how to powerpoint transitions

Slide Transitions in PowerPoint [A Beginner’s Guide!]

By: Author Shrot Katewa

PowerPoint presentations can sometimes be boring looking especially if you simply have a lot of text on your slides. You may need to add some pizzazz to it! And, the best way to jazz it up without being obtrusive is to use slide transitions in PowerPoint!

Slide transition in PowerPoint is the visual effect applied to an individual slide. The effect is visible when one slide changes or transitions into another. PowerPoint allows you to customize and control speed, sound, and other effects for certain transitions using the “Transitions” ribbon.

In this article, we will understand more about transitions and their types. Then, we shall also learn more about how to apply transitions in PowerPoint.

Plus, I’ll also show you some advanced techniques such as applying delay or changing the duration of slide transition. That, and much more! So, let’s get started!

1. What are Slide Transitions in PowerPoint? 

Let’s start with the basics – what are slide transitions in PowerPoint?

As described before, transitions are basically animation-type visual effects that are applied to slides (instead of the elements on the slides) in PowerPoint. Using slide transition can make a subtle but huge impact in making your presentation feel engaging.

There are different types of slide transitions (we shall learn more about them in the next section). Additionally, you can further control certain aspects of the slide transition.

You can also add sound during the transition of slides although I highly advise against doing so. But, I’m sharing this just to show the level of customization of transitions offered by PowerPoint!

In the subsequent sections, we will learn more about the types of transitions and how to apply and customize them in PowerPoint!

2. Different Types of Transitions in PowerPoint?

In PowerPoint, slide transitions are divided into 3 categories. These categories are divided according to the type of transitions that are contained in each section.

The effects in each category are divided in a way that they are similar to each other in terms of visual intensity. The difference between the three categories is how much the transitions affect the overall tone of the presentation on a visual level while changing the slides.

The three categories of the slide transitions are –

1. Subtle: The effects in this category are, as the name suggests, very subtle. The transitions are minimal in effect and require very little time to transition from one slide to the next. These transitions are best used for simple effects. There are a total of 12 effects in this category.

2. Exciting: This category contains effects that are a bit more flashy than the effects in the “ Subtle ” category. The effects in this category are more visually prominent and are fairly noticeable. This category has the highest number of effects with a total of 29 different options.

3. Dynamic Content: This category contains strong transitions. These effects are even more vibrant than the effects in the “ Exciting ” category. This category has the least number of effects with a total of 7 different options.

2b. List of Transition Effects in PowerPoint 

A list of the 48 different effects that are divided into 3 categories, provided in PowerPoint, is given below.

• Random Bars
• Checkerboard
•  Honeycomb
• Ferris Wheel
• Fly Through

3. How to Apply Slide Transitions in PowerPoint? 

Here’s how to add a slide transition in PowerPoint –

• Select the slide from the slide thumbnail view on the left.
• Click on the “Transitions” tab.
• Choose a transition as per your preference.
• Use the “Transition Effects” option to customize (if necessary)
• Preview the transition.

I’ve described the complete process in a step-by-step manner with visual aids below –

Step-1: Select the slide and go to the “Transitions” tab

The first step of the process is to select the slide that you want to add the transition to. You can do so by clicking on the slide in the slide thumbnail view on the left part of the screen.

Then, go to the “ Transitions ” tab in the ribbon of your PowerPoint presentation. It is the 5 th tab in the ribbon section.

Step-2: Click on the “More” button

After you click on the “ Transitions ” tab, click on the tiny arrow button pointing downwards. It is the “ More ” button of the “ Transition to this slide ” section (as shown in the image in step 1).

This will open a drawer with multiple transition effect options.

Step-3: Select your preferred transition effect

After you have clicked on the “ More ” button, a drop-down menu will appear on the screen where different slide transitions effects are displayed.

Simply click on your preferred transition effect and the slide transition will be applied to that slide immediately.

4. How to Preview a Slide Transition? 

To preview a slide transition in your PowerPoint presentation, you have to click on the “ Preview ” button.

In the “ Transitions ” tab, after you select a slide transition effect, simply click on the “ Preview ” button at the left-most part of the options present on the “ Transitions ” ribbon.

The transition effect will be played on the slide to give you a preview when you click on the button.

Another alternative is to enter into the “ slide show mode ” using the current slide. Don’t forget to use the “ Esc ” key to exit the slide show mode in PowerPoint.

5. How to Modify Slide Transitions? 

In Microsoft PowerPoint, there are different options that you can use to modify and edit a slide transition effect to better fit the style of your presentation.

You can modify the slide transition using the “ Effect Options ” button, or edit the duration, or add sounds to the slide transition.

In the following section, I will discuss the three mentioned options available for you to modify your slide transitions, and how to use them.

5a. Modify Transitions using Effect Options in PowerPoint 

The “ Effect Options ” in Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to modify the direction and intensity of the transition effects.

Follow the steps given below to modify the slide transitions in your PowerPoint presentation using the “ Effect Options ”

Step-1: Click on the “Effect Option” button

The first step of the process is to select the “ Effect Options ” button which is located at the right-most part of the “ Transitions in this Slide ” section. This will open a drop-down menu.

Step-2: Select your preferred modifications

After you have clicked on the “ Effect Options ” button, a drop-down menu will appear on your screen (as shown in the image in step 1).

The drop-down menu will provide you with all the possible modifications that you can make to the slide transition in your PowerPoint presentation.

All you have to do now is to select your preferred modification from the drop-down menu and it will be added to the slide in your PowerPoint presentation immediately.

It is important to note that these effect options vary from one type of transition to the other. Furthermore, some transitions may not even have an effect option available.

5b. How to Add Sound to Slide Transition in PowerPoint? 

If you want to add a sound to the slide transition in your PowerPoint presentation, at first you have to select the slide.

Then click on your preferred sound effect from the “ Sound ” option in the “ Timing ” section of the “ Transitions ” tab. The sound effect will be added immediately after you select the sound.

5c. How to Control the Duration of the Slide Transition in PowerPoint?

