Section 7.2. ACTION SETTINGS AND HYPERLINKS

7.1. ANIMATIONS AND TRANSITIONS

7.1.1. Animation Plays Differently in Different Versions

THE ANNOYANCE: I made this really cool presentation at home using PowerPoint 2002. When I brought it to the office, the objects with motion-path and exit animations just appear dormant on the slide.

THE FIX: Most likely, you're using an earlier version of PowerPoint at the office. PowerPoint 97 and 2000 don't support the new animations and transitions introduced in PowerPoint 2002 and 2003. To show the presentation as you intended it to look, download the free PowerPoint Viewer 2003 from Microsoft (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=428d5727-43ab-4f24-90b7-a94784af71a4&DisplayLang=en).

PowerPoint Viewer 2003 lets you show presentations created in newer versions of PowerPoint on computers either running older versions of PowerPoint or without PowerPoint installed. Microsoft also offers PowerPoint Viewer 97, which lets you display presentations created in PowerPoint 97 or 2000 on machines without those versions installed (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7C404E8E-5513-46C4-AA4F-058A84A37DF1&displaylang=EN). Make sure you read the download pages to understand the limitations of the viewers. For example, neither viewer supports VBAthis means no macros will run in the PowerPoint Viewer. PowerPoint Viewer 2003 will run on Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), ME, XP, 2000 SP3, and 2000 Server. It will not run on Windows NT or 98. You can read more about the limitations of PowerPoint Viewer 97 (http://www.soniacoleman.com/FAQs/FAQ00021.htm) and PowerPoint Viewer 2003 (http://www.soniacoleman.com/Tutorials/PowerPoint/powerpoint_2003_viewer.htm) from Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Sonia Coleman.

After you install PowerPoint Viewer 2003, select Start Programs to open the viewer. Next, select File Open and navigate to your presentation. If you just double-click the presentation file on a computer with both PowerPoint Viewer and a full version of PowerPoint installed, the file will more than likely open in the full version of PowerPoint.

Of course, you can also simply turn off the new features in PowerPoint 2002 and 2003. Select Tools Options, click the Edit tab, and uncheck the "New animation effects," "Multiple masters," and "Password protection boxes.

Note: What's the difference between an animation and a transition? You use animations on a slide, and you use transitions between slides. Transitions, or rather the lack of a transition effect, can sometimes be used to fake animations.

7.1.2. Animate Individual Bullet Points

THE ANNOYANCE: I have a bunch of bullet points on this slide, but I want to give them different entrance animations. A whole list of fly-ins is just too boring.

THE FIX: If you want the text to have different animations in PowerPoint 97 and 2000, create separate text boxes for each bullet point and animate each one. An easy way to do this without having to reformat each bullet point is to type all the text into the text placeholder ("Click to add text"), copy the placeholder, paste onto the slide, and delete the extraneous text. Repeat for each bullet point. Once you've created separate text boxes for each bullet point, select all the text boxes and use Draw Align or Distribute to left-align and vertically distribute the text boxes. Right-click and choose Custom Animation to add an animation effect and specify the order of animation for each text box.

In PowerPoint 2002 and 2003, click the top of the task pane and choose Custom Animation to open the Custom Animation task pane. With the text placeholder selected on the slide, click Add Effect Entrance, and choose an animation effect from the list (see Figure 7-1). This applies the animation effect to all of the text in the selected placeholder.

Figure 7-1. To add an animation, select the object on the slide, click the Add Effect button on the Custom Animation task pane, and choose the animation you want to apply.

Click the downward-pointing chevron to expand the animations so you can see each one (see Figure 7-2). In the task pane, select the animation you want to change. The Add Effect button becomes a Change button. Click the Change button, choose Entrance, and select a new entrance animation effect from the list. Repeat as desired for each bullet point.

Figure 7-2. To apply different animation effects or tweak the settings on individual elements, click the chevron to expand the contents so you can select the individual pieces.

7.1.3. Make the First Bullet Visible

THE ANNOYANCE: I have a bunch of bullet points on this slide. My boss wants the first one to be visible when the slide initially appears, and then the rest to come in when he clicks. Can I choose not to animate the first bullet?

THE FIX: In PowerPoint 97 and 2000, create a separate text box for the first bullet point and remove the animation from it (see "Animate Individual Bullet Points").

In PowerPoint 2002 and 2003, apply the animation to the placeholder (see Figure 7-1), click to expand the contents (see Figure 7-2), select the first bullet point in the Custom Animation task pane, click the arrow to the right, and choose Remove to un-animate the first bullet point (see Figure 7-3). You can also simply select the animation in the Custom Animation task pane and press Delete on your keyboard.

Figure 7-3. Click the arrow next to an animation in the Custom Animation task pane to open a panel with further options.

7.1.4. Apply Options to Animation Effects

THE ANNOYANCE: I set up animations on some bulleted text. I want to click to start some of the animations but have others come in automatically.

THE FIX: In PowerPoint 97 and 2000, you would have to create separate text boxes and animate each individually. In those versions of PowerPoint, animations applied to a text box are all or nothing.

