to pictures it does not include.
• The company logo has not been uploaded yet, for a No company logo box. An administrator can add it; see Design a deck.
• The source cannot be loaded. Hidden script in a deck never runs when the deck is drawn, and a source Slides cannot load shows the missing box instead of loading on a guess.

To repair one, select the box and give the element a new picture with Replace image or Choose from assets.

Limits

A picture over 20 MB added with Image is refused with That image is too large and the note Uploaded pictures live in this deck's assets, which take files up to 20 MB. A vector graphic over 5 MB is refused with That file is too large and A deck carries its assets inside the document, so it has to stay saveable. Pick something under 5 MB. For other messages, see Slides troubleshooting.

Permissions

• To add, replace or delete pictures, you need Edit Deck or Edit Others Decks.
• To see a deck's pictures, you need View Decks or View Others Decks.
• People who can only view a deck cannot insert, replace or delete pictures. They do not see Assets in the presentation options.

For what each permission unlocks, see Slides permissions.

Questions, answered

My deck became slow with many photos. What can I do?

Right-click the canvas and choose Compress pictures.... Pictures are resized and re-encoded as JPEG, and undo restores the originals.

Why does Compress pictures say "Nothing to compress"?

Every picture is already within the limits, keeps transparency that a JPEG would lose, or could not be read, so there is nothing to change. The dialog lists the pictures it left alone.

What does the Missing image box on my slide mean?

The slide points to a picture that is no longer in the deck's assets, usually because you deleted it. The element keeps its frame and shows a dashed box, so the deck stays editable and printable. Select the box and pick another picture with Replace image or Choose from assets. A Missing media or Missing graphic box is repaired the same way.

Can I use a YouTube video?

Yes. Paste a YouTube or YouTube Music link into Source. The video plays in present mode, and it keeps its own play button even when Controls is off.

Why can't I unmute my YouTube video?

YouTube mutes playback while Autoplay is on, so Muted is locked on. Turn Autoplay off to unmute it. Your earlier Muted choice returns.

Why doesn't my video play while I edit?

Video and audio play in present mode only. Start the show to see the playback settings take effect.

Is alt text kept when I export to PowerPoint?

Yes. Alt text is carried into PowerPoint exports as the picture description. For the export options, see Export and import.

How large can a picture or a vector graphic be?

A picture added to the deck's assets can be up to 20 MB, and you can upload up to 20 files at once. A vector graphic added with Vector graphic can be up to 5 MB.

Why is Fit greyed out?

The picture is cropped, and Fit does not apply to a cropped picture. Click Reset in the Crop row to show the whole picture again, and then choose a fit.

Can I get an SVG back out of a deck?

Yes. Select the vector graphic and click Download as .svg in its section of the properties panel.

What happens when two pictures have the same file name?

Slides keeps both. Each file is stored under its own name, and a new upload takes a free name when the other file already holds one. You only see a refusal if no free name can be found: Could not find a free name for this file. Try renaming it and uploading again.