You animate a picture in PowerPoint by selecting it and applying an effect from the Animations tab. It's important to note that transitions apply to entire slides, controlling how you move from one slide to the next, while animations apply to individual elements like pictures, text, or shapes, controlling how those objects appear or move on a single slide.
Understanding Animations vs. Transitions
It's a common point of confusion, but animations and transitions serve different purposes in a PowerPoint presentation.
| Feature | Scope & Purpose |
|---|---|
| Transition | Applied to a Slide. Controls how one slide moves off and the next slide moves onto the screen. |
| Animation | Applied to an Object (Picture, Text Box, Shape, Chart, etc.). Controls how that specific object appears, disappears, or moves on the slide. |
Since you want to add an effect specifically to a picture, you will be working with Animations.
Steps to Animate a Picture
Applying an animation effect to a picture in your PowerPoint presentation is a straightforward process. Here are the steps:
- Select the picture you wish to animate on your slide.
- Go to the Animations tab located on the PowerPoint ribbon at the top of the window.
- In the Animation group, you will see a gallery of effects. Select an animation effect from this gallery. These are often categorized into Entrance (how the object appears), Emphasis (an effect while the object is on the slide), and Exit (how the object leaves the slide).
- For example, you could select an effect like Fade, Wipe, or Fly In. The provided reference states, "On the Animations tab, select an animation effect. For example, select Fly In."
- After choosing an effect, look for the Effect Options button in the Animation group. Click Effect Options. This allows you to customize how the animation behaves. For instance, if you selected Fly In, you can pick the direction from which the picture enters the slide (e.g., from Bottom, from Left, from Top Right). The reference notes, "Click Effect Options, and then pick a direction for the animation."
- You can preview the animation by clicking the Preview button on the far left of the Animations tab.
Exploring Animation Types
PowerPoint offers a wide variety of animation effects categorized as:
- Entrance Effects: Make an object appear on the slide (e.g., Appear, Fade, Fly In, Split, Zoom).
- Emphasis Effects: Draw attention to an object that is already on the slide (e.g., Pulse, Teeter, Spin).
- Exit Effects: Make an object disappear from the slide (e.g., Disappear, Fade Out, Fly Out).
- Motion Paths: Make an object move along a specified path (e.g., Lines, Arcs, Loops, custom paths).
You can apply multiple animations to a single picture and control their order and timing using the Animation Pane, also found on the Animations tab.