In PowerPoint 2002 and 2003, you can apply different settings to individual bullet points. Apply the animation to the placeholder (see Figure 7-1) and click to expand the contents (see Figure 7-2). In the Custom Animation task pane, select the bullet point you want to change. Click the drop-down arrow in the Start area and choose to start the animation on mouse click, With Previous, or After Previous (see Figure 7-4).

Figure 7-4. With an object selected in the Custom Animation task pane, click the pull-down arrow in the Start area to change the start behavior of an object.

If you choose "With Previous," the animation starts automatically at the same time the object before it in the task pane starts its animation. Selecting "After Previous" starts the animation automatically when the object before it in the task pane stops its animation.

You may want to start an animation a few seconds after another object begins animating, but before it stops animating. In that situation, set the Start value to "With Previous," and double-click the object in the Custom Animation task pane to open the Effect Options dialog box. Select the Timing tab and use the arrows to adjust the time in the Delay area (see Figure 7-5).

Figure 7-5. Set delay times for your animated objects on the Timing tab in the Effect Options dialog box. Use the arrows or just type in the number of seconds you want to delay.

You can also set a delay on animations starting with "on mouse click" and "After Previous." The delay will begin when you click the mouse or when the previous animation is complete.

7.1.5. Animate Text by Levels

THE ANNOYANCE: A colleague told me that it's possible to animate a primary bullet and all its secondary bullets so they fly in at the same time. How?

THE FIX: In PowerPoint 2002 or 2003, select the text box on the slide, right-click, and choose Custom Animation. On the Custom Animation task pane, click Add Effect Entrance, and choose an animation effect from the list (see Figure 7-1) to apply an entrance animation. Double-click the animation in the Custom Animation task pane. (Do not click the chevron to expand the contents unless you want to apply this setting to just one set of bullets.) In the Effect Options dialog box, click the Text Animation tab (see Figure 7-6), where you can opt to animate the text all at once or by paragraph levels. To force the primary bullet to come in with all of the bullets underneath it, choose "1st Level Paragraphs." To have the first bullet come in, and then the second one follow with all the rest of the bullets below, select "2nd Level Paragraphs."

50 Ways to Open the Effect Options Dialog

Okay, okay, so it's not really 50. But you can still open the Effect Options dialog in the Custom Animation task pane in several different ways.

Double-click the name of the item in the Custom Animation task pane.
Right-click the name of the item in the Custom Animation task pane and choose Effect Options or Timing.
Click the arrow to the right of the name in the Custom Animation task pane and choose Effect Options or Timing from the drop-down list.

Figure 7-6. You'll find the options to group text by bullet level for animation purposes listed in the Text Animation tab of the Effect Options dialog box.

Of course, you can set the individual bullets manually as well using the techniques described in "Animate Individual Bullet Points."

In PowerPoint 97 and 2000, select the text box, choose Slide Show Custom Animation, click the Effects tab, and set the "Grouped by level for text (see Figure 7-7).

Figure 7-7. Set the "Grouped by" level of text on the right side of this dialog box.

7.1.6. Apply More Than One Animation to an Object

THE ANNOYANCE: I want to have some text move across the slide and change colors at the same time. Is this possible to do in PowerPoint?

THE FIX: Simultaneous animation is only possible in PowerPoint 2002 and 2003.

Select the text box on the slide, and in the Custom Animation task pane, click Add Effect Entrance Fly In. If you dont see the Fly In animation on the list, click More Effects and choose it from the Basic section of the list (see Figure 7-8).

Figure 7-8. Choose Fly In from the Add Effects menu (left). If not available, choose More Effects and select it from the resulting list (right).

Set this animation to begin on mouse click and change its speed to Medium (see Figure 7-9).

Repeat the steps to add the second animation: select the object on the slide, click Add Effect Emphasis Change Font Color. In the Custom Animation task pane, set the animation to begin With Previous (see Figure 7-10). Change its speed to Medium, and choose a color for the text. Setting the speed of both objects to "Medium forces them to play for the same two-second duration.

Click the Slide Show button at the bottom of the Custom Animation task pane to test the animation. Remember, the first animation effect begins "On Click," so click your mouse once you're in Slide Show view.

The key to adding more than one animation effect to an object is to select the object on the slide, not in the Custom Animation task pane. Selecting the object in the Custom Animation task pane converts the Add Effect button to a Change button. The Change button changes an animation effect you already applied to an object.

Figure 7-9. Control basic aspects of animations in this section of the task pane.

Figure 7-10. Control the animation start and other basic attributes in this area of the Custom Animation task pane.

7.1.7. Objects with Motion Paths Animate Twice

THE ANNOYANCE: Several objects on my slide have motion path animations applied. I want each object to appear on the slide one after the other. However, when I run the presentation, the slide appears with all the objects on at first, and then each one is removed and reenters and animates one by one. How do I get them to behave and not enter twice?

