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The article, How to apply color in a PowerPoint slide to highlight information, shows three unproblematic ways to apply color when emphasizing information. We all know that words are apace forgotten, then consider using easy ways to emphasize details so your audience will remember what'southward of import. In this commodity, we'll continue what the offset article started; I'll bear witness you three uncomplicated ways to emphasize data using simple animations.

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I'g using (desktop) Office 365 but y'all tin utilise earlier versions. You can follow along with the downloadable .pptx sit-in file. (The demonstration file also contains the slide from the linked article.) This commodity assumes you take bones PowerPoint skills, such as 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 make an arrow pulsate in Microsoft PowerPoint

An arrow is meaningful to all of us—it pulls our attention straight to the targeted point. Even more than powerful is a pulsing arrow. By adding an piece of cake animation to an arrow AutoShape, nosotros can make the arrow movement a bit. For example, we'll add a pulsing arrow to the left of the item Lose weight. Offset, we need an pointer:

  1. Click the Insert menu.
  2. Click the Shapes dropdown in the Illustrations group.
  3. Choose 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 in Effigy A.

Figure A

Insert a correct-facing cherry-red arrow.

At this point, you accept a slide with a few text items and a crimson arrow. The next footstep is to animate that arrow, and it's easier than y'all might think because PowerPoint has a pulse accent animation. To apply information technology, do the following:

  1. Select the arrow.
  2. Click the Animations tab and click the gallery's More button (the downwardly triangle at the gallery'due south correct edge).
  3. In the Emphasis department, click Pulse.
  4. To make the pointer pulsate continually, we need to set up a timing pick, so display the Blitheness Pane (if necessary, by clicking Animation Pane in the advanced Animation group).
  5. Double-click the Pointer: Correct 2 animation and click the Timing tag in the resulting dialog.
  6. From the Elapsing dropdown choose 1 Seconds (Fast).
  7. From the repeat dropdown, choose Until Next Click (Effigy B). Depending on the effect you're going for, Until End of Slide might be more appropriate.
  8. Click OK.
  9. If you desire the animation to exist automatic, choose With Previous from the Start dropdown (in the Timing grouping). Otherwise, y'all must click to trigger the animation.

Figure B

Add timing options.

To see the arrow pulsate, printing Shift F5. The pulse is subtle, but it definitely works. Now, let'south look at our second technique: Circling an particular.

How to circle an item in Microsoft PowerPoint

Making the arrow pulsate was easy, but now let's expect at a technique that looks more hard, but really isn't. Nosotros'll animate a circle to encircle an particular. First, insert an oval AutoShape around the Purge closet detail. With the oval selected, utilize the contextual Shape Format tab to set the Shape Fill to nothing and the Shape Outline color to ruby-red and the weight to around 3. Now, permit'southward gear up the animation:

  1. Click the Animations tab.
  2. From the Blitheness gallery, cull Cycle in the Archway section. PowerPoint'due south preview will requite a quick show!
  3. From the Effect Options dropdown, you can meet that 1 Spoke is the default. That ways 1 continuous line starts from height center, to the correct, around and back to the top heart. Cull a few other spoke options to see the difference, simply return information technology to 1 Spoke before standing.

Run the show by pressing Shift F5 and click. We must click to meet the circle and stop the pointer. When the arrow stops pulsating, PowerPoint starts the circle animation (Effigy C). Adjacent, permit's look at a teetering arrow.

Figure C

Use a cycle effect to animate encircling an item.

How to make an arrow teeter in Microsoft PowerPoint

Our final animation will display an arrow to depict attention to the last particular near keeping better records. This one allows for the nigh variation, so don't stop with this simple example. Experiment with replacing, resizing, flipping, and fifty-fifty using the arrow to pull 2 items together.

Kickoff, insert an arrow AutoShape–specifically, the Arrow: Curved Down option. Drag to size and position so that the arrow is near the concluding item. Now, let's add some animation.

We don't desire the arrow visible until nosotros're set for it, so click the Animations tab and choose Fade from the Entrance department. Set the Commencement holding (in the Timing group) to Later Previous. Doing then volition hide the arrow until later the circle animation is complete.

At present, allow'southward add a 2nd animation to make the arrow teeter a bit. With the arrow nevertheless selected, click the Add together Animation dropdown (in the Advanced Animation group, do not use the gallery). From this dropdown gallery, choose Teeter from the Emphasis department. And so, set the Beginning property to After Previous (it won't teeter until information technology's visible). Double-click the Pointer: curved blitheness (the last in the listing in the Animation Pane) and click the Timing tab. Choose Until Next Click from the Echo dropdown.

Figure D shows all three animations in slide view. There are iv animations: The first two items require only ane blitheness each. The teetering arrow requires two: Fade and Teeter.

Effigy D

The three effects crave 4 animations.

When you run the prove, the red arrow will pulsate until y'all click. And so, the oval will encircle the closet item. When that animation completes, the teeter one will kicking in. As is, the teetering arrow is my to the lowest degree favorite, merely I remember it would be an excellent way to relate two items (which I haven't washed here). I used On Click and Later Previous Commencement options so you tin see how they work. Y'all'll usually apply one or the other unless you accept some custom animations with some interesting timing effects.