Adding page transitions to a PDF in PDF by Zaweba

A PDF makes a surprisingly good slideshow. It looks the same on every computer, it keeps its fonts and pictures, and it opens without the program that made it. What it usually lacks is a little movement between pages and a way to move on by itself. Page transitions add both.

In PDF by Zaweba you set them from Pages > Page transitions. There are eleven effects to choose from, each with a length and, where it makes sense, a direction. You can also set a display time, after which full screen moves on to the next page without anyone touching a key. The effects play in full screen mode, so that is where you will see them.

Good uses for transitions

The obvious one is a presentation exported as a PDF. Many people send slides this way because the file is small and dependable, and transitions give back a bit of the feel of the original deck.

A display time turns a document into a self-running loop. Think of a screen in a shop window, a reception area, a stand at a fair or a school open evening. Set each page to stay up for a set time, open the file in full screen and leave it. The pages move on by themselves.

Transitions are also handy for photo collections. If you have made a PDF from pictures, a gentle effect and a display time give you a simple slideshow without a separate program.

Choosing an effect and a timing

Decide first whether the transitions should apply to every page or only a few. A consistent effect across a whole presentation looks calm and deliberate. A different effect on every page looks restless, and the audience starts watching the effects rather than the content.

Open Pages > Page transitions, pick an effect and set its length. Short lengths feel crisp; long ones feel slow and can make a presenter wait. For most talks, a brief effect is kinder to everyone. Choose a direction if the effect has one, so pages appear to move the way the story does.

If the file should run by itself, set the display time. Give text-heavy pages longer than picture pages, because people need time to read. Then save, and open the file in full screen to try it from the first page to the last.

Rehearse in full screen

Because the effects only play in full screen, the normal reading view is not a fair test. Always run through in full screen before the real thing. Watch for pages that change too quickly to read and for effects that feel too long on a big screen.

If you are presenting rather than leaving the file to run, think carefully before setting a display time at all. A page that moves on while you are still talking about it is awkward. For a talk, leave the timing off and move on yourself.

How transitions fit with other page tools

Transitions belong to pages, so finish arranging the document first. Use the Organise pages grid to get the order right, then set the effects. If you add page actions, such as returning to the first page when the last one closes, a timed slideshow can loop round on its own, which suits a display that runs all day.

When the content comes from other files, combine them first and add transitions to the finished document, rather than setting them in each file and hoping they survive.

Viewers, distance and restraint

Not every viewer plays transitions, and some ignore display times. The effects are part of the PDF, but how they look depends on the program opening it. If the slideshow will run on a particular computer, test it there.

Keep the content readable at a distance. A transition cannot rescue a page with tiny type. Large headings and few words per page work best on a screen across a room.

And keep it modest. A single effect, a sensible length and a display time that suits the page are usually all you need. PDF by Zaweba gives you the choices; restraint makes them look good.