How to Troubleshoot a PowerPoint Animation Problem

By Jackie Michael

Part of the Microsoft Office Suite, PowerPoint is used mainly in presentations for business, colleges and schools. PowerPoint has many animation functions that allow users to personalize and optimize presentations. Of the many animation capabilities that PowerPoint delivers, users may still find the whole concept of creating an animated presentation rather daunting. There is much to remember, especially if you include timing and transitions within a PowerPoint presentation. The slightest error can alter the entire slide show.

Step 1

Check slide transitions. Once you have set slide transitions, it is a prudent move to check each individual slide and make certain that all the transitions are identical, unless you have specified otherwise. Ensure that all the slides are set the same for presentation uniformity.

Step 2

Examine the speed of the slide timing. If one of the slides has a slightly different setting, it causes the whole slide show to misfire. You may have up to twenty or more slides in your presentation and if your presentation runs smoothly until you come across slide number fifteen, you may notice it stops suddenly because the timing is off.

Step 3

Run a test on the other animation options, such as emphasis, entrance or exit to ensure that all slide motions are smooth and continuous. If you have set a particular animation to enter as a diamond shape, but the exit does not work as it should, try resetting the exit option by clearing and redoing it.

Step 4

Test your "Triggers" in the animation by setting the right option to trigger the next slide or next part of the current slide. If the triggers are not set correctly, you may experience slide animation problems. Run a preview using the custom animation option in the slide show.

Step 5

Click "Tools," "Options" and "General" if you are experiencing difficulty in seeing the presentation or animation in an Internet browser window. In "General" click "Web Options" and "Select" to view the slide show animation while browsing.

Step 6

Check any chart animations you experience trouble with by clicking on "Custom Animations" and check the effects applied to the chart. If the chart appears untimely or fails to appear at all, ensure you have set the parameters for the chart to enter, animate and exit. Run a slide test by previewing the slide and then preview the whole slide show.

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