Google revolutionized the function landscape with the cloud-based Google Docs, challenging the supremacy of Office apps like Word and Excel with reasonable success. One piddling-known tool in the Google Docs arsenal, however, is a Google draw tool called Google Drawings.

What is Google Drawings? Information technology isn't a full-featured Photoshop replacement, but if y'all're looking for a quick and easy-to-employ drawing tool to create new diagrams or charts on the spider web, Google Drawings could be the tool you demand. To describe with Google using Google Drawings, all you lot need is a Google business relationship–it'south totally gratis to utilise.

What Is Google Drawings?

Google Drawings isn't new—it'due south been effectually since 2010. Information technology allows you to create diagrams, shapes, and other drawings that yous can then use in other Google Docs apps similar Google Slides. Yous're also complimentary to share, publish, and export your images on the web or to other software on your PC or Mac.

Don't expect a total set of image-editing tools in Google Drawings, considering it isn't a total image-editor like GIMP or Photoshop. Google Drawings but doesn't have that kind of functionality—everything is pretty basic, with like paradigm-editing features to those found in Google Sheets, for example, merely with its own blueprint canvas.

It's more than of a like-for-like replacement for Microsoft Visio, the diagram software included with Office, than annihilation else. The difference between Visio and Google Drawings, nevertheless, is the price—you can use this Google depict app for complimentary.

How To Describe With Google Using Google Drawings

Thankfully, there isn't a steep learning bend with Google Drawings. If you've always used a tool in the Google Docs suite, the interface will seem very familiar as it uses the same menu bar style that you lot'll see in Google Sheets, Slides and other Google apps.

To start using Google Drawings, head to the Google Drawings website and sign in using your Google account.

  • If you've never used Google Drawings before, a blank drawing will announced automatically. You can open existing drawings by clicking File > Open and selecting a previous cartoon from your Google Drive storage.
  • Google Drawings allows you to insert text boxes, various shapes, tables, diagrams, charts and graphs, to name but a few. To insert whatever of these, you'll need to click the Insert tab and select one of the options.
  • Adding a new shape, for instance, will require y'all to click Insert > Shape, choosing a blazon of shape (for instance, Arrows) and clicking i of the visual styles. Y'all tin can then depict the shape using your mouse or trackpad.
  • To add together a basic text box, click Insert > Text Box and draw the text box using your mouse or trackpad. Once the text box is created, you lot can then add together text to it using your keyboard.
  • Yous can also insert outside images into your drawing, allowing you lot to manipulate or utilize it aslope your text, shapes, and other objects. To exercise this, click Insert > Image and choose one of the available options. You can upload an image from your PC, select one from your Google Drive storage, as well as search online using Google's built-in prototype search.
  • You lot tin utilise line objects to link images or objects together. To exercise this, click Insert > Line and use your mouse or trackpad to create a line object in your chosen location.
  • To save your cartoon, you'll need to requite it a proper name. Click on the greyness Untitled drawing box at the summit of the Google Drawings window and type in a memorable proper name. Your drawing volition then be saved automatically with this name in your Google Bulldoze storage.

Creating Avant-garde Diagrams & Drawings In Google Drawings

While information technology besides has basic shapes and image editing capabilities, Google Drawings can be used to create more avant-garde drawings that use diagrams, tables, and charts.

  • To insert a new diagram into Google Drawings, click Insert > Diagrams, then select your diagram fashion from the menu that appears on the right-hand side, confirming the number of levels, besides as the color. You tin then edit the diagram once it'due south been inserted into your drawing.
  • To insert a tabular array, click Insert > Table and select the number of columns and rows you need. The tabular array will exist inserted into your drawing automatically, where you can then motion it and begin to add data.
  • You tin also import graphs and charts from Google Sheets or create them in Google Drawings directly. Click Insert > Charts to do this, and so select the blazon of nautical chart or graph you want to create. Printing From Sheets to insert a nautical chart from an existing Google Sheets spreadsheet.

Sharing & Exporting Drawings On Google Drawings

Similar other Google apps, Google Drawings allows you to extensively share and export your diagram with others. You tin share the file to be viewed or edited past other users, publish your cartoon to the web, or export it to your estimator as an SVG, PNG, JPEG, or PDF file.

  • If you want to export your drawing to your PC, click File > Download and select one of the file format options.
  • To share your epitome with others, click the Share push in the top-left, and so type in their e-mail addresses in the People box that appears later. Alternatively, click the Go shareable link button to re-create a straight link to your image for users to view or edit your cartoon anonymously. Click Washed in one case you're finished.
  • To publish your drawing as a publicly-accessible file on the web, assuasive it to be embedded on other web pages, click File > Publish to the web.
  • You tin select the size of your published drawing image under the Link tab by selecting a size under the Image Size drib-downward menu, and so copy the directly URL to your drawing in this size.
  • To embed your published image on the spider web, click the Embed tab in the Publish to the web window. Y'all can then select and re-create the HTML code shown to exist able to insert it onto a web page correctly.
  • Click the Terminate Publishing button to remove your drawing from the web at any point in the hereafter.

Exploring Your Creativity With Google Docs

All of the apps in the Google Docs armory allow you to edit photos and images, just merely Google Drawings allows you to depict with Google on a drawing sheet similar you would with a true photo editing tool like Photoshop. It's more of a replacement for Microsoft Visio than Photoshop, just information technology's still worth taking a expect at.

There are other means you tin apply Google Docs, of course. You can use it to build a new resume using Google Docs templates, and fifty-fifty utilise the built-in sharing tools to create a elementary web page for free.

What are your favorite apps in the Google Docs suite? Allow us know in the comments beneath.