Creating Custom Animations

Using slide transitions and animation schemes are good ways to begin making a slide show more alive. But if you really want to make a presentation move to your drumbeat, you need to learn how to use custom animations. In fact, when you become familiar with animating individual slide elements, you'll find yourself using animation schemes less often, so that you don't end up with animations you're not interested in using.

Animating Bullets

Typically, you don't want to get too carried away with bullet animations. You simply want to get the information onscreen, in the proper order, and with the proper timing. You might want to add a sound effect, or make the slides appear with a special transition, but you certainly don't want to make each bullet come on the scene differently. Nevertheless, you can learn about the elements of custom animations by working first with bullets.

To customize a slide's bullet text, follow these steps:

1. Click the bullet box. If you select text for a single bullet, you create a custom animation for that bullet only. Click the edge of the box to make sure you're applying animations to all bullets in the bullet box.

2. Choose Slide Show, Custom Animation, or right-click the bullet box and choose Custom Animation. PowerPoint displays the Custom Animation task pane (see Figure 11.4).

   Figure 11.4. The Custom Animation task pane enables you to animate individual PowerPoint objects.

   

3. Click the Add Effect button. PowerPoint displays a palette of animation types (see Figure 11.5), which includes the following:

   Figure 11.5. Animation types fall into four categories.

   

   • Entrance This category assumes that the bullet is offscreen and makes an entrance, ending up in its place in the bullet list.

   • Emphasis When you select this category, the bullet is already onscreen, but it does something such as grow, change color, or spin, to let the audience know it's the bullet you're talking about.

   • Exit When you select this category, the bullet leaves the screen on its turn. This isn't usually too practical for bullet slides, but it can be for other objects.

   • Motion Paths When you select this category, the bullet is already onscreen, and it moves along a predefined path, either to a new location or to its original location. For example, each bullet could move to the right, one at a time, like soldiers stepping forward out of rank. Motion path animation calls attention to the bullet you're talking about.

4. Point to the menu type you're interested in. PowerPoint displays a list of basic choices (see Figure 11.6).

   Figure 11.6. Each animation category includes a standard set of animation styles.

   

5. Click More Effects to choose from an extensive list of basic, subtle, moderate, and exciting animations (see Figure 11.7). As you click each one, you also preview it.

   Figure 11.7. The complete list of animation styles in the Add Entrance Effect dialog box is quite extensive.

   

6. Click OK to apply the animation to all the bullets in the box.

The slide now displays numbered boxes that indicate the order in which the objects appear on the slide (see Figure 11.8). The task pane also displays additional choices for modifying the animation, depending on the style you selected:

Figure 11.8. Numbered boxes indicate the order in which objects are animated.

• Start You can select when the animation should begin: when you click the mouse, at the same time as the previous animation, or immediately following the previous animation.

• Direction You can choose the direction from which to enter. For example if you've selected wipe or fly in, you can enter from the bottom, top, left, or right sides.

• Speed The speed of the animation can vary from very slow to very fast.

When you first add an animation to bullets, the animation applies to all the bullets as a group. In the task pane, PowerPoint displays only the first of the bullets. However, you can click the double arrow beneath the transition to expand the contents to display each bullet (see Figure 11.9). You can click the double arrow again to hide the contents.

Figure 11.9. You can expand or hide detailed lists of animations.

Changes you make to a group apply to all the hidden elements in the group. In fact, you can make some important changes by clicking the drop-down arrow at the right of the animated group and choosing Effect Options. Or you can double-click the animation in the list. PowerPoint displays a dialog box that is named for the animation style you're changing for example, Wipe (see Figure 11.10). The choices you see in this dialog box vary, depending on the animation style. Poke around to find out what you can do with the animation style you've selected. Wipe options, for example, include the following:

Figure 11.10. The name of the animation effects dialog box depends on the animation style selected.

• On the Effect tab you can change settings such as the direction of the wipe or you can add enhancements such as sound, what to do after the bullet finishes its animation, or whether to animate a bullet all at once, by word, or by character.

• The Timing tab (see Figure 11.11) lets you indicate how to start the animation, how long to wait before the animation starts (for example, after a previous animation), whether and how many times to repeat the animation, and whether to rewind when the animation is done playing. (Rewinding simply means going back to where the slide show was before the animation played, which in the case of the wipe means that the bullet disappears again.)

  Figure 11.11. You use the Timing tab to delay an animated object's entrance.

  

• The Text Animation tab (see Figure 11.12) contains two very important options:

  Figure 11.12. You can specify how bullets are grouped when they appear.

