Cut Off Points for Credits Animation - Can I Mask?

[Jim]

I am creating a credits animation in PowerPoint, but the template I received
has a top and bottom bar. If I use the Credits animation as is, the names
come in over the bottom bar and go out over the top bar (which is how the
credits animation works) and it looks bad. Can I build some sort of 'mask',
or is there any way to control exactly where the names appear and disappear
other than just the top and bottom edge of the slide? I need them to appear
above the bottom bar and disappear at the top bar.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Bill Dilworth]

Its kinda easy, once you know how.

There are two slightly different effects you can create, and they require
slightly different techniques.

To have the names scroll out from a point 1" above the bottom of the screen,
just create a block that looks exactly like the background. The easiest way
to do this is to make your background a real background (not just a picture
in front of the background). Then insert a rectangle and size it to cover
the width of the slide and 1" tall. Place it along the bottom edge. Now
click on Format => Autoshape => (section) Fill => Color (pulldown) =>
Background => (section) Line => Color (pulldown) => No Line.

To have the names fade in, do the above, then export the shape to a graphic
editing program and fade out the upper edge. Save it as a PNG (which
supports transparency) and re-insert it into PowerPoint. Move and size the
shape to overlap the bottom of the slide. The names will come up under it
appearing to fade in.

In both cases use the same technique to create the top masking shape. Just
make sure that the masking blocks are on top of all the text (right click =>
Order => Move to front).

If neither of these is the effect you were going for, post back with a bit
more of what you envision, so we can help you achieve it.

--
Bill Dilworth
A proud member of the Microsoft PPT MVP Team
Users helping fellow users.
http://billdilworth.mvps.org
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vestprog2@ Please read the PowerPoint FAQ pages.
yahoo. They answer most of our questions.
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..

 

[Jimfish]

Hi Bill:

Thanks for the reply. I was able to use your advice and make it work, but
the way you worded it was slightly confusing. Probably because I had never
worked with 'background' and I didn't know the difference between a
background and the master slide.

Here's what I did to make it work (based on your input). I went to the
master slide view and determined that the top and bottom bars were made up of
graphical assets (various size rectangle, logos, etc.). For the bottom bar, I
selected all the elements of the bottom bar and copied them. I then closed
the Master view and pasted the bottom bar elements onto the normal slide.
This placed the bottom bar elements exactly over the top of the master slide
bottom bar. I then grouped them together to make one graphic and set the
order to Send to Front.

Therefore I had two graphics exactly alike stacked on top of each other
(like a sandwich) - one on the Master slide and other other on the Normal
slide. The one on the Normal slide was set as Send to Front.

Then, when I rolled the credits (the middle part of the sandwich!), they
appeared at the top edge of the bottom bar.

I used the same technique with the top bar and it works exactly as I wanted.
The credits disappear at the bottom edge of the top bar.

This may have been exactly what you were stating in your response, but it
was the reference to the 'background' that threw me.

Regardless, I appreciate your help and thanks for responding on a weekend!