The animations and transitions They have become a key element in ensuring that a presentation is neither flat nor boring. Whether in PowerPoint, Google Slides, or LibreOffice Impress, mastering these effects makes all the difference between ordinary slides and a presentation that captures attention from the very first moment.
In this guide we'll see, in great detail, how change transition animationsYou'll learn how to modify, deactivate, and even troubleshoot common animation problems (for example, in game engines or more complex animation systems). You'll see step-by-step what you can do in each program, what types of effects exist, and how to combine them without losing control of your presentation.
What are transitions and how do they differ from animations?
In a presentation, the slide transitions These are the effects applied when you move from one slide to the next. In other words, they control how the new slide appears on screenFading out, using a wipe, with a vertical panel, cutting to black, etc. Its objective is to make the change from one slide to another more pleasant and keep the audience engaged.
Furthermore, the animations apply to concrete elements Slide effects include text, images, shapes, charts, SmartArt elements, WordArt, and other objects. These effects allow an element to appear, disappear, move, change color, or stand out at a specific moment in the presentation, guiding attention to what you want at any given time.
It is important not to confuse both concepts: the Transitions affect the entire slide, while the Animations are applied to individual parts within that slide. In practice, it is common to combine both: a transition effect between slides and, within each slide, a sequence of carefully ordered animations.
Change, remove, and manage animations in PowerPoint
Change an animation effect applied to an object
If you have already added an animation to a text or object and want replace it with another Without deleting the element, the process in PowerPoint is very straightforward. First, you must select the object that already has the animation effect (it can be a text box, an image, a SmartArt graphic, a shape, etc.).
With the object selected, go to the tab Animations from the ribbon and choose from the gallery the new animation effect whichever animation you want to apply. PowerPoint will replace the old animation with the new one, preserving the original object. This way of working is very convenient when you're adjusting the style of your presentation and want to try different entrances, exits, or emphasis without redoing all the content.
Remove individual animations in PowerPoint
If what you need is delete a specific animation that you no longer want to use, you have to resort to Animation panelOn the Animations tab, click on “Animation Pane” to open the list of effects applied to the current slide.
Then, on the same slide, select the animated object whose effect you want to remove. In the Animation Panel, locate the corresponding effect, click the drop-down arrow next to it, and choose the option RemoveThis way you keep the object on the slide, but without any associated effects.
Remove multiple animations or all animations from an object
When you have several effects on the same element and you want clean them all at onceYou can select more than one animation in the Animation Panel. Hold down the key Ctrl While clicking on each effect you want to remove, and once selected, press the key Delete or use the option to remove effects.
If you prefer to leave an element completely static, without any animation, select the object on the slideGo back to the Animations tab and, in the effects gallery, choose the option NoneThis eliminates all entry, exit, emphasis, or path effects that the object might have had, all at once.
Disable all animations in a PowerPoint presentation
It may happen that you want show a presentation without animations (for example, in a resource-constrained environment or for a "simplified" version of the document) without losing the work done. PowerPoint doesn't offer a magic button to delete all animations at once, but it does allow you to disable them during playback.
To do this, open the tab Slide show and select the option Set up slide showWithin this dialog box you will find a section for presentation options, where you can tick the box No animation or “Show without animation” depending on the version. Enabling this option will cause the presentation to play without animations—like when you decide disable animations on a device—, but the effects will still be set up and you can use them again when you uncheck the box.
Edit, rearrange, and polish animations from the panel in PowerPoint
In many modern versions of PowerPoint, the side panel of Animations It allows for much more advanced management of all slide effects. From there you can move animations, delete them, change the type, add new ones to the same object and adjust properties such as duration, delay, or start method.
To move or delete To create an animation, select the effect in the panel. At the top, you'll find arrows to change the play order (to move the effect up or down in the list) and a red X to delete it. If you want to delete all animations on a slide in one step, select the first item, hold down the key Shift Click on the last one to select the entire range, and then press the red X.
If you would like to replace one animation with a different one Maintaining the position and order, select the effect in the panel and choose a new type on the Animations tab of the ribbon. add a second effect to the same objectYou shouldn't select the effect in the panel, but rather the object itself on the slide and then add the new effect; this way, PowerPoint doesn't replace the previous one, but adds it to the animation chain.
Furthermore, from this panel you can modify the properties of the effect, such as direction, behavior, or advanced parameters, through “Effects Options”, and adjust the intervalActivation mode (on click, with previous click, after previous click), duration, delay, and repetitions. This level of detail is key to synchronizing animations with your speech.
Using and customizing animations and transitions in Google Slides
Add and edit object animations
You can also create in Google Slides visual effects over text, images, and other objects to reinforce your message. To add an animation, open your presentation on a computer, select the text or image that you want to cheer up and go to the menu Insert > AnimationAlternatively, you can access it through View > Movement, which will open the corresponding side panel.
