A Simple Way to Create Countdown Timer in PowerPoint 2007

We can see all kinds of countdown timer in our daily life. It reminds us how time flies. In some games with a time limit, usually there will be a countdown animation with different colors.

How to make a countdown timer in PowerPoint 2007?

Let’s take PowerPoint 2007 as example. Next we will work together to use the rectangle shape of PowerPoint to make a countdown timer.

Step 1

Open up PowerPoint 2007. Automatically you will have a new PowerPoint document with one slide. Click “Insert” -> “Shapes” -> in “Flowchart”, select the rectangle.

Step 2

Draw the rectangle onto the slide and fill the color and set “No outline” and “Color” in the “Format” tab. Copy the rectangle twice and connect the 3 rectangles in a line, one on another, set the 3 rectangle as 3 different colors.

Step 3

Select the three rectangles and group them. Click “Ctrl” and drag a new rectangle group, set the color the same as the background. So it seems like it was not there.

Step 4

Right click on the first group of rectangles, select “Size and Positions”, a popup window will show up. On the “Position” tab, remember the “Horizontal” and “Vertical” numbers. Set the position of the second rectangle group the same as the first one. Then you’ll see the first group is covered by the second group.

Step 5

Then we will use the “Animation” function of PowerPoint to make a countdown timer. Select the second rectangle group and add animation effect. Select “Entrance” -> “Fly in”, then right click on the effect and click “Effect Options”.

Step 6

A new window will pop up with two tabs: Effect and Timing. In the “Effect” tab, set the “Direction” as “From Top”. In the “Timing” tab, set the “Speed” as you like, for example, I set it as 20 seconds.



Now, you will be quite clear how it works: use the second rectangle group to cover the first one gradually. It is a simple countdown animation. As long as you can handle this one, you can think more and create a much complicated one.

Source: http://www.dvd-ppt-slideshow.com/blog/how-to-make-a-countdown-timer-in-powerpoint-2007/