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All Posts By

Ian Lamont

Apr 04
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How to edit charts in Google Drive

By Blog, Video

Google Drive allows you to create and edit charts using Sheets, the free online spreadsheet program that comes with the suite. In this 3-minute video, learn how to edit an existing spreadsheet chart. Basic and advanced editing functions are shown, including changing the title of the chart, adjusting colors and backgrounds, increasing font sizes, and changing chart styles.

Once edited, the charts can be exported as image files, and then re-used in presentations, reports, and online. Because Google Sheets is so easy to use, it’s possible to create and edit a snazzy-looking chart in no time.

This lesson comes from Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes, authored by Ian Lamont. To see more Google Drive videos, visit the official Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes website. Purchasing options are shown on this page.

To watch the video full screen, start the player and click the icon in the lower right hand corner.

Mar 26
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Export images from a Google Drive spreadsheet

By Blog, Video

The following short video clip (2 minutes 30 seconds long) shows how to export images from a Google Drive spreadsheet. This method uses Sheets, Google Drive’s free online spreadsheet program. It’s easy to select a chart in the spreadsheet and set up the download, which comes in the form of a .PNG file. These image files can then be imported into other programs such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs, uploaded to the Web, shared on Facebook, etc. The narrator of the video is Ian Lamont, author of Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes, Excel Basics In 30 Minutes, and other In 30 Minutes titles.

Press the play button below to start the video. Use the icon at the bottom of the screen to expand the view to full-screen.

Mar 23
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Google Sheets: How to create a chart

By Blog, Video

In less than three minutes, learn how to create a chart in Google Sheets, the spreadsheet program in Google Drive. It’s very easy — basically you need to select some data in the spreadsheet, press a button, and select a few customization options (type of chart, colors, fonts, etc.). It’s even easier than Microsoft Excel’s chart wizard.

The video below shows the steps involved, using a simple example. The narrator is the author of Google Drive and Docs In 30 Minutes, which you can buy here. To expand the video to full screen, press the icon at the bottom of the video.

In addition, look for other videos on this site which explain how to edit charts, as well as perform other basic functions in Google Drive.

Mar 21
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How to export a PDF using Google Drive's free spreadsheet program, Google Sheets

By Blog, Video

This three-minute video explains how to export a PDF using Google Sheets, the spreadsheet program in Google Drive. It’s a very common scenario if you need to create a printable version of a spreadsheet, or want to create a spreadsheet that cannot be edited. It’s also a good tool to use for creating PDF versions of a spreadsheet that have been created on older versions of Microsoft Excel — you simply convert the Excel file to Google Drive’s format, and then export the PDF using the steps explained in the video below.

Finally, two examples of PDF exports are used in the video. One involves a spreadsheet with just text, numbers, and currencies, while the other is a spreadsheet that contains a chart.

After watching, if you’re interested in learning more about creating, sharing, and collaborating on documents using Google Drive & Docs, check out my guide. It’s called Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes and is available for the Kindle, iPad, Nook, Android tablets, and as a PDF and paperback.

Without further ado, the video:

Mar 16
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How to convert a Google Sheets spreadsheet file to Excel .xlsx

By Blog, Video

How do you convert a Google Sheets spreadsheet into an .xlsx file which can be opened in Microsoft Excel? This 5-minute video demonstrates how to export from Google Sheets, Google Drive’s excellent spreadsheet program. The resulting .xlsx file can be opened in Excel 2010, Excel 2013, Excel for Mac, and other recent versions of Excel.

The video also demonstrates some of the formatting problems that can occur with conversion between Google Drive and Microsoft Excel. Charts and number formats sometimes don’t make the transition, and this video shows examples of what can go wrong. The video is by Ian Lamont, author of Excel Basics In 30 Minutes and Google Drive & Docs In 30 Minutes.

To see the full-screen version of the video, click the icon at the bottom of the video player:

Mar 15
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How to convert Excel files to Google Drive

By Blog, Video

Convert Excel files to Google Drive! This short video (updated in 2015) explains how to convert Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx or .xls files) to Google Drive’s spreadsheet program — Google Sheets. There are three examples of Excel spreadsheets being converted, including situations in which formatting does not translate.

Why would someone want to convert Excel files to Google Drive? One scenario: You’re emailed an .xls or .xlsx file, but don’t have Microsoft Excel installed. Or, you want to collaborate on a spreadsheet, and the collaboration features on Google Drive (including live collaboration, as described in Google Drive In 30 Minutes) is superior.

Press the icon on the bottom of the video to make it viewable full-screen.