Buzz
Animations in PowerPoint are used to add a touch of sophistication to your presentations. You can bring both text and objects to life, as well as create smooth transitions between slides. Start by selecting the object you want to animate, then choose an animation effect from the “Animations” tab and customize the motion to your preference. Slide transitions are handled similarly in the “Transitions” tab. PowerPoint also allows you to insert animated images or videos into your slides using the “Insert” tab.
Steps
Animated Text or Objects
Open PowerPoint. The following methods also apply to similar free software, such as Google Slides or OpenOffice Impress, though the location and options of buttons may vary.
Select the object you wish to animate. Click on the text or image you want to animate.
- To select an entire text box, click on the border of the text box. PowerPoint will automatically segment the text by paragraphs or breaks.
- If PowerPoint does not have an object to animate, you first need to add an object.
Open the "Animations" tab. This tab, located in the top menu bar, contains various animation options and controls.
Choose the animation effect you want to use. Animation effects are divided into four categories: Entrance, Exit, Emphasis, and Path. The most recently selected effect will be applied to the object and displayed in the Animations pane.
- You can click through the animations to preview them and explore more effects by scrolling with the arrows on the right side of the Animations pane.
- The Entrance group changes how the object appears on the slide.
- The Exit group alters how the object leaves the slide.
- The Emphasis group adds motion or highlights to draw attention to the object.
- The Path group defines the movement trajectory of the object on the slide.
Click on “Add Animation” to include an animation effect on the object. Select an animation effect from the dropdown menu. If you add an animation without clicking “Add Animation” first, it will replace the existing animation instead of being added to it.
- You can repeat this step multiple times to add as many animation effects as desired to the object.
Click on “Animation pane” (optional). This button, located in the “Advanced Animation” section of the “Animations” toolbar, will display a pane on the right showing the selected animation effects.
- This is a useful tool for managing multiple animation effects.
Select the trigger option for the animation effect. Choose one of the options from the “Start” dropdown menu in the “Timing” section on the right side of the Animations toolbar: "On mouse click", "After previous", or "With previous".
- The “On Mouse Click” option will play the animation when you click the mouse.
- The “After Previous” option will automatically start the animation effect when the previous effect ends (or when the slide appears if there are no other animations).
- The “With Previous” option will play the animation simultaneously with the previous effect on the slide.
Adjust the delay of the animation effect. Click the up or down arrow next to the “Delay” option in the “Timing” section to change the time delay before the animation starts.
- The delay begins immediately after the selected animation is triggered. For example, with the “On Click” option, the delay starts right after you click the mouse.
Modify the duration of the animation effect. Click the up or down arrow next to the “Duration” option in the “Timing” section to adjust the speed of the animation. A longer duration will make the animation move slower.
Reorder the sequence of animation effects. Use the arrows in the “Timing” section under the “Reorder Animation” heading to arrange for an animation to occur earlier or later in the queue.
- You can also click and drag the animation lists within the pane.
Add sound effects to the animation. In the Animation pane, click the downward arrow next to the animation effect and select “Effect Options” from the context menu. Go to the “Effect” tab in the window that appears, look under the “Enhancements” menu, and choose a sound effect from the list or add one manually.
- If you choose to add a sound manually, a file browser window will appear, so ensure the sound file is saved on your computer.
Click on “Preview”. This button, located on the left side of the Animations tab, will initiate all animation effects in the selected slide.
Slide transition effects
Launch PowerPoint. The following methods also apply to similar free software, such as Google Slides or OpenOffice Impress, though the location and options of buttons may vary.
Open the “Transitions” tab. This tab, located in the top menu bar, will display various transition options and controls.
Select the slide where you want to add a transition effect. The slides will appear in the left-hand pane. The slide you select will be highlighted with a border.
Select a transition effect. A preview of the chosen transition will play automatically when you make your selection.
- Click on “None” on the left to remove the selected effect.
- Only one transition effect can be applied to each slide at a time.
Click on “Effect Options”. This button, located to the right of the transition effect, will display all the customizable changes you can apply, such as adjusting the angle or direction of the effect.
Check or uncheck “On Mouse Click”. This checkbox, found in the “Timing” section of the toolbar to the right of the transition effect, determines whether the transition occurs only after a mouse click to advance the slide.
- “On Mouse Click” is selected by default.
Adjust the duration of the transition. Click the up or down arrow next to the “Duration” option in the “Timing” section to modify the speed of the transition effect.
- A longer duration will make the transition slower.
- This setting only affects the transition duration, not the slide content itself.
Choose a sound effect. Click the dropdown menu labeled “Sound” to the right of the “Effect Options” section to add an audio clip that plays during the transition.
- Select “No Sound” from the same menu to remove any added audio effects.
Click on “Preview”. This button, located to the left of the Transitions tab, will initiate the transition effects and any added animations on the selected slide.
Adding animated images and videos to your presentation
Launch PowerPoint. The following methods also apply to similar free software, such as Google Slides or OpenOffice Impress, though the location and options of buttons may vary.
Navigate to the “Insert” tab. This tab, located in the top menu bar, contains various options for adding content to your slides.
Click on “Pictures”. This button, found in the “Images” section of the “Insert” toolbar, will open a file browser window to locate .gif files or other animated image formats on your computer.
- Once added, you can click and drag the image to reposition it anywhere on the slide.
Click on “Online Pictures”. This button, located in the “Images” section of the “Insert” toolbar, will open a window with a search bar to browse and find images on the internet.
- You must have an active internet connection during the presentation for online objects to display properly.
Click on “Video”. This button, found in the “Media” section of the “Insert” toolbar, will open a menu with options to search for video files on your computer or the internet.
Select “Online Videos”. A window will appear allowing you to search for videos on YouTube or embed a video link directly into your slide.
- Embedded videos will only play if you have an internet connection during the presentation.
Choose “Video on my computer”. A file browser window will open, enabling you to locate and select a video file stored on your computer. Once selected, you can drag and reposition the video anywhere on the slide.
Tips
- You can also access trigger options, timing, and duration settings from the Animation pane by clicking the downward arrow next to the listed animation effect and selecting from the menu.
- Click on “Apply to all” in the Transitions tab to use the selected effect for every slide in your presentation.
