How to Create PowerPoint Animations Starting from a Blank Slide?

Are you looking to create captivating PowerPoint animations that will make your presentations stand out? The key is to start with a blank slide and build your animation effects from the ground up. By taking full control of the animation process, you can craft dynamic, professional-looking slides that will keep your audience engaged from start to finish. In this article, we’ll walk through the steps to create PowerPoint animations starting with a blank slide.

Why Start With a Blank Slide for PowerPoint Animations?

When building PowerPoint slide animations, it can be tempting to start with one of the default slide layouts or templates. However, there are several advantages to starting from scratch with a blank slide:

• Full Customization: A blank slide gives you complete freedom to design your slide layout and animations exactly as you envision them, without the constraints of a pre-defined template.
• No Distracting Elements: Templates often come with placeholder objects and unwanted design elements that can clutter your slide and distract from your core message. Starting blank lets you include only what’s essential.
• Streamlined Workflow: Building animations from the ground up on a blank slide allows you to take a systematic approach, layering effects in a logical order. This can make the animation process more efficient.
• Consistency: When you start from a blank slate, it’s easier to maintain a cohesive design and animation style across a series of slides, as you’re not trying to work around disparate pre-built templates.

So if you want maximize flexibility and create sleek, professional animations, beginning with a blank PowerPoint slide is the way to go.

Step-by-Step Guide: PowerPoint Animations from a Blank Slide

Now that we’ve covered the benefits of starting with a blank slide, let’s dive into the actual process of building your animations from the ground up. Follow these steps to create engaging animated slides from scratch:

Step 1: Insert Your Slide Content

Start by adding the core content to your blank slide, such as text, images, shapes, and other graphics. Focus on building a clean, professional slide layout before worrying about animations.

Make sure to:

• Keep text concise and easy to read
• Use high-quality images that reinforce your message
• Maintain ample white space to avoid clutter
• Stick to a consistent color scheme and font style

Step 2: Open the Animations Tab

With your core slide content in place, you’re ready to start animating. Go to the Animations tab on the PowerPoint ribbon to view the available animation options.

Step 3: Choose an Animation Style

Within the Animations tab, you’ll see a gallery of animation styles categorized by type, such as Entrance, Emphasis, and Exit effects. Browse through the options and select an animation style to apply to an object on your slide.

Some popular animation styles include:

Feel free to experiment with different animation styles to see what works best for each element on your slide. You can also customize the animation effect by adjusting settings like direction, duration, and timing in the Animation Pane.

Step 4: Set Animation Order & Timing

If you have multiple animated objects on your slide, it’s important to set them in a logical sequence. Use the Animation Pane to drag and drop animated items to adjust their order.

You can also fine-tune the timing of each animation. By default, animated objects will start playing on a mouse click, but you can set them to begin After Previous to make animations flow automatically. Use Delay to insert a pause before an animation if needed.

Step 5: Add Animation Triggers (Optional)

For more interactivity, you can set animations to be triggered by specific actions, such as clicking a particular object on the slide.

To add a trigger:

1. Select the object to be animated
2. Go to the Animations tab
3. Click Trigger in the Advanced Animation group
4. Choose which action will prompt the animation

Triggers let you create a non-linear animation sequence that puts the viewer in control of playback.

Step 6: Preview & Refine

As you build your animations, preview how they look by clicking the Preview button on the Animations tab or by running the slideshow. Watch the animations in action and assess whether the timing, order, and effects are working harmoniously.

Make adjustments as needed, such as:

• Changing animation speeds to be faster or slower
• Rearranging animation sequences
• Removing effects that distract rather than enhance
• Adding smooth transitions between slides

Continue to preview and refine until you’re satisfied with the final animated slide.

Tips for Creating Effective PowerPoint Animations

As you build animations from your blank slides, keep these best practices in mind:

1. Animate with Purpose

Every animation you add should serve a clear purpose, such as drawing attention to key points, controlling the flow of information, or injecting visual interest. Avoid animating just for the sake of flashiness.

2. Stick to Subtle Effects

Often a simple animation, like a quick fade in or slide in, is all you need to liven up a slide. Limit use of more dramatic effects like spins and boomerangs, as they can be distracting when overused.

3. Use Consistent Animation Styles

Maintain a cohesive animation scheme throughout your slide deck. Stick to a similar style, speed, and direction of animations across slides to create a polished, professional feel.

4. Don’t Overdo It

Too many animations can quickly overwhelm an audience. Use effects sparingly and strategically, remembering that less is often more. A few well-placed animations are far more compelling than an onslaught of flying and spinning objects.

5. Time It Right

Make sure your animation timing aligns sensibly with your speaking pace. Avoid having too many animations playing at once or in quick succession. Give each animated point a bit of breathing room.

By following these guidelines as you craft your PowerPoint animations from a blank slide, you can create dynamic, engaging presentations that captivate viewers without being over-the-top.

Final Thoughts

Building PowerPoint animations from a blank slide allows you to take complete control of the design process, ensuring a clean, cohesive, and purposeful use of animation effects. By starting from scratch, layering on animations thoughtfully, and refining as you go, you can produce professional-grade animated slides that enhance your message and keep audiences rapt.

So, the next time you need to create an impactful PowerPoint presentation, try starting with a blank slate and animating your way to a compelling visual story. Your viewers will thank you for it!

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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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