Computer Applications I :: Lessons :: Animations and Transitions
Slide Transitions
A slide transition is the small animation that plays when PowerPoint moves from one slide to the next. It is important that you always include transitions between all slides, but try to stick to only 2 or 3 different transitions.
Applying a transition to a slide means the transition will occur when that slide appears. Go to the Animations Tab to find the slide transitions in the center of the Ribbon. You will see a preview of the transition when you hover over one of them. A star will appear next to the slide number in the Slides Pane when that slide has a transition.
Entrance Effects
You should limit the number of animations you use in a presentation. They should only be used when you really want to draw attention to something. An entrance effect is an animation that occurs to bring an element onto a slide and can be applied to any element on a slide including images and text. To add an entrance effect go to Animations>Animations>Custom Animation. This makes the Custom Animation Pane appear on the right, which is where you can add animations.
When you have an element selected on your slide you can click on the Add Effect button in the Custom Animation Pane to choose an entrance effect. When you add an effect it will be assigned a number and will appear in the Custom Animation Pane. You can change the speed of the effect from that pane.
Exit and Emphasis Effects
An entrance effect is an animation that occurs to bring an element onto a slide and can be applied to any element on a slide including images and text. To add an entrance effect go to Animations>Animations>Custom Animation. This makes the Custom Animation Pane appear on the right, which is where you can add animations.
When you have an element selected on your slide you can click on the Add Effect button in the Custom Animation Pane to choose an entrance effect. When you add an effect it will be assigned a number and will appear in the Custom Animation Pane. You can change the speed of the effect from that pane.
Motion Path Animations
An motion path animation is an animation that you can create by drawing a path for the element to follow. To add a motion path you first need to make the Custom Animation Pane visible. Go to Animations>Animations>Custom Animation to do this.
Once you have the element selected that you would like to add a motion path to click on Add Effect in the Custom Animation Pane. You can select a pre-made motion path that will add a line to the element you had selected. You can drag or rotate this line to change the pre-made path.
You can also draw your own motion path using the Draw Custom Path option. Make sure your animations are not too long and distractions, however.