In PowerPoint, you can also control how long you want the transition to be visible. You can speed up or slow down the transition effect itself!

Here’s how to control the duration of the slide transition –

Step-1: Go to the “Transitions” tab

The first step is to select the slide that has a transition added and head over to the “transitions” tab.

Step-2: Change the “Duration” of the slide transition

After you have entered the “ Transition ” tab, simply type in the time duration you want the transition to take in the “ Duration ” box.

The “ Duration ” box is located under the “ Timing ” section of the “ Transitions ” tab (as shown in the image in step 1). Once the duration has been added, the transition effect will either be slow or faster based on the time added.

6. How to Apply Transitions to All Slides in PowerPoint?

If you have several slides in a presentation and you want to apply a particular type of transition on all slides, it would be quite a cumbersome process to select each slide and repeat the process over and over again.

Fortunately, PowerPoint allows you to apply the same transition to all slides with a click of a button! Here’s how to do it –

Step-1: Apply a Slide Transition for a Slide

The first step is to apply a slide transition to any one of the slides in your presentation. Follow the detailed process described earlier in the presentation to apply the slide transition.

Step-2: Click on the “Apply To All” option

The next step is to simply click on the “ Apply to All ” option under the transitions tab.

This will apply the transition present on the selected slide to all the slides in your presentation! Just make sure that you haven’t used a different transition for a particular slide as using this button will override any pre-existing slide transitions applied to other slides!

7. How to Remove Transition from a Slide in PowerPoint? 

To understand the process of removing a slide transition effect from your PowerPoint presentation, follow the 2 easy steps described below.

Step-1: Select the Slide with an Existing Transition

The first step of the process is to select the slide with a transition that you want to remove. After that, head over to the “ Transitions ” tab.

Step-2: Select the “None” option from the “Transitions” tab

Simply click on the “ None ” option from the “Transitions to this slide” section. If this option is not visible, click on the “ More ” button of the “ Transition in the Slide ” section as described earlier, to open a drop-down menu

After you open the drop-down menu by clicking on the “ More ” button, select the “ None ” option located in the top left corner of the drop-down menu. It is the first option in the “Subtle” category of slide transitions.

After you click on the “ None ” option, all the slide transition effects on that slide will be removed from your PowerPoint presentation.

8. How to Set Automatic Slide Transition in PowerPoint?

To set your slide transitions to automatically change to the next slide, you have to set a timer on the slide transition using the “ Advance slide ” option in the “ Timing ” section of the “ Transitions ” tab.

Here’s how to automatically advance slides in PowerPoint –

Step-1: Select the slide to add the effect

The first step is to select the slide that you want to modify or add the effect to.

Step-2: Locate the “Advance slide” option

Next, click on the “ Transitions ” tab and locate the “ Advance Slide ” options. You should be able to spot it on the top-right part of the ribbon under the “Timing ” section.

Step-3: Remove Checkmark from the “On Mouse Click” option

Next, make sure that you uncheck the “ On Mouse Click ” option.

This option is usually used to enable the mouse click as a trigger for the slide to transition. However, since in this case, we want the slide to transition automatically, we shall disable this option.

Step-4: Select the “After” check box

Now, enable the “After” option by making a checkmark before the option. This will allow you to set a timer for the slide to change.

Step-5: Adjust the interval

After you add the checkmark for the “ After ” option, set the interval after which you want the slide to change automatically (as shown in the image in step 4)

Simply type in the duration in the box to the right of the “ After ” option and the slide will change automatically after that interval while in presentation mode.

Step-6: Choose the “Apply to All” option

The last step is to choose the “Apply to All” option as described in the article before. This will create a seamless transition effect on all slides and make them transition automatically.

9. Can You Add Multiple Transitions to the Same Slide? 

You can’t add multiple transitions to the same slide in your PowerPoint presentation.

However, you can use the Animations feature of PowerPoint and add effects to the objects, texts, shapes, and images in your slide.

You can add multiple animations on the same slide while also adding a transition to it. We have an entire article dedicated to this, which explains the use of animations in more detail. Click here to read the article.

10. How to Fix “Slide Won’t Transition” Error?

Usually, when users face the issue of a slide not transitioning, there are two main issues that you need to check.

You either have a “ Custom Slide Show ” selected or the “ On mouse click ” option is not turned on for your presentation.

Both of these issues and their easy fixes are explained below.

Issue-1: Check your custom slide show feature

Sometimes, users set up their custom slide show feature but only add the first slide and close the process before selecting the rest of the slides.

This may cause your presentation to only display the selected slide and not the rest of the presentation while in presentation mode. Follow the steps described below to get around this issue.

Step-1: Select the Custom Shows option

After you have entered the “ Slide Show ” tab from the ribbon of your PowerPoint presentation, click on the “ Custom Shows ” option.

The “ Custom Shows ” option is located in the drop-down menu of the “ Start Slide Show ” button in the “ Slide Show ” tab of your PowerPoint presentation.

Step-2: Make sure the right slides are in the pop-up window

After you click on the “ Custom Show ” button a pop-up window will appear on your screen. If you don’t want to use the “ Custom Slide Show ” feature, then make sure to remove all the slides in the pop-up window.

However, to use this feature, you have to add all the slides that you want to include in the presentation and not just one slide. After that, your slides will transition accordingly.

Issue-2: The “On Mouse Click” feature is turned off

Sometimes, the reason why users are unable to transition from one slide to another is that the feature which allows users to change slides using the mouse is turned off.

The whole process of fixing this issue is given below.

To get started on fixing the issue, at first you have to select any slide from your PowerPoint presentation and go to the “ Transitions ” tab from the ribbon section as described earlier in this article.

Step-2: Checkmark the “On Mouse Click” option

The first step of fixing this issue is to go to the “ Transitions ” tab from the ribbon and then clicking on the check box located right before the “ On Mouse Click ” option in the “ Advance Slide ” feature of the “ Timing ” section.

Step-3: Click on the “Apply to all” button

After you have turned on the “ On Mouse Click ” option, simply click on the “ Apply to all ” button, which is located at the bottom left corner of the “ Timing ” section in the “ Transitions ” tab.

