Drawing in Google Docs

Google just announced a new function for Google Docs: Insert Drawing. This brings Google Docs closer and closer to a fully functional replacement/equivalent of other word processing programs.

Use Insert Drawing to create:

• Lines
• Free hand scribbles
• Text labels
• Auto shapes

The best part is that you can insert drawings in any Google Doc, whether it is a spreadsheet, a document, or a presentation. The drawings can be rotated, resized and manipulated much like you can do in, for example, Word.

Here is how I made it!

I thought I’d test drive this new feature right away, so I logged into Google Docs and opened a new document.

First, I went into “insert”, to select “Drawing”:

This causes a small screen to pop up over your opened document in which you can create your drawing. You can start creating shapes, and each line or shape created can be enlarged, rotated, moved, and removed:

One of my favorite, and I think necessary, features you find with the drawing function is the possibility of moving objects to the front, or back:

I could also change the line widths, choose a color to fill my pictures with and undo things when I changed my mind. Within a couple of minutes I created the amateur picture you see in this post. I admit it isn’t the most artistically valuable piece of creative output, but it is pretty cool and more importantly, it was very easy to create!

What I thought was interesting about this new feature is that previously it would not have been possible to add it to Google Docs, as it needed a browser to have the ability of rendering vector graphics. To create the drawing feature in Google Docs, they used a mix of scalable vector graphics, and vector markup language.

Why this is so cool

I really wish we would have had the drawing option a few years ago, when I was often collaborating on presentations with colleagues. How much easier it would have been to just work on the same file together, instead of emailing different versions back and forth between three people, eventually getting thoroughly confused in which was the latest one.

Although I’m not collaborating on presentations much these days, I’m sure I’m still going to be using this feature. Many of my docs need diagrams, and the fact that I can keep my important working documents mobile and work on all aspects of them online is just plain awesome.

Google is looking for suggestions on this feature in the forums, where you can also find tips and tricks!