Designing and Building Simple Animations in PPT

Designing and Building Simple Animations in PPT

Virginia BergDepartment of Biology

University of Northern Iowa

Organization of presentation

• First some examples• Then mechanics of how to make them• Then design considerations • Why this order?

Everybody wants dessert first

• Click on menu to skip to any section• Download presentation back home

http://www.uni.edu/berg/aspbdownloads.htm

(in abstract)

Cheap thrills first – Part 1

What we’re doing and why

Building an animation

Useful tools

Efficiencies

Troubleshooting &Testing

Getting started (design)

Wait for the show to continue from the highlighted topicor click on a different topic.

Examples

Then meat and potatoes (Part 2)

Example #1

• Simple introduction to talk

• Designed to orient general audience

• Presenter– Giving talk– Clicking mouse to advance to next step

• But here at ASPB animation is set to advance automatically

Plant job description

light

H2O

CO2

sugar

O2

The good stuff? The good stuff?

Examples 1 & 2

• #1 (just happened)

• Simple introduction to talk

• #2 (coming up)• More complex• Shows photosynthetic

electron flow• Used in class, also in talks• Good for introduction

(orientation) and for summary

• Speaker controls animation steps with mouse

Photosynthetic electron flow

ADP+ Pi ATP

H+

H+

H+

3 H+

NADPH

PS II PS I

H2O split

H2O

O2

Water splitting complex

Cytochrome complex

Thylakoid membrane

Coupling factor

e-

e-

e-

e-

Examples 2 & 3

• #2 (just happened)

• Electron flow in photosynthesis

• Orientation or summary in lecture or talk

• Speaker controls animation steps with mouse

• #3 (coming up)• Feedback for problem set• Student already submitted problem

set (was returned)• Student controls steps with mouse • Student should fill in or check

answers on problem set as presentation advances

Example #3 – c (how much?)• Membrane potential = 59 mV

– Inside and outside concen-trations will differ by 10X

– One will be 10 times the other

• Is the inside high or low?– Look at H, L – Inside is low concentration side

• Outside conc of ion of interest = 1 mM– Won’t change (large volume)– This is high concentration side

• Inside must be 1 mM / 10 =?– Write it down – = 0.1 mM

[X+] = 1 mM

[X+] = ?

_

ΔV = 59 mV

+

[H]

[X+] = 0.1 mM

[L]

Examples 3 & 4

• #3 (just happened)• Feedback for

problem set (to students who got it right, too)

• Gives more information than writing on homework

• Students still come for individual help if this doesn’t work

• #4 (coming up, 2 slides)• Assistance and feedback for

water relations problem set• Student already submitted

problem set (was returned)• Student controls steps with

mouse • Student should fill in or check

answers on problem set as presentation advances

Problem #4 – c Strategy: First fill in what you know from the material. Now figure out the values based on other information. Lastly, the arithmetic.

If the cells both at equilibrium with the soil, they must also be at equilibrium with each other. Fill in the water potential value for both cells on your copy now.

Cells at equilibrium with soil. Not same as cells above.

The water potential for all 3 parts of the system is the same: -5.

Now all we have left is the arithmetic and the check of whether the values are reasonable.

root xylem root cell soil

-5

0 -8

0 0

0

0

-5 -5-5-5

Problem #4 – d Strategy: First fill in what you know from the material. Now figure out the values based on other information. Lastly, the arithmetic.

Fill in the missing values for each part. Check your answer after each cell.

The check: All the cell values are reasonable, and similar to others we have seen. For soil, the action is normally in the matric potential, which is what we see here. The water potential of the whole system is at equilibrium.

root xylem root cell soil

-5

0 -8

0 0

0

0

-5-5

-5

+3-5

-5 = 0 + 0 + (-5)

soil-5 = -5 + 0 + 0

root xylem

-5 = +3 + (-8) + 0

root cell

-5

-5 +3

Examples 4 & 5• #4 (just happened)• Semi-interactive solution for problem

set (already submitted and returned)• Transfers burden of going through

answers to student• Does it work?

– You bet– Better comprehension– Fewer complaints about material too

hard• Why not individual help instead?

