Gamma

Gamma.app's AI import feature is a core function designed to automate and accelerate the creation of presentations by converting existing text and documents into structured, visually styled decks. The system supports a variety of input sources, providing flexibility for users to repurpose content. Users can directly paste plain text into the editor, provide a URL to a webpage, or upload files in common formats such as Microsoft Word (.docx), PowerPoint (.pptx), and PDF. The platform also offers direct integrations with cloud services, allowing for the import of Google Docs and Google Slides from a user's Google Drive, as well as content from public Notion documents. This multi-faceted import capability allows users to transform raw notes, detailed reports, or existing presentations into a new Gamma deck with minimal manual effort. The conversion process is driven by AI and offers different levels of control. Upon receiving the input, Gamma's AI analyzes and organizes the content. The user is then presented with a 'prompt editor' to guide the AI's transformation. There are two primary modes: 'Free form,' where the AI automatically segments the content and distributes it across a series of cards based on its own analysis of the structure, and 'Card by card,' which gives the user manual control to define what content appears on each individual card. Within this process, users can further instruct the AI to shape the content by choosing to keep it as-is, condense it for brevity, expand on it for more detail, or adjust the tone and intended audience. For granular control, users can manually insert a '/split' command in the text to force a new card break. As part of the generation, the system also automatically adds relevant visuals, such as stock web images or AI-generated illustrations, to enhance the presentation. A key part of the import process is the application of visual styling. During the 'Import with AI' workflow, users can select from Gamma's library of professionally designed themes to apply a consistent look and feel to the newly generated deck. A more advanced beta feature allows the AI to create a custom theme automatically. By uploading an existing PowerPoint (.ppt) or Google Slides file, Gamma's AI can analyze the file, extract its brand elements—such as color palettes, font styles, and logos—and generate a new custom theme based on that brand identity. This ensures that imported content can be quickly aligned with an organization's specific branding guidelines. After the initial AI-powered import and generation, the entire deck remains fully editable. Users can leverage the 'Edit with AI' agent, a conversational AI tool, to make further changes using natural language prompts, such as 'change the layout of this card' or 'make this text more professional.' Despite its power, the feature has technical limitations. Users on the Free plan are restricted to generating a maximum of 10 cards per prompt, while the Pro plan offers higher token limits, enabling the import of longer and more complex documents. A critical limitation is that the import feature is primarily focused on text content. It does not preserve the original styling, layouts, embedded fonts, or complex formatting from the source file. All visual styling is stripped and must be reapplied using Gamma's themes and editing tools. If an import fails, the platform's guidance suggests converting the source file to a .docx or .pptx format, indicating these may be the most robustly supported file types for processing. In practice, the AI import feature serves as a powerful alternative to manual slide creation, significantly reducing the time spent on initial drafting and formatting. It excels at turning text-heavy documents into a visually engaging first draft, which can then be refined by the user.