PowerPoint animation

PowerPoint animation is a form of animation which involves in using Microsoft PowerPoint and similar programs to create a game or movie. The animator uses Custom Animation, drawing tools and slides within PowerPoint, to make a game or movie.

Custom Animation

Custom Animation is a set of effects which can be applied to objects in PowerPoint so that they will animate in the Slide Show. PowerPoint 2000 and ealier versions introduced basic effects such as Appear, Dissolve, Fly In and etc. In PowerPoint 2002/XP and the later versions, the Custom Animation feature is improved, where new animation effects are added and grouped into four categories. The categories include Entrance, Emphasis, Exit and Motion Paths.

Entrance effects can be set to objects so that they enter with animations during Slide Show. Emphasis effects animate the objects on the spot. Exit effects allow objects to leave the Slide Show with animations. Motion Paths allow objects to move around the Slide Show.

Each effect contains variables such as start (On click, With previous, After previous), delay, speed, repeat and trigger. This makes animations more flexible and interactive similar to Macromedia Flash.

Animation Trigger

Animation Trigger is a feature introduced in Microsoft PowerPoint 2002/XP and the later versions. This feature allows animators to apply effects that can be triggered when a specific object on the Slide Show is clicked.

Games

In many middle school and early high school classes, students learn how to use the Microsoft Office PowerPoint Program. Students generally learn how to create slides with simple custom animations for reports. Other techniques such as hyperlinks and Animation Trigger, are used for the next level of animation. A hyperlink can be used within the PowerPoint document to link two pages to a highlighted object, or to a website page.

Using hyperlink and Animation Trigger, one can create games such as Jeopardy, using them to maneuver from question to answer. Taking this same principle, the animator can also make less complex games similar to a dungeon game and Escape the room. In this format, the animator can create a domain where the player must choose to go right or left, or pick up objects, etc. The process takes time to use, but is generally cheaper and easier than using a professional gaming program.

Movies

Microsoft PowerPoint can also function as a movie maker program. The animator using PowerPoint works similarly to an animator for Disney, using a succession of slides to create the illusion of movement. Many tools within the PowerPoint program can be easily used for maximum effect. Drawing tools such as AutoShapes, contains lines, connectors, basic shapes, block arrows, flowchart, stars and banners, callouts and action buttons, help draw out a slide. Custom Animations and sound tools also help make it feel like a movie and not a report. The process of drawing out multiple slides takes up time, but again is considered easier to use than buying a movie maker.

Using Custom Animation, cartoon or movies similar to those created in Macromedia Flash can be done with PowerPoint. With minimum time, an animator can produce a simple show similar to a stick figure movie, where the body movements are animated using Motion Paths and Emphasis effects.

Shawn Toh, a webmaster of PowerPoint Heaven, has a section called Shadow Fighter series which demonstrates PowerPoint movies here.

Drawback

Though animations can be easily done using Custom Animations provided in PowerPoint, it can be much more tedious to create a movie or game in PowerPoint due to the absence of key frames and tweening found in professional animation programs such as Macromedia Flash.

When effects such as Emphasis Grow/Shrink and Spin are applied to objects, they may appear to be jagged when previewing in the slide show. In addition, excessive use of effects may degrade the slide show performance. These issues can though be resolved by enabling the hardware graphics acceleration feature which requires video card that supports Microsoft Direct3D.

External links

PowerPoint Heaven — The Power to Animate Contains movies, showcases, PowerPoint games, animation templates and tutorials on creating animations for your PowerPoint Presentations.

Animation