  

• By default, bullets are grouped by first-level paragraphs, which means that a main bullet and all its subbullets appear together. Choosing By 2nd Level Paragraphs enables you to animate subbullets one-by-one as well.

• You can make bullets appear in reverse order so that the last one appears first, as in a countdown list.

Finally, you can change individual bullets, although you should make sure there's a purpose in doing so. To change a single bullet, click the double arrow beneath the animation in the task pane to expand the contents. Then click the individual bullet you want to change and modify it just as you would a group of bullets, as described earlier in this section.

There really are so many choices that it's impossible to cover all the variations here. Play around and try things out. The more you do, the sooner you'll find a handful of animations that work well for you. Then you can begin to apply animations to your slides quickly and effectively.

Previewing Custom Animations

So far in this chapter you have learned that animations automatically play as you select them and that you can click the Play button to preview them again. The only problem with these previews is that you see only the effects and their order. You don't see other options, such as how the animation starts or how much time passes between animations.

To truly preview a slide's animations, including the transition that leads into it, you need to click the Slide Show button at the lower right of the task pane. PowerPoint then displays that slide as it appears in the slide show. You can click the mouse or press the spacebar to advance from animation to animation or to advance to the next slide. If you've used special timings, those also play automatically. Press Esc to return to the PowerPoint editor.

Using Sound Effects

I've hinted for some time that I'd talk about sound effects. Are you ready? Sound effects are nothing more than digital sound clips that you associate with animation events. For example, you can specify that a fanfare should play each time a positive bullet appears and that a groaning sound effect should play with each negative bullet by associating sound effect files with each corresponding bullet.

To associate a sound effect with a bullet, follow these steps:

1. If you haven't already added an animation, do so, either by using a scheme or a custom animation.

2. Click the bullet box, and choose Slide Show, Custom Animation to display the Custom Animation task pane (refer to Figure 11.12).

3. If you want to apply the same effect to all the bullets (which is a good idea), click the double arrow beneath the group of bullet animations to hide the contents.

4. Double-click the animation or click the drop-down list box to the right of the animation and choose Effect Options. PowerPoint displays the effects dialog box for the selected animation style.

5. Click the Sound drop-down list box to see a list of standard sound effects and then choose one (see Figure 11.13). We'll come back to this to explore a couple other options in a moment.

   Figure 11.13. It's easy to add simple sound effects to animated objects.

   

6. Click OK to apply the sound effect and to preview the animation and sound together.

In the animation effects dialog box (refer to Figure 11.13), you can select a sound clip of your own. For example, you could use the Windows recorder to record your own voice and then select that sound in this dialog box. You could also digitize a clip of music or a portion of a famous speech and then select it here. You could even search the Internet to find specialized sound effects, remembering, of course, to observe copyright laws.

To add a sound of your own to an animation, you follow these steps:

1. Choose Slide Show, Custom Animation to display the Custom Animation task pane.

2. Double-click the animation to display the animation effects dialog box (refer to Figure 11.13).

3. Click the Sound drop-down list box, scroll down the entire list, and click Other Sound. PowerPoint displays the Add Sound dialog box, which is the same as the Open dialog box.

4. Browse your hard drive to the location where you keep your sound files (for example, My Music). Note that PowerPoint can play only .WAV sound files. It cannot play .WMA, .MP3, or other popular types of sound files.

5. Select the sound file and click OK. The sound plays once.

6. Click OK again to associate the sound with the animation style.

Sound effects used along with bullet animations need to be used with a purpose. For example, you could associate a clip from Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech with a bullet point that reads "Martin Luther King." Typically, however, novice presenters tend to go overboard in using sound effects for bullet animation. I know because I did it, too. It's just so much fun. You quickly learn, however, that unless a sound effect helps communicate better, it's best not to use it. Nevertheless, what you've learned here works even better with other animated objects such as graphic images or individual text boxes.

Animating Graphic and Text Objects

As easy as it is to animate bullets, animation can often be even more powerful and effective when used with individual slide objects such as graphics or text boxes. For example, after displaying a bullet for the eagle on the Birds of Prey slide, you could make a picture of an eagle appear. You could even associate a sound of an eagle as the object appears.

To animate an individual PowerPoint object, follow these steps:

1. Select the object. Its sizing handles appear.

2. Choose Slide Show, Custom Animation to display the Custom Animation task pane.

3. Click the Add Effect drop-down list box to choose an effect from one of the four effect categories, such as Fly In, from the Entrance category.

