Objective 4.3 Set timing for transitions and animations

  • 4.3.1 Set timing for transitions
  • 4.3.2 Set timing and order for animations

4.3 Contents

4.3.1 Set timing for transitions

The timing options for transitions are in the Timing group on the Transitions tab. The Advance Slide options govern the time at or after which PowerPoint moves to the next slide. There are two Advance Slide options: On Mouse Click and After (which you set to a specific length of time).

One or both of these options can be selected. If you plan to deliver a presentation in person, it is customary to retain the On Mouse Click trigger, and to advance the slide manually. Selecting the After check box and specifying a length of time causes PowerPoint to automatically transition to the next slide after that time interval. Selecting both check boxes permits the presenter to manually advance the slide before the specified time has elapsed.

The length of time from the beginning to the end of a transition effect is its duration (the duration of the transition effect). A short duration results in the full slide content appearing quickly, and a long duration results in it appearing slowly.

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

Transitions tab, Timing group

To manually trigger the transition to the next slide

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

To automate the transition of the selected slide

  1. On the Transitions tab, in the Timing group, clear the On Mouse Click check box.
  2. Select the After check box, and then enter a time in the adjacent box.

To change the speed of the transition of a selected slide

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

See Also: For more information about slide timings, see “Objective 1.7: Configure and present a slide show.”