how to make moving presentation in powerpoint

Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials PowerPoint Animations: Animate Text, Objects, and Slides in Your Presentations

PowerPoint Animations: Animate Text, Objects, and Slides in Your Presentations

Working with graphic assets can bring a degree of expectancy when delivering a presentation, such as in the case of PowerPoint animations. They can help add emphasis to slide content and reveal parts of the slide gradually to help presenters discuss topics sequentially. 

As a presenting software, PowerPoint provides all kinds of animations for emphasis, entrance, exit, and to create a set motion. Join us today to learn all about animations in PowerPoint and unleash your creative potential.

Table of Contents

How PowerPoint Animations Can Benefit Presentation Design

Understanding powerpoint animation basics, types of animations in powerpoint, how to animate text on powerpoint, animating objects for visual impact, crafting seamless slide transitions in powerpoint, mastering advanced animation techniques in powerpoint, dos and don’ts of powerpoint animations, real-world use cases of animated presentation slides, recommended animated powerpoint templates, enhanced engagement and understanding through animations.

Dynamic presentations can have many benefits. The importance of such animations is often only realized by people familiar with PowerPoint. As we’ve seen in our guide on visual communication , graphical elements can make concepts more understandable. In the case of animations, we can use the transitions between slides or elements to split concepts and make them clearer.

Audience engagement is another factor, as eye-catching slides often include surprise elements hidden behind animations. These elements attract the audience’s interest and increase retention rate. In this case, animations serve as powerful presentation aids for the speaker.

Capturing Audience Attention

PowerPoint animations are more likely to capture the audience’s attention than static slides. The moving objects on-screen are the type of visuals people are likely to find attention-grabbing instead of trying to read through static slides or looking at static images. On this behalf, storytelling techniques boost their efficacy in connecting with the audience by implementing animations and transitions rather than sticking to static slides. 

Emphasizing Relationships Between Elements

Whenever we work with contrasting values, like pros and cons slides , animations help the presenter highlight areas of interest or disclose the opposite values section by section. This, in turn, structures the speech for real-time interaction with the graphical assets rather than having the audience read the slide and lose focus on the speech. 

Interactive Presentations

As mentioned before, presenters can craft compelling stories through the careful use of animations in PPT. What is often overlooked is the link between interactive presentations and animations. For instance, a speaker can deliver different outcomes of the presentation by selecting one path whose outcome is revealed through an animation. This “wow” factor induces surprise and creatively presents case scenarios.

Another option is when introducing your team in presentations. Rather than using static slides, incorporating animations gives more rhythm to the presentation and invites the public to interact with the speaker.

Getting Started with Animation in PowerPoint

To start with animations in PowerPoint, select an object you wish to animate and go to the Animations tab to choose an animation to add to the slide element. When adding animations to multiple objects in a slide, you should consider the sequence you wish to use to animate objects.

Accessing Animation Features

When accessing animation features, you will come across various animation types. By expanding the Animations menu, you can select animations for entrance, exit, emphasis, and motion paths to create a path for your animated sequence. You can also click to instantly preview an animation for the selected object or switch to slideshow mode to see how the animation will appear.

Adding Animations to Text and Objects

Once an animation is added to a text or object, a number is assigned. This number shows the sequence in which the object will be presented. For example, the object will be the first to be animated on screen, followed by two, three, and so on.

You can adjust the sequence of animations, triggers, and other settings from the Animation Pane in PowerPoint.

Timing and Sequence in Animations

The Timing menu in the Animations pane provides options to set the duration of the animation, the time to delay the animation on the screen (if necessary), and to assess if the animation starts on click, with the previous or after the last animation. How you select these animations will help you adjust the time and sequence of the animations. For example, you can use ‘ with previous’ option to show two animated objects simultaneously.

Entrance, Exit, and Emphasis Animations

Some of the most commonly used animation types fall under three categories: entrance, exit, and emphasis animations.

Entrance Animations

The Entrance Animations are meant to start or introduce objects. You can explore all entrance-related animations by going to Animations -> Animation (menu) -> More Entrance Effects . This will reveal all entrance animations you can click to preview for a selected object. These often consist of basic animations with effects like appear, fly-in, float-in, strips, wheel, circle, box, dissolve-in, split, wedge, wipe, plus, diamond, checkerboard, blinds, etc. The animations can be divided into three categories: basic, subtle, and moderate. These categories help identify the type of effects in each category according to how prominent they might be on screen.

Exit Animations

The Exit Animations are meant to help exit a slide or animated sequence to close a topic or subtopic, or to conclude the on-screen animations for a slide. These animations are similar to the Entrance Animations with the same effects. You can use these animation types for an exit sequence using effects like blinds, circles, checkerboard, box, plus, split, wedge, wipe, diamond, dissolve out, contract, swivel, fade, zoom, basic zoom, collapse, float up, etc.

Like the Entrance Animations, you can go to  Animations -> Animation (menu) -> More Exit Effects to preview the animations and to see the three categories for basic, subtle, or moderate animations.

Emphasis Animations

Other than basic, subtle, and moderate, the Emphasis Animations come with an additional category, ‘exciting.’ Emphasis animations in PowerPoint provide visual aids for emphasizing content within slides. The effects for these animation types in PowerPoint are also quite different from the entrance and exit-themed effects. Effects like fill color, grow/shrink, transparency, line color, teeter, color pulse, object color, desaturate, darken, lighten, blink, wave, and others can help emphasize an object within a slide to make it pop out before the audience.

Exploring Motion Path Animations

If primary effects aren’t what you want, it’s time to switch to Motion Paths . These are animated effects in PowerPoint that showcase objects across a specific path. In other words, these are elaborate animations that drag objects on the screen based on a particular shape or path, such as a 4,5, 6, or 8-point star, crescent moon, circle, diamond, football, heart, octagon, pentagon, square, trapezoid, teardrop, right triangle, arc (down, right, left, up), curvy right, bounce right, etc.

Motion Paths are divided into four categories. The basic effects consist of shapes, whereas, Line Curves provide lines and curves to animated objects. Similarly, the special category contains more elaborate effects such as inverted square, loop de loop, peanut, bean, curved square, etc.

Choosing Appropriate Animation Styles

When choosing animation styles, picking a style that best resonates with your presentation slides is important. The animations’ names and categories can help you identify what might work for you. Furthermore, after adding an animation, you can go to Effect Options to view the various directions and options used to refine the animation to build your sequence further. Depending on the animation type, you can pick variations of the animation, directions, colors, transparency, points to edit or lock, or other options for selected effects. The image below shows the variations for the Wheel animation in PowerPoint via Effect Options .

Similarly, if you select Transparency from Emphasis Effects, you can choose how transparent the object will appear on the screen. Likewise, many color-themed effects enable picking a custom color to animate an object.

Since Motion Paths are unique, you will get options to edit points, lock paths, reverse the direction of the default animated sequence, etc.

Now that you know how to animate in PowerPoint, it’s time to explore making written content more interesting using animations.

Start by opening a blank PPT file and adding a placeholder text. The idea is to learn how text interacts with animation effects without working with complex graphic layouts.

Select the text and switch to the Animations tab. In there, pick an animation effect of your preference. You will get a preview of the effect applied – which will show the number of the animation order once completed.

Animations for text, like any other animation, can be controlled in terms of behavior by accessing the panel at the right-most section of the Ribbon.

Additionally, we can expand the animations panel to select from the different effects offered by PowerPoint.

Animating Text Elements on PPT Templates

Animating text elements to highlight key aspects of your slides can be a great way to create engaging presentations. The Animated 3D 4 Steps & Core PowerPoint Template shown below are among the Animated PowerPoint templates at SlideModel that animate objects and text elements for emphasis while retaining a clear layout.

As visible from the animated sequence from the Animation Pane in the image below, the slide deck uses animated text boxes with a mix of other slide elements to create a sequence where a four-step diagram is highlighted with supported text to help elaborate each part of the diagram in an animated sequence. We can add, remove, or modify the included effects via the Animation Pane.

Balancing Text Animations for Impact

By balancing text animations, you can have maximum impact when highlighting content for your slides. The animations can be triggered to start simultaneously to reveal all the text after a sequence of objects, before objects appear, or one by one to reveal the diagram contents gradually.

Animating Images, Shapes, and Charts

When animating shapes and images, you can use a variety of animation types for entrance, exit, and emphasis, and to make the content pop out. However, charts require subtle animations, and it’s best to use basic effects to reveal charts, such as Appear and Disappear .

The Animated Network Diagram PowerPoint Template is an example of how to animate shapes.

The template’s title slide reveals shapes and icons in the form of a diagram in an animated sequence.

You can also include images in such a template to customize the given diagram and animate it to reveal the image simultaneously or after a set of objects has already been revealed.

If you are including a chart in your slide that is to be animated, make sure the animation corresponds to other elements that might also be animated. For example, you can trigger the chart to be revealed after the slide title with a simple Appear effect. In such a case, the chart can be displayed altogether or gradually, in animated form.

Applying Object Animations Strategically

When placing slide objects, you must apply the animations strategically to avoid revealing information out of sequence. Furthermore, it is also worth considering how your effects appear. For example, in the image of the diagram below, would you prefer the diagram to appear floating upward or downward? Such considerations and other vital elements, such as your branding needs, are important to ponder when setting your animated sequence.

Enhancing Presentation Flow with Transitions

While Animations for PowerPoint are one way of making your slides engaging, PowerPoint Transitions is another. You can access them via the Transitions tab in PowerPoint and apply transitions between slides.

