Add animation, image, and Flash (SWF) files

You can incorporate animations and Flash (SWF) files into your Presenter presentations.

If you already have PowerPoint animations, such as flying or dissolving text, Presenter converts them seamlessly and displays them in the final presentation exactly as they appear in PowerPoint. (For the most current list of supported PowerPoint animations, see the Adobe Knowledgebase.)

Note: In order for Presenter to gain control of animations, they must be set to OnClick. Animations located on the Slide Master cannot be controlled; remove the animations from the Slide Master and place them on individual slides

You can also incorporate SWF files into your presentation, including SWF files containing animation and SWF files containing simulations and demonstrations created with Adobe Captivate.

Synchronize audio and animation timings

After previewing your presentation, you might want to edit the timing of PowerPoint animations to better synchronize with added audio files. For example, if you have a slide with bulleted text items that appear one by one, you can adjust the timing so that the audio track matches the action of the text.

In PowerPoint, open a presentation (PPT file).
From the Adobe Presenter menu, select Synchronize Audio.
In the Synchronize Audio dialog box, click Previous or Next, if necessary, to navigate to the slide containing the timing that you want to adjust.
Select Change Timings to play the audio.
As the audio plays, click Next Animation to synchronize the timing of the first animation with the audio. Select Next Animation again to synchronize the timing of the next animation. Repeat this step for all animations on the slide.
When you finish, click Stop Editing.
Click OK.
Note: The Synchronize Audio dialog box synchronizes PowerPoint “On mouse click” animations only. In contrast, timed animations use the timing set in the Custom Animation dialog box in PowerPoint.

Pause the presentation after an animation plays

If your presentation includes PowerPoint animations, you can pause the presentation automatically after the animations play. This is useful if you want to clearly define where the animation ends and the presentation begins again.

In PowerPoint, open a presentation (PPT file).
From the Adobe Presenter menu, select Presentation Settings.
Click the Settings tab.
Select Pause After Each Animation.
Click OK.
When this option is selected, users must click the Play button in the toolbar to start the presentation again after a pause.

Insert a SWF file into a presentation

A Flash (SWF) file is a compiled, view-only Flash file that delivers graphics and animation over the Internet. You can use a SWF file to add content or visual interest (for instance, an animated pointer) to a presentation.

Note: If you have created animated simulations and demonstrations in Adobe Captivate, you can easily add them to your presentations. Certain Adobe Captivate projects, such as training demonstrations or software simulations, can be particularly useful in presentations.

Make sure that the file you want to insert meets these specifications:
- The Flash SWF file has been authored at 30 frames per second. Presenter presentations are created at 30 frames per second, so Flash files with the same setting can be integrated into the presentation smoothly.
- The maximum canvas size is set to 720 x 540 pixels.
- The file uses relative paths to movie clip references, not _root.
- The embedded SWF file does not attempt to make any changes outside its own file; that is, that the code does refer to the following variables: _level#, _global, or stage.
In PowerPoint, open a presentation (PPT file).
Navigate to the slide to which you want to add the SWF file.
From the Adobe Presenter menu, select Insert Flash.
Navigate to the location of your SWF file. Select the SWF file and click Open. Presenter adds the SWF file to the slide.
(Optional) If necessary, select the file and drag it to a new location on the slide.
Note: You can use PowerPoint to preview how the SWF content will appear in your presentation. In PowerPoint, from the View menu, select Slide Show.

Control an inserted SWF through the Presenter playbar

When you add a SWF file to a presentation, you can choose whether to control the SWF file through the Presenter playbar or the playbar in the original SWF file. For example, if you add a Adobe Captivate demonstration SWF file to the presentation, you can control the demonstration through the Presenter playbar in the viewer or the playbar in the Adobe Captivate demonstration.

Ordinarily, you want to control the SWF file through the Presenter playbar, because Presenter buffers the two slides that will be presented next. If you don’t control the file through the Presenter playbar, the SWF file could begin playing too early.

In PowerPoint, open a presentation (PPT file) containing an added SWF file.
From the Adobe Presenter menu, select Presentation Settings.
Click the Flash Files tab.
Select one of the Flash files in the list.
Select the Controlled By Presentation Playbar option to control the SWF file through the Presenter playbar.
Click OK.

Set image quality for a presentation

The higher the image quality, the greater the file size. Test different settings to find the best compromise between the two. High quality is best for users with no bandwidth limitations; for users with limited bandwidth, regular or low quality may be better.

In PowerPoint, open a presentation (PPT file).
From the Adobe Presenter menu, select Preferences.
Select the Quality tab.
Select an image-quality option:
High

The largest file size and highest quality image.
Medium

The best balance between file size and image quality.
Low

The smallest file size and lowest quality image.
(Optional) If you think users might view your presentation on computers with slow connections speeds, select Require Slides To Download Completely Before Playback. If this option is enabled, it will take longer for the presentation to start, but the slides will play smoothly after the presentation begins.
(Optional) If your presentation contains Flash movies (for example, Adobe Captivate content), select Disable preloading of embedded Flash movies. This option enables single and multiple SWF files to play properly in the presentation. For example, the option prevents a second SWF file from beginning to play before a first SWF file is finished.
Click Close.