How to Quickly Add Good Animations to Your PowerPoint PPT Presentations

How to Add Animations to PowerPoint (Quick Videos)

Knowing how to insert animation on PowerPoint is an essential skill. And it’s easy to learn. If you like to learn by watching, we’ve got you covered. Here are two helpful videos to learn PPT animation!

How to Quickly Add Animation in PowerPoint

In this short video, you'll watch me add animations to a PowerPoint presentation. I'll cover basic animations and sequencing them so that items appear in the order you want. Check out the video below to watch and learn how to get animation in PowerPoint:

Find the Best Animated PowerPoint Templates (Presentation Animation for 2024)

Animated templates are the best way to animate in PPT. Use PPT how to add animation templates to build amazing slides of your own in seconds.

Trying to find the perfect template? This comprehensive video lists some of the very best PowerPoint animation templates that you can download today.

Need Help? Download Our eBook on Making Great Presentations (Free)

We also have a useful compliment to this tutorial. Quickly grab it before you read on. Download our FREE eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations. It'll help you write, design, and deliver the perfect presentation. 

PowerPoint animations are visual effects for the objects in your PowerPoint presentation. PowerPoint animations bring objects like text, images, or charts on or off your slide.

Microsoft calls these entrances and exits. An entrance is an animation that brings something onto the slide. An exit moves an object off the slide. Use an animation to make an object enter or exit your slide (or even move it between spots on a slide.)

My recommendation is to completely build out your presentation first and add animations later. Focus on content and the ideas you want to convey. Add the sizzle later in the form of well-timed animations.

How to Make Your First Animation

Read on to learn more about how to customize PowerPoint animations and work quickly with templates.

Let’s learn PowerPoint animation using a template. This is the Orange Animated PowerPoint Template. You can download it today from Envato Elements to follow along as we learn how to add animation in PowerPoint! It’s the perfect tool to learn PowerPoint animations.

It's easy to add an animation to your PowerPoint presentation. After you've finished inputting all your content into a PowerPoint file, begin adding your animations:

1. Click on an object to select it on any slide. This could be an image, chart, or block of text.


2. Now, find the Animations tab on the ribbon. This is the control center for PPT animation.


3. Find the Animation menu, which has star icons on it. Each one represents an animation effect.


4. Click on one of the animation effects to add it to the selected object. In this example, I'm going to click on Fade so that the text fades in.

You'll know that a slide contains animation when a small orange box with a number appears on the slide. Preview your animations by clicking on the Preview button on the far-left side of the PPT Animation tab.

Your animation will play when you switch to Slide Show mode. Each time you click the mouse button or press a button on a presentation "clicker," the slide will advance. This could mean going on to the next slide or animating in the next slide object. 

That's it! You've added your first animation to PowerPoint. Practice how to add animation in PowerPoint with another element, such as a chart or image. Let's look at other PPT animations.

Explore PowerPoint Animation Styles

PowerPoint has a great variety of styles with which to animate objects on your slides. With the animation presets you can quickly bring an object on or off a slide with one click.

On the Animations tab of the ribbon, there are many one-click styles to apply to an image. Scroll down in this menu to view them. See the screenshot below for the full list of animations:

When you think of how to add animation in PowerPoint, be creative. And don’t hesitate to try out different ideas. You have countless options. As you design one presentation after another, you’ll want to explore your options. This panel lets you do exactly that. It’s how to insert animation on PowerPoint fast.

The names of the slides are also good clues for understanding what the animations will do. "Fly out" causes an object to exit the PowerPoint slide, while "Float In" is indicative of an object coming onto the slide.

Spend time trying out the various PowerPoint animation effects. Click on each one and PowerPoint will play a short preview, right on the slide. Practice each of these to expand how to add animation in PowerPoint.

How to Add Your Second PowerPoint Animation

So far, we've animated a single object onto our PowerPoint slide. You know how to get a single animation in PowerPoint. Now, let's learn how to add animation in PowerPoint with a second object.

To add a second PPT animation to a slide, simply select another object. Then, click on one of the animations from the menu again.

Once you add a second animation to a slide, you'll notice that each animated object has a small number in a box next to it. That number indicates the order the objects will animate in. A box with a "1" will be animated first, and a "2" will be animated after it.