THE FIX: Think of it this way: a motion path is not an entrance animation. It may seem like one, especially if you start with the object off the edge of the slide, but that object is really sitting there the whole timeyou just can't see it in Slide Show view because it's not on the slide itself.

With objects that are on the slide, you have to add an entrance animation if you want them to be invisible until you're ready for them to move along the path. An Appear entrance is usually the entrance animation of choice in that situation. Select the object on the slide, click Add Effect Entrance Appear, and drag the Appear animation so it begins at the same time the motion path animation begins (see Figure 7-11). Dont forget to change the start behavior of the motion path animation so it begins immediately after (or with) the Appear entrance animation (see Figure 7-12).

Figure 7-11. Drag and drop in the Custom Animation task pane to reorder animations. Or use the Re-Order buttons at the bottom of the task pane.

Figure 7-12. If you use an Appear entrance animation along with a Motion Path animation, make sure to change the start behavior of the Motion Path animation. Because Appear entrances happen so quickly, Start With Previous and Start After Previous seem to behave the same way in this situation.

7.1.8. Edit Motion Paths

THE ANNOYANCE: I have to make an animation of a train "moving" along its tracks. I know I can choose, like, a million different motion path animations, but none of them go exactly where I want. I'm screwed!

THE FIX: Nah, you're fine. Just draw your own motion path or edit a similar one to fit your needs.

To draw your own motion path, select an object in the slide area and click Add Effect Motion Paths Draw Custom Path. Choose Line, Curve, Freeform, or Scribble and draw the path on the slide (see Figure 7-13). To edit a motion path, first apply it to the object, and then right-click the path on the slide and choose Edit Points.

For more information about working with the different line drawing tools and edit points, see Chapter 5.

Figure 7-13. You can draw your own animation motion paths by choosing Add Effect Motion Paths Draw Custom Path on the Custom Animation task pane.

7.1.9. Object Jumps Before Starting Motion Path Animation

THE ANNOYANCE: I applied a motion path animation to a text box, but it jumps when it starts to animate. I want it to begin from where it is now! How do I make it quit jumping around?

THE FIX: Right-click the motion path and click Edit Points. Drag the starting point of the path to the middle of your text box.

Motion path animations begin at the middle of the object. If the object jumps when the animation begins, it means the start point of the path isn't in the middle of the object.

7.1.10. Unlock a Motion Path

THE ANNOYANCE: I added a motion path animation to a shape on my slide, but when I move the shape, the path doesn't move. Do I have to start all over and add a new motion path?

THE FIX: Your motion path has been set to "Locked" in the Custom Animation task pane. When a path is locked, it stays in place even if you move the object that has the path applied to it (see Figure 7-14). If unlocked, the path moves with the object. Choose Unlocked from the Path drop-down menu.

Figure 7-14. Choose Unlocked from the Path drop-down menu if you want the motion path to move with the object on the slide.

7.1.11. Find the End of a Motion Path

THE ANNOYANCE: I'm trying to align multiple motion paths for the same object. I want the second motion path to start at the end of the first path, the third motion path to start at the end of the second one, and so on. I can't seem to line up the start of one motion path with the end of another.

THE FIX: There's no easy way to do this with PowerPoint's animation toolsother than simple trial and error.

An alternative is to use the free Motion Path Tools add-in (http://skp.mvps.org/mptools.htm) from Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Shyam Pillai. This add-in will create a duplicate object at the end of a selected motion path, which will let you easily see the end point of the object. After you download the add-in, select Tools Motion Path Tools Motion Path End Position. This add-in will also align and join multiple motion paths applied to one object. See Figure 7-15.

Figure 7-15. It's often difficult to align the start of one motion path with the end of another (left). With the free Motion Path Tools add-in, you can create duplicate objects at the endpoint of a motion path and align the original objects to the duplicates (right). Of course, delete the duplicate objects when you've finished placing everything.

7.1.12. Animate a Chart by Series or Category

THE ANNOYANCE: I want to animate my chart one category at a time, but I can't figure out how to do it.

THE FIX: First, apply an animation to the chart. In the Custom Animation task pane in PowerPoint 2002 and 2003, right-click the chart and choose Effect Options and click the Chart Animation tab. Finally, select "By category" from the "Group chart" drop-down menu (see Figure 7-16). Similar options are available for diagrams and organization charts.

In PowerPoint 97 and 2000, right-click the Chart, choose Custom Animation, and specify an entrance animation type on the Chart Effects tab. Click the drop-down menu in the "introduce chart elements" area to select by series, by category, or by element in a series or category.

Figure 7-16. You can animate a chart a variety of ways by selecting from the "Group chart" options on the Chart Animation tab.

7.1.13. Limits to Credit Animations

THE ANNOYANCE: My ending credits stop animating before the end of the list. Is there a limit or something?

THE FIX: Yes, credit animations are limited to about the height of the slide. If you have more credits than that, you'll need to use multiple text boxes and apply credit animations set to start "After Previous" or "With Previous," plus some delay time.

