How To Blur An Image In Google Slides

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Google Slides is a powerful tool that allows you to create, edit, and collaborate on presentations. One of the features it offers is the ability to manipulate images in various ways. Sometimes, you might want to blur images in your slides to give your presentation a certain aesthetic or to highlight a particular part of the image. In this tutorial, we will walk you through the steps to blur images in Google Slides.

Step 1: Uploading Your Image

First and foremost, you need to have the image that you want to blur in your Google Slides presentation. To add an image, click on the Insert tab in the main menu, then select Image from the dropdown list. You can choose to upload an image from your computer, search the web, or choose one from your Google Drive.

Step 2: Converting the Image to a Drawing

The blurring effect cannot be added directly to an image in Google Slides. Thus, we need to convert the image to a Google Drawing first. This can be done by right-clicking on the image and then selecting Save to Keep. Then, go to Google Drawings, click on Insert and choose Image from Keep.

Step 3: Adding the Blur Effect

While Google Drawings does not have a built-in blur tool, we can create a similar effect with the transparency and shadow tools. Here’s how:

1. Click on the image.
2. Go to the Format options.
3. Under Adjustments, increase the Transparency until you achieve your desired level of blurriness.
4. You can also add a shadow or reflection under the Drop shadow section to enhance the blurring effect.

Unfortunately, this process does not allow you to create a fully blurred image. However, it does give you a tool to soften your images and make them less distracting if they are used as backgrounds.

Step 4: Inserting Your Blurred Image Back Into Google Slides

Once you are satisfied with the blur effect, it’s time to transfer the image back to your Google Slides presentation. Just click on File, select Download, and choose the format you prefer (JPEG or PNG is recommended). Then, go back to Google Slides, click on Insert, select Image, and upload the image you just downloaded.

That’s it! You’ve successfully blurred an image in Google Slides. This may not be the most straightforward method and it would be great if Google added a built-in blur tool in the future. Until then, this workaround does a pretty good job. Happy editing!