Apply transitions and animations

Objective 4.3: Set timing for transitions and animations

When you are incorporating slide transitions and animations into a presentation, two of the options you have for each of these are triggers and timing.

The trigger is the event that causes a transition or animation to begin. The default trigger for a transition or animation is On Mouse Click, meaning that the effect occurs when the presenter gives the signal to advance. When a slide includes animations that are set to start On Mouse Click, the signal to advance the slide instead runs the animation.

The timing of transitions and animations contributes to the tone of a presentation, particularly when the presentation is running automatically. All timing options can be entered in seconds but are expressed in the format hh:mm:ss.

Set timing for transitions

The timing options for transitions are in the Timing group on the Transitions tab. The Advance Slide options govern the time at or after which PowerPoint moves to the next slide. There are two Advance Slide options: On Mouse Click and After (which you set to a specific length of time). One or both of these options can be selected. If you plan to deliver a presentation in person, it is customary to retain the On Mouse Click trigger, and to advance the slide manually. Selecting the After check box and specifying a length of time causes PowerPoint to automatically transition to the next slide after that time interval. Selecting both check boxes permits the presenter to manually advance the slide before the specified time has elapsed.

The length of time from the beginning to the end of a transition effect is its duration. A short duration results in the full slide content appearing quickly, and a long duration results in it appearing slowly. Factors to consider when setting the duration include the type of content on the slide and the selected transition. For example, you might want to assign a short duration to a slide transition for which the slide content is not visible until the transition completes. You might assign a long duration to a transition that causes the slide content to appear in legible segments while you discuss it. PowerPoint recognizes the wait time required for various transition effects to deliver legible slide content; for this reason, the default transition duration varies based on the transition.

To manually trigger the transition to the next slide

• On the Transitions tab, in the Timing group, select the On Mouse Click check box.

To automate the transition of the selected slide

1. On the Transitions tab, in the Timing group, clear the On Mouse Click check box.

2. Select the After check box, and then enter a time in the adjacent box.

To change the speed of the transition of a selected slide

• In the Timing group, enter the number of seconds you want the transition to continue in the Duration box.

Set timing and order for animations

The timing options for animations are in the Timing group on the Animations tab. Three timing options can be configured for each animation: Start, Duration, and Delay. The timing options are also expressed visually in the Animation pane.

There are three Start options: On Click, With Previous, and With Next. On Click runs the animation when the presenter gives the signal to advance, or clicks a specific trigger object on the slide. With Previous starts the animation at the same time as the preceding animation (or in the case of the first animation, immediately after the slide appears). With Next runs the animation and starts the next animation or action when the presenter gives the signal. The most common use for this setting is to run the final animation on the slide and then immediately transition to the next slide.

As with transitions, the Duration is the length of time from the beginning to the end of an animation effect. The Delay is the length of time PowerPoint waits after the trigger signal to play the animation.

To manually trigger a selected animation

• Open the Effect Options dialog box. On the Timing tab, in the Start list, click On Click, With Previous, or With Next.

• On the Animations tab, in the Timing group, in the Start list, click On Click.

To trigger an animation by clicking a specific object

• In the Advanced Animation group, click Trigger, click On Click of, and then click the trigger object.

Or

1. Open the Effect Options dialog box.

2. On the Timing tab, click Triggers.

3. Click Start effect on click of, and then in the list, click the object you want to use as a trigger.

To automate the start of the selected animation

• In the Timing group, in the Start list, click With Previous.

• Open the Effect Options dialog box. On the Timing tab, in the Start list, click With Previous, or With Next.

To automate the action after the selected animation

• In the Timing group, in the Start list, click After Previous.

• Open the Effect Options dialog box. On the Timing tab, in the Start list, click On Click, With Previous, or With Next.

To change the duration of an animation

• In the Timing group, enter the number of seconds you want the animation to continue in the Duration box.

• Open the Effect Options dialog box. On the Timing tab, in the Duration list, click 5 seconds (Very Slow), 3 seconds (Slow), 2 seconds (Medium), 1 seconds (Fast), or 0.5 seconds (Very Fast).

To delay the start of an animation

• In the Timing group, enter the number of seconds you want to delay the animation in the Delay box.

• Open the Effect Options dialog box. On the Timing tab, in the Delay box, enter the delay in seconds.

To change the order of animations applied to a selected object

• On the Animations tab, in the Reorder Animation area of the Timing group, click Move Earlier or Move Later.

• In the upper-right corner of the Animation pane, click the Move Earlier or Move Later arrow.