Hate Creating Presentations? I Tried Google's New Mixboard And The Results Blew Me Away

3 days ago

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

Mixboard simplifies nan creation of presentations.
The work is compatible pinch immoderate Chromium-based browser.
Currently, Mixboard is successful nationalist beta, truthful it's free to use.

Does nan task of creating presentations origin you to spiral into a void of stress, fear, and impostor syndrome? And yet, do you often find yourself having to create them for work, school, aliases different situations?

If that sounds for illustration you, Google has a instrumentality that includes Nano Banana Pro to create presentations from your photos and documents.

How does this work work?

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You spell to Mixboard, upload photos and documents to a caller board, and nan service, pinch nan thief of AI, converts them into a presentation.

This caller work by Google is presently successful nationalist beta, which intends you tin usage it for free. There is nary denotation of erstwhile it will beryllium officially released aliases what nan pricing tiers will be.

I took Mixboard retired for a trial drive.

How it works

Open your web browser, guarantee you're logged into your Google account, and navigate to Mixboard. On nan main page, you tin either trial it by clicking 1 of nan examples aliases commencement caller by clicking "New project."

(Note: Mixboard doesn't activity good pinch Firefox-based browsers, truthful make judge you're utilizing 1 based connected Chromium, specified arsenic Chrome.

Also: My apical 4 browsers aft testing astir each 1 (spoiler: Chrome fans whitethorn beryllium upset)

On nan "New project" page, click + adjacent nan bottommost near corner. Next, you tin either prime 1 of nan premade examples aliases type a query to bespeak what it is you want to create.

For instance, I wanted to create a position connected nan best Linux desktops for caller users, truthful I typed nan following:

Imagine a position that shows nan champion Linux distributions for caller users.

Click nan right-pointing arrow, and you'll past find yourself connected nan committee wherever you tin statesman uploading images and/or documents. I attempted to upload a .docx file, but I recovered it was unsupported. Instead, I uploaded PDFs, which worked fine.

Upload plentifulness of files related to your project. You'll announcement an parameter astatine nan apical correct that informs you really acold you person to spell earlier you've uploaded capable files to make a presentation. When nan parameter says "Ready," you're bully to go.

Keep successful mind that you don't person to upload files because Nano Banana Pro will drawback plentifulness of them based connected your prompt. However, if you person circumstantial needs for your presentation, your champion stake is to upload what you need.

Click Ready, and Mixboard starts churning each that you've uploaded into a presentation. It claims it'll return astir 20 minutes. Depending connected really galore files you upload, that estimate could beryllium spot connected aliases measurement off.

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When Nano Banana Pro finishes doing its thing, your position appears successful nan aforesaid window. You tin past download nan presentation, position it, aliases stock it pinch others. One caveat is that you tin only download nan position arsenic a PDF aliases a action of images. Of course, you tin adhd nan images into a position you've created pinch Office 365, LibreOffice, aliases immoderate instrumentality you prefer.

If you're fresh for your presentation, you could conscionable unfastened it from wrong Mixboard and coming it straight from there.

My impression

Mixboard really impressed me. I was amazed astatine really bully nan position turned out. The only point I would opportunity is that nan accuracy and usability dangle connected nan specifications of your punctual and/or nan files you've uploaded.

For example, successful my presentation, 1 descent stated, "Imagine a desktop wherever each pixel is placed pinch purpose. This is nan world of nan Pantheon desktop -- an acquisition designed to beryllium perfect, correct retired of nan box." Although I work together pinch nan second half of nan statement, I'm not judge what it intends by "every pixel is placed pinch purpose."

However, immoderate of nan slides were truthful spot connected that my guidance was, "Whoa! That's good."

This is AI, truthful location will beryllium a definite magnitude of mirage involved. As a result, your mileage whitethorn vary. However, if you request to create a position connected nan spot and are pressed for time, Mixboard could very good prevention nan day.

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Give Mixboard a effort and spot if it doesn't go your go-to position tool.