The easiest way to tweak the timing for your credit animations is to apply the credit animation to each text box. Next, right-click an animation in the Custom Animation task pane and choose Show Advanced Timeline. Make sure each animation is set to begin "With Previous" on the animation task pane, and drag the orange timeline bars to adjust the start time of the individual animations (see "Show Advanced Animation Timeline," later in this chapter).

The credit animation effect is available only in PowerPoint 2002 and 2003. In PowerPoint 97 and 2000, you can use a crawl animation effect to simulate credits.

Series and Category Animations

What groups (series or category) you can animate depends on the combination of the chart type and animations you select. For example, if you use a 3D clustered column chart with a fly-in animation, the only possible grouping level is "as one object." If you change the animation to something simpler, such as Appear or Fade or Wipe, you can animate by series, by category, by element in series, or by element in category.

If you must use the more complex animationthe one that makes the "By series" and "By category" animations unavailable, you'll have to ungroup the chart and animate the individual pieces. If you'll need to update the data or make other changes to the chart, copy the chart and drag the original off the slide where it won't show during a presentation. Right-click it, choose Format Object, and set the scale to 5% x 5% on the Size tab if you don't want it to alter your view of the slide too much in Normal (editing) view.

7.1.14. Exit Objects in PowerPoint 97 and 2000

THE ANNOYANCE: I want to use exit animations in PowerPoint 2000, but there's no such thing. How can I make an object disappear?

THE FIX: Exiting an animation in PowerPoint 97 and 2000 is really more along the lines of animating in a background-colored object to cover up the existing object. Draw an AutoShape, select Format AutoShape, and choose Background from the Fill Color drop-down menu. Apply an entrance animation to the AutoShape by right-clicking it, selecting Custom Animation, and choosing Appear or Dissolve on the Effects tab. Place the object on the slide so it covers the object you want to exit.

7.1.15. Animate Two Objects at Once

THE ANNOYANCE: So how do I animate two objects at the same time?

THE FIX: In PowerPoint 2002 and 2003, you can simply use the "With Previous" start option so the objects begin animating at the same time (see "Apply Options to Animation Effects"). In PowerPoint 97 and 2000, you must group the objects together using Draw Group, which means they use the same animation effect, or you have to settle for the objects animating one right after the other.

What Is a Trigger Animation?

Microsoft introduced trigger animations in PowerPoint 2002. They're used when you want to click something and have something else happen on a slide. For example, you might click some text to make a picture disappear. Or you might click a picture to make a movie start playing.

You can use triggers to start animations when you don't know what order you need to animate, which makes them perfect for games. Triggers are different than hyperlinks. Hyperlinks and action settings generally move you to another slide. Triggers are used to trigger an animation effect on the current slide.

To create a trigger animation, add two objects to a slide: a text box that says Sunny and an AutoShape of a sun (AutoShapes Basic Shapes Sun). Right-click the sun, choose Custom Animation, and select Add Effect Entrance Fade. This simply adds an entrance animation, Fade, to the sun. Right-click the sun in the Custom Animation task pane and choose Effect Options or Timing. On the Timing tab, click the Triggers button, choose "Start effect on click of," and select Sunny in the drop-down menu (see Figure 7-17). This tells the sun to perform the entrance animation when you click the word Sunny.

Figure 7-17. Click the Triggers button on the Timing tab and then choose a trigger from the "Start effect on click of" drop-down menu. A "Trigger" designation appears above the animation effect in the Custom Animation task pane to let you know what object you must click to trigger the animation. A finger appears near the animated object on the slide to let you know the object relies on a trigger to animate.

This trigger animation technique is also very useful for making objects disappear when you click them. To illustrate this, add a lightening bolt (AutoShapes Basic Shapes Lightning Bolt) to the sun slide and apply an exit animation (in the Custom Animation task pane, click Add Effect Exit Collapse). Right-click the lightning bolt exit animation in the Custom Animation task pane and choose either Effect Options or Timing. On the Timing tab, click the Triggers button and choose Lightning Bolt from the "Start effect on click of drop-down menu (see Figure 7-18). Now hit F5 to test the slide in Slide Show view. The lightning bolt should collapse when you click it.

Figure 7-18. An animation effect on an object can be triggered to occur when that object is clicked. This works well for exit animations, but be careful using this technique for an entrance animationit's pretty hard to click an object to make it appear when it isn't yet on the slide!

Layering text boxes triggered to exit when you click on them is a great way to set up a Jeopardy!-style board game.

7.1.16. Reapply Animations

THE ANNOYANCE: I made a really cool, but complex animation. My boss wants me to animate a different picture now. How can I transfer the animation to the new picture so I don't have to redo all the animation from scratch?

THE FIX: You can't do this with PowerPoint's animation tools, but two add-ins can help: Animation Carbon and pptXTREME Edit. Each add-in will cost you $50.

Animation Carbon (http://skp.mvps.org/ac/index.html) makes it easy to save your animation to a library and reapply the animation from the library to other objects. pptXTREME Edit (http://www.pptxtreme.com/edit.asp) is a suite of tools and includes an Animation Settings Painter, which lets you pick up animation settings from one object or group of objects and apply them to another.

