Re: How can I play several movies simultaneously within a slide?

Well, since nobody from the Mac world has popped in with help, you may want to post in the Mac PPT group and see if it catches their notice there.

http://www.officeformac.com/ProductForums/ is a web interface to the Mac PPT group.

In Ellen's tutorial, she's adding a trigger to an action button. She uses the action button just because the graphic (the right-pointing arrow) is appropriate for "play." Since she doesn't actually want the action of the action button, she has to remove it (step 3).

This is why it's confusing. Various tutorials mix up action buttons and triggers, and then there are movie action animations and other animations and "on mouse click" to begin animations as well as to advance slides, and then we throw the Mac in, and it's a fine kettle of fish! :-)

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


"Petula" <Petula@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:1ADF6416-36FF-4EE1-A4F3-ED1B3D62AD7C@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I think I undertand the problem a lot better now. However, I still don't
know the solution!

My head was spinning with all the talk of triggers.

Then I read a tutorial on using 'Start', 'Pause', 'Stop' buttons as triggers.
See http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/powerpoint_tip_movie_buttons.html
Through my doggedly trying to follow that (which is written for Windows) I
nearly went 'around the bend' until after a long time of trying I realised
that there are no triggers in PPT 2004 for Mac.

That appears to be confirmed in the 'read Me' for PPT 2004 for Mac, which I
found online at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/871019
Here's an excerpt:

"2.3 Using animation effects created in PowerPoint for Windows
PowerPoint 2004 supports most of the animation effects created in PowerPoint
2002 for Windows or later. However, PowerPoint XP for Windows and PowerPoint
2003 for Windows offer motion path animation effects that cause text or
objects to move across the screen. PowerPoint 2004 cannot create or edit
motion path animations or triggers. However, if these animation effects are
used in a presentation in a Windows version of PowerPoint, the effects will
play in PowerPoint 2004 for Mac. In earlier versions (for both Windows and
Mac), these animation effects will not play."

Neither have I been able to use 'Action Settings' and 'Action Buttons' (from
the 'Slide Show' drop down menu) to do what I want. (By the way the Help in
PPT 2004 for Mac is atrocious on those items at least.)

From my reading of the Help, I think that Action Buttons can be used to
start up movies that are outside the PPT presentation. However, I saw no way
to start up movies that are embedded in a PPT slide, as mine are.

What to do?

I tried an experiment as follows.
I added an Action Button.
Then in 'Custom Animation'. I set the Action Button to 'start' on click; and
I sequences all six embedded movies subsequent to the Action Button, and set
all the movies to start 'with previous'.
I found if you click in a clear white space the movies start simultaneously.
Then when you click in clear white space again, the next slide starts.

You'd think there's be a way to do what I'm trying to do, wouldn't you?


"Echo S" wrote:

Triggers usually work by clicking *on a specific object.* That's what you
need to set up and click on to toggle. Clicking on "clear white space" is
like clicking the mouse to advance the slides -- or to begin an animation.
But that won't toggle your movie start/stop, unless you set up a movie
action animation to start "on mouse click." If you did that, it may toggle
your movie start/stop, but only once for each time you have that mouse click
animation in the animation pane.

So, you do have one movie action set "on mouse click." That's why clicking
on clear white space starts that movie playing. (Then the others set to
"with previous" begin, too.)

When you click the mouse in the clear white space again, it should advance
the slide. I'm surprised it's toggling at all, to tell you the truth.

Make sense?

If I get some time, I'll try to set up a page that walks through these --
I've often thought one's needed, anyway. :-)

