Part 4: Create and animate objects on a slide — Patriotic Theme — Shooting Stars

Part 4: Create and animate objects on a slide — Patriotic Theme — Shooting Stars

Coming Soon. See the first three tutorials in this series by starting here.

This step-by-step series of tutorials will show you how to animate shapes and text to create a customizable patriotic slide with background music. This fourth tutorial focuses on drawing and animating the Star Columns shown below.

Patriotic Theme Slide – Complete

Create the shooting stars

1.  Insert > Shapes > Stars and Banners > 5-Point Star
   

   Draw Star Shapes

2. Place the star on the slide then use your Guides (Right click on slide background, Choose Grids and Guides> Select Display grids on screen to create and intersection point for your “star columns”
   
   

   Star Image Placement

3. Use the Freeform tool to create star columns. You’ll find it at Insert > Shapes > Lines > Freeform [JM11](repeat until you have 4 columns of alternating colors)
   

   Freeform Tool

4.  Select the 5-Point Star. Go to Drawing Tools > Format > Arrange > Bring Forward (More Arrow) > Bring to Front 5. Select the 5-Point Star then holding down the Shift Key, select the Shapes you just drew with the Freeform Tool. 6. Group them by going to Drawing Tools > Format > Arrange > Group (More Arrow) > Group 7. Repeat Steps 1 – 6, but start each step with each 5-Point Star in your desired end location.

To animate the shooting stars, follow these steps:

1. Select a grouped column then go to the Animation Tab and choose the Wipe Entrance Effect
2. Click the Effects Options More Arrow ( to reveal options, then choose From Bottom)
   

   Animate the Shooting Stars

3. Repeat this step for each column, changing the Wipe direction depending on the a columns star location (e.g., you’ll want to animated the column with star located on the far left above From Right)
4. With the Animation Pan open (Animation Tab > Advanced Animation Group > Animation Pane) set the timing for the shooting star animation to the follow settings (in the order in which you want the columns to appear:
   

   Animation Timing

   Start: With Previous Set the Delay: every 1:30 seconds Duration: .50

After creating and animating the Red Bars, White Stars, Text, and Shooting Stars, your Animation Pane should look like this:

Shooting Stars Animation Results

*REMEMBER: We have labeled each object on the slide by identifying it in the Selection Pane (Home > Editing > Select > Selection Pane)

This tutorial is part of a 5 part series. To learn other drawing and animation techniques to create a slide like this, click any of the following links:

Draw and Animate the red bars

Draw and Animate the red stars

Create and Animate custom text (with Fragment Shapes Tool)

Draw and Animate the shooting stars

Insert Audio (music)

Download the PowerPoint file from here