This will turn on the “ On Mouse Click ” feature for all the slides in your PowerPoint presentation. After that, you will be able to transition from one slide to another normally.

credit to cookie_studio (on Freepik) for the featured image of this article (further edited)

How to use PowerPoint transitions to improve presentations

Your slide show presentation already contains compelling information. However, the finishing touch, the added flair, is the use of transitions.

Even the most confident communicator needs a little help sometimes. PowerPoint is the program to use in order to capture details in a presentation format. Taking advantage of the slide transition options in PowerPoint will develop a flow that helps to keep your audience engaged without distraction. Here's how to get started with transitions.

• Managing slide transitions

Morph transitions

Managing powerpoint slide transitions.

Some may confuse transition and animation effects in PowerPoint. Animation effects in PowerPoint are only applied to objects within the slide whereas transitions are applied to the slide itself. This means that you can have one slide transition effect while the slide can contain multiple animation effects.

How to add a slide transition

To add a PowerPoint transition:

• Click on the slide that is the endpoint of the transition process.
• Click on the Transitions tab in the navigation ribbon.
• In the Transition gallery, click on the More (...) button to view the entire gallery.
• Click on a transition to preview the animation effect.

You will notice that a star icon has been placed next to the slide thumbnail on the left side of the window. This indicates that a transition has been applied. Next to the Transitions gallery, you will also see an Effects Icon command.

If you choose to display all transitions in the gallery, you will see that they are grouped into one of three categories:

• Subtle: This group contains the simplest transition effects. They typically make use of basic motion or animation.
• Exciting: The transitions in this group are more involved than in Subtle. The animations within are typically longer and more complex in nature.
• Dynamic Content: This group provides transitions of a different manner. The animation is applied to the content of the slide, not the background. By using the same background, you can visually link content. Dynamic transitions also work in reverse, if you need to switch back to the previous slide.

How to remove a PowerPoint transition

To delete a transition:

• Click on the slide marked with a star.
• Click on the Transitions tab in the ribbon.
• Select None from the Transitions gallery.

If you want to remove transitions from all slide simultaneously, all slides must be selected before selecting None from the transitions gallery. The easiest way to do this is to use the CTRL + A keyboard shortcut to select all.

How to modify a PowerPoint transition

To edit transitions:

• Select a transition from the gallery.
• Locate the Timing group.
• Select a sound clip from the Sound drop-down list.
• Specify the duration of the transition animation. Choose between 0.01 and 59 seconds. (Values increase in 0.25-second increments.)
• Choose to advance to the next slide manually (by mouse) or after a specific time has elapsed. This can be increased or decreased in one-second intervals.
• Select Apply To All to create a uniform transition pattern for all slides in the presentation.

Depending on the transitions style that you have chosen, you can also modify the direction in which they move to and from.

If you have an Office 365 account, your organization may have another transition option for you to try. While Morph may seem like an animation nestled within a presentation, it is, in fact, a transition that could increase fluidity between slides. Essentially, you want to make sure that the two slides involved in the transition have at least one comment element, be it an image, title or graph.

How to apply PowerPoint Morph transitions

To add a Morph transition:

• Access the Transition gallery in the Transition tab.
• Select Morph from the Transition Effects group.
• Click the Effect Options next to the Transition Gallery.
• Select the elements you want to work with. (Choose from Objects , Words or Characters .)
• Click Preview to review the Morph transition.

Morph is a handy feature for providing clean animated transitions without having to dip into potentially complex animation components themselves. Here are some examples of what you can accomplish with the Morph command.

How to apply animation-style PowerPoint effects to words

To apply animated word transitions:

• Enter text on a slide.
• Duplicate the slide and text onto another slide.
• Click and hold on the text box of the duplicate slide.
• Use your mouse or trackpad to move the text to its end position.
• Apply any additional alterations to the text such as font size, color or style.
• Click the Transitions tab in the ribbon.
• Select Morph from the Transition gallery.
• Click Effect Options .
• Select Words from the drop-down list.
• Click Preview to review the results.

How to apply animated PowerPoint transitions to images

To add an animated image transition:

• Insert an image onto a slide.
• Duplicate the slide and its contents onto the next slide.
• Apply changes to the image on the duplicate slide. You can drag the corners of the picture to resize, alter the shape or move to another position on the slide.
• Click on the Transitions tab.
• Select Morph from the transitions gallery.
• Click Preview to review.

If you are sharing a presentation containing geographical data, you could use Morph to zoom in on specific locations on a map. Combine this with text transitions and you can create a powerful message without having to use the Animations tab.

How to view transitions in a PowerPoint slideshow

Once your transitions have been applied to the slideshow, you may want to run the presentation to get a sense of the audience experience. You can set up the Slide Show to play at the optimal pace. Your best bet would be to set up the Slide Show to progress automatically.

To change the Slide Show settings:

• Click on Slide Show on the navigation ribbon
• Click Set Up Slide Show in the Set Up group.
• Locate the Advance Slide section.
• Select the Using timings, if present option.

If you set up specific times under Transitions > Timing , you can then sit back and analyze your slide show to see how effective your transitions are. It is important to point out that transitions should compliment the content you are presenting, not distract from it. For a more professional presentation, you should stick with Subtle or Dynamic transitions, as Exciting offers a more fun and casual approach to transitions.

Wrapping up

Content will always be the key component of a fantastic PowerPoint presentation. Transitions are an elegant way to help you and your audience move from slide to slide, without an abrupt visual interruption.

Do you use transitions with your slides? Do you ever use Exciting transitions? Let us know in the comments.

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PowerPoint  - Applying Transitions

Powerpoint  -, applying transitions, powerpoint applying transitions.

PowerPoint: Applying Transitions

Lesson 8: applying transitions.

/en/powerpoint/applying-themes/content/

Introduction

If you've ever seen a PowerPoint presentation that had special effects between each slide, you've seen slide transitions . A transition can be as simple as fading to the next slide or as flashy as an eye-catching effect. PowerPoint makes it easy to apply transitions to some or all of your slides, giving your presentation a polished, professional look.

