PowerPoint Tips & Tutorials

Animation for entertainment

Occasionally, you may want to use PowerPoint animation for its entertainment value. An introduction that loops as the audience arrives is one good use. Another is to build excitement at the launch of a new product.

I usually recommend restraint when using animation, but when the purpose is entertainment, you have a lot more leeway. Insert an image and try out all the animation effects, one after another, just to see what they do. It's fun! Then choose one that you like.

Here, I explain one way to use the Rise Up animation, which introduces an object by raising it up from the bottom, and ends with a little bounce. To make the transition from image to image seamless, I put three on one slide and added a delay. The result is a slide show effect, as you see here. I used photos of winter scenes, but you could use product photos instead.

Here are the steps:

On the Drawing toolbar, click Insert Picture. (In 2007, go to Insert tab> Illustrations group> Picture.) Insert a picture that you want to use. Repeat to insert a total of 3 to 5 pictures. It's helpful to use photos that are all the same size and orientation.
Drag the top picture down and to the right. Drag the next picture in the same direction, but slightly less. Continue until the images are offset from each other enough so you can select the picture you want easily.

PowerPoint animation-1

You can use the Rise Up animation with photos that take up the entire slide, but I felt that the effect was more interesting when the photos were smaller than the slide. To resize the photos, right-click the bottom-most one, and choose Format Picture. Click the Size tab. (In PowerPoint 2007, right-click and choose Size and Position, and choose the Size tab.) I set the width to 7.5, which is 3/4 of the default slide width. You can just click OK (Close in 2007), because by default, the photo maintains its aspect ratio (proportion), and the height adjusts automatically. Repeat with the other photos.
To add the animation, select the bottom-most photo, and choose Slide Show> Custom Animation. (In 2007, choose Animations tab> Custom Animation.) In the Custom Animation task pane, choose Add Effect> Entrance> More Effects> Rise Up. Set the Speed to Medium.
Select the next photo, and add the same animation, but set the Start to After Previous. Then, click the animation's item in the task pane, click the down arrow, and choose Timing. Set the Delay to 1.5 seconds. Repeat for the rest of the photos. Go into Slide Show view and test the animation.
If you want, you can add a shadow or other effect to your photos. I added a shadow.

Note: For a shortcut to adding the animation one by one, see the link below to my tip, "Duplicate animation." For information on shadows, see the link below to my tip, "Create soft shadows."

To center all of the photos, one on top of the other, select them all. On the Drawing toolbar, choose Draw> Align or Distribute> Relative to Slide. Then choose Draw> Align or Distribute> Align Center. Finally, choose Draw> Align or Distribute> Align Middle. (In 2007, go to Format tab> Arrange group> Align drop-down arrow> Align to Slide. Then go to Format tab> Arrange group> Align drop-down arrow> Align Center. Finally, go to Format tab> Arrange group> Align drop-down arrow> Align Middle.)
If you want, you can add a background or other decoration.

Contest!

Send in your own animation for entertainment example! Anything goes! The deadline is Friday, April 3, 2009. I'll choose the 2 best entries. You'll get your choice of 101 Tips Every PowerPoint User Should Know (for 2002, 2003 & 2007) or my upcoming e-book, The Lost Art of Persuasion, about persuasive presentations. Click here to open an e-mail and attach the presentation. Please indicate your prize choice.

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