PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff

Learn PowerPoint 2013 for Windows: Open and Closed Motion Paths

Motion paths are essentially the paths (or lines) through which slide objects animate. These motion paths are just like any other line with curves, points, etc. If you are familiar with the drawing tools in PowerPoint (Line, Curve, Scribble, and Freeform), you know that paths can be either open or closed. A circle is a good example of a closed path, whereas an arc is an open path. So, how is the concept of open and closed paths relevant to Motion Path animations in PowerPoint?

Learn about the open and closed Motion Paths in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2013
Tagged as: Animation, PowerPoint 2013, Tutorials

PowerPoint for Video: Conversation with Michelle Schoen

After receiving graduate degrees in both Instructional Design and Project Management, Michelle Schoen has developed E-learning and software demos for Fortune 500 companies such as Delta, IBM, AT&T and Kimberly Clark. She is a frequent speaker at many live and online Learning and Development events and is currently serving on Chief Learning Officer magazine’s prestigious 2013 Business Intelligence Board.

Michelle specializes in Camtasia Studio and PowerPoint training and consulting as well as in coaching her clients to create compelling online videos and demos.

In this conversation, Michelle discusses using PowerPoint to create video demos.

Geetesh: Can you tell us why you choose PowerPoint as a video creation tool over dedicated video programs?

Michelle: The idea of creating video at all is very intimidating to a lot of people. I believe that it is important to ease people into video by starting with tools they probably already own and with which they are familiar. Because Microsoft products are so popular and most corporations own them it just seemed natural to start with PowerPoint. In addition, each new version of PowerPoint, since 2007, has made it easier and easier to export in a video format that can be either imported into video editing programs or be uploaded directly to a website.

I have also been training audiences for years on a tool called Camtasia Studio and they have a plugin, that works from within PowerPoint. It allows anyone to record PowerPoint Presentations as MP4 videos while including web camera video and professional quality audio. The two tools work fabulously together for both marketing videos, software demos and elearning.

Geetesh: You do use plenty of animation in your PowerPoint videos. Can you share a few thoughts?

Michelle: Sure. About a decade ago, when I was in Instructional Design at IBM we used to have to hire animators, graphic artists and programmers to put together any type of animation in our videos. These days I’m a one personal factory cranking out highly animated videos that look like they were done in something like Adobe After Effects and it amazes me what I can create.

Lately, I have been cutting some corners and purchasing low cost pre-animated templates from a variety of sources around the Internet and using them to create my videos for clients. I also customize pieces of these templates and put them into Camtasia for many of my training courses. These templates are filled with complex animations that I wouldn’t have the time or initiative to make on my own and my clients love them.

Michelle co-owns the LearnCamtasia.com company with Lon Naylor.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.

Filed Under: Interviews
Tagged as: Interviews, PowerPoint, Video

Learn PowerPoint 2013 for Windows: Reversing Motion Paths

Applying a Preset Motion Path or even drawing your own Custom Motion Path is not the high end of Motion Path excellence. There are several other tricks that can help you become a better PowerPoint animator. The simplest Motion Path trick is to reverse them! This option is very helpful if you want an object to animate using a Motion Path, and then animate it again from the end of the motion path to the beginning!

Learn how to reverse a Motion Path in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2013
Tagged as: Animation, PowerPoint 2013, Tutorials

Learn PowerPoint 2013 for Windows: Adjust the Chart Series Overlap

Your PowerPoint charts can look better if they are spaced apart well. You can increase the Gap width so that there is enough space between the categories. Also, you can adjust the space between the individual Data Series within a category.

Learn how to adjust the gap between the chart data series within a single category.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2013
Tagged as: Charting, PowerPoint 2013, Tutorials

Learn PowerPoint 2013 for Windows: Drawing Custom Motion Paths

If none of the preset Motion Paths suit your needs, or if you cannot easily edit them to the way you want, you can easily create your own motion paths. In this tutorial you will learn how to use PowerPoint’s Custom Path option to create your own motion path.

Learn how to draw a Custom Motion Path in PowerPoint 2013 for Windows.

Filed Under: PowerPoint 2013
Tagged as: Animation, PowerPoint 2013, Tutorials