While many legacy transitions provide basic effects when switching between slides, some of the more recent additions to this menu, such as Morph Transition , enable the creation of elaborate animations by using Transitions to animate your slides. The below example shows a slide with the Morph transition, giving an animated effect to the diagram.

Maintaining Coherence Between Slides

When applying Transitions, it is essential to maintain coherence between slides by ensuring they don’t overlap with any added Animations. To do this, you should preview your slide deck to see how it might appear once all the animated effects have been included in your slides. Like PowerPoint Animations, you can also use Effect Options for Transitions to set a sequence or direction that best suits your needs.

Layering for Complex Animation Effects

Using layers of multiple objects and slides can easily create advanced animation effects. This can be done using not only PowerPoint animations but also transitions. The Animated Pendulum Swing PowerPoint Templates from the SlideModel archive of animated templates use Transitions like Morph to create animated sequences. The below example shows a swinging pendulum created using Morph.

Combining and Triggering Animations

Depending on the number of elements within a slide and the animations used, you can use triggers to customize and set sequences for slide elements to animate. The example below shows the selected pendulum’s various linking options for the on-click trigger. By placing your slide objects to be connected and triggered with different parts of your slide, you can create and customize animated sequences that can be pretty attention-grabbing. 

PowerPoint Animation Painter

If you thought you had to start from scratch to animate each slide of your presentation, you are sorely mistaken. Much like the Format Painter option in PowerPoint, we can find Animation Painter , which is accessible via the Ribbon under the Advanced Animation control options.

This tool helps us duplicate animations between elements of the same slide or copy animation effects from one slide to another. As a format copying tool, it requires at least one animation effect to be placed otherwise the option is grayed out.

Creative Experimentation

Experimenting with Animations in PowerPoint can be pretty helpful to avoid making monotonous presentations. Experimentation does not necessarily require making slides from scratch, but you can also use ready-made templates such as the 3D animation PowerPoint Templates at SlideModel. Alternatively, some slide deck templates offer a considerable range of animation effects intended for maximum audience engagement, which users can quickly customize by editing placeholder areas for text, images, and logos.

Below is a list of do’s and don’ts of PowerPoint Animations for making presentations that best use animated effects.

Maintain Animation Moderation

It is essential to maintain moderation when using animations, as the use of too many animations on a single slide or presentation can make the content confusing.

Use of Appropriate Animations

Try to use appropriate animations for slide objects. The animation should suitably show if the object is to enter, exit, be emphasized, or be highlighted using a motion path.

Avoid Animation Overload

Avoid flashy animated sequences unless your presentation is meant for an audience that might find engaging, such as children in a classroom session.

Subtle can be Just as Engaging

Sometimes, subtle animations can be just as engaging as an animation with an elaborate effect. This can, in fact, be a better option than using animations that might be visually overpowering or difficult to follow due to elaborate effects.

Ensure Visual Consistency

As discussed earlier, it is vital to maintain consistency in using animated effects. Be it Animations or Transitions, using flashy effects or too many diverse effects can hurt how the audience perceives your content, as it might become confusing, visually overpowering, or unprofessional. In such a case, the audience might quickly lose interest in the presentation, leading to Death by PowerPoint.

Less is More

The design language of visual designs over the past decade or more has been intended to use fewer effects and graphical elements with ample space to make the interface look clean. Be it Modern UI or Material design apps, this design language has been evident across desktop and mobile UIs. Using the same concept, you can design your slides with fewer animations and graphical elements to make your content more visually appealing.

Turning PowerPoints into Millions

Courtney Allen, a professional PowerPoint designer who came out of a BFA in graphic design from Boise State University, had all but PowerPoint as a part of her portfolio. She started her freelancing career via Upwork, making over a thousand PowerPoints for clients, bringing in as many as $2 million. She suggests using simple designs and animations to make the most out of PowerPoint presentations. 

Guy Kawasaki Pitch Deck

Guy Kawasaki, a former Apple employee, whose famous 10-slide pitch deck has inspired a variety of PowerPoint templates. This rule was designed for startups and business presentations, focusing on pitching a concept to investors. While this isn’t directly related to using animations in presentations, it is an example of making the best use of minimalist content in a few slides. You can learn more about the Guy Kawasaki pitch deck from our article about the 10/20/30 rule for PowerPoint presentations .

How not to use an Animated PowerPoint Presentation in Court! 

Presentations with animations aren’t always a great idea. In 2014, a court in the United States criticized a PowerPoint presentation by the prosecutor, which led to the court throwing the case out. The presentation was made with sound effects and animations, with flashy elements like the bullseye. Some of the significant mistakes made by the prosecutor included ‘visual advocacy,’ where the defendant was marked with the word ‘guilt’ in the slide deck. Not to mention, the animated presentation seemed to be aimed at influencing the court using visual aids. Something that did not sit well with the court.

Use of PowerPoint by the US Military

The US Military has often been accused of Death by PowerPoint for preparing what some call the worst PowerPoint slides ever created. The issue became so profound that in 2011, it was revealed that an executive communications manager at Microsoft, Dave Karle, was tasked with ensuring that the US military could finally start using the software properly. After discussions with top military officials, an updated military presentation method was created, consisting of a number of presentation templates, tips, and graphics and more than 6000 map symbols. 

In this section, you can check some ready-made templates that can be easily customized for your presentation’s purposes. All these templates feature professionally made animation effects with native PowerPoint tools.

1. Multi-Purpose Animated PowerPoint Slide Deck

Those looking for how to animate in PowerPoint now have a ready-made solution to create mind-blowing presentations in a couple of minutes. This slide deck contains 26 slides in a broad selection of topics. We can present facts, introduce our team, our company, display charts with animated effects, and so much more. Check it out now!

Use This Template

2. Animated 8-Step Social Media Carousel PowerPoint Template

Bring dynamism to your social media posts by implementing this vivid social media carousel template. With eye-catching animated effects, this template emulates the typical carousel posts we can find on platforms like LinkedIn or Instagram.

3. Problem Solving Animated PowerPoint Template

Bring professional graphics to troubleshooting sessions with your team. This template, filled with PowerPoint animations, offers a user-friendly approach to conventional problem-solving situations in which the team has to observe the Issue Matrix, suggest possible solutions, and prepare an implementation plan and its corresponding process flow diagram. Thanks to its high-quality animation effects, the speaker can introduce the facts individually, without diverting attention from the speech.

4. Animated Company Profile Presentation Template for PowerPoint

We’ve seen this template as one of the examples of animations for PowerPoint. It is a 21-slide solution offering all the tools required for a corporate-styled company profile presentation, specifically tailored for service businesses.

5. Corporate Company Profile Animated PowerPoint Template

An alternative option for company profile presentations, featuring a minimalistic graphic layout with a broad variety of animation effects. Check these 12 slides and customize them with information relevant to your organization – we bring complex animation effects in a ready-made format. Colors and placeholder images can also be replaced.

6. Animated Roadmap PowerPoint Template

Bring more action to any planning meeting using this animated PowerPoint roadmap template. After a clear path overview, each milestone slide contains animation effects to introduce relevant information to the topic. It is a new take on traditional roadmap presentations that allows the speaker to pace themselves regarding how to disclose the information about the strategy to embark on.

7. Animated Pros & Cons Comparison Slide Template for PowerPoint

We mentioned the advantages of using PowerPoint animations to discuss contrasting values of a situation. Well, this animated Pros & Cons slide is the ideal tool for that purpose, offering a generalist view, then two accompanying slides for Pros & Cons, respectively, with animated effects to introduce additional information per point.

Using animations to make visually appealing and engaging presentations requires ensuring that your content corresponds with your added animated effects. It is always best to use animations in moderation and to keep your slides minimalist while unleashing your creativity as a presenter. Using ready-made PowerPoint templates can also help give you a good starting point to begin experimenting with animations and effects. This can also be useful for people new to PowerPoint Animations to explore what is doable with an animated slide deck, using animated sequences tailored for customization. 

Whether you’re using an animated template or making one from scratch, a preview in slideshow mode can save you a lot of trouble with potential issues tied to animated effects. Last but not least, using animations in PowerPoint isn’t always necessary, and you can even go for a simple slide deck with a handful of slides. What matters is that you should be aware of the information being presented, and the visual aids should be just to aid your slides and not meant to be the whole package on their own.

Like this article? Please share

Animations, Microsoft PowerPoint, PowerPoint Tools Filed under PowerPoint Tutorials

Related Articles

Filed under Google Slides Tutorials , PowerPoint Tutorials • April 17th, 2024

Google Slides vs. PowerPoint: A Detailed Comparison

Contrast and pick with presentation software suits your best. Check our guide on how the Google Slides vs. PowerPoint eternal debate.

Filed under PowerPoint Tutorials • April 16th, 2024

How to Insert an Equation in PowerPoint

Learn how to create easy-to-understand science slides by mastering how to insert an equation in PowerPoint. Step-by-step guide.

Filed under PowerPoint Tutorials • April 9th, 2024

How to Remove Notes from PowerPoint

Make alternative versions of your presentation files by learning how to remove notes from PowerPoint. Step-by-step guide with screeshots.

Leave a Reply

• Slide Design Fundamentals
• Presentation Fundamentals
• App Tips & Tricks

PowerPoint Animation Tutorial (2022) – Step-by-Step

July 27, 2022

Introduction

Animation in your slide deck is a great way to add visual interest. And when done well it can WOW your audience. This in-depth, step-by-step tutorial covers how to animate in PowerPoint showing the fundamentals of adding and modifying animations and then demonstrates advanced strategies like customizing timings, adding triggers, using morph, and creating animations with 3D objects.