Optional: Download our practice presentation .

Watch the video below to learn more about applying transitions in PowerPoint.

About transitions

There are three categories of unique transitions to choose from, all of which can be found on the Transitions tab.

Transitions are best used in moderation. Adding too many transitions can make your presentation look a little silly and can even be distracting to your audience. Consider using mostly subtle transitions, or not using transitions at all.

To apply a transition:

• Click the Transitions tab, then locate the Transition to This Slide group. By default, None is applied to each slide.

You can use the Apply To All command in the Timing group to apply the same transition to all slides in your presentation. Keep in mind that this will modify any other transitions you've applied.

Try applying a few types of transitions to various slides in your presentation. You may find that some transitions work better than others, depending on the content of your slides.

To preview a transition:

You can preview the transition for a selected slide at any time using one of these two methods:

Modifying transitions

To modify the transition effect:.

You can quickly customize the look of a transition by changing its direction .

• Select the slide with the transition you want to modify.

• The transition will be modified , and a preview of the transition will appear.

Some transitions do not allow you to modify the direction.

To modify the transition duration:

To add sound:

• Click the Sound drop-down menu in the Timing group.

Sounds are best used in moderation. Applying a sound between every slide could become overwhelming or even annoying to an audience when presenting your slide show.

To remove a transition:

• Select the slide with the transition you want to remove.

To remove transitions from all slides , apply the None transition to a slide, then click the Apply to All command.

Advancing slides

Normally, in Slide Show view you would advance to the next slide by clicking your mouse or by pressing the spacebar or arrow keys on your keyboard. The Advance Slides setting in the Timing group allows the presentation to advance on its own and display each slide for a specific amount of time. This feature is especially useful for unattended presentations , such as those at a trade show booth.

To advance slides automatically:

• Select the slide you want to modify.
• Locate the Timing group on the Transitions tab. Under Advance Slide , uncheck the box next to On Mouse Click .

• Select another slide and repeat the process until all slides have the desired timing. You can also click the Apply to All command to apply the same timing to all slides.

If you need to advance to the next slide before an automatic transition, you can always click the mouse or press the spacebar to advance the slides as normal.

• Open our practice presentation .
• With the first slide selected, apply a Push transition from the Subtle category.
• Change the Effect Options to push From Right .
• Change the Duration to 2.00.
• Set the slides to Automatically Advance after 3 seconds , or 00:03.00.
• Use the Apply to All command to apply your changes to every slide.

/en/powerpoint/managing-slides/content/

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How to Add Animations and Transitions in PowerPoint

In this tutorial, you’ll learn the basics of adding animations and transitions to your presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint. These visual effects will help you make your slides more dynamic and will keep your audience engage.

Adding an Animation to a Text, an Image, a Shape or Other Elements of a Presentation

Adding transitions to a slide.

• Select the object that you want to animate.
• Click the Animations tab.
• Select the animation that you want from the list.
• If you want to see which animations are applied to an object, click Animation Pane. You can also rearrange the animations as you see fit.
• Use the timing options to set the timing of the animation. You can choose when you want the animation to start: on click, with previous or after previous. You can also set the duration and even set a delay before the animation begins.

• Select the slide you want to apply a transition to.
• Click the Transitions tab.
• After you select any transition from the list, you’ll see a preview of the resulting effect.
• If you want to adjust the direction of the effect, among other settings, click the Effect Options drop-down arrow.

• To remove a transition, on the Transitions tab, click None.

• You can change the animations or transitions at any time. To do so, select the animated object or the slide with a transition applied to it and choose a different option from the list.

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PowerPoint Transitions

How to Add Transitions in PowerPoint

Transitions are animations that you can use when advancing from one slide to the next during a presentation. They can be fun, but be careful not to overdo it with complicated transitions because they can become distracting.

Apply a Transition

To select multiple slides, hold down Ctrl as you select each slide.

• Click the Transitions tab.
• Click the Slide Transitions More button.

The transition is applied to just the selected slide. To apply the transition to all slides in the presentation, click the Apply to All button on the Transitions tab.

To remove a transition, select None in the Slide Transitions gallery.

Modify a Transition

You can customize a transition effect to meet your needs, including adjusting its speed or duration and adding sound.

The options available here will change based on which transition you've applied.

• Sound : Pick a sound to play in unison with the slide transition.
• Duration : Specify the length of the transition.
• Apply To All : Apply the current slide’s transition, effects, and timing settings to the entire presentation.
• On Mouse Click : Select this option to have the slide advance when the mouse is clicked.
• After : Select this option to have the slide advance after the amount of time you specify.

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Set the timing and speed of a transition

You can modify the duration of a transition, modify the transition effect, and even specify a sound to play during a transition. Also, you can specify the time to spend on a slide before advancing to the next.

Set the speed of a transition

Use Duration to set transition speed. A shorter duration means that a slide advances faster, and a larger number makes the slide advance more slowly.

Select the slide that has the transition that you want to modify.

On the Transitions tab, in the Timing group, in the Duration box, type the number of seconds that you want.

Tip:  If you want all the slide show's transitions to use the same speed, click Apply to All .

Modify the effect options for a transition

Many, but not all, of the transitions in PowerPoint can be customized.

Select the slide that has the transition you want to modify.

On the Transitions tab, in the Transition to This Slide group, click Effect Options and select the option that you want.

In this example, a Gallery transition is applied to the slide and the From Right option is selected.

A Gallery transition, with the From Right option selected, during a presentation.

Specify a time to advance to the next slide

Advance Slide sets the transition timing by specifying how long a slide stays in view before the transition to the next slide begins. If no timing is selected, slides advance when you click the mouse.

Select the slide that you want to set the timing for.

On the Transitions tab, in the Timing group, under Advance Slide , do one of the following:

To make the slide advance to the next slide when you click the mouse, select the On Mouse Click check box.

