Section 99. Impress with Animation Effects

99. Impress with Animation Effects

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

96 Insert Graphics into a Presentation

98 Add Sound to a Presentation

SEE ALSO

100 Add a Slide Transition

99. Impress with Animation Effects

Adding custom animation effects to graphics and other presentation elements can really make your presentation come alive . You can make graphic images fly onto the screen, not unlike the animated text you can cause to roll into place (see 91 Animate Text ). As with any special effects, don't overdo them. Reserve them for when you want to make an impression at a particularly critical part of your presentation.

NOTE

You can apply special effects to graphic objects as well as other presentation elements such as text boxes. The special effects are more pronounced than the simpler animated text you can also place in text boxes.

Here are just a few of the animation effects you can apply to graphics and other presentation elements with Impress:

• The object flies in from outside the slide.

• A laser-like show produces the object.

• The object fades into place.

• The slide sparkles, slowly producing the object from the moving glitter.

• The object (graphic text works well here) snakes into the slide from one of the edges.

• The object spirals into place.

TIP

Some of these effects have sounds associated with them that you can keep or remove.

1.	Select an Object Click to select an object, such as a graphic image or a text box. You must first click to select the object before you can apply an effect to that object.
2.	Request an Animation Effect Select Custom Animation from the Slide Show menu. The Task s pane displays the Custom Animation category so that you can add and customize an effect.
3.	Request the Custom Animation Dialog Box Click the Add button in the Custom Animation category in the Tasks pane. Remember that you can hide the Slides pane if you want a larger view of the current slide. NOTE Many of the special effects that appear in the Animation Effects dialog box are also available as slide transitions. See 100 Add a Slide Transition .
4.	Select the Effect You Want The Custom Animation dialog box contains four tabbed pages of effects you can add to the selected object. Click each tab to view the choices available. You can choose an Entrance effect to control how the selected object first appears (such as flying in from the left), an Emphasis effect to control how the object behaves on the slide (such as spinning in place), an Exit effect (such as having the object dissolve into the background), or a Motion Paths effect to add motion to the object (such as having the object move along an oval-shaped path ). Choose an option from the Speed list at the bottom of the Custom Animation dialog box to adjust the speed of the selected effect. On each tabbed page, the effects are organized into categories such as Moderate and Special to help you find the right look for your presentation. If you leave the Automatic Preview check box enabled, you can click any effect and see how it looks in your presentation. When you've found the right animation, click the OK button. TIP Press F9 to review your presentation and make sure that the special effect adds the flavor you want to your presentation. To change the effect, select the object again and right-click the object to reach the Effects context menu option.
5.	Test and Modify the Effect After you've assigned the desired effect, the Custom Animation category in the Tasks pane displays the current settings for the effect for as long as that object is still selected on your slide. The options in the Tasks pane change depending on what type of effect you have assigned. You can change the settings for the effect, for example, if you want the object to fly in more slowly or want to change the type of effect altogether. Whenever you make a change in the Tasks pane, the new effect plays in the work area.