Google has introduced a new proportional scaling feature in Google Slides, simplifying the often tedious task of resizing multiple slide objects simultaneously.
The feature, which began rolling out to Rapid Release domains, addresses long-standing user requests for easier design workflows by ensuring grouped elements scale uniformly when adjusted.
Previously, resizing multiple elements such as images, text boxes, or charts required manually adjusting each component to preserve proportions. The new proportional scaling feature allows users to maintain consistent layouts by simply selecting multiple items and dragging the corner handles, automatically preserving fonts, borders, shadows, and relative dimensions.
According to Google’s official announcement, “proportional scaling will only apply to object groups and selections of multiple objects using the corner handles (side handles will still function as they do today).”
The feature will become fully available to Rapid Release users within approximately 15 days from the initial release date, while those on Scheduled Release domains will begin seeing this feature starting April 14, with full rollout occurring over two weeks. It will be broadly available across all Google Workspace accounts, not restricted to any particular subscription tier.
Enhanced Object Selection for Easier Slide Management
In addition to proportional scaling, Google has quietly added an improved object selection mechanism. Hovering the cursor over an object now clearly outlines it, simplifying the process of selecting layered or closely positioned elements.
This subtle yet practical enhancement addresses common user frustrations with crowded or complex slide layouts, reducing the need for repetitive clicks and rearrangements.
These interface updates currently apply only in slide edit mode and do not affect live presentations. Users can still access traditional resizing and formatting controls through the format options sidebar, preserving the existing flexibility of slide editing.
Broader Google Workspace Enhancements and AI Strategy
While the new Slides features don’t directly involve artificial intelligence, they complement Google’s broader approach of incorporating productivity-oriented improvements across Workspace.
The company just introduced “AI-powered nudges” in Google Drive, which proactively surface relevant files and automatically summarize their contents based on users’ recent activities and collaborations. These nudges help users quickly access files that may be relevant at any given time.
However, these AI-driven features have also sparked discussions around privacy. While Google assures users that their data isn’t utilized for advertising or AI model training without permission, the deeper file interaction necessary for generating automatic summaries raises valid concerns about transparency and user control.
AI Integration Expanding Across Workspace
The recent Slides and Drive updates come on the heels of several other notable Workspace developments involving AI integration. Google Sheets has gained sophisticated AI-driven analytical tools that automatically identify data patterns and highlight anomalies, significantly reducing manual workload for users.
Additionally, Gmail has seen enhancements to its search functionality, now using artificial intelligence to rank email results by relevance, prioritizing messages based on a user’s historical engagement. This update aims to streamline email retrieval significantly.
Google also extended the capabilities of its AI-powered research tool, NotebookLM, by introducing interactive Mind Maps, enabling users to visually organize complex topics and research findings.
Potential for Future AI Integration in Google Slides
Considering Google’s extensive implementation of AI-driven features across other Workspace tools, it’s reasonable to anticipate similar enhancements eventually reaching Google Slides.
Recently, the company announced the replacement of Google Assistant with Gemini AI on Android devices, underscoring Google’s continued commitment to integrating AI deeply into its product ecosystem.
This broad trend suggests potential future capabilities in Slides, such as AI-assisted design recommendations, automated layout optimizations, or context-aware visual enhancements. Nevertheless, deeper AI integrations would bring fresh challenges, particularly concerning user data privacy and transparency.
Google’s proportional scaling and improved object selection represent a practical improvement that users can immediately benefit from, without the complexities or concerns of deeper automation. Maintaining trust and clear communication about user control over data will remain essential as Google continues advancing the functionality of its productivity suite.