To make the slide advance automatically, select the After check box, and then enter the number of minutes or seconds that you want. The timer starts when the final animation or other effect on the slide finishes.

To enable both the mouse and automatic advance, select both the On Mouse Click check box and the After check box. Then, at After , enter the number of minutes or seconds that you want. The slide will advance automatically, but you can advance it more quickly by clicking the mouse.

Tip:  If you want all the slides to advance using the same speed, click Apply to All .

Set a sound to play during a transition

On the Transitions tab, in the Timing group, in the Sound list, select the sound that you want.

Note:  If you want to use your own sound, in the Sound list, select Other Sound . Then, in the Add Audio dialog box, select the sound that you want, and then click OK

Rehearse your presentation

As you rehearse, the timer records the amount of time you spend on each slide and the total amount of time spent on all slides. The timer automatically starts when you enter Presenter View.

In the latest PowerPoint for Mac: Go to  Slide Show > Set Up >   Rehearse Timings .

In PowerPoint for Mac 2011: On the Slide Show tab, under Presenter Tools , click Rehearse .

Begin to practice your presentation.

When you reach the last slide or exit Presenter View, PowerPoint prompts you to save the timings.

Pause, start, or reset the timer

The timer automatically starts when you enter Presenter View. However, you can pause and then restart the timer if you need to stop to type notes for the current slide or take a break. See the following table for details.

Rehearsed slide timings aren't turned on by default. If you want to use the timings as you present, you can turn the timing on before you play the slide show. On the Slide Show tab, in Set Up , select the Use Timings check box.

Add speaker notes while you rehearse

On the left side of the notes pane, you can see any speaker notes that you entered for the current slide when you created the presentation. However, you can also type additional notes while you rehearse.

Click inside the notes pane on the right, and then type your meeting notes.

Note:  When you exit Presenter View, the additional notes are appended to the end of the notes for the slide that was in view when you typed them.

Turn slide timings off

If you previously recorded your presentation and saved the slide timings, the slides may be set to automatically advance according to the saved timings when you play the slide show. If you don't want to use the timings as you present, you can turn them off.

On the Slide Show tab, in Set Up , clear the Use Timings check box.

Add, change, or remove transitions between slides

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How to make sensational slide transitions in PowerPoint

• Written by: Kate McGrady
• Categories: PowerPoint design

Underwhelmed by the built-in slide transitions in PowerPoint? Or just completely baffled? PowerPoint has almost 50 transitions to choose from. A few of them are tasteful, like the classic Fade or a personal favorite— Push . But many of them are rather strange; the famous Origami folds your slide into a paper crane which turns out to be living and flies off screen, revealing the next slide and distracting your audience for the next few minutes as they ponder your poor transition choices instead of your stellar content.

Credit where it’s due, PowerPoint does subtle transitions well. But on the other end of the spectrum PowerPoint’s “exciting” transitions are downright cheesy and, for most use cases, distracting. PowerPoint lacks solid options in between. When you want to impress your audience, transitioning between an intro slide and a key slide, like a value proposition stating what you can offer a potential customer, adding a slick transition provides that extra polish and that illusive it-doesn’t-even-look-like-PowerPoint quality. We’re hoping slide transitions in PowerPoint get slicker in the future, but until that happens, we’re using this DIY method to add good-looking transitions in ourselves. Take a look at this smooth, colorful transition we built between an agenda slide and the first slide of the deck.

First, let’s set some ground rules. This DIY method to creating slide transitions in PowerPoint is easier to implement while you’re building out your slides. It’s still doable if you have a fully designed deck that you want to spruce up, but it’ll be easier if you add the transitions in while you’re building the slides first time round.

• Once you’ve built your first slide, start by duplicating Right click the slide in the side panel > Duplicate
• Click on the duplicated slide and group all objects together CTRL + A to select everything on the slide and CTRL + G to group it

This will be your bottom layer, and you’ll create the transition on top of it

• On the second slide, draw several rectangles the width of the slide. Make them different heights for a distinct look.

• Recolor the rectangles to colors from your template or brand guidelines and remove the default outline if there is one.
• Next, let’s animate! The Fly in animation works well for this transition. Select each of the rectangles, apply the Fly in animation from the Animation tab, and under the Effect options , set to come in from the left.
• If you haven’t opened your Animation pane yet, now’s a good time to! On the Animation tab, about halfway down the ribbon you’ll see a green icon labeled Animation pane . This will give you a more detailed timeline of when your animations are happening. In the Animation pane, hold down Shift and select all of the animations then Right Click > Effect Options.
• In the pop-up box, slide the Smooth End slider all the way to the right and click OK . This will make the animations a little sleeker

• Now you’re going to stagger the entrance of each rectangle. Above the Animation pane are a few options for timing animations. The box labelled Delay allows you to manually enter the time you want your animation to start. Select the first animation in your list and in the delay box type .1 Select the second animation in the list and type .2 , and so on and so forth with the rest of the animations. Click Play all to see your handiwork in action!

This process can be a bit time consuming, especially if you have lots of objects to animate. Our free PowerPoint add-in, BrightSlide , has a brilliant Waterfall Delay tool that allows you to add a cascading waterfall delay to all animations applied to selected objects. Simply select all your objects, add an animation, then select Waterfall Delay in the BrightSlide tab. Our handy add-in automatically staggers your animations for a smooth, professional look. Settings give you control over timings and which animations the effect applies to.

• Select all of the rectangles and Copy then Paste them onto the same slide. Next, recolor all of the new rectangles to white (or if the color of your slide background if it is different). These rectangles will build on top of the colorful rectangles, creating a clean slate for the content on your next slide. Move the rectangles in line with the color rectangles below them.
• Take a look at the Animation pane again. You’ll see that the animations were copied over as well. Now you just need to adjust the delay on them. Select the top white rectangle, and this time, start with a .5 second delay. Then a .6 second delay for the next rectangle, and so on. When you’re finished, your Animation pane should look like this:

• There’s your transition done! All that’s left is to build out the rest of your slide on top of the beautiful transition you just built.

