Simple Animation in PowerPoint
by Gary Fisk
This basic cartoon of a neuron was drawn by hand.
It was scanned into the computer.
It was "inserted" into OpenOffice Impress (a PowerPoint
clone; see http://www.openoffice.org/) using the
"insert" > "picture" > "from file" command.
The position of the neuron was locked by right-clicking
on the image, then selecting "position and size" >
"protect position".
This will keep the neuron image in the same position if we
copy and paste it into a new slide. It may also be possible to
create a master slide with the image locked into place.
This example explains how an action potential moves
along an axon.
A simple drawing was made with the drawing
tools to represent an increase in voltage that occurs
during an action potential.
Labels and narration can be added by using the
text and arrow tools.
action potential
axon
axon hillock
axon terminals
Simple Animation
We can make this object move by making a sequence
of slides with automatic transitions (1 second).
The objects can be moved slightly in each slide
to create a perception of continuous movement.
The resulting animation is a bit crude because
the minimum slide transition is 1 second. It gets
the job done though.
The arrows were added to draw attention to the
movement of the action potential.
Key Point: Simple animations can be made by using multiple
slides with automatic, one second transitions between the slides.
With this basic technique, you can create very simple
animations for PowerPoint. It might not be pretty, but
maybe it will be all that you need to communicate your ideas.
Good luck with your creations!