When you animate an element you define how it appears or disappears, or just a movement it performs while the slide is being shown. See further below for information on the animation types.

1.In the Slides list on the left, select the slide containing the element(s) you want to animate.

2.Select the element.

3.Select the Animations tab and select the animation you want to use. (Open the animations list to see all the available animations!)

4.Adjust the animation settings: Start, duration, delay, interpolation and individual settings for individual animation types, such as the degree of rotation and the zoom factor.

5.Click on the Preview Animation tool in the Animations tab to see the effect. The lower half of this tool has options that allow you to select whether you want to preview all animations in the slide or only the animation for the selected element.

You can also play multiple animations at the same time, using the Start with Previous option in the Reorder Animations tool. Don't try to animate too many elements at once, however. It may not work well on all devices.

Note on audio elements

In addition to click-to-play audio with visible controls, audio elements in slides (usually recorded narration) can also be included in the normal animation sequence so that they play automatically. You can then define when they play by changing their position in the animation sequence in the same way as with any other animated element. See Background Audio and Narration for details.

Manually animating multiple elements together

1.Select the element after the element you want to animate it with. For example element 2 if you want to animate 1 and 2 together.

The + sign shows activated 'start with previous'

2.Select Start with Previous in the Reorder Animations tool.

3.Repeat to animate more than two elements at the same time.

Animating a group of elements

If elements are grouped applying an animation to the group animates all of the elements in the group together. The elements then behave as if they are a single element.

Elements in groups can also have their own animations

In addition to the group animation, elements in groups can also have their own individual animations. You can use this to apply more than one animation to an element. For example, you could make the entire group appear together and then hide the individual elements in the group on after another.

Selecting an element in a group to animate it:

You don't need to ungroup to animate individual elements. Just select the element you want to animate in the Objects list on the left.

Note on audio elements

In addition to click-to-play audio with visible controls, audio elements in slides (usually recorded narration) can also be included in the normal animation sequence so that they play automatically. You can then define when they play by changing their position in the animation sequence in the same way as with any other animated element. See Background Audio and Narration for details.

Animation order

Animations are drawn in order (unless you set some animations to occur at the same time) and the order is shown by the small colored numbers in the top right corner of each animated element. You can change the order if there are multiple animated elements. For example, in this slide there is a text callout that animates first (1) and a marker that animates after it (2). The orange number tags are visible in the top right corner of each element:

The orange tags show the elements that animate relative to the start of the slide. The green tags, like the cursor in the above example, show the elements that animate relative to the end of the slide. So in this slide, the text callout will animate first after the slide appears, followed by the red marker. When the slide exit command is issued the cursor with the green tag will animate and the slide will then exit after the animation has finished.

Previewing animations

Click on the Preview Animation tool in the Animations tab to see the effect. The lower half of this tool has options that allow you to select whether you want to preview all animations in the slide or only the animation for the selected element.

Animation duration vs. slide duration

If the total duration of the element animations exceeds the defined slide view duration the slide view duration will be ignored. Slides will not be advanced until all defined animations have completed. This also applies in manual mode: the current slide will not be advanced until all defined animations have completed.

Animation settings

Note on audio elements

In addition to click-to-play audio with visible controls, audio elements in slides (usually recorded narration) can also be included in the normal animation sequence so that they play automatically. You can then define when they play by changing their position in the animation sequence in the same way as with any other animated element. See Background Audio and Narration for details.

Previewing animations

Click on the Preview Animation tool in the Animations tab to see the effect. The lower half of this tool has options that allow you to select whether you want to preview all animations in the slide or only the animation for the selected element.

Animation order

By default, animations are played one after another in sequence, but they can also be played simultaneously (see further below).

Orange numbers: Slide Entry
Green numbers: Slide Exit

•Elements are animated in sequence, one after another. Initially they are animated in the order their animations are defined.

•Every animated element has an animation sequence number in its top right corner.

•There are two sequences, one for On Entry animations (orange) and one for On Exit animations (green).

•Autoplay mode: The Slide Entry animations play first, followed by the Slide Exit animations, followed by the slide exit. The timing for the slide exit animations is calculated backwards from the actual exit point.

•Manual mode: Slide Entry animations play automatically. The Slide Exit animations start to play when the user clicks Next Slide, then the slide exits.

Animation duration has priority over slide duration!

In autoplay mode all animations will always play before moving to the next slide. This will happen even if the defined play duration for the slide is shorter than the combined duration of the animations. Animation duration always has priority, so total duration will be increased if required by the animations and their delays.

Changing animation order (play an element earlier or later in the sequence)

1.Select the element whose animation order you want to change.

2.Use the Reorder Animations tool in the Animations tab to move it up or down in the sequence.

Playing animations simultaneously

You can also play multiple animations at the same time, using the Start with Previous option in the Reorder Animations tool. Don't try to animate too many elements at once, however. It may not work well on all devices.

The + sign shows activated 'start with previous'

1.Select the element after the element you want to animate it with. For example element 2 if you want to animate 1 and 2 together.

2.Select Start with Previous in the Reorder Animations tool.

3.Repeat to animate more than two elements at the same time.

Animating a group of elements

If elements are grouped applying an animation to the group animates all of the elements in the group together. The elements then behave as if they are a single element.

Elements in groups can also have their own animations

In addition to the group animation, elements in groups can also have their own individual animations. You can use this to apply more than one animation to an element. For example, you could make the entire group appear together and then hide the individual elements in the group on after another.

Selecting an element in a group to animate it:

You don't need to ungroup to animate individual elements. Just select the element you want to animate in the Objects list on the left.

In-place animations:

These animate the element in its normal position, without moving it to or from somewhere else.

Move animations:

Mouse cursor animations:

These are special animations for the mouse cursor. The cursor is generally only used in HowTo screencasts to emulate operation of the program you are documenting, creating a video effect.

•The target of the cursor movement is the position of the cursor in the CURRENT slide.

•The origin of the cursor movement is the position of the cursor in the PREVIOUS slide. If there is no previous slide then movement starts at the center of the current slide.

•Click animations flash or draw (marquee) a red highlight to show the click operation.

Spotlight animations

These are special animations for animated spotlights, which shine a moving "spotlight" on the area you want to focus and can follow the mouse cursor, in addition to zooming in and out and moving by a defined amount. See Animated Spotlights for details.

In addition to making elements fade or move into view, you can use the Outline animation in the In-Place Animations group (Animations tab) to make markers, shapes, lines and arrows appear as though they are being drawn on the screen while the user watches. Marker shapes have outline animation assigned by default.

Outline animation is ONLY for solid lines!

Note that outline animation only works for solid lines. If you apply it to shapes or lines with dashed or dotted lines it will convert the lines to solid.

Previewing animations

Click on the Preview Animation tool in the Animations tab to see the effect. The lower half of this tool has options that allow you to select whether you want to preview all animations in the slide or only the animation for the selected element.

Using Outline animation

1.Insert a marker or outline shape in the position where you want to use it to emphasize the element below it.

2.Select the element and select the Outline animation in the Animations tab (open the drop-down menu of animations to access the animation).

3.Set the duration and an optional delay and test with the Preview Animations tool in the Animations tab.

Tips:

•Don't use filled shapes for this! If you do, the fill will appear, then the outline will be drawn around it.

•Interpolation will not have any meaningful effect on this animation.