If you change up the shapes, the same concept can be used to create many different slide transitions in PowerPoint.  What can you come up with?

There are some fantastic tutorials for creating slide transitions in PowerPoint on YouTube if you are eager for more. And if you want to learn more PowerPoint wizardry, check out our bank of PowerPoint design blog posts .

Kate McGrady

Managing design consultant, related articles, how to make an infographic in powerpoint.

• PowerPoint design / Visual communication
• Comments: 2

The use of infographic is on the rise, however if you're not a graphic designer, or you don't have the budget for one, turning raw data into something visual can be a daunting task. This guide will show you that creating a beautifully visual infographic in PowerPoint is much easier than you think.

A beginner’s guide to PowerPoint’s morph transition

• PowerPoint design / PowerPoint animation / Presentation technology

For those of you with PowerPoint 2016 and an Office 365 subscription, you may have noticed that the latest update bestowed upon you a new transition—Morph. Though unassuming, this feature possesses great power. Let's take a look at what it can do.

How to get the most out of PowerPoint and PDFs

• PowerPoint design

This article is dedicated to the bit hitting combination of PowerPoint and PDFs, and three particular use cases that will have these two giants working together in perfect harmony: how to convert PowerPoint to PDF on Windows and macOS, how to convert PDF to PowerPoint, and how to insert a PDF into PowerPoint.

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How to Add Text Transitions in Powerpoint

Last Updated: October 8, 2020

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 232,160 times. Learn more...

Adding eye-catching transitions to the individual slides of your PowerPoint presentation can enhance your message, increasing the chance that your viewers will remain interested. Some of the most visually appealing transitions are those that add text to a slide while it's being viewed. To take advantage of this creative feature, insert text animations into your Powerpoint with just a few easy steps. See Step 1 below to begin.

• In PowerPoint 2003, find the animations under the Slide Show menu.
• In PowerPoint 2007 and 2010, click the Animations tab to add effects.

• The choices listed are fade, wipe and fly in.
• You can, instead, choose a custom animation effect. Click the Custom item in the dropdown menu and a Custom Animation window will launch.
• Choose to modify the Entrance, Emphasis, Exit and Motion Paths of the 1st level paragraph items. Select the effect you want to apply from the list of Basic, Subtle, Moderate or Exciting animations.
• You can click on each effect as you add them to see and change more options, such as the timing or their ability to change to other levels of paragraphs.

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Video . by using this service, some information may be shared with youtube..

• Save your PowerPoint presentation file often, especially if you are working with advanced features such as text transitions. It may be easier to close a file and reopen a fresh copy than to remove effects that do not work as you intended. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1

• Do not add effects in such volume that the slide and text transitions become the focus of your presentation. Your creative effects should lend interest to your work, not overpower it. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0

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IT Solutions Blog

• October 17, 2012

Using Custom Animations and Transitions in PowerPoint

• Categories: Tech Tips

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Microsoft® PowerPoint users often miss the mark when trying to produce effective presentations, especially when they rely only on the software’s more rudimentary capabilities. It’s no surprise; the learning curve for beginners is fairly shallow, as PowerPoint’s basic tools and menus mirror that of its Office siblings, such as the ubiquitous Microsoft Word. Most beginners quickly intuit how to input information, add slides, add pictures, adjust slide layout, change text colors and add basic lines and shapes. The resulting presentations, while serviceable, tend to be static yawn-fests for PowerPoint-weary audiences – most of whom tune out before the projector is turned on.

Adding a couple of animations to your slides can help you create more engaging presentations that communicate your message with impact and style. In PowerPoint, an animation qualifies as any element moving on or off the screen. This includes transitions , which create animated effects to move from one slide to the next, and builds, which add elements one by one to a single slide. The following pointers are based on Microsoft Office PowerPoint Office 2007 (Windows), but other flavors of PowerPoint offer the same or similar functionality. Your mileage-and menus – may vary.

How to Create a Custom PowerPoint Transition

To create a transition:

• Select PowerPoint’s Animations tab to reveal the Transition to This Slide menu options. By default, No Transition is selected, but there are a number of fade, dissolve, wipe, push-and-cover and stripes-and-bars options from which to choose.
• Customize your transitions by choosing the speed (slow, medium or fast) at which slides appear, and whether or not a sound plays during the transition. These functions are located in drop-down fields to the left of the transition options.
• Select from pre-loaded sounds, like Applause or Cash Register , or select Other Sound to pick an original sound file of your own.
• After customizing the transition to your satisfaction (test it by clicking the Preview button), simply click the Apply to All button to enable the entire deck.

For a cohesive deck with professional polish, avoid using different transition types between each slide. Instead, try using opposite-direction iterations of a transition (a number of transitions have left/right or top/bottom counterparts). The T ransition to This Slide section also lets you choose whether slides advance with a mouse click, or automatically after an elapsed amount of time.

How to Add the Custom PowerPoint Animation Effect “Build”

To create a “build” effect:

• Click Custom Animation button to the left of the Transitions menu. This will open a window on the right side of your screen that you’ll use to manipulate your custom animation. Keep in mind that animated text and graphics must be self-contained; each element you wish to animate must be independent, such as a text box or shape.
• Select the item to be animated, then click the Add Effect button located in the top left corner of the custom animation window.
• From the drop-down menu, choose the Entrance, Exit, Emphasis or Motion Path the item should follow. Once you select a path, you’ll see your item appear in the window.
• Select your item, then click the arrow to the right to open a drop down menu, which will allow you to select whether the item should be animated by mouse click or in combination with (or after) the animation of another element on the slide.
• The Custom Animation menu’s Play button will let you preview your efforts.

Custom animations provide endless possibilities; experiment with the various controls, and be sure to explore the More Effects and More Motion Paths options under the Add Effect menu – it’s where the real “gee-whiz” options are found.

Keep things moving – and keep it simple

Transitions and animations are two simple-yet-effective ways to breathe new life into your PowerPoint presentations. As you explore the possibilities and refine your skills, you will likely find that you improve the pace of your presentations as well as the content. Being more selective about what information and graphics you include can help simplify your overall messaging, and adding meaningful emphasis throughout your presentations will help audiences emerge with clearer takeaways.

