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AhaSlides Guess the image in preview: the presenter screen shows a partly uncovered picture with a countdown, beside a phone ready to type a guess
A blurry corner of a photo is more fun than a plain question: everyone leans in and wonders what it is. Guess the image is a scored slide where one hidden picture is uncovered a step at a time, and each step is a round where everyone types one guess on their phone.

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Guess the image at a glance

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Create a Guess the image slide

1

Add the slide

In the editor, click New slide, then search for Guess the image.
2

Choose the picture

In Image, add the picture to hide (PNG, JPG, GIF or WebP). Pick one that people can name in a word or two, such as an animal, a fruit or an everyday object. A picture with one telling detail works well, and one with a plain background reveals too little in the early rounds.
3

List the accepted answers

In the Content tab, under Accepted answers, type what counts as right, with the clearest wording first. That first answer is the one shown on screen at the end. Add other real names people might use, such as “Red panda” and “Lesser panda”, up to 10. Capital letters, accents and one small typo are forgiven, so don’t add variants of those.
4

Pick the reveal style, steps and time

Choose how the picture is uncovered: Tiles, Pixelate, Zoom out (starts from one detail and pulls back) or Spotlight. Then set Reveal steps and Time per round. More steps make a harder game, because the first rounds show very little.

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Present a Guess the image slide

Click Preview to try it, or Present and share the access code. On your screen, the picture starts mostly hidden and shows more with every round, while the clock counts down. Each round ends when time runs out, or when you press Reveal more to move on early. Then:
  • If anyone guessed right, the game ends there. The screen shows the full picture, the answer and a winners board with up to 5 names, fastest first.
  • If nobody did, the next round shows more of the picture.
  • If nobody gets it by the last step, the screen shows the full picture and the answer with “Nobody got it this time!”.
On their phones, each participant types one guess per round. The guess is locked until the next round, even if they reload the page. Wrong guesses are never shown on the big screen, only how many were right and wrong.

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How Guess the image scores

A correct guess scores more the earlier the round. Speed within the round does not matter. Points add to the leaderboard like other scored slides. To show the leaderboard right after this slide, keep Leaderboard after this slide on in the Content tab, which it is by default.

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Guess the image settings

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Ideas for using Guess the image

  • Icebreaker: use a picture of a pet or an object from your own desk and let the team guess whose it is.
  • Quiz night: put several slides in a row, one picture each, with Pixelate for a quick round.
  • Classroom revision: hide a diagram or an object from the topic and let students name it, such as a plant cell or a telescope.
  • Team event: pick a different reveal style for each slide so every round feels new.

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Guess the image vs. Short Answer

Short Answer asks a written question and players type the answer, with no picture to uncover. Guess the image has one answer, hidden in a picture that shows more every round. If you only want the audience to pick from listed options, use Pick Answer.

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Frequently asked questions

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Is Guess the image scored?

Yes. Correct guesses earn points that count on the leaderboard. Earlier rounds score more.

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How close does a guess need to be?

Capital letters, accents, spacing, punctuation and a leading “the”, “a” or “an” never matter. An answer of 5 or more letters also forgives one small typo, such as a missing or swapped letter. Anything else must match one of your accepted answers.

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Can people guess more than once?

Each person gets one guess per round. They can guess again in the next round if the game is still going.

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Can I use more than one picture?

One slide holds one picture. For a game of five pictures, add five Guess the image slides.

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Can I see what people guessed?

Not on the big screen. After the session, the report lists what each participant guessed. Have a question? Contact our support team: if you’re logged in, use the chat bubble in the bottom-right of your dashboard; otherwise contact us here or email hi@ahaslides.com. Want to connect with other users? Join the AhaSlides community to share tips, request features, and see how others engage their audiences.