– Still available– Students like individual pace of

PowerPoint, with no instructor breathing down neck

– Some students say they needed to repeat presentations many times, but then got it

• #5 (coming up, 2 slides)• Explanation of membrane

transport• Used in lecture

– Images only– Instructor talks

• Then available for student review– In lab– On computer anywhere– Download

Countertransport: Energy

Energy from concentration (or electro-chemical potential [ECP]) difference will drive blue substance from bottom to top.But cell needs to move the blue substance from top to bottom.

Luckily there is another (green) substance here, whose energy (from concentration or ECP difference) will drive it from bottom to top.The blue “wants” to go up 2 units, and the green

“wants” to go up 6 units (note greater concentration or ECP difference for green), but the transporter can

only trade them. It won’t move both in the same direction.

membrane

Countertransport: RouteA protein antiport spans the membrane.

It can transportthe bluesubstanceif it also transports the green substance in the opposite direction.

The energy from the combined transport (blue = 2 up, and green = 6 up) gives a net force of 4 units pushing both substances through together, in opposite directions.

Blue “wants” to go up 2 units, and green “wants” to go up 6 units (greater concentration

difference for green). Green wins, and transports blue the other way at the same time.

4 units

Examples 5 & 6

• #5 (just happened)• Objective is instruction• Image only used in class

presentation• Student can review with text

at leisure– Controls pace with mouse– Lots of text that can be read

• It works for my students• Students also really appreciate it• They don’t mind the primitive

graphics

• #6 (coming up)• You can liven less

interesting topics – Sound– Silly animations

• Don’t overuse or students will be waiting for it

Cost of Keeping Pets

Type of Pet

dogs cats pigeons fish

Cost

($/

y)

0

100

200

300

400

Cost of Keeping Pets

Type of Pet

dogs cats pigeons fish

Cos

t ($/

y)

0

100

200

300

400

Graph clutter (chartjunk)

BADtoo much

meaningless junk

GOODjust the

facts

Examples 6 & 7 (last ones)

• #6• Some things are inherently visual

• #7• You can explain how instruments work without

taking up lots of class time• Or you can have students do it in lab, when they

are engaged in trying to figure out the instrument

Leaves that move

• Adjust light interception (+/-)

Inside the Spectrophotometer

Light source

Light beam

Wavelength selector

Measurement beam

Spec tube holder

Spec tube with

solution

Light detector

measures how much light gets through tube

End of examples

• You can copy individual slides and use them in other presentations

• Many shortcuts (in “Efficiencies” section)

• More presentations with animations available at

http://www.uni.edu/berg/aspbdownloads.htm

(listed in abstract)

What you really wanted to know



Useful tools

Efficiencies

Troubleshooting & Testing



Examples

Meat and potatoes later (Part 2)

Before you start

• You already have the objects at the edge of your slide

• You already have Custom Animation icon on a toolbar, the drawing and picture toolbars installed

• Click on Custom Animation to get the panel on the right

• All this is explained later—just watch now

Lines from Drawing Toolbar

Make lines thicker with

Change line color with

Change line length by clicking line, then pushing one end in

Change line orientation by clicking line, then pulling one end around

Autoshapes from Drawing Toolbar

Right click to Format Autoshape

Hold down shift key to make squares, circles

Useful special icons:Night, Day, Don’t

Fill ColorLine Color, Type and Thickness

Size, Position

Transparency

Rotation

Callouts—Autoshape

Something happens here

Then you explain it here.

Making things appear

• Click on the object you want to appear• Click on Add Effect on the Custom

Animation (CA) panel• Choose Entrance• Choose the type of entrance you wish your

object to make• Demonstrations on the next slide

– Most useful ones only– Many more, distracting ones not demonstrated

Most useful ones are highlighted.

Most others are very distracting.

Entrance Effect Options

You want the Preview Effect turned on so you get instant feedback when selecting an effect.

Triggering: All can start on mouse click, with or after another appearance, or a specific amount of time after another appearance. See “Start” on CA Panel.

