2.1 – Getting Started With Gamma Lesson

Lesson Overview

This lesson introduces new users to the Gamma platform, an AI-powered web tool for quickly building polished presentations. If you’ve previously relied on traditional tools like PowerPoint or Google Slides, you likely spent extra time manually assembling your slides and formatting everything yourself. Gamma addresses those challenges by instantly generating well-designed presentations from prompts or your existing content—no design experience required.

You’ll start by signing up for a Gamma account, which can be done securely using your Google account or a standard email address. Once logged in, you’ll explore Gamma’s central dashboard. Here, you’ll see all your projects (“Gammas”), workspaces, and organization tools. Unlike in some platforms, Gamma refers to slides as “cards” and lets you group and manage all your content in folders.

Besides covering file organization and basic navigation, this lesson explains Gamma’s credit-based system for free accounts: each action uses a set number of credits, with the free tier allowing enough exploration to decide if the platform fits your workflow. You’ll also look at the different plans available, such as Plus and Pro, each offering varying levels of AI usage and presentation capacity. Understanding these basics ensures you’re prepared for every later step in efficiently creating AI-powered presentations.

Who This Is For

If you’re new to Gamma or looking for faster ways to build presentations without manual design, this lesson is suitable for you. It’s especially helpful for:

• Educators needing to create and organize learning materials quickly
• Business professionals who present data or proposals regularly
• Marketing teams requiring polished visual decks without design staff
• Students seeking easy-to-use tools for school projects
• Content creators interested in AI-enhanced methods to share information
• Anyone switching from traditional slide makers to AI-driven platforms
  

Where This Fits in a Workflow

Setting up your Gamma account and familiarizing yourself with the platform serves as the foundation for every presentation project you’ll create in Gamma. Typically, this is the very first step: join the platform, explore what’s available, and decide which plan suits your needs based on your expected usage.

For example, if you’re preparing a quarterly update for your team, you’d start by signing up, browsing templates, and understanding the available credits to ensure you can complete your work without interruption. If you regularly deliver lessons or sales pitches, the dashboard’s organization tools and paid tiers can help you manage multiple projects with consistent branding and no credit-related limits. Getting oriented here ensures smoother work as you start building, customizing, and sharing new presentations in later lessons.

Technical & Workflow Benefits

Traditional methods often require switching between a design program and other tools, manually importing assets, and figuring out templates on your own. Gamma changes this by centralizing all those functions: with a few steps, you get a well-designed, AI-generated presentation—saving significant setup and design time.

The credit system on the free plan makes it clear how much creation you can do before needing to upgrade, eliminating surprises. By learning about the available plans up front, you can choose the right investment for your needs and avoid workflow interruptions later on. For frequent presenters or those who want to maintain a portfolio of decks, the Plus and Pro plans offer features like unlimited AI generation, more slides per presentation, and better image tools, translating into faster production and more polished results.

Practice Exercise

To reinforce this lesson’s concepts, try setting up a Gamma account and touring its dashboard:

1. Go to gamma.app and register for a free account using your preferred method (Google or email).
2. Upon logging in, click through the main sections: Home, Templates, Inspiration, Folders, Themes, Settings, and Members. Note how projects (Gammas) and slides (cards) are labeled.
3. Examine the credit counter in your profile area and review how actions (new Gamma, add card, image generation) use credits.

Reflect: How does Gamma’s project and credit organization compare to tools you’ve used before? Which features or limits stand out as most relevant for your upcoming projects?

Course Context Recap

This lesson marks your first hands-on experience with Gamma—account creation, dashboard navigation, and understanding subscription options. In the previous lesson, you learned about AI presentation tools in general, and now you’ve been formally introduced to the Gamma platform’s unique approach. Next, you’ll move into generating your first Gamma using prompts, outlines, or uploaded content. Continue through the course to build your skill set and see how AI can reshape your presentation workflow. Consider exploring all lessons to maximize what you can do with Gamma.