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The commodity, How to use color in a PowerPoint slide to highlight information, shows iii unproblematic ways to employ color when emphasizing information. We all know that words are quickly forgotten, then consider using easy ways to emphasize details so your audience will remember what'southward of import. In this article, we'll continue what the get-go article started; I'll prove you lot three simple ways to emphasize data using simple animations.

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I'm using (desktop) Office 365 only you lot can use earlier versions. Yous can follow along with the downloadable .pptx demonstration file. (The sit-in file also contains the slide from the linked article.) This commodity assumes you lot have basic PowerPoint skills, such every bit inserting AutoShapes and applying properties. Not all of the animations are bachelor from the browser, just the browser volition play them in an existing show, although you may notice subtle differences.

How to brand an arrow drum in Microsoft PowerPoint

An arrow is meaningful to all of us—it pulls our attention straight to the targeted point. Even more powerful is a pulsing arrow. By adding an like shooting fish in a barrel animation to an arrow AutoShape, we can brand the arrow motion a bit. For example, nosotros'll add a pulsing arrow to the left of the item Lose weight. First, we need an pointer:

  1. Click the Insert menu.
  2. Click the Shapes dropdown in the Illustrations group.
  3. Cull a right-facing arrow and insert. Resize if necessary.
  4. Click the contextual Shape Format tab and cull Red from the Shape Fill dropdown to format the arrow inFigure A.

Figure A

  Insert a right-facing red arrow.

At this bespeak, you have a slide with a few text items and a red arrow. The next stride is to animate that pointer, and it'due south easier than you might think because PowerPoint has a pulse emphasis animation. To employ it, do the post-obit:

  1. Select the arrow.
  2. Click the Animations tab and click the gallery'southward More than button (the down triangle at the gallery'southward correct border).
  3. In the Accent section, click Pulse.
  4. To make the arrow pulsate continually, we need to set up a timing selection, and so display the Animation Pane (if necessary, by clicking Animation Pane in the advanced Animation grouping).
  5. Double-click the Arrow: Right two animation and click the Timing tag in the resulting dialog.
  6. From the Duration dropdown choose 1 Seconds (Fast).
  7. From the repeat dropdown, choose Until Next Click (Figure B). Depending on the event you're going for, Until End of Slide might be more appropriate.
  8. Click OK.
  9. If you want the animation to be automatic, choose With Previous from the First dropdown (in the Timing group). Otherwise, you must click to trigger the animation.

Figure B

Add timing options.

To run across the pointer drum, press Shift F5. The pulse is subtle, but it definitely works. Now, let's expect at our 2d technique: Circling an detail.

How to circle an item in Microsoft PowerPoint

Making the arrow drum was easy, but now permit's look at a technique that looks more difficult, but really isn't. We'll breathing a circle to encircle an detail. Beginning, insert an oval AutoShape around the Purge closet particular. With the oval selected, apply the contextual Shape Format tab to set up the Shape Fill to nil and the Shape Outline color to red and the weight to effectually iii. At present, permit's set the animation:

  1. Click the Animations tab.
  2. From the Animation gallery, choose Wheel in the Entrance section. PowerPoint'southward preview volition requite a quick prove!
  3. From the Consequence Options dropdown, y'all can see that 1 Spoke is the default. That means one continuous line starts from top centre, to the correct, effectually and back to the top eye. Choose a few other spoke options to come across the departure, but return it to 1 Spoke before continuing.

Run the show by pressing Shift F5 and click. We must click to run into the circle and stop the arrow. When the arrow stops pulsating, PowerPoint starts the circle animation (Figure C). Next, let's look at a teetering arrow.

Effigy C

Use a bike outcome to breathing encircling an item.

How to make an arrow teeter in Microsoft PowerPoint

Our terminal animation will display an arrow to draw attention to the terminal item about keeping improve records. This one allows for the most variation, so don't cease with this simple example. Experiment with replacing, resizing, flipping, and fifty-fifty using the pointer to pull 2 items together.

Starting time, insert an pointer AutoShape–specifically, the Arrow: Curved Down option. Drag to size and position so that the arrow is near the last particular. Now, permit's add together some animation.

We don't want the arrow visible until we're ready for it, and so click the Animations tab and choose Fade from the Archway section. Ready the Start holding (in the Timing grouping) to Afterwards Previous. Doing so will hide the pointer until after the circumvolve blitheness is complete.

At present, let's add together a 2d animation to make the arrow teeter a bit. With the arrow still selected, click the Add Blitheness dropdown (in the Advanced Blitheness grouping, do not utilize the gallery). From this dropdown gallery, choose Teeter from the Emphasis department. Then, set up the Start property to Afterward Previous (it won't teeter until it's visible). Double-click the Arrow: curved animation (the final in the list in the Animation Pane) and click the Timing tab. Choose Until Next Click from the Repeat dropdown.

Effigy D shows all three animations in slide view. There are four animations: The get-go 2 items require only ane blitheness each. The teetering arrow requires two: Fade and Teeter.

Figure D

The three effects require iv animations.

When yous run the show, the ruby-red arrow will pulsate until you click. Then, the oval will encircle the cupboard item. When that animation completes, the teeter one will boot in. Equally is, the teetering arrow is my to the lowest degree favorite, merely I recall it would exist an excellent way to relate ii items (which I haven't done here). I used On Click and Later on Previous Start options and so y'all can see how they piece of work. Y'all'll usually apply i or the other unless you take some custom animations with some interesting timing effects.