Entrances 1

Appear

Wipe from Left, Very Slow

Wipe from Top, Medium Speed

Wipe from Right, Very Fast

Control direction, triggering (“Start”) and speed near top of CA panel.

Entrances 2

Control spoke number, triggering (“Start”) and speed near top of CA panel.

Wheel Useful for light being absorbed by a leaf—gives the sense of action without going anyplace.

Entrances 3

Control triggering (“Start”) and speed near top of CA panel.

Fade

R + T + A = 1

Emphasis Options

• The object is already visible

• You want to call attention to it

• You want to indicate that something is changing

• The options depend on the object you wish to emphasize

Emphasis 1 (shapes)

Change fill color

You can select the color

Flash bulb

Good for energy transfer. You can select the speed.

Lighten

Good for a state change. You can select the speed.

Transparency

You can select the transparency level and delay time.

Emphasis 2 (text)

You can control triggering and speed on all of these.

Text to emphasize—Wave (can change height)

Text to emphasize—Change fill color (can change color)

Text to emphasize—Grow with color (can choose color)

Exit options

The big question:

Do you want something to just go away?

OR

Do you want viewers to notice it going away?

Quiet exits

Disappear

Wipe (you control speed)

Contract (you control speed)

Obvious exits

Spinner (you control speed)

Flip (you control speed)

Pinwheel (you control speed)

Float (you control speed)

And many more.

Motion paths

• You can move objects on the screen

• Point to point

• Freehand (custom)

• Plus many fancy alternatives “More”…– Sine wave– “Neutron” for

molecular motion

Sample motion paths

Diagonal down right

Scribble (no smoothing)

Freeform (smoothes your points to a curve)

Stairs down (energy level?)

Neutron

(molecular motion)

To the right

Life is too short…



Useful tools

Efficiencies




Examples

Meat and potatoes later (Part 2)

Efficiencies

• This is potentially extremely tedious• There are many ways to animate faster• Common techniques

– Copying– Moving– Grouping– Toolbars– Formatting

• Hiring students

What you can copy

• Whole presentations

• Blocks of slides

• Individual slides

• Blocks of objects with their animations

• Objects and their animations

• Objects

• Text boxes (format one, make copies, change text as needed)

Where you can copy

• Within a slide

• Within a presentation

• To a different presentation– The background will change to new one– Have two PPTs open at once

• In each case, the animations will stay with the objects

Moving & positioning

• Turn on the grid lines (View/Grids & Guides)• Moving objects

– Click on object– Arrows to move large amounts– CTRL arrows to nudge– CTRL arrows are same as Draw/Nudge

• Text boxes– Click on box, not text– Rest is like objects

Grouping

• To “glue” things together– Click on one object– CTRL click on others in sequenc– Still on a selected object, right click– Select Grouping/Group

• Do with small groups to move together

• Then group your groups to move more

• Grouping/Ungroup does one layer at a time

Grouping example

First group these arrows and R so you can position them.

Then group these arrows and T so you can position them.

Then group these objects and A so you can position them.

Last, group the text box (equation), the photo and the other groups so you can move or copy everything together.

R + T + A = 1

R

T

AR

R + T + A = 1R + T + A = 1

R

T

A

RR

TT

AA

You have to ungroup to change the objects within the group.

Toolbars

• The most useful extra toolbars are– Picture– Drawing– Turn on: right click any toolbar, check box

• Add icons to toolbars already showing– Custom animation– Superscripts, subscripts– Special characters (contact author)– Right click toolbar, customize, explore & drag

Formatting efficiencies

• For objects– Select multiple objects– Format one, you’ve formatted them all

• On the Custom Animation Panel– Select multiple lines– Format one, you’ve formatted them all

• Always check what you’ve done

The fun stuff is done



Useful toolsEfficiencies




Examples

Meat and potatoes now (Part 2)

Troubleshooting

• Complex presentations never work right at the beginning

• Things disappear– Hidden under another layer– Right click on what you can see– Order/Send to back

