<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Applying slide transitions via the ribbon tab

Switch to the ribbon tab Transition to apply transition effects directly via the ribbon buttons. You can assign the same transition effect to all slides or select a different effect for each slide.

The ribbon tab "Transition", left section

The ribbon tab "Transition", right section

The following functions are available on the ribbon tab Transition (from left to right):

▪Start preview: This option lets you view the currently applied slide transition in the document window. (See below for a preview of the applied slide transition in the mini sorter.)

▪Automatic preview: If you have enabled this option, every effect that you select here on the ribbon tab will be demonstrated immediately in the slide.

▪Transitions: You can select the desired transition effect in this list. The effects are divided into categories for the sake of clarity.

Note: The categories starting with "SoftMaker…" provide particularly impressive transitions. However, please read the "Notes on using the SoftMaker effects" below.

▪Variants: Many transitions also offer several variants, which you can select here.

▪Size: For some transitions, you can choose whether the animated elements are large, medium or small.

▪Background: For some transitions, you can also specify the background color.

▪Object transitions: You can also combine the selected slide transition with an object transition. Thus, if objects are inserted on the slide, they are also animated with their own effect during slide transition.

▪Object variants: For some object transitions, different variants can be selected.

▪Object size: For some object transitions, the animated elements can be big, medium or small.

▪Dropdown list of the command group Duration: This option determines how fast the slide transition is played. You can either select one of the presets from the list (slow, medium, fast, etc.), or you can manually enter a number to specify the duration of the transition in seconds.

▪Smooth start / Smooth end: Here, you can also specify whether the transition effect should be slowed down at the start/end, which looks more professional for most effects.

▪Sound: Here, you can add a sound effect that will be played during the slide transition. Available options:

▪Loop sound: For very short sounds, this option repeats the sound for the duration of the slide transition.

▪Command group Progress: Here, you can set whether the switch to the next slide is triggered after a mouse click (or keystroke) or whether it takes place automatically after a specified time.

▪Apply to all slides: Click on this button to apply the selected transition to all slides in your presentation. Otherwise, the transition will only be applied to the previously selected slide(s).

Notes on using the SoftMaker effects

In the dropdown list Transitions , there are several categories that start with "SoftMaker...". These categories contain particularly impressive slide transitions that use a graphics technology called OpenGL. The following restrictions apply when you use these effects:

▪Some of the SoftMaker effects can be saved only in Presentations documents. When you save your presentation as a PowerPoint document, they will be replaced by simple fade effects.

▪When running a slide show, these effects can only be played accordingly in Presentations but not in Microsoft PowerPoint.

Alternative method (1): Using the sidebar

Slide transitions can also be applied very conveniently via the sidebar, which is displayed to the right of the slide by default.

To do so, click on the icon in the small toolbar above the sidebar. The sidebar now displays a list of all available slide transitions. Simply click on one of them, and it will be applied to the current slide immediately.

Below this list, you can also set some options for the transitions, just like on the ribbon tab Transition described above.

For more information on the sidebar, see Using the sidebar.

Alternative method (2): Using the dialog box

You can also apply transitions via the dialog box Slide transition, which has almost identical options for applying transitions and displays the options in a more compact overview.

For more information, see the next section Applying slide transitions via the dialog box.

Tip: Using the preview icon in the mini sorter

In the mini sorter, slides that have a transition effect are indicated with a little arrow icon in their top left corner (see image below). When you click on this icon, you will see a preview of the respective slide transition executed in the mini sorter.