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How to Make Slides Automatically Transition in PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a widely used tool for presentations in various settings, from classrooms to boardrooms. One of the features that can add effectiveness and polish to your presentation is automatic slide transitions. This feature allows you to control the speed and timing of your presentation, and it can help keep your audience engaged. In this article, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide to setting up automatic transitions in PowerPoint. We’ll also explore different transition options, customization settings, and best practices for creating a professional and impactful presentation.

Table of Contents

Understanding the Basics of PowerPoint Transitions

PowerPoint transitions are visual effects that allow you to transition smoothly from one slide to the next during a presentation. Transitions can range from simple and subtle to flashy and attention-grabbing. They are designed to make your presentation more dynamic and engaging, giving your audience a clear signal that the presentation is moving forward to the next topic or point.

Most transitions in PowerPoint involve movement, such as fading, sliding, or pushing. Some effects can include sounds and other audio components, adding an extra dimension to the presentation. It’s important to note that, while transitions can be fun and interesting, they should not detract from the content of your presentation. Your goal is to use transitions sparingly, choosing the right effects that are appropriate for your message and audience.

When selecting transitions for your PowerPoint presentation, it’s important to consider the overall tone and message you want to convey. For example, if you’re presenting a serious topic, such as a financial report, you may want to use more subtle transitions, such as a simple fade or dissolve. On the other hand, if you’re presenting a creative project, such as a design proposal, you may want to use more dynamic transitions, such as a zoom or flip effect.

Choosing the Right Transition for Your Presentation

Choosing a transition that fits the tone and content of your presentation is essential. A flashy and attention-grabbing transition may distract from the message if it doesn’t align with your overall presentation goals. Here are some tips for choosing the right transition:

• Take into account the topic and purpose of your presentation. A serious topic may require a subtle and professional-looking transition, while a fun presentation may benefit from a more playful effect.
• Consider the audience you are presenting to. Younger audiences may appreciate a lively transition, while executives may prefer a simple and straightforward effect.
• Think about the mood of your presentation. A somber or serious tone may lend itself well to a fade-in or fade-out transition, while an energetic or fast-paced presentation may benefit from a zoom or slide effect.

It’s important to note that less is often more when it comes to transitions. Overusing transitions can be distracting and take away from the content of your presentation. It’s best to use transitions sparingly and strategically to enhance the overall flow and impact of your message.

Setting Up Automatic Transitions for Your Slides

Once you’ve chosen the right transition for your presentation, it’s time to set up automatic slide transitions. Here’s how:

• Select the slide you want to apply the transition to.
• Go to the “Transitions” tab on the PowerPoint ribbon at the top of your screen.
• Choose the transition you want to apply by clicking on the thumbnail image.
• Select “Apply to All Slides” if you want the transition to apply to all slides in your presentation.
• Adjust the duration of the transition (in seconds) using the “Duration” option in the “Timing” section. You can also choose a delay time before the transition starts with the “Delay” option.
• Preview the transition by clicking on the “Preview” button.
• When you’re satisfied with the transition, click “Apply” to save your changes.

It’s important to note that while automatic slide transitions can add a professional touch to your presentation, they should be used sparingly. Too many transitions can be distracting and take away from the content of your presentation. Consider using transitions only between major sections or when introducing a new topic.

Customizing Transition Duration and Timing in PowerPoint

If you want more control over the timing and duration of your slides’ transitions, PowerPoint offers a variety of customization options. Here are some tips for customizing transitions:

• Adjust transition duration by specifying a time value, in seconds, in the “Duration” field. The longer the duration, the slower the transition will be. Keep in mind that viewers may lose interest if the transitions take too long.
• Choose a delay time for the transition to start after the previous slide has ended. The delay time can give you more control over the pacing of your presentation.
• Explore advanced timing options, such as starting the transition on mouse click, or setting up multiple transitions for each slide.
• Experiment with different combinations of transitions, such as applying a different effect to each slide, or using the same transition throughout the presentation.

It is important to note that while transitions can add visual interest to your presentation, they should be used sparingly and strategically. Too many transitions can be distracting and take away from the content of your presentation. Consider using transitions only to highlight key points or to signal a change in topic or section.

Using Sound Effects and Music with Transitions in PowerPoint

Adding sound effects and music to your transitions can enhance the overall experience of your presentation. PowerPoint allows you to add audio in a few simple steps:

• Go to the “Transitions” tab on the PowerPoint ribbon.
• Click on the “Sound” dropdown menu in the “Timing” section.
• Select “Other Sound” to browse your computer for an audio file.
• Select an audio file and click “OK” to add it to your presentation.
• Choose the playback options for your audio file. For example, you can choose to play the sound across multiple slides, or only on the current slide.

Adding Animations to Your Slides for a More Dynamic Presentation

In addition to transitions, PowerPoint offers a range of animation effects that can make your presentation more dynamic and engaging. Here are some tips for adding animations:

• Select the text or object you want to animate, then go to the “Animations” tab on the ribbon.
• Choose an animation effect, such as “Fade,” “Fly In,” or “Grow/Shrink.”
• Choose the direction and speed of the animation by clicking on the “Effect Options” button.
• Preview the animation by clicking on the “Preview” button.
• Select “Add Animation” to add additional animation effects to your slide.
• Choose the order of your animations by going to the “Animation Pane” on the ribbon. You can drag and drop animations to change their order.

Creating a Consistent Look and Feel with Slide Master and Layouts

A consistent look and feel for your presentation can help it look more professional and polished. PowerPoint’s slide master can help you achieve this by allowing you to customize the layout and design of your presentation:

• Go to the “View” tab on the ribbon, then choose “Slide Master.”
• Customize your slide master by adding new layouts, changing background graphics, and setting up default font styles.
• Apply your customized slide master to your existing slides or create new ones.
• Use slide layouts to add consistent structure and design elements to your presentation.
• Save your presentation as a template for future use.