Types of Animation Effects

Before you begin applying animation in PowerPoint, it helps to know how they are categorized and how these categories affect the function of the animation. These categories or types are also referred to as effects.

The first effect category is Enter. With this animation objects are not visible initially and appear based on a specific action by the presenter like a click of a mouse.

The second effect category is Emphasis. Here an object is visible on the slide and will animate to draw attention to it such as pulse.

The third effect category is Exit. Here an object is visible on the slide and then will exit from view based on an action like a mouse click.

Adding an animation

To apply an animation on a slide you need at least one object on the slide. An object is any type of content that can be added to a slide such as a shape, text, icon, picture, etc. In this example, I’ll use a shape on blank slide. The location of the object will be where the animation either ends or begins. You want to select the object. Click the Animations tab and click the animation you want to apply. You can scroll through the gallery or click the small drop-down arrow to display more options all at once. When you select an animation, the object will show what the animation looks like. You can also use the Preview button on the Animations tab to see what the animation looks like. You will notice that the object now has a small box with a number next to it. That is a visual indicator noting an animation has been applied to the object. The number indicates the order the animations occur if you have more than one object animating on the slide. In Windows if you select a new animation from the gallery, it will override the previous selection. For instance, if I apply an Emphasis animation the Enter fly-in is replaced. The same with applying an Exit Fly-out the Emphasis effect is replaced. To remove an animation, just choose None in the Gallery.

Some animations like the Fly In are pre-set to animate from a specific direction. To change the direction, click the Effects Option button after applying the animation. From the drop-down options choose the direction you want. If the Effects Option isn’t active, then that effect you selected can’t be changed in any way.

Motion Path animation

The next effect I want to touch on is the Motion Path option. You can choose a basic effect like moving in a straight line. Or something highly custom like drawing your own path. With the Motion Path, the small green dot is the starting point, and the red dot is the ending location. To extend the path, you can drag and drop the red dot to a new spot on the slide. With motion path the animation possibilities are quite extensive, especially if you use it with other effects.

Applying an animation to similar objects

If you have several objects that you want to add animation to, here are some strategies I use to save time. If you want to animation multiples of the same object in the same way first add the shape then add the animation to that shape and then press Control D to duplicate that shape.

Rearrange as needed and you will notice that all of the objects have a number indicator next to them. The different numbers indicate the order the objects will animate. Let's click the Preview button to see what it looks like.

Copying the shape and pasting is another option Either on the same slide or another slide. To copy either use Control C, Right-click and copy, or click the Copy button on the Home tab. Then paste either using Control V, Right-click and paste, or click the Paste button on the Home tab. Just like with Duplicate, there is an indication number.

If you want the same object to animation on a different slide, you can duplicate the slide Select the slide in the Thumbnail Pressing Control D or Right-click and choose Duplicate

Looking at the second slide, you can see the object has an animation indicator I will change the object's color so you can see what it looks like. I'll go into Presentation Mode and here is what the animation looks like.

If you have several different objects and you want them all to have the same animation, you have a couple of options. You can select them all. And click the animation type in the Animations tab. You will see they all have the same animation indicator next to them. As the Preview shows, this option sets the animation for all objects to start at the same time.

You can also use the Animation Painter. Once you’ve added an animation to an object, select it. Click the Animation Painter button. Then click on the object you want to apply the animation to.

With this option, it sets the animations to start one after the other. If you double click the Painter option, you can apply the animation to multiple objects without having to click the Painter button for each object.

Adjusting Start, Duration, and Delay

Once you’ve added an animation to an object, often the next step is modifying the timing of the animation. To the far right on the animation tab, there are three timing settings: Start, Duration, and Delay.

Modifying Start

The Start timing determines how the animation will start. The default is On Click. So when you click your mouse the animation begins.

The next option is With Previous. The object with this setting will animate at the same time as the previous animation. In this example the Triangle animates with the circle.

The third start setting is After Previous. Here an object animates after the previous animation is complete. In this example the triangle animates once the circle animation is done.

Changing Duration

The next timing is the Duration or speed of the animation. The default setting is typically Very Fast at half a second (0.5). You can use the up and down arrows to speed up or slow down the animation by quarter intervals. Or you can type in the duration.

In this example, you can see the Triangle fly in is much slower than the previous examples. As a side note, the duration can’t be changed for some animations.

Adding Delay

The last timing is Delay. This a slightly more advanced setting and this setting delays the start of an animation. The default setting is zero. Meaning there is no delay. In the example, the Triangle is set to start after previous with a one second delay.

Applying Multiple Animations

Now that you know how to modify a single animation, we can move on to apply multiple animations to one object. As I mentioned in Video 1 of this 3-part series, clicking a different animation in the gallery replaces the previous animation.

In this example, I will set the object to fly-in, pulse, and then fly-out. Do do this, I select the object. I choose the Fly in animation. Then I click the Add Animation button. Choose Pulse as an emphasis. I'll add the third animation, clicking the Add animation button and then choosing Fly-out. And the Preview shows what that will look like.

In Video 1 of this series, I demonstrated the Animation Painter, when you have multiple animations, this option comes in handy.

Using the Animation Pane

Once you start adding multiple animations to objects, using the Animation Pane can help you keep track. To display the pane either click the Animations Pane button or click one of the animation indicators by an object.

From the animation pane, you can see the order of the animations. They are listed from beginning to end. A mouse means it is an On Click start animation. No icon means that it is set to With Previous. And a clock indicates that the Start is After Previous.

The color of the star indicates the type of effect: green for enter, yellow for emphasis, and red for exit. If you can’t see color very well, the lines Indicate whether it is an Enter, an Emphasis, or an Exit.

If you want to change the order of the animations, you can use the up and down arrows. Or just drag and drop. You can select more than one by holding down the Shift key and then moving them all at the same time.

Deleting animations from the Animation Pane is quite easy. Select the animation and press the Delete key.

The animation pane also shows the timeline of the animations. The placement of the bar on the timeline indicates when the animation begins and end. You can drag and drop the bar to change the delay. You can resize the bar to change the duration of the animation.

Effects and Timing Dialog Box

When you mouse over or select an animation, To the far right of each animation is a small down arrow. Clicking the arrow provides options to show more settings for the effects and timings. Let’s take a look.

You will notice there are three tabs Effect, Timing, and Text Animation The added options in the Effects tab, is that you can add a Dim after animation setting. I usually apply this to content that I have as part of a list. So, when I am done discussing one bullet point, I dim that option and then display the next option.

If you don’t want to apply an exit animation, you can also make content disappear right after the animation or hide on the next mouse click.

The Timing tab, provides the same options as on the Animation tab for Start, Duration, and Delay.

You can also add a repeat loop. You can set specific times or until the next animation or until the end of the slide show. The speed of the animation will determine how the effect looks such as a rapid pulse or slow flash.

The trigger setting lets you set an On Click to a specific object. When you click the object with your mouse, it activates the animation for a different object. This differs from a typical On Click animation because the object itself must be clicked for the animation to work.

To do this, apply each animation to the specific object Then select the animation in animation pane Click the trigger button in the Animations tab and choose the object from the menu options Repeat this process for each object.

Renaming objects in the Selection Pane helps if you have several objects to trigger. One reason I like this option, is because it allows me to animate in any order.

Text Animation Strategies

With all of the examples so far, I’ve worked with shapes and other objects. Text can be animated just like any other object on the slide. But here are some things to keep in mind.

Selecting the text box will animate each line separately Selecting all of the text in the text box will animate all of the text at once. To change the setting, highlight the line or lines and change the Start to On Click. Selecting each paragraph or line in a bullet and then choosing your effect, will animate each line separately.

Morph Transition

A more advanced animation people like to use is called morphing. Within PowerPoint, morphing is a transition and not an animation. That means you apply the effect to the entire slide and not an individual object. Morphing as its name implies is an object that is changed into something different. This can be a simple effect like moving and changing in color.

For this effect, I will duplicate the slide with the circle. On the second slide I’ll move the circle to the right side and changed the color fill. With the second slide selected in the thumbnail pane, I click the Transitions tab and select Morph.

The Preview shows you what it'll look like. As you can see, unlike a fly in type of animation, the object appears to be changing with a slight fade.

Advanced Morph Transition

An advanced morph transition can be used to make an object change into a different object. Like this example of a circle morphing into a star. To apply an advanced morph, create the two slides with the different objects.

Before applying the transition to the second slide, open the Selection Pane. Select the object on the first slide, then click the Selection Pane button either on the Home tab or in the Shape Format tab.

Within the Selection Pane, you can rename objects to help keep track of multiple objects. For this animation to work, the objects on each slide need to have the same name starting with 2 exclamation points. I will rename this object to !!morph1. And copy the name. And then press Enter to set the new name of the object.

Now I need to select the second slide. In the Selection Pane, double click in the name of the star object. And paste in the name of the first object. Then I will press Enter to set the new name.

Now with the second slide selected, I can apply the Morph transition. And it will show what the morph will looks like. This is one of my favorite tricks to add some pizazz to a slide deck.

Animating 3D objects

The last animation I want to show you is animating a 3D object, like this example. Many people aren’t aware that they have access to 3D objects within their 365 subscription.

To add a 3D object, click the Insert tab. Then click the 3D object button and choose from Stock 3D Models. Or if you have a model on your device, choose that option. Search and select the object you want. In this example, I will insert a Monarch Butterfly.

