8.6. Time Saving Techniques in Looker Studio

Extracting Theme from an Image

Learn how to quickly apply a color scheme from a client's logo or image in Data Studio.

When creating a report for a client, you might want to quickly apply a color scheme that matches their brand. Data Studio has a feature called "Extract Theme from Image" that allows you to do this.

To use the "Extract Theme from Image" feature, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to "Theme and Layout" settings in your Data Studio report.
2. Scroll to the bottom and click on "Extract Theme from Image."
3. You can either upload an image file from your computer or provide a URL for an image (e.g., the client's logo).
4. Data Studio will then analyze the image, extract the colors, and present you with three different theme options based on the extracted colors.
5. Select a theme option and apply it to your report.

Keep in mind that this feature only changes the color scheme of your report, not the fonts or other settings. It can be a useful starting point, but you may want to further customize the theme to better suit your report's purpose and design.

Reverting to a Previous Theme

Learn how to revert to a previous theme if you're not satisfied with the changes made using the "Extract Theme from Image" feature.

If you apply a theme using the "Extract Theme from Image" feature and are not satisfied with the results, you can try undoing the change using the "Undo" button in Data Studio. Alternatively, you can refresh the page to revert to the previous settings, as long as you haven't saved the changes.

Keep in mind that using the "Extract Theme from Image" feature might not always provide the perfect color scheme for your report. It can be a helpful starting point, but you might need to further customize the theme and layout settings to create a more visually appealing and effective report.

Creating Accessible Color Palettes

Discover how to create visually appealing and compatible color palettes using the Coolors.co website.

Coolors.co is a free service that helps you generate color palettes that look good together. To create a color palette using Coolers.co:

1. Visit the Coolors.co website.
2. Choose a starting point by either starting the generator from scratch or exploring trending palettes.
3. Click on any of the colors to select the primary color for your palette (e.g., the client's brand color).
4. Lock the primary color by clicking the lock icon.
5. Press the spacebar on your keyboard to generate complementary colors for your palette.
6. Lock any additional colors that you like, and continue pressing the spacebar until you have a complete color palette you're happy with.

Importing Your Palette into Looker Studio

Learn how to quickly import your custom color palette into Looker Studio using the "Extract Theme from Image" feature.

To import your color palette into Looker Studio:

1. Take a screenshot or save the color palette image from Coolers.co to your computer.
2. In Data Studio, navigate to "Theme and Layout" settings.
3. Click on "Extract Theme from Image" and upload the saved color palette image.
4. Looker Studio will extract the colors from the image and apply them to your report.

Adjusting Colors for Accessibility (Color Blindness)

Discover how to create color palettes that are accessible to people with color blindness using Coolors.co's built-in accessibility features.

To ensure your color palette is accessible for people with color blindness:

1. In Coolors.co, click on the "Accessibility Tools" icon (eye symbol) in the top right corner of the screen.
2. Select the type of color blindness from the dropdown menu to see how the contrast between the colors in your palette will look for people with that type of color blindness.
3. Test your color palette across all types of color blindness to ensure it remains accessible and visually appealing for all users.

By using these tools and techniques, you can create visually appealing and accessible color palettes for your Looker Studio reports that cater to a wide range of users, including those with color blindness.

Copying and Pasting Styles for Components

Discover how to copy and paste styles for components in Data Studio, saving time and ensuring consistency in your report design.

When you want to apply the same style to multiple components in Data Studio without manually adjusting each component's settings, you can use the "Copy and Paste Style" feature:

1. Select the component with the desired style.
2. Press Ctrl+C (Windows) or Cmd+C (Mac) to copy the component.
3. Select one or multiple components you want to apply the style to.
4. Right-click on one of the selected components and choose "Paste special" > "Paste style only."

This method allows you to quickly apply the same style, such as font, border, margin, and padding settings, to multiple components in your report, ensuring a consistent design and saving time.

Using the "Copy and Paste Style" feature in Data Studio can help you maintain a consistent look and feel throughout your report while significantly reducing the time spent on manually adjusting the style of each component.

Selecting Multiple Components for Editing

Learn how to select multiple components at once in Data Studio, making it easy to apply changes to several items simultaneously.

Bulk selection is a useful feature in Data Studio when you want to apply changes to multiple components at once. Here's how you can use bulk selection to edit multiple components:

1. Right-click on an empty area of the page to open the context menu.
2. Hover over the "Select" option, and you'll see several options for selecting components:
• Select all: Selects all components on the page.
• Select all controls: Selects all control components (e.g., filter controls) on the page.
• Select all charts and controls: Selects all charts and controls on the page.
3. Alternatively, you can right-click on a specific component and choose one of the following options:
• Select all [component type] on the page: Selects all components of the same type as the selected component (e.g., all scorecards).
• Select all charts with [data source] on the page: Selects all charts with the same data source as the selected component (e.g., all charts using Google Analytics data).

Once you have made your selection, you can edit the components simultaneously, such as applying a consistent style or adjusting the settings.

Please note that copying the format of a specific metric, like the currency symbol, cannot be done through bulk selection or copying styles, as it is a data source level setting, not a component style setting.

Copying and Pasting Charts Between Reports

Learn how to copy and paste charts between reports in Looker Studio, making it easier to create templates and reuse visuals for multiple clients.

Copying and pasting charts between reports in Looker Studio can be a powerful way to create templates and reuse visuals for multiple clients. However, sometimes you may encounter issues when trying to paste charts into a new report. This is usually due to data source or data connector limitations.

To successfully copy and paste charts between reports, follow these steps:

1. Ensure that the chart you want to copy is connected to a reusable data source. Embedded data sources live within a single report and cannot be reused in another report.
2. Copy the chart from the original report.
3. Go to the new report where you want to paste the chart.
4. Click "Paste" or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+V (Windows) or Cmd+V (Mac). If the reusable data source is not already in the new report, Data Studio will prompt you to add the data source to the report.
5. Click "Add to report" to add the reusable data source to the new report.
6. The chart will now be pasted into the new report, connected to the same reusable data source.

By using reusable data sources and ensuring you have the appropriate permissions, you can easily copy and paste charts between reports, making it much more efficient to create consistent visuals for different clients.

Keyboard Shortcuts in Looker Studio

Discover helpful keyboard shortcuts in Looker Studio to improve efficiency and streamline your workflow.

Using keyboard shortcuts in Looker Studio can greatly improve your efficiency and make your workflow more seamless. Here are some useful shortcuts:

1. Arrow keys: Navigate between pages when no component is selected.
2. Ctrl + Shift + E (Cmd + Shift + E on Mac): Refresh the data source.
3. Ctrl + M (Cmd + M on Mac): Create a new page.
4. Ctrl + D (Cmd + D on Mac): Duplicate a selected component.
5. Alt + Shift + V (Option + Shift + V on Mac): Paste the style of a component without pasting its content.

While not all keyboard shortcuts are documented by Google, these are some of the most helpful shortcuts to improve your experience in Looker Studio. Feel free to explore and experiment with other shortcuts to find the ones that work best for your workflow

In this chapter:

→ 8.1. Styling Like a Pro

→ 8.2. Report Layout Customization

→ 8.3. Theme Customization

→ 8.4. Dimension Color Management

→ 8.5. Page Level Theme & Layout Settings

→ 8.6. Time Saving Techniques

→ 8.7. Effective Communication

→ 8.8. Community Visualizations

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