4. Modify how the object is to appear for example, from the right, slowly, or when you click the mouse.

5. Double-click the animation to access the animation effects dialog box (refer to Figure 11.13) and further modify the animation (for example, add a sound effect). Click OK to close the dialog box.

Repeat these steps for all objects you want to animate. You can even add more than one animation to an object. For example, you could have a bird appear, and its next animation could be to exit. You can animate lines or circles that highlight important points. You can add objects one-by-one to create a group or collage. Figure 11.14 illustrates some possible animations. The bullet appears by itself. On a mouse click, the eagle flies in from the right. Another mouse click makes a circle and arrow wipe right to simulate pointing at the image.

Figure 11.14. Animations can do the same things you can do at a chalkboard, only better.

In short, think about each slide the way you've always wished you could present a slide; display items the way that makes the most sense for what you're trying to communicate.

Customizing Animation Order and Timing

It's one thing to have things appear onscreen, but it's quite another to make them appear when you want them and in the order you want them. Fortunately, PowerPoint makes it easy to adjust animation order as well as animation timing.

Consider, for example, Figure 11.15, which you see after you access the Custom Animation task pane:

Figure 11.15. Numbered boxes indicate the animation order of onscreen objects.

• On the slide, small boxes appear with numbers that indicate the order in which the objects animate. These numbers correspond to the order in which you added an animation effect.

• In the task pane, the expanded list of animations corresponds to the numbered boxes.

• Clicking or pointing at an animation in the task pane displays information about the animation (for example, On Click, Fly In). The visual icons also help you see what happens.

To change the animation order, follow these simple steps:

1. On the slide, click the number of the object whose order you want to change. You can also click the animation listing in the task pane.

2. Click the Re-Order buttons in the task pane to move the object up or down in the list. The animation order numbers for all objects automatically adjust to their new sequence.

Some animations work best if you click to make them start. For example, you might want to click to start each bullet item to ensure that you have enough time to talk about one before you display the next. However, if you have lots of animations, having to click each animation to advance can be tedious and unnecessary. For example, after a bullet appears, you can have its associated graphic image appear automatically. You can even have the graphic exit automatically when the next bullet item appears. You are the best judge as to what needs to appear when and how automatic you should make the bullets.

You can find the following timing options by clicking the drop-down list at the right of the animation in the task pane list or by clicking the Start drop-down list box:

• Start on Click This option, the default, simply means you have to initiate the animation by clicking or otherwise advancing (by using the spacebar, Page Down, and so on).

• Start With Previous This option ties the object to the animation directly preceding it. When that animation begins, so does this one.

• Start After Previous This option ties the object to the animation directly preceding it. However, the order is sequential. As soon as the preceding animation ends, this one begins.

Note that Start With Previous and Start After Previous change the animation order number so that both objects have the same number. One action (mouse click) causes both objects to do their thing.

Often, it's useful to add a timed delay to an automatic animation. This gives the audience a chance to mentally absorb one bit of information before you add another. For example, you could make a graphic image appear, followed in a couple seconds by a text box description. To add a delay, follow these steps:

1. Select the animated object in the task pane list.

2. Click the drop-down list box at the right of the object and choose Start After Previous.

3. Click the same drop-down menu and choose Timing. PowerPoint displays the animation effects dialog box for the animation style being used (see Figure 11.16).

   Figure 11.16. You use the Timing tab in the animation effects dialog box to specify how long an object should wait before starting its animation.

   

4. Increase or decrease the delay by clicking the up or down arrows or by typing the delay in number of seconds, in half-second increments.

5. Click OK to apply the timing delay.

Figures 11.18 through 11.21 illustrate an animation progression. While Figure 11.17 is showing, you announce and introduce the topic.

Figure 11.17. You introduce the slide show by showing only the title.

Figure 11.18. An eagle flies in to illustrate the "Eagle" bullet.

Figure 11.19. The eagle leaves as the "Hawk" bullet is introduced, followed by the appearance of a hawk.

On the first mouse click, the bullet "Eagle" appears, and after two seconds, an eagle image flies in from the right, accompanied by a wind sound effect that simulates flying (see Figure 11.18).

On the next mouse click, the eagle flies out to the left, and at the same time, the bullet "Hawk" appears. After two seconds, a hawk image flies in from the right, again accompanied by the wind sound effect (see Figure 11.19).

On the final mouse click, the hawk flies out to the left, and at the same time the bullet "Vulture" appears. After two seconds, a vulture image zooms in from a fade. Because the vulture is sitting, flying in wouldn't be appropriate. The vulture is also perfectly still, so no sound effect is required (see Figure 11.20).

