Customize Animation Timing and Effects

After applying animations, you can fine-tune when they start, how long they last, and how they behave. These settings give you precise control over the flow of your presentation.

1. Change When an Animation Starts

Step 1: Select the animated object (or select the animation in the Animation Pane).

Step 2: On the Animations tab, look at the Timing group.

Step 3: Open the Start dropdown and choose one of these options:

• On Click: The animation plays only when you click.

• With Previous: The animation plays at the same time as the previous animation.

• After Previous: The animation plays immediately after the previous one finishes.

2. Adjust Duration and Delay

• Duration: Controls how long the animation lasts (in seconds).
• Delay: Adds a pause (in seconds) before the animation begins.

Note: Shorter values make the effect faster; longer values make it slower.

You can change these values directly in the Timing group on the Animations tab.

3. Use the Animation Pane for Advanced Control

Step 1: On the Animations tab, click Animation Pane.

Step 2: The pane shows every animation on the current slide in order.

Step 3: Click the dropdown arrow next to any animation to access more options:

• Timing

• Effect Options

• Remove

Step 4: Drag animations up or down in the list to change their order.

Step 5: Use the play buttons at the top of the pane to preview the sequence.

4. Customize Effect Options

Step 1: Select the animation (on the slide or in the Animation Pane).

Step 2: Click Effect Options on the Animations tab.

Step 3: Depending on the animation, you can change (Animation Pane and Effect Option combine):

• Direction (e.g., From Bottom, From Left)
• Amount of movement
• Whether text appears By Paragraph, By Letter, or All at Once
• Other style-related settings

For even more control, click the small dialog launcher (arrow) in the lower-right corner of the Animation group to open the full Effect Options dialog.

5. Repeat or Rewind an Animation

Step 1: Open the full Effect Options dialog (as described above).

Step 2: Go to the Timing tab.

Step 3: Use the Repeat dropdown to play the animation multiple times.

Step 4: Check Rewind when done playing if you want the object to return to its original state after the animation finishes.