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx


"Petula" <Petula@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:69540530-8639-4B1B-90AE-E7C484BE9E15@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Hello Echo S
>
> I hope you're still with me on this, as I accidentally clicked yes > (i.e.
> accidentally iand erroneously ndicating that your latest reply
> successfully
> answered the question).
>
> Since yesterday, I've been experimenting - and still need help.
>
> First, by the way, the procedure for setting the triggers for effects > is
> different in PPT 2004 for Mac - but it appears to enable you to do the
> same
> things.
>
> Also by the way, I should have mentioned that all of the several movies > in
> the slide are brief (either 2 sec or 4 sec), and I've set them to loop.
>
> When I set the effects and triggers as you suggest:
> All six movies commence simultaneously when I click on a clear white
> space,
> and continue looping.
> Then, all six movies pause simultaneously when I click on a clear white
> space.
> Then, HOWEVER, the 'Slide Show' view closes the next time I click on a
> clear
> white space.
> I want all six movies to start simultaneously, and pause all six movies
> simultaneously, as many times as I care to click on clear white > spaces -
> without the 'Slide Show' view closing down.
>
> "Echo S" wrote:
>
>> When you insert a movie onto a PPT slide (on the PC), you're prompted >> to
>> play the video automatically or on click. Regardless of which you >> choose,
>> when you go to the custom animation pane and have a look, you'll see a
>> "pause" trigger animation there -- set to "on mouse click."
>>
>> Basically, this is a trigger animation -- a movie action | pause --
>> that's
>> applied to the movie on the slide. When you click the movie, it will
>> pause.
>> When you click it again, it will play.
>>
>> So that's what I'd do if I were you. Insert the movies, and then >> change
>> the
>> initial "play" animation setting to "on click" for the first movie, >> and
>> then
>> the rest of those "play" animations to "with previous" for the rest of
>> the
>> movies. (Like you described in your first post -- you were on the >> right
>> track there.)
>>
>> I just don't know if the Mac applies automatic pause triggers to >> movies
>> when
>> you insert them.
>>
>> To make one manually, you'd select the movie on the slide, then in the
>> Custom Animation pane ...
>>
>> Add Effect | Movie Actions | Pause.
>>
>> Select the Movie Action | Pause in the animation pane. Click the arrow
>> beside it and choose Timing
>>
>> In the Timing dialog, click the Triggers button (this part is on the
>> tutorial you looked at earlier).
>>
>> Choose "start effect on click of" and select the video from that list.
>>
>> This applies a pause trigger to the video. So, when you click the >> video,
>> it
>> will pause.
>>
>> Repeat for the other videos.
>>
>>
>> What this does is let you click the mouse at random to start all the
>> movies
>> playing. Then, clicking on any individual movie will pause it.
>>
>> If you want to click something else (like an autoshape or "button") to
>> pause/play the movie(s), choose that object in the "start effect on >> click
>> of" list instead of the movie name.
>>
>> Now, hopefully someone will confirm whether this works on PPT 2004 for
>> the
>> Mac or not. :-)
>>
>> -- >> Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
>> What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
>> Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
>> PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx
>>
>>
>> "Petula" <Petula@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:ECC902E5-F18D-4624-9E95-325AF99C5DDC@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> > Thanks John and Echo
>> >
>> > Yes, I was looking in 'Normal' view, and I needed to be in 'Slide >> > Show'
>> > view. [I haven't had to use different views before.] Also, I >> > needed
>> > to
>> > click outside the movie windows, just as you stated.
>> > It seems to me that the term triggers isn't used in PPT 2004 for >> > Mac.
>> > The
>> > tutorial about triggers that Echo suggested is for PPT 2002 and PPT
>> > 2003.
>> > So
>> > there are no grey trigger bars either in PPT 2004 for Mac.
>> >
>> > In any case, the timing-of-effects functions that used to be set >> > using
>> > "triggers" are still there in PPT 2004 for Mac, under:
>> > Slide Show / Custom Animation / Start, and also under Slide Show /
>> > Custom
>> > Animation / Effect Options / Timing.
>> >
>> > There's still one problem remaining:
>> > Whereas all animations do now start when I click, I haven't managed >> > to
>> > figure out how to pause and then resume the movies.
>> > The best I've managed to do is to right click; which results in a >> > pause
>> > plus
>> > appearance of a context menu window. Any action that produces an
>> > action
>> > after that results in return to 'Normal' view.
>> >
>> > By the way, the PPT presentation currently comprises only a single
>> > slide.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > "John Wilson" wrote:
>> >
>> >> Thanks Echo, yep I meant in show view. My last Mac was a B&W >> >> Classic
>> >> with
>> >> a 4
>> >> Mb hard drive (still works) so maybe none of this works on a modern
>> >> Mac!!
>> >> -- >> >> Amazing PPT Hints, Tips and Tutorials
>> >>
>> >> http://www.PPTAlchemy.co.uk
>> >> http://www.technologytrish.co.uk
>> >> email john AT technologytrish.co.uk
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> "Echo S" wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > If you're creating a new textbox when double-clicking, then >> >> > you're
>> >> > in
>> >> > editing view. I'm sure that John meant you should try that in >> >> > Slide
>> >> > Show
>> >> > View.
>> >> >
>> >> > Here's a quick tutorial on triggers for the PC -- I know there >> >> > are
>> >> > bunches
>> >> > more out there. http://www.echosvoice.com/triggers.htm
>> >> >
>> >> > Once you've created a trigger, it shows up in the animation pane >> >> > as
>> >> > a
>> >> > grey
>> >> > bar.
>> >> >
>> >> > -- >> >> > Echo [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
>> >> > What's new in PPT 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
>> >> > Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances http://tinyurl.com/36grcd
>> >> > PowerPoint 2007 Complete Makeover Kit http://tinyurl.com/32a7nx
>> >> >
>> >> >
>> >> > "Petula" <Petula@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> >> > news:B6AA17D7-6D29-415C-8512-AD7BFFCD435C@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> > > Regret to have to report that single-clicking outside the >> >> > > videos
>> >> > > does
>> >> > > nothing, and double-clicking creates a new text box.
>> >> > > Also, the solitary reference to "trigger" in the Help appears >> >> > > in a
>> >> > > topic
>> >> > > about Macro Viruses. Where is the "grey trigger bar".
>> >> > >
>> >> > > "John Wilson" wrote:
>> >> > >
>> >> > >> First - I'm a PC user so I might be talking out of my right
>> >> > >> button.
>> >> > >>
>> >> > >> If you have set the animations as you say then try clicking
>> >> > >> anywhere
>> >> > >> except
>> >> > >> on a video.
>> >> > >>
>> >> > >> If you want to click the video to start them all try adding a
>> >> > >> trigger set
>> >> > >> to
>> >> > >> "play" for the first and drag all the other with previous >> >> > >> "plays"
>> >> > >> below
>> >> > >> the
>> >> > >> grey trigger bar
>> >> > >> -- >> >> > >> Amazing PPT Hints, Tips and Tutorials
>> >> > >>
>> >> > >> http://www.PPTAlchemy.co.uk
>> >> > >> http://www.technologytrish.co.uk
>> >> > >> email john AT technologytrish.co.uk
>> >> > >>
>> >> > >>
>> >> > >> "Petula" wrote:
>> >> > >>
>> >> > >> > I'm using PowerPoint 2004 for Mac in Office 2004 for Mac -
>> >> > >> > which
>> >> > >> > is
>> >> > >> > 'updated'
>> >> > >> > up to date.
>> >> > >> >
>> >> > >> > I'm having trouble making several movies play simultaneously
>> >> > >> > within the
>> >> > >> > same
>> >> > >> > slide .
>> >> > >> >
>> >> > >> > In Slide Show / Custom Animation, I set the animation order >> >> > >> > of
>> >> > >> > the
>> >> > >> > movies.
>> >> > >> > Next I set the first movie to play upon Click.
>> >> > >> > Next I set the subsequent (five) movies) to play With >> >> > >> > Previous,
>> >> > >> > with
>> >> > >> > zero
>> >> > >> > delay.
>> >> > >> >
>> >> > >> > Then, in the preview thumbnail, the movies do play
>> >> > >> > simultaneously.
>> >> > >> > However, in the actual slide, whichever movie I double click >> >> > >> > on
>> >> > >> > plays
>> >> > >> > once
>> >> > >> > and then winds back to its beginning, and then the >> >> > >> > subsequent
>> >> > >> > movie
>> >> > >> > does the
>> >> > >> > same, and so on, in order one movie at a time.
>> >> >
>>


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