To view the different sides of the model, click the center button with the multiple arrows. And then just drag your mouse to view the object. With the model selected, click the Animations Tab. And you'll notice that the Gallery now has 3D animations added.

These will be cubes with arrows around them. For this example, I will use the turntable effect. With the Effects option button, I can make some adjustments like the direction and amount of spine as well as the spin axis.

Using the Morph transition with a 3D object can add an extra visual element. Using the butterfly again, I will duplicate the slide. For the first slide, I will delete the turntable animation and change it to top view.

On the second slide I will keep the side view and the turntable animation. Then I will apply the Morph transition to the second slide. The preview shows the butterfly smoothly transitions from the top view to the side view. and then the turntable animation begins.

About the Author

Jennifer Sharkey is known as the Virtual Presentation Specialist. Being passionate about seeing people shine and be heard, she leans into her 20+ years of public speaking experience and uses what she has learned from presenting, both in-person and virtually, to small groups all the way up to 5000 people. Jennifer draws from her experience as an associate professor, academic librarian, and coach to help holistic coaches master virtual presentations to grow their business. Her unique immersive program provides practical strategies and methods to build confidence, engage audiences, and generate authenticity and authority.

Privacy Overview

• Slidesgo School
• PowerPoint Tutorials

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.

Do you find this article useful?

Related tutorials.

How to Insert Embed GIFs in a PowerPoint Presentation

Do you want to boost your presentation? One of the best ways of doing so is using GIFs! They are fun, easy to add and provide an amusing way of supporting your own information. Would you like to learn more about how to add a GIF in to your slides in PowerPoint? Keep reading! 

How to Insert GIFs in a Google Slides Presentation

There are many and varied ways of captivating your audience with your presentation. One of them is using visually appealing materials so people cannot take their eyes off the slides. In fact, a clever use of GIFs and other images will help you when defining concepts in a cool and modern way. In this post we’ll teach you how to add GIFs to Google Slides themes easily.  

Storyset by Freepik: Awesome illustrations for creative presentations

With inspiration and the adequate resources, a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation can be the most creative slide deck your audience has ever been, regardless of topic. In this Slidesgo School article, we’re going to introduce Storyset, a new Freepik project where you’ll find illustrated concepts to visually reinforce the message you want to convey, turning your work into a memorable experience.

How to Add Animations and Transitions in Google Slides

In this new Slidesgo School tutorial, you’ll learn how to apply animations to the elements of a slide and how to add transitions between slides. This way, your presentation will be more dynamic and you’ll be able to impress your audience.

The 7 Best PowerPoint Animation Tips

Adding animation to your PowerPoint will help you make a dynamic presentation. Here's how you can use animation in PowerPoint efficiently.

If you’re working on an important presentation, you want to make sure everyone in the audience is paying attention to you. Besides having all the relevant information and a good speech, you can add animations to your PowerPoint slides as a tool to engage the audience.

Using animations, you can keep your audience focused through a lengthy meeting and highlight important details, so they’re easier to remember. We’ve put together a quick list of animation tips to help you create a dynamic PowerPoint presentation.

PowerPoint Animation Types

You can use PowerPoint tools to animate pictures, text, tables, shapes, and other objects to build an engaging presentation . Let’s take a quick look at the animation type, so you have an idea of which type better fits your presentation.

• Entrance animations : You should use them when you want new information or objects to show up within the slide.
• Emphasis animations : You can use them to animate already displayed objects to have your audience focus on them.
• Exit animations : These animations determine how objects leave the slide. For example, an object could fade out or fly out of the screen.
• Motion path animations : An object will move within the slide on a predetermined path. There are six types of motion paths that you could use: Lines , Arcs , Turn , Shapes , Loops , and Custom paths. So, you shouldn’t have any problems when it comes to moving objects any way you want.

Now, let's take a look at how you can make the most out of PowerPoint animations.

1. Plan Ahead

Before you start working on your presentation, draw an outline of how it should look. Think about how your idea can reach your audience and how the different animation types will help you achieve your goal. Also, planning ahead is one of the most efficient ways to save time when creating a PowerPoint presentation.

2. Know When to Add Animations

No matter how excited you are to make your PowerPoint presentation stand out , you shouldn’t animate anything until you’ve finished adding every piece of information and object.

Think about it. You’ve animated a picture, but now you need to resize it, so its details are more visible. The resized picture might cover a piece of text or other objects when it enters or moves around the slide, so you’ll have to edit the slide once again.

3. Rename All Objects

If you add a lot of pictures, icons, or text, it’s easier to lose track of them, and you might have a hard time identifying the object that you want to animate or edit. To avoid losing time, you should rename every object right after you insert it.

To do it, select the Home tab. Then, head to the Editing menu and click Select > Selection Pane . To rename the object, double-click on its current name, and the name field will become editable.

4. Keep It Simple

If you want to prepare a professional presentation , less is more. You don’t need to animate everything in your presentation as it might confuse the audience. Instead, think about the most important parts and use animation to make them really stand out.

Take a look at each slide and decide what your audience should focus on. Once you’ve found it, you can use an emphasis animation to spotlight that piece of information. If there are multiple elements that you want to animate, don’t have them moving at the same time. Instead, give them some progression.

Also, having too many types of animations will distract your audience from the idea that you’re trying to share. If there are too many objects moving on your screen, your audience’s focus will be all over the place, and some of them might even quit following your slides. This is why you shouldn’t use more than three animation types throughout your presentation.

5. Adjust the Animation Speed

Depending on the animation, you’ll have to adjust its speed. You can’t have a Spin animation and the object bolting across the screen without any chance for your audience to see it. To adjust the speed, select the object or text that you've animated. Then, in the Animations tab, open the Start menu and select the duration and when it should start.

If you select With Previous , the animation will start at the same time as the previous animation. If you select After Previous , the animation will start right after the previous effect finishes. You can set a Delay value to have a small break between effects. For better control, you should select the On Click option.

6. Set the Eye Flow

Think about how your audience will visualize the information. If there’s a lot of displayed information, they might scan it, instead of listening to you. Think where your audience focus should be and use animations to stimulate that focus.

7. Preview Your Animations

As you work on your PowerPoint presentation and add animations, you should constantly check how they look. But pressing F5 and having the slideshow start from the beginning will take a lot of time if you have many slides and animations. Instead, there’s a quicker way to check how the animations on certain slides look.

You’ll notice that the slides with animations have a little star next to them. If you click the star icon, the animations will start playing. Additionally, you can go to the Animations tab and click Preview to view the animations on the selected slide.

Once you’ve finished your presentation, press F5 and watch the entire slideshow. Observe the animations’ pace. Does your audience have enough time to get the entire information? Is the screen too crowded with too many objects moving at the same time? In this case, you may want to adjust the pace or even remove some animations.

Become a PowerPoint Animations Master

With these PowerPoint animation tips, you are now set to captivate your audience’s attention. It may take a while to figure out which animation you should use, but it will help you better control how you deliver information to your audience.

If you’re confident that you’ve put together the best PowerPoint presentation but are worried about speaking in public, there are a few apps that could help you beat this fear.

Ultimate Guide to PowerPoint Animations: Tutorials, Templates, Tips & Tricks

Animations in powerpoint.

We have put together a massive collection of resources for PowerPoint Animations. This includes free & premium tips, tricks, tutorials and templates that you can access online to polish your slides and engage your audience.

We will cover both Custom Animations and Transitions feature in PowerPoint. This includes the new Morph Transition introduced in PowerPoint for Office 365

About PowerPoint Custom Animations

Custom Animation is a useful feature in PowerPoint. You can use it to add interaction to your slides and make the presentation more engaging for your audience. Almost any element in your slide - text, photos, graphs, shapes, audio and video can be animated.  

You can add PowerPoint animations to any of these elements in just three steps: (1) Select the object to animate (2) apply an animation, and (3) customize the effects.

Let us see how to apply animation to different parts of a presentation.

Custom animation, when used correctly can enhance the effectiveness of your message in your business presentations. #PowerPoint #Tips

4 Types of Animations 

PowerPoint offers 4 types of Animations:

• Entrance animation: Animations to make elements enter the slide.
• Exit Animation : Animations to make elements exit the slide.
• Emphasis Animation :   Animations to highlight elements on the slide and direct attention
• Motion Path Animation : Animations that make elements on the slide move from one place to another along predefined paths. 

You can add more than one animation to the same object. With this feature, it is possible to create a variety of custom animations to suit your specific requirement.

Animation can help make a PowerPoint presentation more dynamic, and the information more memorable. The most common types of animation effects include entrances and exits. 

Learn how to set up basic animations with these tutorials on Microsoft website. 

[Basic] Add Animations in PowerPoint 2016

In this easy to follow video, learn how to add animation in PowerPoint 2016. This video shows how to get started and is a primer.

Customizing Animation Effects

Once you add an animation to an object, PowerPoint offers further options to customize the animation. Each Animation effect can be controlled using the following additional settings:

Option 1: Preview Animations

Animations in PowerPoint can be normally viewed only in Slideshow mode. So if you want to preview the animations you added on a slide, PowerPoint allows you to view them using the Preview option.

Option 2: Effect Options

Some effects in PowerPoint like Fly In have additional options available. For example, Fly In animation can be set to Flyin from Left, Right, Top or Bottom of the slide. 

In addition to this, text animation can be further set to: As One Object, All at One or By Paragraph.

