Simple PowerPoint in After Effects

Primarily I want to know the simplest way of fading out  elements/layers  and timing this to animated text.
I want to do it in the style of a powerpoint presentation but without the clicking - so time limited slides.
If I were to Pre-Comp things then I could synchronize things more easily.
Now how would I get things to fit in and out?
Would I just limit the layer's length to how long I want it to last? Or would I just use Opacity?
There are so many different options - could you guys suggest the easiest way of doing it please
Thanks very much.

The fastest way to do something like this is to set up all your text layers one on top of the other and then trim the out point for each layer to it's desired length plus any overlap for transitions. Then use the Keyframe Assistant to sequence the layers by first clicking on your first text layer and then shift clicking on the last, then go to the keyframe assistant and sequence layers. Adjust the overlap, choose the opacity option if you want opacity changes (fade in and fade out) and then click OK.
If you wand other kinds of transitions I would suggest that you create some expressions or look for some pre-sets for the other layers. Here's a pre-set that I have in my collection that quickly slides in a layer from the left to the right, bounces to a stop, and then falls out of frame. You simply position the layer where you want it to end up after the slide in and then adjust the end point. I have about 200 different presets that I created to do common tasks.

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