If you prefer not to use one of these add-ins (both of which have free trial versions available), then be sure to write all the animation steps down because you're sure to forget something when you try to recreate it.

Combine Motion Paths with Other Animation Effects

Microsoft introduced motion paths in PowerPoint 2002. To get the most out of motion paths, try combining them with other animations.

For example: select an object on your slide, right-click, and choose Custom Animation to open the Custom Animation task pane. Click Add Effect Motion Paths and choose a motion path to apply to your object.

Entrance Fade. Set both animations to Very Slow in the speed area, and make sure the second animation listed in the Custom Animation task pane is set to Start With Previous.

7.1.17. Dealing with Way Too Many Objects on a Slide

THE ANNOYANCE: I need to create a slide that has a ton of information on it. I mean layers and layers and layers of stuff. I don't expect the slide to be legible, I just want to show the audience how many different things my department handles. I'm thinking I can animate a "layer" of images and then another layer, and another, and so on. How should I create this slide?

THE FIX: Simply because of the sheer number of objects on the slide, probably the easiest solution will be to create the last slidethe one with everything on itfirst, copy the slide, delete some of the objects, copy that slide, delete more objects, and so on. Don't put any animation on the objects on the slides, and don't put any transition effect on the slides themselves.

This is an example of using multiple slides and no transition effects to mimic animation. Each time you click, you'll move to the next slide, which has even more objects on it. Your audience won't realize you're actually moving to another slide.

As an alternative, download the demo version of the RnR PPT2HTML add-in (http://www.rdpslides.com/pptools/ppt2html/index.html) and use the Accessibility Assistant to hide objects while you animate visible objects (see Figure 7-19).

Figure 7-19. The PPT2HTML demo add-in includes an Accessibility Assistant, which comes in handy when animating crowded slides. Use it to make objects invisible while you concentrate on the visible items.

Yet another alternative is PowerPoint's own Select Multiple Objects tool. To add this to your toolbar, select Tools Customize and click the Commands tab. In the Drawing Category, choose the "Select Multiple Objects icon and drag it to any toolbar (see Figure 7-20).

Figure 7-20. Add the Select Multiple Objects tool by dragging it to any toolbar.

If you click the Select Multiple Objects tool, it will open a dialog box listing everything on your slide. If you double-click an object on your slide to open the Format Object dialog, you can add descriptive text in the Web tab, and it will show up in the Select Multiple Objects list (see Figure 7-21). This makes it much easier to determine what you have selected.

Figure 7-21. Text added in the Web tab will show up in the Select Multiple Objects list. It is also the alternative text that will show up in screen readers and if you save your PowerPoint file as a web page.

7.1.18. Determine Which Objects Are Animated

THE ANNOYANCE: I added descriptive text to my objects using the Web tab in the Format Objects dialog box, but I still can't tell whether those objects are animated. Why are the names in the Custom Animation task pane different?

THE FIX: Unfortunately, this annoyance has no satisfactory workaround. The Custom Animation task pane uses PowerPoint's internal naming scheme, and you can't change it.

However, PowerPoint does give you some hints as to what's been animated. If you insert an image, the name of the image file shows up in the Custom Animation task pane, and if you select an object in the Custom Animation task pane, the number of its animation turns yellow on the slide (see Figure 7-22). Likewise, if you select an object on the slide, its name will be highlighted in the Custom Animation task pane if it has animation.

Figure 7-22. When you add an animation to a picture inserted via Insert Picture From File, the name of the picture shows up in the Custom Animation task pane. When you select the picture on the slide, it will also be highlighted in the Custom Animation task pane if it has an animation. If you select the name of the picture in the Custom Animation task pane, the animation number on the slide will turn yellow.

The Select Multiple Objects tool (see "Dealing with Way Too Many Objects on a Slide") also helps determine what objects have animation applied. By exercising discipline and adding alternate web text when adding objects to slides, you can more easily determine what you've selected on a busy slide and add animation to it if it doesn't highlight in the Custom Animation task pane when selected.

7.1.19. Input a Custom Spin Angle

THE ANNOYANCE: When I tried to enter a custom spin angle in the Spin emphasis animation, it just jumped back to 360°.

THE FIX: Make sure you hit the Tab or Enter key after you type in the angle you want. If you just click elsewhere on the slide or animation pane, the number you typed won't "take."

7.1.20. Change the Fulcrum of a Spin

THE ANNOYANCE: I applied a spin emphasis animation to an arrow, but I want it to spin around the point of the arrow, not the center. How can I change the fulcrum of the spin?

THE FIX: In a nutshell, copy the object, group the copy and the original, apply the spin animation, and make the copy transparent.

