How to Make PowerPoint Animations Longer Than 59 Seconds?

PowerPoint animations are a great way to add visual interest, emphasize key points, and engage your audience. However, you may have noticed that PowerPoint limits individual animations to a maximum duration of 59 seconds. This can be frustrating if you want to create longer, more complex animation sequences.

Fortunately, there are several workarounds and techniques you can use to make PowerPoint animations that last longer than 59 seconds. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to take your PowerPoint animations to the next level.

Understanding PowerPoint’s Animation Time Limit

Before we dive into the solutions, it’s important to understand why PowerPoint has a 59-second limit on animations in the first place.

Why is there a 59-second limit?

The 59-second limit exists because PowerPoint was originally designed with simplicity and performance in mind. Allowing arbitrarily long animations could lead to massive file sizes, sluggish performance, and compatibility issues, especially on older or lower-powered computers. So Microsoft imposed the 59-second limit as a reasonable upper bound that would cover most presentation needs without causing technical problems.

Is the limit the same in all PowerPoint versions?

Yes, the 59-second animation limit has existed since the earliest versions of PowerPoint and continues to be a constraint even in the latest PowerPoint 365. So these techniques will work no matter which version of PowerPoint you are using.

Workarounds to Make Animations Longer Than 59 Seconds

Now that you know the reasoning behind the limit, let’s look at some methods you can use to get around it and create longer animations in PowerPoint.

Method 1: Use Multiple Animations in Sequence

The most straightforward way to make an animation longer than 59 seconds is to break it up into multiple shorter animations that play one after another.

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Create your animation as you normally would, but keep each individual stage under 59 seconds in duration
2. Duplicate the object that has the animation applied to it
3. On the duplicated object, remove the early stages of the animation, leaving only the later parts you want to play after the first section
4. Set the animation on the duplicated object to begin “After Previous” so it picks up seamlessly where the first animation left off
5. Repeat steps 2-4 as many times as needed until you have covered the full duration of your desired animation

Using this technique, you can string together as many 59-second animation segments as needed to achieve very long total animation durations. As long as you time each part correctly, the segments will play seamlessly one after another, creating the illusion of one ultra-long animation.

Pros of this method:

• Relatively easy to set up using familiar PowerPoint animation tools
• Supports a wide variety of animation types and effects
• Timing can be adjusted on a per-segment basis for flexibility

Cons of this method:

• Can be tedious to create and manage many animation segments
• Risk of slight pause or “hiccup” between segments if not timed perfectly
• May impact slide performance with lots of complex animations

Method 2: Use Video Instead of Animating in PowerPoint

If your animation is very long or complex, it may be better to create it in a dedicated video editing or motion graphics application and then import the finished video into PowerPoint.

Key advantages of this approach:

• No arbitrary limit to video duration – animations can be as long as you want
• More powerful and precise animation and effects capabilities in professional video editing software
• Faster, smoother playback performance since PowerPoint isn’t rendering the animation in real-time

To insert a video-based animation in PowerPoint:

1. Create your animation in a program like Adobe After Effects, Apple Motion, or even PowerPoint itself
2. Export the finished animation as a standard video file like MP4 or MOV
3. In PowerPoint, go to the Insert tab and click the Video button, then choose Video from File
4. Select your exported video file to insert it in the current slide
5. Resize and position the video as desired within the slide

The beauty of this method is that you open up a whole world of animation possibilities by leveraging specialized video software. You can make much longer, more intricate, and better-looking animations, with the only limit being the capabilities of the software you use.

The downside is that this approach requires additional tools and skills outside of PowerPoint. But if you already know how to use professional motion graphics and video editing applications, using a rendered video in place of a native PowerPoint animation is a great option for long, elaborate sequences.

Method 3: Use a Looping Animation Workaround

For animations that are repetitive or seamless, you can fake an arbitrarily long animation duration by using a short looping segment and hiding the moment it restarts.

This clever technique takes advantage of the fact that PowerPoint allows you to set animations to repeat indefinitely rather than only a set number of times.

Here’s how it works:

1. Create one complete cycle of your looping animation, keeping it under 59 seconds in length
2. Add an Exit Animation to the object that fades it out or hides it entirely right as the looping animation segment comes to an end
3. Duplicate the object and add an Entrance Animation to the duplicate that fades it in or reveals it at the exact same time as the first object fades out
4. Set both objects’ animations to repeat indefinitely and to start “With Previous” so they are in sync
5. Align the two objects in the exact same position so the transition from one to the next is seamless

If timed just right, this will create the illusion of one continuous animation cycling forever, with the transition from the end of one loop to the beginning of the next completely hidden by the perfectly synchronized exit and entrance animations.

The key to selling the effect is to disguise the transition point so the viewer cannot detect when one iteration of the loop ends and the next begins. A quick cross-fade to the slide background color or a solid fill usually works well. For more complex animations, you may need to get creative with precisely arranged masks and multiple duplicates to hide the switch convincingly.

Pros of this method:

• Creates an infinite animation from a short segment
• Supports most core PowerPoint animation types
• Relatively easy to implement with careful timing

Cons of this method:

• Only works for cyclical, seamlessly looping animations
• Requires precise timing of animations to hide the transition
• Can be tricky to get the loop looking perfect, especially for complex visuals

Tips for Optimizing Long PowerPoint Animations

However you choose to create your extended animation, there are some best practices and guidelines to keep in mind:

Keep Performance and File Size in Check

• Avoid overloading individual slides with too many long, complex animations
• Be aware of total animated slide duration and how it impacts overall presentation length
• Test playback performance on your target presentation devices to ensure smooth, reliable delivery
• Use video-based animations sparingly to avoid massively inflating PowerPoint file sizes

Use Animation Intentionally and Judiciously

• Don’t just animate for the sake of animating – tie effects meaningfully to content
• Be strategic about using animation to capture, direct, and maintain audience attention
• Avoid effects that are distracting, overwrought, gratuitous, or cliched

Don’t Neglect Accessibility

• Ensure key content is perceivable and understandable even without animations
• Provide equivalent text alternatives when animation is used to convey essential meaning
• Avoid animations that may induce motion sickness or visual discomfort for some viewers

By being thoughtful and strategic in how you implement extended animations, you can measurably enhance your PowerPoint presentations without undermining their effectiveness or accessibility.

Final Thoughts

PowerPoint’s 59-second limit on individual animations may seem like a frustrating creative constraint at first. But by using clever workarounds like sequential animations, rendered videos, and perfectly-timed looping illusions, you can break free of this limitation and achieve professional-grade animation sequences of practically any length.

The key is to be resourceful, plan ahead, and always keep the audience experience at the forefront. Don’t let a straightforward technical restriction stop you from telling your story engagingly and making a lasting impact with your PowerPoint animations.

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Trish Dixon

Trish Dixon is the founder of PPTBliss and a PowerPoint expert with over a decade of experience in presentation design. Passionate about visual storytelling, Trish shares her expertise through easy-to-follow tutorials on slide design, animations, transitions, and best practices, helping professionals create impactful presentations across industries.

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