Option 3: Advanced Animation Effects

These options help you fine tune your animation further. You can: 

Add Animation: Add more animation effects to an object

Animation Pane: View Animation Pane to view list of animations applied on the slide and modify them.

Trigger:   Start animation on a trigger like on click of a button/text etc. to make your slide more interactive.

Animation Painter: This lesser known tool can be used to copy all the animations applied to one object and "paint" or replicate the animation to another object. This is a very useful tool to reduce the time taken to create animation effects.

Option 4: Animation Timing

The Animation timing tools allow you to control when and how the animations play. 

Start: Animations can start On Click, With Previous and After Previous

Duration: Controls how long the animation should play for. 

Delay: This feature controls how long after the previous animation the current animation should be played.

Reorder Animation: When the Animation Pane is open, you can reorder the animations and move them up or down with these tools.

5. About Animation Pane

The Animation Pane provides the list of all the animations applied to a slide in once place. You can do the following actions in the Pane:

• Change the Start option
• Edit the Effect options
• Change the Timings
• Remove the animations 
• Preview the animations

You can find out more about Animation Panes in this post from Tutsplus .

How To Preview Animations

When you put together a slide with multiple animation effects, you need to preview the animation periodically. Going to Slideshow mode every time takes a lot of time. In this video, you will find some quick ways to preview animations. All the options shared in this video allow you to preview the animation in the slide itself.

Text Animation Effects

PowerPoint animations are useful for text or bullet lists. You can make each point in your list appear one at a time as you present it.  In this section we'll explore some basic and advanced ways to present text.

Animations to Bullet Lists

When you present a list of bullet points, you can add animations to make each point exit the slide, after you finish covering it.  This post from Techrepublic shows how to add an exit strategy to bullet points in a slide. 

[Easy] Useful Animation Tricks for Bullet Points

Learn 3 useful PowerPoint Text animation tricks in the video below. The tricks you will learn are: 1. How to animate a bullet point list one by one 2. How to dim a bullet point after it is animated 3. How to make a bullet point disappear after the animation PLUS How to animate bullet points in reverse order These PowerPoint animation effects should help you make your next presentation more effective.

[Advanced] Animation Effect for Text 

Learn how to create a realistic looking effect of a hand writing text in PowerPoint. The animation looks like it was created by whiteboard animation software like Videoscribe. This popular video by Presentation Process has over 1200 Likes and 134K views. 

Find these videos useful? Please subscribe to Presentation Process YouTube channel for more:

Most people use animation only to make the bullet points appear one after another. Some advanced users make the points dim after animation. There is so much more to animation than this basic feature. In the following sections we'll see some advanced and creative uses of Animations in PowerPoint.

Picture Animation Effects

In this section you will find some creative ways to animate slides with photos. This includes photos in jpeg or png format as well as vector images in EMF, WMF or SVG format.

You can find video tutorials on how to animate Pictures and Shapes on Microsoft website.

[Advanced]  PowerPoint Zoom Animation

Sometimes when you present large pictures in your business presentation, you may be required to zoom in to your pictures to show the details. In such a situation this PowerPoint zoom effect comes in handy. You can use the animation effect to zoom into a certain step in a large multi step process, or you can use this custom animation trick to zoom in on an individual in a large group photo or zoom in on a country in a large world map etc.

[Advanced]  PowerPoint Animation to Create Videoscribe Effect

Learn to create an interesting Videoscribe effect with PowerPoint Animation within a few seconds. The effect you will learn is to have a base image and to animate it so that it looks like someone is completing a drawing on the slide. This is a great way to add engagement to your training slides.

If you would like to follow this tutorial, you can download a similar image here .

This kind of animation can be done with any wmf or emf file and can be used to explain business concepts like planning and execution or explanation of a step by step process.

Shapes & SmartArt  Animations

Autoshapes in PowerPoint can be used to create visuals for your presentation. In this section, we will see how to animate Autoshapes as well as SmartArt.

[Easy]  PowerPoint Timeline Animation

Learn to create a beautiful Animated PowerPoint Timeline Infographic with this step by step tutorial. Grab your audience attention with this easy to design slide with custom animation effect.

[Easy]  PowerPoint Animation for SmartArt Objects

When you add animation to a SmartArt graphic in PowerPoint , initially the entire graphic gets animated. But PowerPoint does provide some control over animating SmartArt shapes. To learn how to animate a SmartArt graphic with more control read this post on Indezine .

You can also see the process of animating a SmartArt diagram with the tutorial video below. The diagram we will be using is a core diagram with a circle relationship from the inbuilt PowerPoint SmartArt

The type of diagrams you can create and the animations you can apply, are only limited by your imagination. 

Watch the video above to know more

Creative Slide Design & Animation

Design 25 beautiful Slides to impress your boss & clients – using PowerPoint Tips & Tricks. Save time and improve your workflow efficiency. Suited for Beginner and Intermediate PowerPoint users.

Chart  Animations

Most business presentations have charts included in them. Many times PowerPoint charts can be overwhelming for the audience.  The reason for their overwhelm is - too much information hitting them too soon. If you learn to sequence the way you present your numbers, you make it easy for your business audience to understand your PowerPoint presentation.

This video in Microsoft support site  shows how to add animations to Charts and SmartArt. 

[Easy]  Guide to PowerPoint Chart Animation

Learn to animate your charts like a pro. In this short video tutorial, you will find how to apply custom animation to your PowerPoint charts and present information at your own pace.

[Easy]  Animate Excel in PowerPoint

Many presenters have the habit of creating charts in Excel first and then again in PowerPoint. This video shows how you can simply copy an existing chart from Excel and animate it to present your information clearly and in sequence.

Adding Interactivity 

PowerPoint animations has a trigger feature which can be used to add interactivity to your slides. These are specially useful for training and e-learning presentations.

Hyperlinks and Triggers

Triggers are like an internal hyperlink on your slide. The person viewing the presentation can control what happens next. This is useful for building multiple choice quizzes. This post from Brightcarbon provides an overview of setting up triggers & hyperlinks.

Creating Simple & Interactive PowerPoint Animated Slide

Engage your audience in training and information presentation with this beautiful slide. The slide has 4 images. On clicking on an image, the description or details relevant to that image appears next to it.

Creating Interactive Buzzers with Sound in PowerPoint

Make your training more engaging and interesting with this creative PowerPoint idea. Follow this step by step tutorial video to create an interactive PowerPoint buzzer with sound effects. You can use this buzzer to run a quiz in your classroom.

45 PowerPoint Quiz Templates Pack

Create excitement & make learning fun with games in your classroom! Gamify your classroom & generate excitement with Ready To Use PowerPoint Quiz Templates.  

Quiz templates for any type of training: Corporate Training, Universities, Schools or Freelance Training. Includes complete instructions for customizing & playing each game

Video Animation Effects

You can insert and play videos in PowerPoint. You can insert these videos from YouTube, from your PC or Storage location like OneDrive.   This tutorial in Microsoft website covers how to insert video and audio in PowerPoint.

[Easy]  Insert YouTube Video in PowerPoint

Learn how to embed an online video into your next presentation. It is a fairly straightforward option in PowerPoint 2016.

[Advanced]  PowerPoint Movie Magic with Videos, Text and Animations 

Create PowerPoint Movie Magic by using the combo of videos, text and animations. Use this technique to create slides that engage your audience. The presentation shows a car moving along a road. The windshield wiper moves across the screen. Text appears and fades away in sync with the movement of the windshield wiper. We will use the Video Bookmark option, Text Entrance and Exit Animations, and Trigger animations options to create this effect.

Using Transitions Effectively

Slide transitions are the visual movements where one slide changes into another during a presentation. They add to the professional appearance of the slideshow in general and can draw attention to specific important slides. To know how to apply and remove transitions,  read this post on Lifewire.

[Easy]  5 Tricks to Use Transition Effects in PowerPoint

Learn how to use PowerPoint slide transition effects in an interesting way to make your presentations creative.

[Advanced]  The Power of Dynamic Pan Transition Effect

Sometimes the information you want to present spreads beyond one slide. For example, an excel spreadsheet you stuck on the slide has too many columns to fit into one slide.  A map you placed on the slide is too big to be shown on one slide. If you force yourself to show the image in one page (by shrinking the size of the map), the details get too small to be clearly visible to the audience in the last row.

Learn an easy trick to overcome this situation with the video below:

Using Morph Transition 

PowerPoint Morph is a revolutionary feature available for Office 365 users. It eliminates the need for complex animation. Technically speaking, PowerPoint Morph is a transition, but in reality it can be widely used a substitute/enhancement for complex animation. Read this post from Efficiency365 for a quick overview  of this feature.

[Easy]  Animated Roadmap with Morph Transition

Learn to create an interesting animated roadmap that looks like a video. We use the PowerPoint 2016 ( Office 365 ) Morph Transition feature to create this effect. You can use this type of roadmap or timeline in almost any kind of presentation. Engage your audience by explaining and revealing the steps one by one. Link for Roadmap Image

[Advanced]  How Morph Transition Can Replace   Animation

In this video you will find how to use PowerPoint Morph Transition to replace Custom Animations. See how this can be done with this example of a slide with multiple pictures with text. You'll find how to mimic PowerPoint animation with Morph Transition and create the slides very quickly.

If you would like to learn about Morph Transition, PowerPoint Designer and other such features available in PowerPoint for Office 365, checkout the course below...