In section "Object animationsFrom the panel on the right, choose the type of animation you want to apply. By default, when added, they are usually configured as an effect of “Appear (on click)”From the second drop-down menu you can modify the start time: by click, with the previous click, or after the previous click, and you can adjust the slider. speed of animation.
If you work with lists and want each bullet point to be displayed one by one, check the box next to “By paragraph”This animates each line of the list independently, which is very useful for explaining point by point without overwhelming the audience with too much information at once.
To see how the result looks, you can preview the animation by clicking on the button Play from the motion panel. Keep in mind that some animations may not behave exactly the same in all browsers, so it's a good idea to test the presentation in the environment where you intend to display it.
Add and edit slide transitions in Google Slides
The transitions between slides In Google Slides, they are managed from a similar panel. First, open your presentation on your computer and, in the left-hand column, select the slide to which you want to apply or change the transition.
Then go to the menu Slide > TransitionThe side panel will open with the "Slide Transition" section, where you can choose the type from the drop-down menu. transition effect whichever you want. In addition, there's a slider to adjust the speed of that transition, from smoother to faster.
From this same panel you can also add object animations: click Add animation Then, again in “Object Animations,” select the effect to apply. You can select “Per Paragraph” for lists, vary the speed, and define the start time from three options: By clicking (it fires when you press the mouse or space bar), After the previous one (begins when the previous animation ends) or With the previous (it runs simultaneously).
Just like with animations, you can play the transition or combination of effects from the Play button. This allows you to fine-tune the timing between slides and the appearance of elements in a way that is coordinated with what you are going to say.
Transitions and animations in LibreOffice Impress
Insert transition effects between slides
In LibreOffice Impress, the logic is similar, although the interface is slightly different. To apply a slide transition, start by selecting the slide in the sidebar. Next, open the right sidebar and activate the tab slide transition, where you will see a complete list of available effects.
You only have to choose the transition that interests you and will be applied immediately to the selected slide, showing you an automatic preview. From this same panel you can adjust the speed (slow, medium or fast) and, something very interesting, the which will play along with the transition. Impress includes preset sounds, but also allows you to choose external audio files, which greatly expands the creative possibilities.
When selecting an effect, it is advisable to consider its actual durationIf a transition is too slow compared to the overall pace of the presentation, it can disrupt the flow. In that case, you can speed it up to make the change smoother.
Slide advance options and scope
Impress lets you control how advance from one slide to the next using the "Advance Slide" option in the transitions panel. By default, this option is usually selected. “By clicking with the mouse”so that moving to the next slide depends on your click.
If you prefer the presentation to advance automatically, you can activate the option “Automatically after” and configure the number of seconds each slide should be displayed before moving to the next. This is very useful for presentations that will play automatically, such as information panels or slideshows at trade shows and events.
At the bottom of the transition tab you'll find several important tools. The button “Apply to all slides” It allows you to use the same transition throughout the entire presentation, saving you from having to select each one individually. The button "Play" It allows you to see the current effect, and “Start presentation” directly opens full screen mode to check how the whole thing looks.
Types of animations in Impress and how to insert them
In addition to general transitions, Impress offers custom animations for each element of the slide. The effects are grouped, similarly to other programs, into four main categories: Tickets (the object appears on screen), departures (disappears), emphasis (temporarily changes to highlight) and motion trajectories (moves along a route).
To insert an animation, open the right sidebar and activate the tab Custom animation. Select the slide element that you want to animate; this will enable the button “Add an effect”Clicking it will display a window with all the effects organized into groups. Choose one and confirm with OK; the effect will appear in the animation list of the side panel, already with some default parameters.
If at any time you want delete an animationSimply select it from the panel list and press the corresponding button to remove the effect. Similarly, if you wish modify an effect already appliedSelect it and press the edit button; the window with its properties will open so you can change them without having to delete and recreate the animation.
Customize the start, direction, and speed of animations
In Impress, each animation has three fundamental attributes for controlling it: Start, Direction and SpeedThe Start parameter defines when the effect is activated: you can choose between “By clicking with the mouse”"With the previous one" or "After the previous one." The default option is usually "On Click," meaning the animation will only run when you manually advance the cursor.
La Address Determine the direction of movement or the way the object appears or disappears, for example, from top to bottom, left to right, or along horizontal and vertical axes. This allows you to adapt the effect to the visual composition of your slide.
Por Ăşltimo, la Speed This controls how fast the animation plays. Impress offers speeds such as very slow, slow, medium, fast, and very fast. Adjusting this setting allows you to synchronize the effect with your spoken words or with other linked animations.