What if you want to change the order of our animations? In PPT, how to add animation also includes sequencing steps. Read on to find out about sequencing the animation in PPT options.

How to Sequence Your PowerPoint Animations

You’ve just learned how to animate slides in PowerPoint. With an array of effects added, you’ve built an animated slide that’s ready to share!

But first, you may want to change the sequence of the animations. In other words, you want to adjust the order in which they appear. 

In this example, I want the text box reading “Global Growth” to fly in first. Then, I want it to be followed by the image of the factory on the right. Fortunately, this is easy to do with Microsoft PowerPoint. To start, be sure you’re working on the Animations tab on the ribbon. Then, click on the button labeled Animation Pane.

You’ll see a sidebar menu open on the right side of your PowerPoint window. This is the Animation Pane. Think of it as the control center for animations in PowerPoint. It’s ready to help you re-sequence animations fast. 

Right now, the photo shows a “1” beside it. This indicates that it comes onto the slide first. The “Global Growth” text comes in second, noted by the number “2” next to it.

On the Animation Pane, all that we need to do is drag and drop to re-sequence the animations. If I want the text to come in first, I'll move it up in the list of my animations. Simply click and drag on its title in the Animation Pane to move it into a new position. 

Notice that the number beside the text box animation changes from a “2” to a “1”. This indicates that it is now the first animated object on the slide. 

When you're managing many objects on a single slide, the Animation Pane is helpful. It can help you visualize the order in which objects are entering or leaving your PowerPoint slide. Plus, you can quickly reorder them by dragging and dropping and them.

Control How to Animate Slides in PowerPoint

It’s key to learn how to get animation in PowerPoint that fits your needs. For example, it’s a great idea to alter the duration and triggers for animations. Add animation to PowerPoint in these cases for an attention-getter.

By default, PowerPoint assigns standard values to various types of animation. Often, this is the perfect timing. But in other cases, you might want to make adjustments.

Similarly, you can change what triggers an animation. By default, animations start On Click. This means that your cursor or clicker causes each animation to start.

Again, it’s useful, but it also means that you have to start each animation manually. If you’ve sequenced animations, you may want them to automatically start one after the other.

To make these changes, select an animated object and return to the Animations tab. On the right side, you’ll see the Timing section. Here, you can change the starting trigger by opening the Start dropdown. Duration and delay settings can be adjusted using the menus below.

When To Use Animations in Your PowerPoint Presentations

Here's the thing: presentations aren't about animations or how fancy your slides are. They're all about holding your audience's attention.

This quote from one of my favorite movies is a great way to think about using animations:

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should." - Jurassic Park

Just because you can add animations doesn't mean you should. Are they improving your presentation or distracting your audience from your message?

Using too many animations is distracting. When you've got objects flying in and out of the slide, you'll lose the attention from your audience. Less is more while you learn how to insert animation on PowerPoint.

Here are four key principles for applying animations in PowerPoint tastefully:

• Keep objects off-screen until you're ready to talk about them. 


• If you put everything on the slide at once, your audience will stop paying attention to what you're saying and focus on the text.


• Use simple transitions such as Appear or Fade to keep your slides simple and clean.


• Limit your animations to one or two per slide to maintain simplicity.

What is the definition of animation in Microsoft PowerPoint that goes too far? Anytime the animation supersedes the content, it's time to rethink things.

So, when should you use presentation animation in PowerPoint? I find it most useful when:

• 
  I’m kicking off my slides. When you think of how to put animation in PowerPoint, start at the beginning. An opening animation is a great way to grab audience focus right away.
  


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  I’m moving from idea to idea. Animations add a clear visual transition. They’re a good tool when you’re changing topics or moving from point to point.
  


• 
  I need to add emphasis. Animations are best used to emphasize ideas. They add motion, which captures the viewer's attention. When used sparingly, they’re a powerful way to highlight what matters.

Play the presentation to yourself before presenting it. If you feel like you've got too many animations on your slide, consider removing some of them.

5 Quick PowerPoint Presentation Animation Tips

If you're learning how to animate slides in PowerPoint, it helps to have a few top tips. Let's walk through five of our favorite fast facts that show you how to get animation in PowerPoint.