Complete PowerPoint Foundation Course

Master Fundamentals of PowerPoint from scratch. From Basics to Advanced. Includes special section on features of PowerPoint 365:

• 13.5 hours on-demand video
• For beginner & advanced users
• Online Access: Full lifetime access
• Practice Activities: Assignments & Quizzes

Animated PowerPoint Templates

Animations take time to visualize and create. You can save time by using ready to use PowerPoint Templates. In this section you will find resources and links for Animated PowerPoint Templates.

PowerPoint comes with some animated 3D templates. This includes sparkling picture frames, lively photograph albums, 3-D rotating photos, and elegant transitions between images. 

This page on Microsoft support site provides the link and details.

You can find more free animated PowerPoint Templates including for physics presentations at Presentation Magazine website. 

While these free templates are a good resource for student and non-critical presentations, business & training presentations require professional and creative animation effects. 

Ready-to-Use Professional Animation Templates

The 750+ Advanced PowerPoint Animation Templates Pack is specifically created for use in training and business presentations. It includes advanced animations for text, lists, pictures, concepts and metaphors. You can preview some of the templates from this pack below:

Animations for Bullet Points, Agenda, Terms & Definitions

Animations for Timelines, Roadmaps & Process Flows

Source:  750+ Advanced PowerPoint Animation Templates Pack

Animations for Pictures and Lists

Animations for Concepts, Metaphors, Business Ideas

And More Professionally Animated Templates to Engage Your Audience...

Make Your Presentations More Engaging without Spending Hours struggling with PowerPoint Animations...

Download 750+ Advanced PowerPoint Animation Templates Pack. Tell your story with 750+ Ready to Use & Easy to Customize Powerful Animations in PowerPoint. 

Pramod Naik

Ceo, tianjin tianshi india pvt ltd.

These ready to use animated slides are very classy and ready to use , these are very thoughtfully done .

When I have to put a point across to the team or to a larger audience , these slides greatly benefit me to make my slides sharper and to the point … one just has to visualize as to what is that you need to share to the audience and how , if you can visualize , you are bound to find that slide in this pack , if not similar , better . Secondly when you scan through the slides , the way they are made you also get ideas as to what to share to the team and audience .

Tips for Professional Animation

Here are some quick tips when using PowerPoint Animations. These will help you save time and create your animations more professionally. 

[Tip]  How to remove Custom Animations from All Slides in 1 click

When you don't want any custom animation at all in your presentation - how do you go about it? Usually you will have to go to every single slide and remove the animations. However if you wish to have on-click control on whether animations are present or now - then use this trick and get complete control over your slides!

5 Irritating Ways to Use Custom Animation

Some presenters have the habit of applying animations the wrong way. Such animations have no purpose and end up irritating the audience. Watch the video below to learn the common mistake presenters make when using custom animations feature. 

Time-Saving Tip: Using Animation Painter

Animations take a lot of time to create. Learn how to easily reuse animations applied to an object using Animation Painter tool. This video is part of the bonus tutorial videos provided with purchase of Advanced Animations Pack. 

Good PowerPoint animation makes your audience focus on the message not the animation.

Turn Presentations Into Videos

When you make a recording of a presentation, all its elements (narration, animation, pointer movements, timings, and so on) are saved in the presentation itself. In essence, the presentation becomes a video that your audience can watch in PowerPoint.  Learn the step by step process in this Microsoft support article .

[Easy]  Convert PowerPoint to Video

In this tutorial, you will find how to use save your PowerPoint file as a video. When you save the file as a video, all the animations and transitions you have used will get saved along with the file.  You would use this option of saving your presentation as videos to: - Showcase photos in a video format online/ offline - Summary or review of keys points in a presentation or training - Create a booth or kiosk presentation etc.

Free Ultimate Guide to PowerPoint Animations for tutorials, tips & more. #PowerPoint #Presentations

More Ideas for PowerPoint Animation

How to create sparkling text effect for pictures.

Learn to create a Sparkling Text Effect in PowerPoint with this step by step tutorial. You can use this effect for title animation or to highlight an important quote in a presentation.

How to create Clock Needle Animation effect

Learn how to Create Clock Needle Animation Effect in PowerPoint 2013 This is a useful animation effect to show a list, agenda items, steps in a process and more. 

Create Motion Graphics with Animation

Learn how to convert Static Pictures into Animated images in PowerPoint. Tell your story with creatively animated PowerPoint slides. The effect looks like motion graphics created in an advanced software. However, this effect uses simple custom animation effects that you can follow in any version of PowerPoint. 

Related Posts

Liked this article? Please share:

Note:  All trademarks are property of their respective owners. Images are screen grabs from respective sites.

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• DMCA Protected

© Copyright 2024  Metamorph Training Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved.

C/O SiteSell Inc, 1315 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West, , Suite 1302, Montreal, QC H3G 2W9, Canada

How to Add Animation in PowerPoint (Animate Pictures, Shapes, Text and Other Objects)

Add Animation in PowerPoint to Create More Engaging Presentations

by Avantix Learning Team | Updated August 8, 2023

Applies to: Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 365 (Windows)

You can add animation to pictures, text and other objects in PowerPoint to create more engaging presentations. Animations can be entrance, exit, emphasis or motion path and can start on click or automatically when you run a slide show. Since animations add movement, they can help to focus attention. The key is to engage, not distract, your audience. You can add animation in Normal View or Slide Master View.

Recommended article: 10 Ways to Compress PowerPoint Presentations to Reduce File Size

Do you want to learn more about PowerPoint? Check out our virtual classroom or in-person classroom PowerPoint courses >

There are 4 types of animation in PowerPoint:

• Motion Path

Although you can also apply transitions between slides in PowerPoint (like Morph), transitions are different from animations and occur between slides when you run a slide show.

Add animation using the Animations Gallery

The easiest way to apply a single animation effect is to use the Animations Gallery on the Animations tab in the Ribbon:

The expanded Animations Gallery appears when you click the More down arrow:

Add multiple animations to an object

If you are adding more than one animation effect to an object, you must use the Add Animation command in the Advanced Animations group, not the Animations Gallery.

Add an entrance animation

The most common type of animation to add to an object is an entrance animation. Common entrance animations are Fade, Fly In or Wipe.

To add an entrance animation to a picture, shape or other object:

• In Normal View or Slide Master View, select a picture, shape or other object. For text objects, click in the text box or placeholder or click its edge.
• Click the Animations tab in the Ribbon.
• In the Animations group, click the More down arrow on the bottom right of the Animations Gallery.
• Click an entrance animation in the Entrance group.
• If you would like to select an entrance effect that does not appear in the Entrance group, click More Entrance Effects at the bottom of the gallery. A dialog box appears.
• Click the entrance effect you want to apply.

You can also apply an entrance animation by clicking Add Animation on the Animations tab in the Advanced Animation group.

The Change Entrance Effect dialog box includes several other entrance animations (some are only available in specific versions):

Add an exit animation

You can also add exit animations to objects. Common exit animations are Fade, Fly-Out or Disappear.

To add an exit animation to a picture, shape or other object:

• Click an exit animation in the Exit group.
• If you would like to select an exit effect that does not appear in the Exit group, click More Exit Effects at the bottom of the gallery. A dialog box appears.
• Click the exit effect you want to apply.

You can also apply an exit animation by clicking Add Animation on the Animations tab in the Advanced Animation group.

The Change Exit Effect dialog box includes several other exit animations (some are only available in specific versions):

Add an emphasis animation

You can apply emphasis animations to some objects in PowerPoint. Emphasis animations are normally used for text, shapes or images. Common emphasis animations are Grow/Shrink, Fill Color or Font Color. Emphasis animations are enabled only for the type of object you select. For example, you can only apply Font Color to a text object.

To add an emphasis animation to a picture, shape or other object:

• Click an emphasis animation in the Emphasis group.
• If you would like to select an emphasis effect that does not appear in the Emphasis group, click More Emphasis Effects at the bottom of the gallery. A dialog box appears.
• Click the emphasis effect you want to apply.

You can also apply an emphasis animation by clicking Add Animation on the Animations tab in the Advanced Animation group.

The Change Emphasis Effect dialog box includes several other emphasis animations (some are only available in specific versions and for certain types of objects):

Add a motion path animation

A motion path is a path that is followed during an animation. For example, you can have an object move along a straight line path down and to the right on a slide.

To add a motion path animation to a picture, shape or other object:

• In Normal View or Slide Master View, select a picture, shape or object.
• Move the picture, shape or object you want to animate to the desired starting location.
• Select the picture, shape or object. For text objects, click in the text box or placeholder or click its edge.
• Click a motion path animation in the Motion Paths group.
• If you would like to select a motion path effect that does not appear in the Motion Paths group, click More Motion Path Effects at the bottom of the gallery. A dialog box appears.
• Click the motion path effect you want to apply.
• Click OK. A path will appear. In 2013 and later versions, a second copy of the object appears.
• Depending on the type of motion path you selected, drag the end copy or point to a new location.

You can also apply a motion path animation by clicking Add Animation on the Animations tab in the Advanced Animation group.

Motion paths can be used in advanced animation sequences. In this article, we are focusing on simple motion paths.

To resize or redirect a motion path:

• Drag the green start point to a new location.
• Drag the red end point to a new location.

The Change Motion Path dialog box includes several other motion path animations:

Preview animation effects

After you add an animation effect, you can click the Preview or Play button on the Animations tab in the Ribbon to preview it. You can also preview animations by running a slide show (click the Slide Show button on the bottom right of your screen). By default, animations are set to play on click.