Because PowerPoint spins all objects around their centers, you basically have to create a new center by grouping the object with another object. To illustrate, use the following steps:

Create an arrow on your slide (AutoShapes Block Arrows Right Arrow).
With the copy of the arrow selected, choose Draw Rotate or Flip Flip Horizontal.
Align or Distribute Align Top to align them.
Select both arrows and choose Draw Group.
Emphasis Spin.
No Fill and then select Line Color No Line (see Figure 7-23). You can change these settings in the Format AutoShape dialog box by double-clicking the AutoShape.

Figure 7-23. Make a copy of an object, group it with the original object, and give it no line and no fill to create a false center point for the Spin emphasis animation.

7.1.21. Animate One Word in a Text Box

THE ANNOYANCE: I have a line of text, and I want one word to change color. Is this possible?

THE FIX: You'll have to create another text box for the highlighted text. PowerPoint's animations apply to the entire text box; you can't animate just one word.

If you're trying to overlay a text box onto another to highlight individual words or phrases, sometimes the text box with just a few words won't line up exactly on top of the text boxes having more text.

For example, say you're working with a text box that says "PowerPoint is the best thing since sliced bread!" Your goal is to make the phrase "the best thing" turn orange. But when you copy the original text box, change the text to orange, and delete all the extraneous words, the phrase doesn't exactly line up with the phrase in the original text box, so it doesn't completely cover the existing text (see Figure 7-24). This is PowerPoint trying to be helpfulit tries to make the text look good in the presentation, so it adjusts the spacing between the letters and words in a text box.

Figure 7-24. PowerPoint tries to be helpful by automatically adjusting text to make it look as good as it can. This can cause problems when you want to overlay one text box on top of another to create a "highlight" animation.

The problem is that the spacing in the one-word (or short phrase) text box is slightly different from the spacing between the letters and words in the "full" text box. As a result, the words no longer align when you layer one on top of the other.

There's no really good fix for this problem. One option is to copy the full text box and animate it. It will work if you can live with an Appear animation, but it may not work well for other animations.

Another option is to split the text into three text boxesPowerPoint is, the best thing, since sliced bread!and add a "Change Font Color" Emphasis animation effect to the second text box. And yet another option is to copy the text box, change the color of the appropriate text, and save both the original and the copy as .png files (right-click, choose Save As Picture, and select .png from the Save As Type drop-down menu). Crop the copy so that only the changed text shows, apply an appropriate animation, and align the two pictures.

A fourth option is to purchase the $50 pptXTREME SoftShadow add-in (http://www.pptxtreme.com/softshadow.asp). Set the shadow to 0,0 (i.e., no shadow) to create images of the original text box and the copy. The text images created with this add-in often align better than .png files created using PowerPoint's own Save As Picture option.

7.1.22. Show a Formula During a Presentation

THE ANNOYANCE: I want to be able to click on a cell of an Excel spreadsheet and show the Excel formula during my presentation. The spreadsheet is in the presentation already, but I can't get it to show formulas.

THE FIX: With the spreadsheet selected on the slide, click Add Effect Object Actions Open in the Custom Animation task pane. Now when you click the spreadsheet during the presentation, Excel will open, and you can show the formula.

You might want to use a trigger effect to start the object action instead of starting it with a "general" mouse-click. Applying a trigger to the spreadsheet itself would be the way to open the spreadsheet when you click it. See "What Is a Trigger Animation?" for information on using triggers to start animations.

You can use Add Effect Object Actions Open or Edit on a wide variety of OLE embedded or linked objects in PowerPoint 2002 and 2003.

In PowerPoint 97 and 2000, right-click the embedded object and choose Custom Animation. On the Multimedia Settings tab, select Open from the Object Action drop-down menu to open the object on mouse-click.

7.1.23. Repeat a Sequence of Animations

THE ANNOYANCE: I want a text box to fade in and out continuously until the end of my slide. I've tried everything to make this work, but I can't figure it out.

THE FIX: PowerPoint doesn't provide any way to loop a series of animations.

Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Chirag Dalal's Office One Animations add-in (http://officeone.mvps.org/anims/anims.html) adds this functionality to PowerPoint. It's not necessary to have this add-in installed on the computer you use to show the presentationsimply add the animation with the Office One Animation tool when you create the presentation, and it will work as long as you show the presentation in PowerPoint 2002, 2003, or PowerPoint Viewer 2003. The add-in will cost you $50.

7.1.24. Go from Animation to Transition

THE ANNOYANCE: I want this slide to transition to the next slide after I click to start the final animation. I don't think I should have to wait for the animation to end and click again to move to the next slide. It's too confusing.

THE FIX: PowerPoint doesn't have an "animation into transition" setting to combine manual animations with automatic transitions. But you can use the Office One Animations add-in (http://officeone.mvps.org/anims/anims.html) from Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Chirag Dalal to get this functionality. You will need to install this $50 add-in on the computer you use to show the presentation.

The Office One Animation's AutoTransitions feature is turned off by default. To turn it on, select OfficeOne Animations Configure AutoTransitions, check the Enable AutoTransitions box, and click OK.