1. Animate Your Data

More than ever, PowerPoint presentations are full of data visuals that tell stories. Audiences love charts that help them understand your message visually.

Why not add animations to your data? With the help of our quick screencast below, you can learn to do just that.

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  How to Simply Animate Charts in PowerPoint in 60 Seconds

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  Andrew Childress

  
  

  06 Sep 2018

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

2. Survey Your PowerPoint Animations Before Starting

Many of the recommended templates include more than one PowerPoint animation. Survey your slides by reviewing all the active animations before you start.

Click on Animations on PowerPoint's ribbon. Instantly, you'll see numbered icons on each object that features an animation. As you learn how to insert animation on PowerPoint, review what's already included in the template. This helps you avoid deleting any key objects.

3. Create an Animated Photo Slideshow

One of the most popular formats for a presentation is a slideshow. And every slideshow is better with animations that smoothly shift from one slide to the next.

Use our article below to create a photo slideshow in PowerPoint. Many of these templates include PowerPoint animations to segue the images.

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  20 Best Free PowerPoint Photo Album & PPT Slideshow Templates for 2023

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  Alejandra (Lex) Soto Cruz

  
  

  27 Sep 2023

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

4. Use Slide Transitions

This tutorial doesn't cover transitions, a form of animation that helps shift between two slides. Use those transitions as an animation to bring the focus back to the slide. 

Learn how to add animation in PowerPoint for slide changes with transitions. Check out our quick screencast that teaches you how to add transitions in just 60 seconds:

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  How to Add Slide Transitions In PowerPoint in 60 Seconds

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  Andrew Childress

  
  

  22 Mar 2017

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

5. Use Fewer Animations

We've already mentioned this tip above, but its importance bears repeating. To learn how to get animation in PowerPoint to work effectively, consider that you might be overdoing it.

Everything we do as presenters should consider the audience. Too many animations take away from the content and are more harmful than helpful. Always challenge yourself to delete half the animations you initially included to bring tight focus.

After you learn how to get animation in PowerPoint, ask yourself how much you really need. For even more tips on mastering the art of animation, don't miss our follow-up tutorial. It teaches you how to animate slides in PowerPoint:

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  15 Simple PowerPoint PPT Animation Tips, Effects, & Tricks for 2023 (+Video)

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  Sven Lenaerts

  
  

  03 May 2023

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

Learn More About Using PowerPoint

After you've read this tutorial, you're sure to know how to animate slides in PowerPoint. Animation in PowerPoint's definition is "the motion you need to hold your audience's attention."

You've got the momentum to level up your PowerPoint skills now. Why stop here? To keep learning the app, don't miss out on our resource, How to Use PowerPoint (Ultimate Tutorial Guide.)

These skills level up your techniques of adding animation to PowerPoint. Check out three of our top tutorials in the guide, particularly the animation PowerPoint deep dive.

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  How to Make Animated PowerPoint Presentations With PPT Templates

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

  Andrew Childress

  
  

  18 Aug 2023

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  


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  31 Oct 2022

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  


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  How to Add Speaker Notes to PowerPoint Quickly and Easily

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  
  

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The Best Source for Templates to Add Animation in PowerPoint (With Unlimited Downloads)

There's a big mistake that rookie presenters make. When they're learning how to animate slides in PowerPoint, they assume they've got to do it all on their own. Beginners ask, "What is animation in PowerPoint?" and wind up deep down the rabbit hole of learning the entire app.

Instead of learning how to animate slides from scratch, a better way is to start by using a template. Templates already have most of the work done for you. And thanks to a site called Envato Elements, you'll unlock unlimited templates with animations for PowerPoint.

Find Animated PowerPoint Templates

For a flat monthly rate, you unlock unlimited downloads of animated PowerPoint templates. Plus, Elements includes millions of other digital assets. These include stock photos, music, fonts, and more. These pair perfectly with your animated slides.

Envato Elements now also includes an AI-powered search feature! This new tool allows you to input a description of your project to effortlessly locate the finest human-crafted resources. 

Start experimenting with this enhanced search tool! Discover the ideal animated PowerPoint templates for your presentations in 2024.