With PowerPoint's animation features, you can enliven presentations using transitions, action buttons , or preset animation. But before you apply animation to your presentation, have a plan. First, be sure that you understand PowerPoint's animation options and how best to use them. If you're not sure, experiment a little. Trial and error can often be the best teacher in learning what works and what doesn't. Second, figure out how you will be integrating animation into your presentation ”where, how much, what kind, and so forth. A little animation goes a long way; over-animating can clutter your presentation, detract from your message, and make the file size too large. Finally, implement your plan by adding the actual animations. (This is the easy part.) When you're done, be sure to preview the entire presentation to verify that what you've planned is truly effective. In the example shown here, an informative slide is made more eye- and ear-catching by adding animation and sound effects. BeforeFigure 15.15.
AfterFigure 15.16.
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