In PowerPoint 2010, you can add transitions to slideshows to make them more visually appealing and easy to follow. Here are some tips on how to do this:

  1. Choose the transition type you want to use. There are a variety of transition types available in PowerPoint 2010, including fade-in, fade-out, and slide show intro/out transitions. You can choose which one best suits your needs by looking at the properties of the transition type and then selecting it from the drop-down list.
  2. Set up your slide show’s timing. When you add a transition type, you also need to set up its timing. This is important because different types of transitions have different defaults that can affect how long they stay on screen after they’ve been used. To set up the timing of your transition type, select it from the drop-down list and then click on the “Timing” tab in the properties window. There you’ll find a number of options for setting up your transition’s duration, including “Onetime” and “Custom.” If you want your transition type to stay on screen for a longer time (say, for an intro or outro), choose “Custom.” If you want it to fade out quickly after being used, choose “Onetime.”

Transitions certainly aren’t new to PowerPoint, but Office 2010 adds a number of exciting new transitions and options.

Add Transitions

Select the slide to which you want to apply a transition.

On the Transitions tab, select the More button to reveal the all transition options in the gallery.

 

Select the transition you’d like to apply to your slide. The transitions are divided into three types…Subtle, Exciting, and Dynamic Content. You can hover your mouse over each item in the gallery to preview the transition with Live Preview.

You can adjust many of the transitions using Effect Options. The options will vary depending on which transition you’ve selected.

 

You can add additional customizations in the Timing Group. You can add sound by selecting one of the options in the Sound dropdown list…

 

You can change the duration of the transition…

Or choose to advance the slide On Mouse Click (default) or automatically after a certain period of time.

 

If you’d like to apply one transition to every slide in your presentation, select the Apply To All button.

You can preview your transition by clicking the Preview button on the Transitions tab. A few clicks is all it takes to add a little energy and excitement to an otherwise dry presentation.

 

Are you looking for more ways to spice up your PowerPoint 2010 slideshows? You could try adding animation to text and images, or adding video from the web.