Creating an Animated Flowchart in PowerPoint

Open PowerPoint.

On the View menu, click Master, and then click Slide Master.

Note: The Slide Master has a template automatically created for your use, but for this exercise, you'll customize your own template to accompany your slide show.

Drag the pointer from one corner of the slide to the diagonally opposite corner to select all items on the slide, and then press the Delete key.
You will now have an empty Slide Master to work with.

On the Drawing toolbar, click Text Box, and then create a text box across the top of your slide by dragging the pointer.

In the text box, type the title of your slide show presentation.
The example uses the title Digestive System.

Click the slide anywhere outside the text box. On the Insert menu, point to Picture and then click From File.

Locate your saved image of the human body, select it, and then click Insert.

Click an image and adjust its size and position by dragging its resizing handles.

On the View menu, click Normal.

In the Slide Layout task pane under Content Layouts, click the Blank layout, which is outlined in grey in the following illustration.

Note: If you do not see the Slide Layout task pane, on the View menu, click Task Pane. You can then see a list of all available task panes by clicking the down arrow at the upper-right corner of the task pane.

Your first slide will automatically display the text and image that you inserted on the Slide Master.

On the Drawing toolbar, click Text Box, and then draw a text box on your slide by dragging the pointer.

On the Format menu, point to Alignment, and then click Center.

Click the edge of the text box to select it, and then, on the Format menu, click Text Box.

Click the Colors and Lines tab, and then, in the Color list under the Line section, click a color that will clearly outline your text box.

Click OK.

Click the edge of the text box to select it, and then, on the Edit menu, click Copy.

Point to the slide, and then, on the Edit menu, click Paste.

Reposition the pasted text box in a column by clicking its edge and dragging it.

Repeat steps 9 and 10 to continue pasting and repositioning as many text boxes as will be needed for your flowchart.

In each text box, from the top of the column to the bottom, type the sequential steps in your flowchart.

On the Drawing menu, click AutoShapes, click Connectors, and then click the Straight Arrow Connector.

Draw the arrow on the slide by clicking and dragging from the bottom of the first text box to the top of the second text box.

While the arrow is still selected, on the Edit menu, click Copy.

On the Edit menu, click Paste.

A copy of the arrow will appear on the slide.

Drag the copied arrow so that it links the second and third text boxes.

Repeat steps 4 and 5 to continue pasting and repositioning as many arrows as necessary to link all the text boxes.

In the Slide Layout task pane, click the arrow next to the Blank layout, and then click Insert New Slide.

On the Slides tab, click Slide 1 to return to the first slide in your presentation.

Select the entire flowchart by dragging the pointer from one corner to the diagonally opposite corner.

On the Edit menu, click Copy.

On the Slides tab, click the second slide, and then, on the Edit menu, click Paste.

The flowchart is now copied onto the second slide.

Click the edge of the first text box in your flowchart to select it, and then, on the Drawing menu, click the arrow next to Fill Color.

Click a color to fill the first text box with that will draw the audience's attention to that step in the flowchart.

On the Drawing toolbar, click Text Box, and then draw a text box on the slide by dragging the pointer.

In the new text box, type information that explains the function and process of the first step of your flowchart.

On the Insert menu, click Picture, and then click Clip Art.

In the Clip Art task pane, in the Search for text box, type the subject of your search, and then click Search.

The example uses mouth in the Search for text box.

Click to select the image that you want to insert.

The image will be inserted in your slide.

Resize the image by clicking it and then dragging the resize handles.

Reposition the image where you want it on the slide by dragging it.

Repeat the two previous procedures to create a slide for each step in the flowchart.

On the Drawing toolbar, click Line, and then draw a line by dragging the pointer on the slide.
The example uses the line to represent the path that food takes down the esophagus.

To color the line, on the Drawing toolbar, click the arrow next to Line Color, and then click to select a bright color that can be seen easily on your slide.

To widen the line, on the Drawing toolbar, click Line Style, and then click to select a width to suit your preference.
The example uses dots instead of an unbroken line to represent food.

On the Drawing toolbar, click Dash Style, and then click to select the type of line that you would like to use.

After you have made your changes to the line, click it to select it.

On the Slide Show menu, click Custom Animation.

In the Custom Animation task pane, click Add Effect, click Entrance, and then click More Effects.

In the Add Entrance Effect dialog box, click to select and preview an animated effect. Effects will be previewed as you click them.

After you have chosen a suitable entrance effect for your line, click OK.

This effect is now recorded in the Custom Animation task pane.

To adjust when the effect begins, click the arrow next to the Start box, and then click an option in the list.

To adjust the speed at which an effect occurs, click the arrow next to the Speed box, and then click an option in the list.

Preview your slide show by pressing F5.

On the Drawing toolbar, click Line, and then draw a line by dragging the pointer on the slide.

The example uses the line to represent the path that food takes down the esophagus.

On the Drawing toolbar, adjust the color, width, and type of line to suit your preferences.

Click to select the line and then, while the line is selected, on the Slide Show menu, click Custom Animation.

In the Custom Animation task pane, click Add Effect, click Motion Paths, click Draw Custom Path, and then click Line.

Draw the line along which you want the Motion Paths effect to occur by dragging the pointer on the slide.
You can adjust either the original line or the line of the Motion Paths effect by clicking a line and then dragging the round resize handles at either end.

In the Custom Animation task pane, click Play to see the Motion Paths effect occur.
In the example, the line of yellow dots drawn to represent the food will now 'slide' down the esophagus. For the stomach and intestines, you want to be able to draw a curved path for the food to follow. To do this, you will first need to create a small oval shape to represent the food at this stage of digestion.

To create the small oval shape to which you will add a different Motion Paths effect, on the Drawing toolbar, click Oval, and then create the oval by clicking the slide.

Resize the oval and make it smaller by dragging the resize handle in one corner diagonally toward the opposite corner.

While the oval is still selected, on the Format menu, click AutoShape.

Click the arrow next to the Color box, click to select a color for your oval, and then click OK.

While the oval is still selected, on the Slide Show menu, click Custom Animation.

In the Custom Animation task pane, click Add Effect, click Motion Paths, click Draw Custom Path, and then click Scribble.

To adjust the speed and timing that you want for an effect, in the Custom Animation task pane, click to select the effect in the box that displays a list of all effects in a presentation.

To adjust when the effect begins, click the arrow next to the Start box, and then click an option in the list.

To adjust the speed at which an effect occurs, click the arrow next to the Speed box, and then click an option in the list.

Continue adding custom animation features to the rest of your slides.