Hate creating presentations? I tried Google’s new Mixboard and the results blew me away

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Mixboard simplifies the creation of presentations.
• The service is compatible with any Chromium-based browser.
• Currently, Mixboard is in public beta, so it's free to use.

Does the task of creating presentations cause 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, or other situations?

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

How does this service work?

Also: Google's Nano Banana image generator goes Pro – how it beats the original

You go to Mixboard, upload photos and documents to a new board, and the service, with the help of AI, converts them into a presentation.

This new service by Google is currently in public beta, which means you can use it for free. There is no indication of when it will be officially released or what the pricing tiers will be. 

I took Mixboard out for a test drive.

How it works

Open your web browser, ensure you're logged into your Google account, and navigate to Mixboard. On the main page, you can either test it by clicking one of the examples or start fresh by clicking “New project.”

(Note: Mixboard doesn't work well with Firefox-based browsers, so make sure you're using one based on Chromium, such as Chrome.

Also: My top 4 browsers after testing nearly every one (spoiler: Chrome fans may be upset)

On the “New project” page, click + near the bottom left corner. Next, you can either select one of the premade examples or type a query to indicate what it is you want to create. 

For instance, I wanted to create a presentation on the best Linux desktops for new users, so I typed the following:

Imagine a presentation that shows the best Linux distributions for new users.

Click the right-pointing arrow, and you'll then find yourself on the board where you can begin uploading images and/or documents. I attempted to upload a .docx file, but I found it was unsupported. Instead, I uploaded PDFs, which worked fine. 

Upload plenty of files related to your project. You'll notice an indicator at the top right that informs you how far you have to go before you've uploaded enough files to generate a presentation. When the indicator says “Ready,” you're good to go.

Keep in mind that you don't have to upload files because Nano Banana Pro will grab plenty of them based on your prompt. However, if you have specific needs for your presentation, your best bet is to upload what you need.

Click Ready, and Mixboard starts churning all that you've uploaded into a presentation. It claims it'll take roughly 20 minutes. Depending on how many files you upload, that estimate could be spot on or way off.

Also: Gemini vs. Copilot: I tested the AI tools on 7 everyday tasks, and it wasn't even close

When Nano Banana Pro finishes doing its thing, your presentation appears in the same window. You can then download the presentation, view it, or share it with others. One caveat is that you can only download the presentation as a PDF or a selection of images. Of course, you can add the images into a presentation you've created with Office 365, LibreOffice, or whatever tool you prefer.

If you're ready for your presentation, you could just open it from within Mixboard and present it directly from there.

My impression

Mixboard really impressed me. I was surprised at how good the presentation turned out. The only thing I would say is that the accuracy and usability depend on the details of your prompt and/or the files you've uploaded.

For example, in my presentation, one slide stated, “Imagine a desktop where every pixel is placed with purpose. This is the world of the Pantheon desktop — an experience designed to be perfect, right out of the box.” Although I agree with the latter half of the statement, I'm not sure what it means by “every pixel is placed with purpose.”

However, some of the slides were so spot on that my reaction was, “Whoa! That's good.”

This is AI, so there will be a certain amount of hallucination involved. As a result, your mileage may vary. However, if you need to create a presentation on the spot and are pressed for time, Mixboard could very well save the day.

Also: 8 ways I quickly leveled up my Linux skills – and you can too

Give Mixboard a try and see if it doesn't become your go-to presentation tool.