How to hide part of a picture in PowerPoint

Many of us use animations PowerPoint and Google Slides to strategically reveal specific information.  Usually, you would select the textbox or image, click on the animations tab and select the animation you want.  The trouble lies when you want to do something like hiding and revealing part of an image.  I made a quick video to show you the process I use for this.  (TLDR: use a shape to cover the part of the image you want to hide.)

As you choose your animations, I have some suggestions.  Don't overdo it; too many animations can be districting.  Along with that choose the right animation; you want it to emphasize key points not distract the kids.   Simple is better.

 

Did you know you could do these 3 things in PowerPoint?

PowerPoint is something that we all know and use, but it can really do so much more than many people use it for.  Here are three things that I not only like to use myself, but also teach my students how use.

Screen recordings can be so helpful.  I find myself making them at least once a month to show a colleague how something is done.  It is also helpful to record directions for students especially when teaching a new skill.  It's much easier to have students refer back to a video of me instead of repeating myself over and over during the same period.  The easiest way to open the screen recording tool is to locate the box that says "Tell me what you want to do" and type in screen recording.

Adding sounds can be a great way to enhance any presentation.  You can add in music, sound effects or a voice recording.  Sound Recordings is a great way to be able to present when you can't actually be there.  The sound recording and sound upload options are found in the “Insert” menu in PowerPoint.

Microsoft’s Dictate tool will let you dictate the text that you want to have appear in your slides.  This can be especially helpful when working with younger students who can't spell or type well.  It's something that must be added into PowerPoint, but once it's there the students can easily use it.  

Making a Screen Recording using PowerPoint

Screen recordings can be so helpful.  I find myself making them at least once a month to show a colleague how something is done.  It is also helpful to record directions for students especially when teaching a new skill.  It's much easier to have students refer back to a video of me instead of repeating myself over and over during the same period.  The easiest way to open the screen recording tool is to locate the box that says "Tell me what you want to do" and type in screen recording.

Once you click on Insert Screen Recording, PowerPoint will minimize that the following box will appear. 

You will want to click on select area and highlight the area you want to record.  You can choose to record part or all of the screen.  You can then select or deselect Audio depending on if you want audio also recorded.  If the box is gray, then it is selected.  You can do the same for Record Pointer.  Once you are ready click on the red Record button.  You will get a 3-2-1 countdown and then your recording will start.  The box will disappear and your screen will be recorded.  When you are done with your recording you can either move your mouse up to the top of the screen and the box will appear again for you to stop the recording.  You can also press the windows button, shift and Q at the same time to stop the recording.  

The recording will now appear on a side of your PowerPoint presentation.  You can right click on it to save the video, but you also have the option to do some editing. 

The editing that you can do is pretty basic, but the most useful feature is the ability to trim the video.  To access this, click on Playback in the Video Tools ribbon and then you will see Trim Video.  You can only trim to beginning or ending, but it's helpful to get rid of the extra stuff that you accidentally record.

I hope this helps you in your screen recording endeavors.  Leave a comment if there is something else that you would like to learn about.

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