Music adds energy to slideshows. We’ll show you how to add music to Google Slides for free, in order to better hold your audience’s attention.
Music enhances any slideshow. Think about your favorite films for a moment. Without music, would they be as powerful? In truth, they probably wouldn’t. Music raises action to a level above the ordinary. It expands upon moods and catches an audience’s attention in ways words and even powerful images can’t. Even if you have worked hard to develop a gripping slideshow, adding audio makes it stronger. Shutterstock offers high-quality royalty free music—in many genres—to enrich your slides. Learn how to make a slideshow with music and pictures for FREE.
Lots of Musical Choices
Shutterstock’s wide selection lets you choose from several different types of music by genre, mood, and tempo. Whatever mood you want to create, we have the music you need. For example, epic orchestral music adds majesty and drama to presentations, while dark or scary music sets a tone of mystery, creating a suspenseful atmosphere. Ambient, New Age, and Chill Out categories are soft and atmospheric, while Punk Rock, Urban, and Hip Hop get hearts pumping and feet tapping.
Enliven Corporate Presentations
Shutterstock music is ideal for corporate slideshows to interest and engage audiences. Motivational scores are perfect for inspiring ideas. We also have many selections available in our specific Corporate music genre. Plus, we even have a special grouping of tunes in our Corporate Presentations offering.
Adding Music to Google Slides
Here are instructions on how to add music to Google Slides. You can add audio to one slide, or have it play continuously throughout the entire presentation.
Music for One Slide
- Open your Google Slides presentation.
- On the slide you want to have audio, select Insert > Add Audio, then select the audio track you want to use.
- If your program version doesn’t give you the option to add audio on a specific slide, select Insert > Add Video.
- Select the music track you want to insert on a particular slide.
- To have the audio play automatically, without the controller being seen, place the file outside of the actual slide.
- Click on Format options.
- Next, click on Video Playback in the top, right-hand corner of the newly opened window.
- Click on Autoplay when presenting.
If you want a particular section of the Shutterstock track to play, you can customize the start and stop times of the audio file.
Continuous Play Music
There are two ways to have music playing continuously throughout your slideshow.
- If you have to manually advance your slide presentation, have the audio playing in a separate window in your internet browser.
- If you have an automatic advance presentation, record the presentation while the music plays in another tab. There are programs, such as the Google Chrome extension called Screencastify, that can help you do this.
Now that you know how to add audio to Google Slides, you can create an outstanding slideshow that will grab and hold your audience’s attention.
Adding Music to PowerPoint
You can also use Shutterstock’s large music catalog to add audio to PowerPoint presentations. As with Google Slides, you have the choice of playing music across the entire show, or on specific slides, based on preset triggers. If your PowerPoint show is interactive, you can play audio on demand.
Continuous Play Music
- Open your presentation.
- Choose Insert > Audio > Audio on My PC.
- A new Insert Audio window will open to display default Libraries > Music. Or, if your desired audio files are elsewhere, go to that folder.
- Select the music file you want for your slideshow. If the Shutterstock music piece you want is not long enough, PowerPoint’s Loop editing feature will play the audio repeatedly until the slideshow ends. You can also use free audio editing software—such as Ocenaudio and Audacity—to adjust the length of the piece.
- Choose Insert. PowerPoint inserts a speaker button and playback control window on the screen. Simply click it and drag it to where you want it.
- When you select the speaker button, you’ll see options under the tab Audio Tools > Playback. Select Play in Background.
Music for One Slide and On Demand
- Navigate to Audio Tools > Playback > Audio Options > Start.
- To have audio play for particular slides based upon a trigger, choose In Click Sequence.
- For audio on demand, select When Clicked On.
Now that you know the basics of how to make a slideshow with music, get creative and enjoy adding special touches to make your presentation unique. The more interesting your presentation, the more your audience will pay attention and, ultimately, remember your message.
Create a Vibrant Presentation Today
Music’s job in a slideshow is to enhance good content. Well-chosen audio adds dynamic energy, captivates audiences, and strengthens your message. Shutterstock’s extensive music selection lets you create stunning presentations in all settings, from corporate boardrooms to elementary classrooms.
For more Shutterstock tips and advice, dive into these charming articles:
- Introducing Shutterstock’s New Annual Music Subscription
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- Spring Color Palettes 2021: 10 Color Trends to Spark Joy and Creativity
- Creating Stock Music 101: Here’s Everything You Need to Know
- Voice of the Artist: Talking Creativity with Illustrator Helena Perez Garcia
Cover image via Beatriz Vera.