Order animations and button bar in Impress
When a slide has multiple animations, it's key to be able to sort them Correctly. In the Custom Animation task pane, the effects are listed in the order they will run. To change this, select the desired animation and use the buttons. “Move up” y “Move down”This way you'll adjust the exact moment when each element comes into play.
At the bottom of the tab you will also find a button bar Very practical: “Add an effect” to insert new effects on the selected element, “Remove effect” to delete the one you have selected in the list, and “Modify effect” to change the type of animation without having to delete it first. This combination greatly speeds up the process of designing complex animations.
The Transform transition in PowerPoint: smooth movement between slides
Basic concept and use of Transformation (Morph)
PowerPoint incorporates an advanced transition called Transform (Morph) that allows animate a smooth movement of an object between two slides without having to manually create animation paths. It is especially useful for moving shapes, images, SmartArt elements, WordArt, and text, creating a sense of continuity between consecutive slides.
To get the most out of it, you need two. slides with at least one object in commonThe simplest way to set this up is to duplicate the original slide and, in the copy, move, resize, or change the object you want to animate. You can also copy an element from one slide and paste it into the next, always maintaining a clear reference between the two.
Then select the second slide (the destination one) and, in the tab Transitions, choose the option TransformFrom “Effects Options” you can adjust how you want this transition to work (for example, prioritizing movement, resizing, or other parameters). By clicking on preview You'll see how PowerPoint automatically interpolates position, size, and other attributes to create a smooth effect.
A classic example is a slide with several planets or icons distributed across the screen. On the next slide, you rearrange those same elements and apply Transform. When you play the transition, the planets smoothly move into their new positions without needing to define an independent trajectory for each one.
Transition Requirements and Compatibility
The possibility of create and reproduce Transformation transitions depend on the version of PowerPoint you are using. In general, the Microsoft 365 versions Office 365 and PowerPoint 2021, for both Windows and Mac, allow you to create and play this type of transition seamlessly. PowerPoint 2019 also includes support for creating and playing Transform transitions.
In the case of PowerPoint 2016, if it is installed using the method of Click to run (Click-to-Run) from version 1511 onwards, or via Microsoft Installer (MSI) with specific updates, usually allows you to play these transitions, although you may not always be able to create them from scratch. If the necessary updates are missing, PowerPoint will replace the Transform transition with an effect. Dispel standard during playback.
To find out if your Office is MSI-based or Click-to-Run, open an Office application, go to File > Account (or Office Account) and check if the "Update Options" item appears. If you see it, it means your installation uses Click-to-Run; if it doesn't appear, it's a traditional MSI installation. On platforms like PowerPoint for the webOn Android, iOS, or the Mobile app for Windows, it is also possible to create and play Transformation, although on mobile devices an active Microsoft 365 subscription is required to create it.
Common problems when changing transition animations in complex animation systems
Beyond office tools, in environments such as game engines or character animation systems A problem very similar to that of presentations arises, but with greater complexity: the management of transitions between animation states (for example, going from running to standing still, jumping, rolling, etc.).
A typical example is having a slow transition between the running and standing animations so that the character doesn't stop abruptly. While this "run to stand still" transition is in progress, the animation system may remain locked, so that it does not allow a new animation (such as a roll) to be activated until the blend between the two states is complete.
This makes, for example, the animation of to play correctly It works if you start from a standstill or running at full speed, but it fails if you try to roll the instant you release the run button and the intermediate transition is in progress. The system interprets that a state change is already underway and, since there is no defined transition from "run-to-standstill" to "roll," it ignores the new command or postpones it until the transition is complete.
In these scenarios, the solution lies in reconfigure the animation graph or the state controller, allowing certain high-priority animations (such as rolling, dodging, or reacting to an impact) to interrupt or cancel ongoing transitionsSome common approaches are:
- Define interruption rules so that certain conditions (such as pressing roll) break the current blend and jump directly to the new state.
- Use animation layers or masks that allow partially combining movements without blocking the entire body.
- Adjust departure times and the blending parameters so that the transition from running to standing still is not so long or allows for early exit.
- Implement direct transitions additional (e.g., from running to rolling and from running-stationary to rolling) if the system allows it.
In short, when a system doesn't allow a new animation to be "chained" during a transition, what's usually missing is a cancellation rule or an additional transition routeAdjusting these behaviors is roughly equivalent to reordering and prioritizing animations in a presentation so that certain effects can be executed whenever the user requests them.
master the use of animations and transitions Understanding how transitions work in PowerPoint, Google Slides, and LibreOffice Impress, and how they function in more complex systems, will allow you to design much smoother and more professional presentations and experiences: from configuring types of effects, speeds, sounds, and order of appearance, to taking advantage of advanced transitions like Transform or resolving blockages between state changes when several animations compete to run at the same time.