Figure 11.20. The hawk leaves, and a vulture appears.

Believe me when I say that these animations are a lot more fun to watch on a computer than they are in this book. Nevertheless, you should be able to see that animation options are nearly as limitless as you want to make them. No longer do you need to think in terms of sequential slides to simulate changes onscreen. Nor do you have to resort to a chalkboard to show changes or add emphasis to illustrations. A few well-prepared, animated slides not only can help you get your point across better, but they can save lots of time by helping you illustrate your points quickly and clearly. If you've ever tried to explain a concept or procedure instead of illustrating it, you'll understand how an animated PowerPoint slide can make a positive difference.

Animating Charts and Diagrams

Like other types of slides, data charts and diagrams can also benefit from animation. However, instead of selecting and animating individual objects, you treat chart and diagram objects as a group, animating parts in sequence.

Consider, for example, a bar chart that illustrates your company's sales figures for the entire year. At a board meeting, you want to talk about sales progress over each quarter, but you want to do so by quarter, not revealing activity for the entire year. You can apply animation to a data chart by following these steps:

1. Select the data chart so that its sizing handles appear.

2. Access the Custom Animation task pane.

3. Click the Add Effect button and choose an animation style. Some styles are not allowed in data charts and are grayed out. For a bar chart, a simple wipe is often effective, and by default a chart's animation wipes from the bottom up.

4. Double-click the animation in the task pane to display the animation effects dialog box.

5. Select the Chart Animation tab (see Figure 11.21).

   Figure 11.21. Use the Chart Animation tab in the animation effects dialog box to specify which elements to animate.

   

6. By default, the entire chart appears as a single object when it is animated. Click the Group Chart drop-down list box to access the following animation choices:

   • Display a Whole Series at Once For example, you can display the East region's performance, followed by the West region's, and so on.

   • Display a Whole Category at Once For example, you can show the first quarter, followed by the second quarter, and so on.

   • Display Either a Series or a Category One Element at a Time For example, you can display the East first quarter, then the East second quarter, and so on.

7. Uncheck Animate Grid and Legend. This allows the grid and legend to appear immediately. Otherwise, you have to click to animate them before you can animate the chart's data.

8. Click OK to apply the changes.

Figure 11.22 shows the chart after displaying the third-quarter results. Clicking once more displays the fourth-quarter results.

Figure 11.22. Presenting just one data set at a time helps viewers focus on important details, such as the East's huge increase in the third quarter.

You animate diagrams in a similar manner. Consider, for example, an organization chart that shows two major branches or sections of the organization. Suppose you want to reveal one branch of the organization at a time. To animate a diagram, follow these steps:

1. Select the diagram so that its sizing handles show.

2. Access the Custom Animation task pane.

3. Click the Add Effect button to select an animation style.

4. Double-click the animation to access the animation effects dialog box.

5. Click the Diagram Animation tab. Each diagram type displays different animation options. For example, you can click the Group Dialog drop-down list box to see the options for the organization chart (see Figure 11.23).

   Figure 11.23. Diagram animations vary depending on the type of diagram.

   

6. Select a method and an order in which to display elements of the organization chart (for example, Each Branch, Shape by Shape).

7. Click OK to apply the animation effects.

You want to display an entire branch at once, but unfortunately that isn't one of the options. Instead, you have to click to display each position in the branch, one-by-one. You can change individual elements by clicking the double arrow to expand the contents. Then you change the animation for each of the positions in the State Beat branch to start with the State Beat shape. This is a little more work, but it illustrates how flexible PowerPoint can be in letting you animate nearly anything in any order or timing.

Figure 11.24 shows the organization chart with its animation order numbering. Note that each item in the State Beat branch is numbered 3, which simply means that the third animated object is the entire State Beat branch.

Figure 11.24. You can modify individual diagram elements to make them appear how and when you want them to.

The Absolute Minimum

One of the PowerPoint's greatest strengths is its capability to animate text and graphic objects, thus getting away from static presentations such as those found in books or in 35mm slides. In this chapter, you did the following:

• You found out what animations are and how to use them.

• You learned how to apply animation schemes.

• You learned about slide transitions.

• You explored the power of custom animations for bullets, text, and graphic images.

• You learned how to add sound effects.

• You discovered how you can animate charts and diagrams.

In Chapter 12, "Letting Action Settings Work for You," you'll learn how to make useful things happen when you click slide objects.