Set Effect Options

You can also set different Effect Options for animations. Effect Options change depending on the animation effect you selected. For example, if you selected the Fly In entrance effect, options would include From Top, From Left, From Right and so on.

To set an effect option for an animation effect:

• Select a picture, shape or object. For text objects, click in the text box or placeholder or click its edge. We'll assume here that there is one animation applied to the object.
• Click Effect Options. A drop-down menu appears.
• Click an option.

The following Effect Options appear for the Fly In animation:

Control the way animations start

Although animations are set by default to start on click, you can start them in other ways.

To control the way an animation starts:

• In the Animations group, select an option from the Start drop-down menu in the Timing group. You can select On Click, With Previous or After Previous. With Previous or After Previous will run based on a previous animation.

Note the Start setting is set by default to On Click:

Control the speed or duration of animations

When you apply an animation, a duration or speed is automatically set for the animation (in seconds). The default duration is different for each animation effect. The initial duration is often fast and you may want to increase the duration to slow it down.

To set a speed or duration of an animation:

• Select an picture, shape or object. For text objects, click in the text box or placeholder or click its edge. We'll assume here that there is one animation applied to the object.
• In the Animations group, enter a time for the animation in the Duration area of the Timing group. You can click the up and down arrows to change the duration or type a duration.

Note the Duration in the example below:

Editing animations using the Animation Pane

When you apply multiple animations to an object, it's best to display the Animation Pane so you can easily edit the animations.

To edit animations using the Animation Pane:

• Click Animation Pane in the Advanced Animations group. The Animation Pane appears on the right side of the screen.
• Click the animation effect you want to edit.
• Select the desired options on the Animations tab in the Ribbon or click the down arrow to the right of the animation effect and select options for the animation. You can also select Effect Options and choose more options in the Effect Options dialog box.

The Animation Pane will display the animations you have applied. If you have applied an entrance and exit effect, two animation effects will appear in the Animation Pane. You can click the animation effect in the Animation Pane and click the arrow to the right to display a drop-down menu with options or you can select options in the Ribbon for that effect.

In the Animation Pane, a green star appears beside entrance animations and a red star appears beside exit animations as follows:

Remove animations

To remove animations from pictures, shapes or objects on a slide:

• Select a picture, shape or object. For text objects, click in the text box or placeholder or click its edge.
• Shift-click any other objects with animations you want to remove.
• In the Animations group, click None in the Animations Gallery.

Animation can help engage your audience and focus attention and it's not difficult to use in PowerPoint presentations.

Subscribe to get more articles like this one

Did you find this article helpful? If you would like to receive new articles, JOIN our email list.

More resources

How to Insert Slide Numbers in PowerPoint

How to Make an Object Appear and Disappear in PowerPoint

How to Quickly Remove All Animations in PowerPoint Presentations

How to Use Morph in PowerPoint to Design Engaging Presentations

How to Remove the Background of an Image in PowerPoint (2 Ways)

Related courses

Microsoft PowerPoint: Intermediate / Advanced

Microsoft PowerPoint: Design for Non-Designers

Microsoft PowerPoint: Animations Bootcamp

Microsoft Excel: Intermediate / Advanced

VIEW MORE COURSES >

Our instructor-led courses are delivered in virtual classroom format or at our downtown Toronto location at 18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (some in-person classroom courses may also be delivered at an alternate downtown Toronto location). Contact us at [email protected] if you'd like to arrange custom instructor-led virtual classroom or onsite training on a date that's convenient for you.

Copyright 2024 Avantix ® Learning

You may also like

How to Insert or Type E with an Accent Mark in PowerPoint (È, É, Ê, Ë, è, é, ê, or ë)

You can insert or type e with an accent mark in PowerPoint using built-in tools or keyboard shortcuts (including Alt code shortcuts). The letter e can be inserted with an accent in both upper or lower case in text boxes or placeholders on slides, the slide master or layouts. The following are common accents in upper or lower case – È, É, Ê, Ë, è, é, ê, or ë.

How to Fade a Picture or Part of a Picture in PowerPoint (Using a Gradient)

You can fade a picture in PowerPoint by drawing a rectangle shape on top of the picture and then filling the rectangle with a gradient from opaque to transparent. This technique is often used to fade an image into the background of a slide. Since the rectangle is placed on top of the image and then text may be placed on top of the rectangle, you may need to reorder the objects.

How to Lock an Image, Shape or Other Object in PowerPoint

You can now lock an image, shape or other object in PowerPoint. Objects can be locked in Normal View or Slide Master View. Only PowerPoint 365 users can lock objects to prevent moving and resizing. This is helpful if you want to select and move other objects on the slide or prevent others from moving or resizing an object. You can lock items using the context menu or the Selection Pane.

Microsoft, the Microsoft logo, Microsoft Office and related Microsoft applications and logos are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in Canada, US and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of the registered owners.

Avantix Learning |18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 1C4 | Contact us at [email protected]

Our Courses

Avantix Learning courses are offered online in virtual classroom format or as in-person classroom training. Our hands-on, instructor-led courses are available both as public scheduled courses or on demand as a custom training solution.

All Avantix Learning courses include a comprehensive course manual including tips, tricks and shortcuts as well as sample and exercise files.

VIEW COURSES  >

Contact us at  [email protected]  for more information about any of our courses or to arrange custom training.

Privacy Overview

Pin it on pinterest.

• Print Friendly

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Computers and Electronics
• Presentation Software
• PowerPoint Presentations

How to Make Animation or Movies with Microsoft PowerPoint

Last Updated: May 4, 2023

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd . Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 493,932 times. Learn more...

This wikiHow teaches you how to animate items in PowerPoint. By animating several items or text in a sequence, you can create a movie-like presentation.

• If you want to open an existing PowerPoint file, double-click the file in question and skip the next step.

• Images — Click Insert , click Pictures , select a photo, and click Insert .
• Text — Click Insert , click Text Box , click and drag your mouse across the area in which you want to create the text box, and enter text.

• If the selected animation doesn't have any available options, Effect Options will be greyed out.
• For example, many animations (such as the "Fly In" animation) can be edited to enter the presentation from a different side of the frame.

• Select the item you want to animate.
• Click Add Animation
• Scroll down and click one of the "Motion Paths" options.
• Click and drag the line which appears to reposition it, or click and drag one of the points on the line to change its shape.

• Clicking a number will demonstrate the animation to which it pertains.
• You can change an animation by clicking the number next to an animated item and then selecting a new animation.

• The "Duration" text box dictates how long the animation lasts, while the "Delay" text box determines how much time will pass between the animation's trigger and the animation beginning.
• You can also change what triggers the animation by clicking the "Start" drop-down menu in the upper-right corner and then selecting On Click , With Previous , or After Previous .

• If the Animation Painter button is greyed out or unavailable, first make sure that you've fully selected an animated item to copy.

• Windows — Click File , click the Export tab, click Create Video in the middle of the page, enter a file name, select a save location, and click Save .
• Mac — Click File , click Save As Movie... , enter a file name, select a save location, and click Save .

Community Q&A

• You can save your PowerPoint presentation by pressing either Ctrl + S (Windows) or ⌘ Command + S (Mac) and, if you started with a blank presentation, entering the file details when prompted. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1
• To add audio to your PowerPoint presentation, click the Insert tab, click Audio , select a location on your computer, and click an audio file to add. You can also select the Record option after clicking Audio to record a narration with your computer's microphone. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Consider testing your presentation in slideshow mode before saving. You can do this by clicking the T -shaped "Slideshow" icon in the lower-right side of the window and pressing the right arrow key to prompt each of your animations. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Clip Art is not available in Microsoft PowerPoint 2016. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp9EYXErle4
• ↑ https://support.office.com/en-us/article/animate-text-or-objects-305a1c94-83b1-4778-8df5-fcf7a9b7b7c6
• ↑ https://24slides.com/presentbetter/tutorial-save-your-powerpoint-as-a-video/

About This Article

1. Open PowerPoint with images or text you want to animate. 2. Click the object you want to animate. 3. Click the Animations tab and select an animation. 4. Change animation options in the toolbar. Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Is this article up to date?

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

wikiHow Tech Help Pro:

Level up your tech skills and stay ahead of the curve

• Add, change, or remove transitions between slides Article
• Animate text or objects Article
• Use the Morph transition in PowerPoint Article
• Insert a video from YouTube or another site Article
• Add or delete audio in your PowerPoint presentation Article
• Record your screen in PowerPoint Article

Animate text or objects

You can animate the text, pictures, shapes, tables, SmartArt graphics, and other objects in your PowerPoint presentation.

Effects can make an object appear, disappear, or move. They can change an object's size or color. Effects can respond to mouse clicks or other actions, giving an interactive feel to your presentation. 

There's also a related video about animating text .

Add animations to text, pictures, shapes, and more in your presentation

Select the object or text you want to animate.

Select  Animations  and choose an animation.

Select  Effect Options  and choose an effect.

Manage animations and effects

There are different ways to start animations in your presentation:

On Click : Start an animation when you click a slide.

With Previous : Play an animation at the same time as the previous animation in your sequence.

After Previous : Start an animation immediately after the previous one happens.

Duration : Lengthen or shorten an effect.

Delay : Add time before an effect runs.

Add more effects to an animation

Select an object or text with an animation.

Select Add Animation and choose one.

Change the order of animations

Select an animation marker.

Choose the option you want:

Move Earlier : Make an animation appear earlier in the sequence.

Move Later : Make an animation occur later in the sequence.

Add animation to grouped objects

You can add an animation to grouped objects, text, and more.

