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MS PowerPoint Animation Tab With Screen Readers

by | Jan 12, 2024 | MS PowerPoint | 0 comments

Overview

The “Animation” tab in Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful tool for adding and customizing animations to your presentation elements. Animations can enhance your PowerPoint slides by adding visual effects to text, images, and other objects. Below is an overview of the key groups and functions you’ll find in the Animation tab:

  • Preview Group:
    • Preview: Play a preview of animations on the current slide to see how they will appear during the presentation.
  • Animations Group:
    • Animation Gallery: Access a gallery of preset animation effects for text and objects.
    • Add Animation: Choose from various animation effects to apply to selected elements on the slide.
    • Animation Painter: Copy animations from one object and apply them to another.
  • Advanced Animation Group:
    • Animation Pane: Open the Animation Pane to view and manage animations on the slide.
    • Animation Options: Access advanced animation settings, such as timing and triggers.
  • Timing Group:
    • Duration: Set the time (in seconds) for how long an animation effect should last.
    • Delay: Add a delay (in seconds) before an animation effect starts.
    • Start: Determine when the animation should begin, either on mouse click, with the previous animation, or after a specified time.
  • Animation Pane Group:
    • Animation Pane: Open or close the Animation Pane to view and manage animations on the slide.
    • Show: Toggle the visibility of animation names and details in the Animation Pane.
  • Transition to This Slide Group:
    • Transition Effect: Choose a transition effect that occurs when moving to the current slide during the presentation.
    • Transition Options: Access additional options related to the selected transition effect, such as direction, speed, and sound.
  • Animation Painter Group:
    • Animation Painter: Copy animations from one object and apply them to another.
  • Custom Animation Group:
    • Add Animation: Choose from various animation effects to apply to selected elements on the slide.
    • Animation Pane: Open the Animation Pane to view and manage animations on the slide.
    • Custom Animation: Access advanced animation settings, such as timing and triggers.

The Animation tab in PowerPoint allows you to create dynamic and engaging presentations by applying various animation effects to text, images, and objects. These animations can help convey your message more effectively and keep your audience engaged.

Navigation In Animation Tab Using Screen Readers

Using screen readers to work with the Animation tab in PowerPoint requires some familiarity with PowerPoint and your screen reader software. Below are steps you can follow to use functions of the Animation tab in PowerPoint with a screen reader (I’ll use Microsoft PowerPoint and NVDA screen reader as an example, but the general principles apply to other combinations as well):

  1. Open PowerPoint:

    Launch Microsoft PowerPoint and open the presentation you want to work on.

  2. Select the Animation Tab:

    Use your screen reader’s navigation commands to locate and select the “Animation” tab. In NVDA, you can use the “T” key to cycle through tabs.

  3. Choose an Animation Effect:

    Use your screen reader’s navigation commands to explore the available animation effects. These may be in the form of buttons, dropdown menus, or galleries.

  4. Select an Object:

    Navigate to the object you want to animate using arrow keys or other navigation commands. Your screen reader should announce the selected object.

  5. Apply the Animation:

    Once you’ve selected an object, choose the animation effect you want to apply. This might involve pressing “Enter” or using context menu commands specific to your screen reader. Make sure to listen to your screen reader for feedback on your selections.

  6. Adjust Animation Settings:

    After applying an animation effect, you may need to adjust its settings. For example, you might want to set the timing or trigger for the animation. Navigate to the appropriate settings using your screen reader’s commands and make the necessary adjustments.

  7. Preview the Animation:

    Most animation options have a preview feature. Use your screen reader to locate and activate the preview button to hear how the animation will play.

  8. Check Animation Pane:

    The Animation Pane is a useful tool for managing animations in PowerPoint. To access it, you can usually find a button like “Animation Pane” or “Show Animation Pane” on the Animation tab. Open the Animation Pane to get an overview of all applied animations and their order.

  9. Reorder Animations:

    If you need to change the order of animations, use your screen reader to select an animation in the Animation Pane, and then use the relevant commands to move it up or down in the sequence.

  10. Review Your Work:

    Periodically, review your presentation to ensure that the animations are working as expected. Use your screen reader to navigate through the slides and listen to how the animations are being presented.

  11. Save Your Presentation:

    After making changes, don’t forget to save your presentation.

Shortcut Key Commands

In Microsoft PowerPoint, you can use keyboard shortcuts to navigate and perform various actions in the Animation tab. Below are some commonly used keyboard shortcuts for working with animations:

  1. Accessing the Animation Tab:

    To access the Animation tab in PowerPoint, you can typically press Alt + A. This will activate the Animation tab on the ribbon.

  2. Adding Animation:

    To add animation to a selected object, press Alt + A, A. This will apply the default entrance animation to the selected object.

  3. Opening Animation Pane:

    The Animation Pane is a useful tool for managing animations. To open the Animation Pane, press Alt + A, P.

  4. Applying Specific Animation Effects:

    After selecting an object, press Alt + A, A to open the Add Animation menu, and then use the arrow keys to navigate and select a specific animation effect from the list. Press Enter to apply the selected animation.

  5. Previewing Animations:

    To preview an animation, select the object with the animation, and then press Alt + A, S. This will start the slideshow from the current slide and show the animation.

  6. Adjusting Animation Timing:

    To open the Animation Timing options for a selected animation, press Alt + A, O, T. This allows you to set the duration and delay for the animation.

  7. Reordering Animations:

    In the Animation Pane, use Alt + Shift + Up Arrow or Alt + Shift + Down Arrow to move selected animations up or down in the sequence.

  8. Removing Animations:

    To remove an animation from a selected object, press Alt + A, R. This will remove the animation effect while keeping the object on the slide.

  9. Copying and Pasting Animations:

    You can copy animations from one object to another by selecting the object with the desired animation, pressing Ctrl + C to copy, selecting the target object, and then pressing Alt + E, S, V to paste the animation.

  10. Closing the Animation Pane:

    To close the Animation Pane, press Alt + A, P again.