The best PowerPoint transitions (with example GIFs)

Are you tired of presenting slideshows that abruptly jump from one slide to the next? If so, it sounds like you’re ready to use slide transitions.

With almost 50 effects in PowerPoint, it can be tough to pick the transition that fits your presentation. So, we have a list that includes 10 of the best PowerPoint transitions to help you decide.

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What are transitions in PowerPoint?

Transitions in PowerPoint are effects that you see when moving from one slide to the next. These are different from Animations which are effects that you add to specific elements on a slide.

You can use transitions for an appealing shift from one slide to the next rather than an abrupt switch. And, you can choose from three types of PowerPoint transitions: Subtle, Exciting, and Dynamic Content.

Our list of the best PowerPoint transitions includes a few from each transition type, so you’ll see some terrific examples of how these effects can enhance the appearance of your presentation.

How to add transitions in PowerPoint

For each of the transitions below, you’ll head to the same spot.

1. Select the slide you are moving to and go to the Transitions tab.
2. You can then expand the Transition to This Slide box to view all transitions in the categories explained above.

3. Once you choose the transition, you can customize it. You can pick the Duration, and depending on which transition you pick, adjust the Effect Options.

4. Optionally, you can also include a sound, set the timing to advance to the next slide if you’re using autoplay, and apply the same transition to all slides.

Subtle transitions for professional slideshows

Subtle transitions are what they sound like. They are smooth, and if used correctly, tastefully noticeable. You can use Subtle transitions to give a great presentation for potential clients or investors.

Fade transition

Probably the most popular PowerPoint transition is Fade. This Subtle transition gives you a nice and simple way to advance from one slide to the next.

You can use either the Smoothly effect to fade through your slide elements or the Through Black effect to fade through black instead.

The Fade transition is a good effect to use for business presentations.

Wipe transition

Another Subtle transition that’s similar to Fade is Wipe. This effect provides a smooth transition by wiping away from the current slide to display the next one.

You can choose the direction for the Wipe from eight options including left or right, up or down, and top or bottom.

If you want a professional effect but something more unique than the Fade, this is a great way to go.

Shape transition

One more Subtle transition you might like is the Shape. With this effect, you see a shape fade through to display the next slide.

You can use a circle, diamond, or plus sign for the shape or pick the basic fade in or out effect.

This combines the feel of the Fade and Wipe transitions for something smooth yet distinctive at the same time.

Exciting transitions for upbeat presentations

Exciting transitions are sort of the opposite of subtle ones. They are prominent and can create an entertaining appearance. You can use Exciting transitions for more casual or fun presentations like slideshows for your elementary school class or PowerPoint night with pals.

Peel Off transition

For an effect with just a slight bit more pizzazz, look at the Peel Off transition. This one falls into the Exciting category because you get a little more entertainment with it than the previous effects. It appears as if you’re peeling off the current slide to show the next.

You can choose from the left or right for the Peel Off.

If you want a transition that offers a casual and familiar feel, check out the Peel Off effect.

Dissolve transition

The Dissolve transition is another popular slide effect in PowerPoint. With it, the current slide dissolves the pixels to show the next slide. You don’t have any Effect Options with this transition, but it does fine on its own.

Even though it’s considered part of the Exciting category, you can really use this transition in most any type of presentation.

Origami transition

One more Exciting transition to check out is the Origami effect. If you’re looking for a fun and upbeat way to move to the next slide, your audience can watch as the slide transforms into a bird and flies away to show the next slide.

You can have the bird fly off to the right or left.

This is a neat transition to use for completely entertaining your audience during a particular slide transition.

Dynamic Content transitions for unifying content

Dynamic Content transitions work in most any situation but provide a distinctive effect. They are ideal when you have content that carries over from one slide to the next. Using adjacent slides and a Dynamic Content effect, you can visually pull the content from the two slides together.

As an example, we have a table that’s too wide for a single slide, but we don’t want to resize it for fear of making the content unreadable. So, we have the first four columns on the first slide and the next four columns on the second slide.

This is a great way to use a Dynamic Content transition because it’s our slide content that appears to move, not the slides themselves. You have several of these transitions to choose from with three of the best below.

Pan transition

The Pan transition “pans” the slides from the left, right, top, or bottom. Because our table reaches the edges of the slides and you read it from left to right, we choose From Right in the Effect Options.

When you play the first slide, you see it pan right over to the second one as if the table is a single element.

Rotate transition

The next Dynamic Content transition rotates the first slide to meet up with the second. Like the Pan transition, you can pick the direction in the Effect Options menu.

This gives our table a cube-like appearance as it transitions between the two slides.

Conveyor transition

One more Dynamic Content transition you’ll want to consider is the Conveyor. Just like items that move off a conveyor belt when they reach the end, so does your content. You can choose to transition from the right or the left.

And as you can see, it appears that the first part of our table moves off the conveyor to show the second.

Morph transition for transforming content

Wrapping up our list of the best PowerPoint transitions is the Morph transition. While this one falls into the Subtle category, we’re including it in its own section because of its uniqueness and setup.

With this effect, you morph items from one slide into those on the next using an animated appearance. The best way to explain this transition is to show you how it works.

Here, we have a slide with our company’s overall performance. To emphasize those stats, we have the text grow and the edges glow.

Next, we’ll show you how to create the Morph transition. While we’ll use the example you see here, the steps are the same for your own slideshow.

1. Select the slide that you want to morph into the next.
2. Right-click the slide thumbnail on the left and pick Duplicate Slide.

3. Go to the slide you duplicated and make your changes. Again, we enlarged the size of the text within the circles and below them. We also added the Shape Effect called Glow to really make the circles pop.

4. Open the Transitions tab and Transition to This Slide box.
5. Choose Morph and optionally adjust the Effect Options.

You’ll then see your first slide morph into your second, just like you see above. You can make whatever adjustments you like and click Preview in the ribbon on the Transitions tab to see the transition in action.

Make your slideshows pop with Plus AI

Adding effects like slide transitions can certainly enhance your presentation. However, you must use them carefully so that they don’t distract from the content or overwhelm your audience.

Additionally or alternatively, consider using Plus AI for PowerPoint to make your slideshows stand out. With AI, you can create subtle or exciting content and use an appearance that matches your slide elements and mission.

Conclusion

If you’re not sure which transition fits your slides best, you’re safest using one of the Subtle effects. These can be placed on all slides in the presentation without feeling like it’s too much. But, if you’re presenting to a non-business audience and just want a fun show, then try an Exciting transition on a few slides.

Whether you use transitions or not, keep in mind that Plus AI can help you set up a slideshow that your audience will appreciate!