Animations and transitions can take your Google Slides presentations from boring to captivating. Adding movement and visual effects helps keep your audience engaged and makes the information more memorable.
In this article, we’ll cover the top 10 tips and tricks for using animations in Google Slides like a pro. From basic animations to more advanced techniques, these tips will help you transform static slides into dynamic presentations.
1. Use Templates with Built-In Animations
The easiest way to add sleek animations if you’re not a designer is to use a Google Slides template with built-in effects. Many free and premium templates come with animated charts, graphs, icons, and text boxes. Simply insert your information into the template and the animations will work automatically. This saves you time instead of starting from scratch.
2. Animate Bulleted Lists
Animate bulleted lists to reveal one bullet point at a time during your presentation. This focuses your audience’s attention and builds suspense.
To do this, select your entire bulleted list. Then open the “Animations” pane, choose “Fade in,” and check the box for “By paragraph.” Each paragraph, or bullet point, will fade in sequentially when presenting.
3. Use Motion Paths
Motion paths allow you to customize the movement of objects along lines, arcs, or circles on your slides. For example, animate a clipart image to trace an arrow path across the slide.
To create a motion path, add your object then go to “Animations.” Choose “Motion paths” then select a line or curved path. Customize start/end points and direction to make the object move along that path.
4. Morph Images
The morph transition seamlessly transforms one image into another for a cool, magical effect.
Simply insert two images onto a slide, with the starting image on top. Open “Animations” and select “Morph” for the top image. The first image will smoothly morph into the second when presenting the slide.
5. Animate Bar Charts
Animating bar charts makes data more engaging and easier to digest for audiences. For example, have each bar start at zero then grow to the proper height.
Create your bar chart in Google Slides as usual. Then open “Animations” and choose “Grow” for each bar. Adjust the delay so that the bars build up one at a time from left to right when presenting the slide.
6. Use GIFs
Insert animated GIFs from Google Images to easily add movement without complex animations. Search for relevant GIFs and insert them just like images.
GIFs work well for simple, repetitive motion like waving hands, moving arrows, spinning icons and more. They seamlessly loop during presentations.
7. Reveal Hidden Objects
Hide an object behind another shape, then use an animation to make it appear. This builds anticipation and engages your audience.
Position one object on top of another to hide it. Animate the top object to fade out, revealing the hidden one underneath. Or have the bottom object fly in from off the slide.
8. Add Sounds
Include sound effects like clicks, dings or spoken audio to make animations more immersive. Sounds help guide the audience and transition between points.
Open “Animations” and select “Add sound” under advanced options. Choose a built-in sound or upload your own audio file. Adjust when the sound plays as the animation occurs.
9. Use Triggers
Set animations to be triggered by clicking rather than play automatically. This allows you to control the pacing and draw attention to key points.
Open “Animations” and choose “On click” instead of “With previous” under advanced options. When presenting, click with your mouse to make each animated element appear in sequence.
10. Add Transitions Between Slides
Apply transitions like fades, wipes and slides to smoothly move from one slide to the next instead of a basic hard cut. This adds polish and visual cohesion.
Click on the slide thumbnail then open “Transitions” to view options. Choose a transition type and duration. The effect will automatically play when advancing between those slides.
Key Takeaways
Adding animations and transitions makes your Google Slides stand out while enhancing your message. Use templates, animate charts, incorporate GIFs, triggers and sounds to boost engagement. Follow these tips to take your presentations to the next level.
Focus on simplicity rather than over-animating. Subtle motions and sequencing guide the viewer without being distracting. With these pro techniques, you can transform boring slides into memorable, dynamic presentations.