Alternatively, if you want to combine automatic animations with manual transitions, you can create a "shim" slide following the real slide. The real slide has the first part of the animations along with an automatic transition, which causes the animations to also be automatic. And although the transition timing is automatic, the transition effect should be set to none. The shim slide has the last animation and its transition is set to manual advance. To see what this looks like in action, and for a downloadable sample file, visit this book's web page (http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/).

7.1.25. Keep Slide on Screen After Animation

THE ANNOYANCE: I have a bunch of animations and an automatic transition on this slide, but I need the slide to stay put for a couple of seconds so everybody can read all the text before it changes to the next slide. How do I keep a slide on screen after the animation?

THE FIX: Put an extra object, such as a rectangle or oval AutoShape, on the slide and apply an animation to begin a few secondsor whatever appropriate time as necessaryafter the last animation on the slide. Drag this object off the edge of the slide so the audience won't see it during the presentation. This will cause the slide to pause after the last visible animation and before the transition begins.

7.1.26. Slide Transitions Don't Work Right

THE ANNOYANCE: I applied the checkerboard transition to three consecutive slides. The first slide transitions perfectly, but the two remaining slides do not transition correctlyonly part of each slide shows the checkerboard transition going across.

THE FIX: This is PowerPoint working as designed. The master elements on a slide may not appear to transition because they don't change from slide to slide.

The first slide transitions through black because there's not a slide in front of it with the same elements to transition from. If you put a black slide with a 00-second automatic transition between each of the "real" slides, you'll get a checkerboard, all right! To add a blank, black slide with an automatic transition, select View Slide Sorter, click between two slides, select Insert New Slide, and choose a Blank slide layout. Click the blank slide to select it, and select Slide Show Slide Transition. Click "Automatically after in the Slide Transition task pane (PowerPoint 2002 and 2003) or dialog box (PowerPoint 97 and 2000), and leave the time set to 00:00. Finally, select Format Background, choose black from the Color drop-down menu, and check the "Omit background graphics from master box.

Push or cover transitions don't work the same way. The entire slide is displaced in those transitions, so, generally speaking, nothing's transitioning in on top of itself.

7.1.27. Show Advanced Animation Timeline

THE ANNOYANCE: I like to show the advanced animation timeline when I'm animating. Why doesn't the timeline show for all objects?

THE FIX: The advanced animation timeline shows animations that happen based on each mouse click. Only the animations responding to the selected mouse click will show up in the animation timeline (see Figure 7-25). To see the timeline for another object, select a different mouse-click object in the Custom Animation task pane.

Figure 7-25. The advanced animation timeline shows the start time, end time, and duration of each animation responding to a specific mouse click.

The Advanced Animation Timeline

Double-click any object in the Custom Animation task pane (or right-click and choose Effect Options or Timing) to display a dialog box where you can apply all kinds of different effect and timing options (see Figure 7-26).

Figure 7-26. To open the Timing dialog box, double-click or right-click an animation in the Custom Animation task pane. Use Delay to adjust the start time of the animation, Speed to adjust the duration, and Repeat to, well, repeat the animation.

Another way to control timing is to right-click an animation in the Custom Animation task pane and choose Show Advanced Timeline and simply drag the orange bars. When your cursor becomes a vertical double-headed arrow (see Figure 7-27), you can drag to change the duration of an animation, which is the same as changing the Speed in the Timing dialog box. When you see a horizontal double-headed arrow (see Figure 7-28), you can drag to change the start time of an animation while maintaining its duration.

Figure 7-27. When your cursor looks like a double-headed arrow, you can drag it to change the start and/or end time of an animation. Adjusting one without adjusting the other effectively changes the duration of the animation.

Figure 7-28. When your cursor looks like horizontal double-headed arrow, you can drag the animation to another position on the timeline without changing its duration.

Many users find it easier to adjust timing in the advanced timeline, which offers more visual cues as to what's happening than the dialog boxes.

PowerPoint 97 and 2000 only have linear animation options, so the advanced animation timeline is not available in those versions.

7.1.28. Change After Previous to With Previous

THE ANNOYANCE: I set an animation to begin "After Previous," but I decided I want it to start partway through the previous animation. Problem is, I can't drag the timeline marker where I want it. What do I need to do to adjust my animation settings?

THE FIX: Change the animation start to "With Previous," and then add a delay or drag the animation into place on the advanced timeline.

If you right-click in the Custom Animation task pane and choose Show Advanced Timeline, you'll see a solid line before animations set to start "After Previous." This prevents the animation from starting before the previous animation is complete, which is what start "After Previous" is supposed to do. Changing to start "With Previous" removes that line (see Figure 7-29).

Figure 7-29. Animations set to begin "After Previous" have a solid line in front of them to indicate that they cannot begin earlier. Changing the animation to start "With Previous" allows you to overlap the animation starts.

7.1.29. Honey, I Shrunk the Pictures

THE ANNOYANCE: I used a Grow/Shrink animation to enlarge a picture, and it got all pixelated. I need to enlarge my picture to show its details.

