Need to batch import images into Google Slides? In this tutorial, I'll show you how to use...
Need to import videos into Google Slides? In this tutorial, I'll show you how to use Slideform automation to import videos into a slide deck with no coding required! We integrate Google Drive and YouTube with Google Slides to pull in videos. We can also pull in data from Google Sheets to go along with each video.
Slideform puts your presentations on autopilot! Connect content, data, graphics, and charts to your slide decks. With Slideform, businesses can create customized, data-intensive slide decks in a fraction of the time while enforcing branding and style guidelines.
Why import videos into a slide deck?
Inserting multiple videos into slides is a common need in many industries. No one wants to manually copy and paste video URLs into a slide deck. But easy-to-use automated solutions can be hard to find. That is why we created Slideform to pull the information you need into your slide decks and documents automatically.
Every day, Slideform clients use our solution in a variety of creative ways, such as:
- Social campaign reporting: Create a deck with a video from each campaign along with performance metrics.
- Digital agencies: Insert YouTube videos into a deck with metrics and KPIs.
- Real estate: Import videos of properties into a deck along with data about each property.
- Product catalog: Insert product videos onto each slide and add product details alongside.
How to import videos into slides automatically with Slideform
1. Link your videos
First, you need your videos! Either host them on YouTube or upload the videos to Google Drive. Connect your Google Account to quickly select your data sheets and slides.
Then create a Google Sheet with any data or text that you want to display alongside the videos. Depending on your use case, this could include the name or caption for the video, metrics or KPIs pertaining to the video. Create a column in your spreadsheet for the YouTube or Google Drive links.
For this tutorial, my example presentation is a YouTube metrics report. The report includes performance metrics for each video. Take a look at the Google sheet:
Be sure to share the Google Drive and sheet with Slideform! 😎
2. Create a slide template
Next, we need to specify what we want the slide deck output to look like. If we want to create one slide for each video, then we will just need one slide which will be copied for each of the videos. You can create a template in Google Slides or PowerPoint.
Slideform is a powerful tool that gives you the ability to fully control the styling and layout of your slides.
Here's how I want my videos to be placed on my report template:
I created my presentation template in Google Slides with the styling, colors, and layout of the information I want to see in my report. Each data element is represented with a data pragma, denoted by curly braces {{ and }} . These pragmas will be replaced by content or videos from my data sheet. See the Help Center for more details on how to create a template.
To insert a placeholder pragma for my videos, I first create a rectangle shape to hold the video. Set the shape and size of the placeholder and the video will be fit inside. Then click on the shape and enter the pragma name in curly braces.
Once you have a slide template for your output, share it with Slideform and upload it to your account as a new project. Then, use Configure Data to match each placeholder in the template to the appropriate data in your Google Sheet.
3. Generate the Slides
Now we can use Slideform's automation to place the videos into the slides and fill in the data automatically. Generate the slide deck and use lookups to select the video you want to display, as in the example below.
4. Advanced Features
Advanced users will enjoy the flexibility and customization options in Slideform, including:
- pull in data and charts from dashboards and CRMs
- include images, text, links, and data tables
- control the formatting of numbers, currency, and dates
- set a dynamic name for the report output
- receive an email notification once the deck is done
Ready to try it?
