How to use animation in PowerPoint

When you think about animation, little dancing men pop-up in your head, but it is so much more than just that. We are talking about the incorporation of 3-D animation, sound and how the two works together.

See How to deliver a better PowerPoint presentation

Animation can start small, by just incorporating it with your bullets you use in your presentation.

Here are the steps for incorporating animation to your bullet points:

1. First, type out your bulleted points on the slide of your choice.

2. Now, selecting the text box in which your bullet points are, you will want to move to the menu pane at the top of your PowerPoint Window.

3. On this menu pane you will find Home, Insert, Design and then Animation. Select the Animation button and the menu below Animation will open up.

4. You will see quite a few options here, but among the first options available is Custom Animation. Select Custom Animation. After selecting this option, make sure that the text box with your bulleted points are selected by simply clicking on it.

5. On your right-hand side a toolbar will appear with your different options. Click on the Add Effect button and the following will appear:

   

6. Play around with the different options available and see what animation effect you like the most. You can set the timing of the appearance of your bullet point on your slide as well, making it a very nice tool to use during a speech.

7. If you would like to add sound to your bullets, select the Content Place Holder Option in the right-hand toolbar.

8. Select Effect Options and apply your choice of sound.

Inserting animated bullet points are quite simple and once you get the hang of it, you will be able to do it with your eyes closed.

Another great feature available is inserting a 3-D image, be it a moving image or not. It is quite simple to insert such an image and works much in the same way as inserting a normal image.

The best way to learn how to apply and use these kinds of animations in your presentations is by playing around with the programme on your computer. Set-up a fake presentation and insert as much things as you like, discovering what PowerPoint is able to do. Because of the different versions of Windows, such as Vista, some button positions might differ, but what you do when, stays the same.

You can find new sounds, images and icons on various websites. Some will charge you while others are free, so it is up to you and what site you like most. Check out Brainy Betty for some ideas on what is available out there.

You can also play around on Graphic River and Template Monster.

The internet is a great resource when it comes to PowerPoint products, so use it to your own advantage.

Related articles:
How to embed video in PowerPoint

How to convert PowerPoint to video

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