Using Google Slides

Benefits

There are some major benefits to using Google Slides:

1. Collaborative

   The slide deck can be created collaboratively.

2. Available Online

   The slide deck is immediately online. Viewers (who have the link) only need a web browser to view it.

3. Many Export Formats

   The slide deck can be exported to a number of formats, including Powerpoint and PDF.

Downsides

Unfortunately, there are also a number of downsides:

1. No Support for Vector Graphics (SVG)

   There is no support for including vector graphics (SVG) in a slide.

2. Slide Numbering Tricky

   Slide numbering is tricky.

   To automatically place a running slide number in the bottom right corner of every slide, including the total number of slides (for example 1 / 22), you can install Andreas Steinkellner's automatic slide numbering add-on script: https://github.com/NarrowCode/slides-progress-bar.

3. Too Little Vertical Space Between Bullets

   By default, there is too little vertical spacing between bullet items. It can be increased in the master template, but changes only apply to new slides created after the change. Do this first, before you create many slides.

4. Too Much Horizontal Indentation Before Bullets

   By default, there is too much horizontal indentation before bullets. They should align to the enclosing left margin. There is no way to change this in the master template; it can only be changed on a slide-by-slide basis.

5. Standard Templates Too Colourful

   The default templates often have colourful decorative elements, which distract the viewer.

6. Standard Templates Wasteful of Space

   The default templates often waste much space around the margins, which could be used for content.