Countdown Timer for PowerPoint

There are several ways to get a countdown timer in PowerPoint but if you want a timer that runs on multiple slides you will want to place it on a master. This is not so easy! Any animation on the master will be ended if there are animations on the slide being view.

One way we have used a lot is to create a custom animated gif that counts down (or up). When this is placed on the master it runs independently of any animations and resets to the beginning when the slide changes.

This is probably the only useful use of animated gifs in PowerPoint that we know!!

PowerPoint 2007 warning!

The latest version has a nasty in built trick. Picture compression is turned on by default and when you save all pictures are compressed. I would probably say "No thanks, I'll decide" anyway BUT the compression can also screw up gifs so the are no longer animated so definitely turn it off!

Go to Picture Tools > Compress > Options right now and either turn it off or set it to 150dpi which will usually be OK.

NOTE these timers will start when a slide opens and cannot be controlled by animation. If you need a counter that plays across slides and can be started and stopped we can also make a video version that will do this. We use a special technique to create tiny file sizes. A typical 30 minute timer can be less than 200 kb! Email for details

These are samples you are free to download and use, please credit PowerPoint Alchemy.

If you want the slide to move on when the timer is finished simply set the transition to auto after zero seconds AND have an off slide animation that takes 60 seconds to complete (or maybe a little longer. The slide will wait for this to finish and then change. Maybe choose a very slow fade in and manually change the 5 seconds in the Timing tab to eg 61 seconds

If you cannot make your own we can make pretty well any custom gif that you might want and our rates are very reasonable indeed! See this page for sample of video method and more on timers in PowerPoint. PowerPoint Timers (create with vba / use a video!)

Lots of web designers are adding wikis on websites. Now you may run a site which is entirely a create a free wiki. One of the best aspects is these programs and others, such as powerpoint, are available at no cost throughout the web.

Email John with details for a quote.