Tips and Tricks for Professional-Looking PowerPoint Presentations

Here are some additional tips and tricks for making your PowerPoint presentation look professional:

• Use high-quality images and graphics to enhance your message.
• Avoid using too many bullet points or text-heavy slides.
• Use contrasting colors and fonts for readability.
• Practice your presentation beforehand to ensure timing and pacing.
• Use a remote or clicker to advance slides during your presentation.
• Use handouts or a written outline to reinforce your message.

Troubleshooting Common Issues with PowerPoint Transitions

Here are some common issues with PowerPoint transitions and how to address them:

• Transitions don’t work or are delayed. Try restarting PowerPoint or your computer. Make sure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements for running PowerPoint.
• Incompatible transitions. Some transitions may not be available on all versions of PowerPoint. Check which version of PowerPoint you are using and whether the transition you want is supported.
• Transitions look different on different devices. Make sure your presentation looks good on different types of devices, such as laptops, tablets, or projectors.

Taking Your Presentations to the Next Level with Advanced Features

PowerPoint offers a variety of advanced features that can take your presentation to the next level. Here are some examples:

• Add interactive elements, such as quizzes, polls, or surveys.
• Use video or audio files to enhance your presentation.
• Include animations and transitions that respond to user input.
• Use third-party add-ins, such as PowerPoint Labs or Office Timeline, to create more complex and engaging presentations.

Enhancing Your Slides with Visual Effects and Graphics

Visual effects and graphics can make your presentation more engaging and memorable. Here are some tips for enhancing your slides:

• Use high-quality images and photos to illustrate your message.
• Use charts and graphs to visualize data and statistics.
• Use icons or symbols to emphasize key points.
• Use fonts and colors to create a consistent and professional look.
• Use animations and transitions, but be careful not to overdo it.

Making an Impactful Presentation with Transitions and Animations

In conclusion, using transitions and animations in your PowerPoint presentation can help create a more dynamic and engaging experience for your audience. By following these tips and best practices, you can create a professional-looking presentation that effectively conveys your message.

Remember, the key is to use transitions and animations sparingly and thoughtfully. Keep your audience in mind and choose the transitions and effects that will best serve your presentation goals.

Now that you know how to make slides automatically transition in PowerPoint, you’re ready to take your presentation skills to the next level!

Related Resources

How to Make Slides Transition Automatically in PowerPoint

How to Apply Transition to All Slides in PowerPoint

How to Get Slides to Change Automatically in PowerPoint

How to Make Slides Advance Automatically in PowerPoint

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Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How to Create a Flyer in PowerPoint

How to Create a Flyer in PowerPoint

Creating advertising material in PowerPoint is a frequently asked question, given the quality of graphics we can retrieve out of it with little-to-no knowledge of graphic design skills. Instead of paying for third-party services, we’ll teach you step-by-step how to make a flyer in PowerPoint suitable for any marketing purpose or personal, like party flyers or similar. Let’s get started.

Determining the Size of a Flyer in PowerPoint

Flyers can be crafted in various sizes, and the standard for them depends mostly on the location of the target public. Here’s a list of the most commonly used sizes for flyers:

US Standard Sizes

• Letter: 8.5 x 11 inches (216 x 279 mm)
• Mini-flyer or Half Letter: 5.5 x 8.5 inches (140 x 216 mm)
• Legal: 8.5 x 14 inches (216 x 356 mm)

European/Asian Standard Sizes

• A4: 8.27 x 11.69 inches (210 x 297 mm)
• A5: 5.83 x 8.27 inches (148 x 210 mm)
• DL: Dimensions: 3.9 x 8.27 inches (99 x 210 mm)

How to Set the Size of a Flyer in PowerPoint

We begin our creative process by going to Design > Slide Size > Customize Slide Size .

When clicking on Custom Slide Size , an emergent window will open, showing the options for our design. By default, it is set to Widescreen (16:9). We need to click on the dropdown menu labeled Slides Sized For and select the preferred size. In this case, we’ll go for an A4 flyer.

Select the orientation for the slides and optionally for the notes to include. After you click OK, a new window will pop up asking if you want to Maximize or Ensure Fit , an option intended for those who resize slides with existing content. In this case, we opt for Ensure Fit.

And this is how it should look like after the size is selected.

How to Apply a PowerPoint Theme to a Flyer

After the final step in the previous section, we ended up with a blank state flyer file. We can work with custom elements like importing photos to PowerPoint, inserting illustrations, change background color in PowerPoint, and plenty of other options. The easiest way? We change a PowerPoint theme by browsing at the arrow on the Design tab of the Ribbon.

For the purpose of this tutorial, we will select this highly visual theme and start adding our content to it.

Alternatively, you can go to File > New and look out for flyers in the search bar.

Add your desired content, and the design will look somewhat similar to this result.

How to Print or Export a Flyer in PowerPoint

Now that our design is completed, you’ll certainly want to know how to export to PDF or print the file. As with any other PowerPoint document, go to File > Export.

Unless you own a license for Adobe Acrobat, go for the second option: Create PDF/XPS Document . This allows us to create a high-quality, print-ready PDF format. We highly advise users to work with the PDF export rather than directly printing from PowerPoint, as some printers may not accurately reproduce color from PowerPoint’s settings. 

How to Work with PowerPoint Flyer Templates

If you want to skip the design process altogether, SlideModel has your back covered with professional-quality flyer templates for PowerPoint. Just follow this link to our premium flyer templates and select the layout that best fits your needs from the product selection.

Like any of our PowerPoint Templates , these flyer PPT files are 100% editable with easy-to-alter placeholder text areas. Customize these designs to meet the requirements of your project in just minutes. 

Creating powerful graphics in the form of flyers is a very straightforward process, as we’ve seen, and we can save countless hours by working with either PowerPoint or Google Slides Templates . 

As a recommendation, we advise you to avoid using fancy fonts in your PowerPoint documents as, most likely, they won’t be available on other computers – unless you install them. Such a scenario can impact the printed format of a flyer if we use a local printing service instead of our own printer. 

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