Press Ctrl and select the objects you want.

Select Format > Group > Group to group the objects together.

Select Animations and choose an animation.

Add animation to text, an object, or a chart

Select the item that you want to animate, click the Animations tab, and then choose one of the following:

You can apply more than one animation to a single object. Simply select the object again and apply an additional effect.

Edit animation effects

To change, remove, or reorder animation effects:

Select the slide you want, and then on it, click the number of the animated effect you want to revise.

The Animations pane at the right shows all the animations on the slide.

Here you can:

Reorder or remove animations in Play From

Change how the animation works, or add a sound in Effect Options

Change how the animation starts and how long it lasts in Timing

To display a blank chart at the beginning of the animation, with the animation effect selected in the Animation Pane, under Chart Animations , select the Start animation by drawing the chart background check box.

Choose Play From to preview your changes.

Animate text and objects with motion paths

Change or remove animation effects

Make words appear one line at a time

Animate bullet points one at a time

Select the  Animations  tab, then choose an animation effect.

Select  Effect Options , then choose an effect.

The Start option on the Animations tab, gives you different ways to start animation effects in your presentation:

On Click : The animation effect begins when you click the slide.

With Previous : The animation effect plays at the same time as the previous animation in your sequence.

After Previous : The animation effect begins immediately after the previous one happens.

There are two more options related to timing on the Animations tab:

Duration : Lets you lengthen or shorten an animation effect.

Delay : Lets you add time before an animation effect runs.

Add more effects to an object

On the Animations tab, select   Animation Pane .

Select the object you want to add an effect to.

At the top of the Animation pane, select Add . 

The new effect is added to the end of the list of effects. It is named for the object. PowerPoint automatically assigns it a default effect, such as Fade .

Select the new effect to open it. Then select the animation effect you want to assign to it, and adjust the Start , Duration , and Delay , as needed.

The animation effects are listed in order.

Select the animation effect you want to move. 

Click and hold, then drag it upward or downward to position it in the appropriate position in the list. 

A thin, red horizontal line shows you where you can place the effect in the list. Release the mouse button to place the item in that slot. 

Tip:  You can press Ctrl+Z to undo an inadvertent move. 

You can add an animation effect to grouped objects, text, and more.

Select the  Animations tab, then select an animation effect.

Make text appear one line, one word, or one letter at a time

Add an animated GIF to a slide

Apply multiple animation effects to one object

Add a motion path animation effect

3D animation effects in PowerPoint

Transitions between slides

The difference between animations and transitions

Need more help?

Want more options.

Explore subscription benefits, browse training courses, learn how to secure your device, and more.

Microsoft 365 subscription benefits

Microsoft 365 training

Microsoft security

Accessibility center

Communities help you ask and answer questions, give feedback, and hear from experts with rich knowledge.

Ask the Microsoft Community

Microsoft Tech Community

Windows Insiders

Microsoft 365 Insiders

Was this information helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts – Claim Your FREE Training Module and Get Your Time Back!

How to Create Moving Backgrounds in PowerPoint (Step-by-Step)

• PowerPoint Tutorials
• December 3, 2017

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to combine two PowerPoint animation tricks together to create moving backgrounds for your images in PowerPoint.

Animation trick #1: A combination of the Fly In and Split animations to create an interesting reveal effect.

Animation Trick #2 (Bonus):  How to use a motion path on a background image to create a rolling background effect/

In the example I build out in this tutorial, I’ll show you how to reveal a majestic tower against a bright blue sky and then make the sky move in the background.

See the looping graphic below.

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Vimeo . To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

[Watch] Create Moving Backgrounds Tutorial

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Youtube . To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

To learn more about creating PowerPoint backgrounds, and where you can get free ones, read our guide here .

Part #1: Setting up your picture

1. find a picture with good contrast.

The first step in this PowerPoint animation tutorial is to find a picture that has a nice clean contrast with the background (you don’t want your center object to be touching anything or blending into the background).

For this example, I’m going to use the picture of the tower below.

2. Remove the picture’s background

With your tower (or other image) selected, in PowerPoint 2010 or PowerPoint 2013, navigate to the Picture Tools Format Tab, and select Remove Background.

To remove the background, you want to adjust the frame around the center object of your picture, in this case the tower. The purple area is what will be removed from the image; the colored area is what will remain within the image.

Depending on your picture, you might need to use the “Mark Areas to Keep” and “Mark Areas to Remove” commands to correctly remove the background.

Once the background is all purple, select keep changes.

Once you are done removing the background, you should be left with just the center object of your picture.

Part #2: Building your reveal animation framework

1. turn on the g ridlines.

2. Frame your picture

3. Adding your background image

4. Stretch your background image

5. Fill in the left side of your slide

6. Group the sky with the background rectangle

7. Duplicate your slide

8. Crop your background image

Part 3: Adding the PowerPoint animations

1. add the fly in animation to move your background.

2. Add effect options to the Fly In animation

3. Open the Animations Pane and adjust the Fly In animations

4. Add a Split animation

• Set the animation to Start With Previous so that it lines up with the frame animations we previously set
• Set the Duration to .5 seconds
• Set the Delay to 1.0 seconds

5. Add a black background to the right side of the second slide

6. Adding a Motion Path to the background image

7. Add a screen on the left side of the slide

Bonus moving background tricks

1. copy and paste the sky animation.

2. Copy and paste the Sky animation

3. Extend the window frame across the slide

4. Remove the window

5. Change the color tone of the sky

As you can see, what’s great about these techniques is that you can reuse these pieces or swap the out for others once you make them.

You can add a different sky (or a different background entirely) behind the window or the tower, for instance, once you have the background removed.

Or, you can use the sky with another window, such as a plane window, for example. You can also change the picture you’re revealing – so you can replace the tower picture for anything else that’s the same size if you add the same Split animation with the same timings.

Play around with these yourselves and see what other combinations you can come up with! If you enjoyed this tutorial, you can learn more ways to boost your PowerPoint skills here .

What’s next?

Related articles, about the author.

Popular Tutorials

• How to Strikethrough Text (l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶) in Word, Excel & PowerPoint
• How to Make Animated Fireworks in PowerPoint (Step-by-Step)
• Strikethrough Shortcut (l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶s̶) for Word, Excel & PowerPoint
• How to Create a Flash Card Memory Game in PowerPoint (Like Jeopardy)
• Keyboard Shortcuts Not Working: Solved

PowerPoint Tutorial Categories

• Strategies & Opinions
• Shortcuts & Hacks
• Presentation Design
• Pictures, Icons, Videos, Etc.
• New Features
• Miscellaneous
• Charts & Data Viz

We help busy professionals save hours and gain peace of mind, with corporate workshops, self-paced courses and tutorials for PowerPoint and Word.

Work With Us

• Corporate Training
• Presentation & Template Design
• Courses & Downloads
• PowerPoint Articles
• Word Articles
• Productivity Resources

Find a Tutorial

• Free Training
• For Businesses

We help busy office workers save hours and gain peace of mind, with tips, training and tutorials for Microsoft PowerPoint and Word.

Master Critical PowerPoint Shortcuts – Secure Your FREE Training Module and Save Valuable Time!

⌛ Master time-saving expert techniques.

🔥 Create powerful presentations.

🚀 Propel your career to new heights.

We value your privacy – we keep your info safe.

Discover PowerPoint Hacks Loved by Industry Giants - KKR, AmEx, HSBC!

Over 114,880 professionals in finance, marketing and sales have revolutionized their PPT skills with our proven methods. 

Gain FREE access to a full module of our premium PowerPoint training program – Get started today!

We hate spam too and promise to keep your information safe.

You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Facebook . To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.

How-To Geek

How to animate a still slide background in microsoft powerpoint.

Include a subtle moving background for some pizzazz.

Quick Links

Animate an image background in powerpoint.

It's easy to improve the appearance of your Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow by including an attractive background . You might use a color, gradient, or pattern, or insert an image . Another way to make your background appealing is by animating it.

If you use Microsoft PowerPoint on Mac, you have the option to animate a still slide background. This adds subtle movement to the image, so it doesn't distract from your slideshow or its message.

As of February 2022, this feature is only available in PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 for Mac and PowerPoint 2021, 2019, and 2016 for Mac.

To set an image as an animated slide background in PowerPoint, you simply start by inserting the picture on your slide. If you already have an image on the slide you want to use, you can skip the first step below.

Related: How to Control When a Picture Appears in PowerPoint

Go to the Insert tab and select the Pictures drop-down box in the Images section of the ribbon. Choose where you'd like to add the image from: Photo Browser, Picture From File, Stock Images, or Online Pictures.

Select the image on the slide and head to the Picture Format tab.

Click "Animate as Background" on the right side of the ribbon.

A window will appear prompting you to select the important points on the image. These points determine the motion path for the animation.

Click to select each point. The path will move from the highest number to the lowest. When you finish, click "Apply."

The image will be automatically resized to cover the entire slide as the background. So if your image is portrait instead of landscape, you'll need to resize or crop it .

To view the animation, go to the Slide Show tab and pick "Play From Current Slide."

You'll see your image move very slowly, from your highest number point to your lowest. Again, this is a subtle animation which makes it nice if you have text or other elements you're speaking to on the slide.

To edit the motion path, select the image, return to the Picture Format tab, and pick "Animate as Background" as you did initially. Then, click the new path you want to use and hit "Apply" to save the change.

By adding a subtle animation to your slide background, you can give a little extra pizzazz to your slideshow or automatically move to a key part of the image.