THE FIX: The trick here is to insert the image at the largest size you want it to display, make it disappear and shrink, and then enlarge it again. Otherwise, the photo will indeed become pixelated, just as it would if you inserted a small picture and dragged to enlarge it.

Follow these steps:

Insert the image at its full size.
Choose Insert Picture From File and navigate to select the picture. If you want the picture to ultimately fill the screen, make sure you insert a picture that fills the screen; otherwise, the picture will become pixelated when it grows to that size.
Exit Disappear on the Custom Animation task pane. Set the start to "With Previous so the image doesn't actually show up on the slide while it's shrinking.
Shrink the animation.
Apply the Grow/Shrink emphasis animation by selecting the picture on the slide and choosing Add Effect Emphasis Grow/Shrink on the Custom Animation task pane. Make sure the Start action is set to "With Previous or "After Previous." Click the Size drop-down menu and type 50 in the Custom size box (see Figure 7-30). Make sure you hit the Tab or Enter key after typing in the new size percentage; otherwise, the size will jump back to 150%. Because you applied an exit animation immediately before the shrink animation, your audience won't see the shrinkage happen.

Figure 7-30. Type a percentage in the Custom Size area of the Grow/Shrink animation effect. Your object shrinks if you type in a number smaller than 100; it grows if you use a number larger than 100.
Animate the image when required.
Add an entrance animation by selecting the picture on the slide and choosing Add Effect Entrance Appear (or whatever entrance effect you prefer to use) on the Custom Animation task pane. Set the Start action of this animation so that it occurs when you mouse click or automatically ("With Previous or "After Previous") when you reach the appropriate point in your animation timeline.
Grow the image to its original size
Apply a Grow/Shrink animation effect by selecting the picture on the slide and choosing Add Effect Emphasis Grow/Shrink on the Custom Animation task pane. Set the Start action so that it occurs "With Previous." Click the Size drop-down menu and type 200 in the Custom size box. Make sure you hit the Tab or Enter key after typing in the new size percentage; otherwise, the size will jump back to 150%.
For example, in the steps above, we "grew" the picture 50%, and now we want to take it back to 100% (100 / 50 = 2, and 2 x 100 = 200). So if we shrink the picture by 50%, we must later grow it by 200% to get back to the original size (see Figure 7-31).

Emphasis animations, including Grow/Shrink, are available only in PowerPoint 2002 and 2003.

Figure 7-31. Your animation settings will look like this if you use the technique to shrink your object out of sight of your audience. This is the way to prevent your image from becoming pixelated when using a Grow emphasis animation.

7.1.30. Zoom In on an Area

THE ANNOYANCE: I was at a conference the other day, and the presenter used a zoom feature or something to quickly enlarge part of her slide. How in the world did she do this?

THE FIX: You can actually enlarge part of your slide in quite a few ways, but they all take a little planning. You'll need close-up pictures of the areas you want to zoom in on.

If you're using PowerPoint 2002 or 2003, you can set up your slides with "hotspots," and set the hotspot to trigger the entrance of a close-up picture. Draw an AutoShape over the area you want to click to make the close-up picture appear. Select Insert Picture From File to insert the close-up picture on the slide, select it on the slide, and choose Add Effect Entrance Zoom In on the Custom Animation task pane. Right-click the animation on the Custom Animation task pane, choose Timing, click the Triggers button, and in the "Start effect on click of drop-down menu, select the hotspot you created (see Figure 7-32).

Figure 7-32. Select the object that will trigger the start of an animation when you click it from the drop-down menu.

Finally, make the hotspot transparent by giving it no fill and no line color, or by making the fill and line colors transparent. It's much easier to find the hotspot on the slide while you're working on it if you save this step for last! (If you plan to use PowerPoint Viewer 2003 to display this presentation, see "Hyperlinks Don't Work in PowerPoint Viewer 2003" for further information.)

If you're using PowerPoint 97 or 2000, you don't have any trigger animations to work with. In this case, you can create additional slides with the close-up pictures and use action settings to jump to them. To create an action setting, draw an AutoShape over the area you want to click to make the close-up picture slide appear. Right-click the AutoShape and choose Action Settings. In the Action Settings dialog box, choose the "Hyperlink to" option, select Slide from the drop-down menu, and then choose the close-up slide from the list (see Figure 7-33). When you click the AutoShape with the action setting, you'll jump to the slide with the close-up picture.

Figure 7-33. To jump to another slide, use the "Hyperlink to" option in the Action Settings dialog box.

Make sure you create an Action Setting button on the close-up slide so you can get back to the original slide. Select AutoShapes Action Buttons Back or Previous and click on the slide to quickly create a Back button. The Action Settings dialog box will open automatically with "Previous Slide already selected in the "Hyperlink to" area (see Figure 7-34).

Figure 7-34. You can quickly create action buttons by selecting AutoShapes Action Buttons. The buttons in this menu have actions such as Hyperlink to Previous Slide already applied.

Table of content

Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things about Your Favorite Presentation Program

ISBN: 0596100043
EAN: 2147483647

Year: 2006
Pages: 83

Authors: Echo Swinford

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