• Animation steps wrong order– On Custom Animation panel– Select step (or steps) and drive up or down

with arrow at bottom

Testing

• Try it on a different computer• Animations on older versions of PPT

– Will work– Won’t work correctly

• Provide links to free newer PPT viewer– See my download site for info to copy

• Newer version should work• Get student and colleague feedback

The fun stuff



Useful tools

Efficiencies




Examples

The useful stuff

Animations are…

• Visual representation of objects

• Objects can– Change– Move– Interact– Be emphasized

Animations offer…

• Visual representations of properties– Oxidized/reduced– Water potential, chemical activity

• Sequence– Electrons moving– Steps in a process

• Advantages and objectives determine(and depend on) the type of animation

Uses for Animations• Introduction or summary of process or property

– Electron flow in photosynthesis, chemical activity– Overview, then do details, and/or present at end

• Instruction– Present initially in class– Students can download and review at leisure – Can supplement lectures– Can present processes– Can be used to get difficult concepts to stick

• Feedback on homework– Correct answers explained for all students to read– Additional information or alternate explanations

The fun stuff



Useful tools

Efficiencies




Examples

Next up

Identify your audience

• Students in lecture (you control pace)• Students in lab

– How instruments work– Ideas behind experiments– Problem sets

• Students at home (they control pace)• Colleagues, administrators, etc.

– Anything that works for students works here– Present proposals, results, etc.

• Two audiences? Make 2 versions– Make one, then copy and modify

Identify your objectives

• Closely tied to identifying audience

• Show a technique so people can– Understand, duplicate, or be impressed

• Explain the operation of an instrument– To understand or to operate

• Present a concept

• Present a process

What is your story?

• Most animations tell a story– Sequence of events– Sequence of ideas

• Write key sequence of ideas in advance

• Easy to wander off the story otherwise

How many slides per animation?

• Often one

• Sometimes more

• Usually need objectives for each one

• Animations often buried in “ordinary” PowerPoint slides

Quick sketch

• Make a quick sketch of the finished image

• Annotate to indicate what will be happening where

• Figure out what objects will be used (boxes, arrows, photos, sound…more later)

• Identify elements used more than once– Arrows, boxes, circles– Also common events (sound, flashes)

• Good sketch will save heaps of time

Start simple

• Simple animations are way easier

• You learn the possibilities

• Later can do fancier things

• Copy your simple animations– Make them fancier– Alter to make them do something different– Alter for a different audience

The fun stuff



Useful tools

Efficiencies




Examples

Next up

Set up your toolbars• Saves lots of time• Get “Custom Animation” on a toolbar

– right click on any toolbar– Customize (at bottom)– Command tab– Slide show– Custom animation– Drag to toolbar of your choice (top right best)

• Drawing toolbar– right click on any toolbar– select Drawing

Putting things on the slide

• PowerPoint, set up toolbar (coming)

• Make a boring background– Except maybe a title slide– Don’t distract viewer with tricks– Put background on master slide (View)

• Start inserting the objects– Put all the objects in, then modify

Inserting objects

• Includes photos, sound, autoshapes, text• From the drawing toolbar

– Standard shapes (autoshapes)– Arrows & lines– Text boxes (put text in now, including labels)– Pictures

• From the Main menu bar/Insert– Movies & sounds

• Put all these at the edge of the diagram

Start your story with first object

• Maybe a title, maybe not• Place the first object where you want it

– Format it (color, size)– Will be on the screen when you show slide

• Or animate the object to have it appear– Custom animation icon– Add Effect

• Usually Entrance/Appear is first• Or can have a fancier entrance (see Tools)• Avoid drawing attention to fancy effects

• Test (Play at bottom of Custom Animation panel)

Next bit of the story could be

• Label an object with a text box– Label to introduce object?– Drag it to the object to be labeled

• Or modify or enhance object– Add sound, color, action, motion– Custom animation, Add Effect, Enhance

• Or object might disappear– Custom animation, Exit

• Or new object might appear

Continue the story

• Add, modify or remove one element at a time

• Test your slide as you add each element• Hide slides you want to skip over in testing

– Right click on slide to left– Hide/Unhide

• Keep going until you are done

The End…

Back to the beginning

Documents

Designing and Building Simple Animations in PPT