Keynote - About Animating Objects on Slides (Action Builds)

You can create an action build on a master slide so that build effects appear on
every slide created using that master. See “Defining Default Transitions” on page 239
for instructions.

Moving an Object Across a Slide

An action build can move an object across a slide along straight or curved paths. If
you want the object to pause its motion at some point in its journey, you can specify
multiple path segments, each of which is a separate build. Click to advance the object
along the next path segment, or set automatic timing for each segment. (To learn
about automating the timing of builds, see “Automating Object Builds” on page 124.)

To specify a path for an object to move along:

1

Click Inspector in the toolbar and click the Build inspector button.

2

Click Action.

Click to preview the build.

Click to add another path

to the object’s movement.

Set the animation effects.

The Build inspector button

Set how long it takes to
complete the build.

Use Action effects to
animate elements on a slide.
Make elements move, shrink,
grow, fade, rotate, and more.

Click to reorder build stages.

For Move builds, change the
object’s path from straight
to curved, or vice versa.

3

On a slide, select an object (an image, shape, text box, chart, movie or other media file,

or table).

4

Choose Move from the Effect pop-up menu.

On the slide canvas, a red line connected to a “ghosted” (transparent) version of the
object appears, showing the object’s destination.

5

To modify the path, do any of the following:

Change the direction or distance the object moves by dragging the ghosted object to the
next position.

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Change the path from straight to curved by clicking the curved Path button in the Build
inspector.
Reshape the path’s curvature by dragging one of its nodes or node handles (double-
click a node to make its handles appear). For more control, click a node (a point on a
path) and drag its handles.
Add a node (point) to a path by holding down the Option key while you click the path
(when the pointer looks like a pen tip). You can then reshape the curvature of the path
at this node by dragging it or one of its handles.
Control the object’s acceleration by choosing an option from the Acceleration pop-up
menu in the Build inspector.
Move the entire path segment (along with its beginning and endpoints) by dragging
along the path.

Use these node handles
to reshape the path.

6

To move the object along a new path segment, click the Add Path button on the

ghosted object, a red square with a white plus sign (+) in it, or click the Add Action
button in the Build inspector.

To add another path for the
object, click the Add Path
button (next to the last
ghosted object).

7

To reorder the stages of the action build, click More Options (if the Build Drawer

isn’t open) and drag builds in the Build Order drawer. (For more information, see
“Reordering Object Builds” on page 124.)

The object starts

moving from here.

Drag a ghosted object to
the location you want the
object to stop moving.

You can even move

objects off the slide.

After an object and all its paths have been deselected, the paths are no longer visible
on the slide canvas. You can see them again by clicking the Show Path button on the
object, which appears as a small red diamond with a black dot inside. If you hold down
the Option key while clicking the Show Path button, the ghosts become persistently
visible until you click the Show Path button again.

Click the Show Path
button to see all the
stages of an action build.

Making Objects Fade, Rotate, Grow, or Shrink

Use action builds to make objects rotate, change opacity (transparency), or size.

To make an object change its size, orientation, or opacity:

1

Click Inspector in the toolbar and click the Build inspector button.

2

Click Action.

3

On a slide, select an object (an image, shape, text box, chart, movie or other media file,

or table).

4

Choose an option from the Effect pop-up menu, and then specify how the object

should look when the transformation is complete:

To make the object fade (or to intensify a faded object), choose Opacity from the

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Effect pop-up menu, and then use the Opacity slider or field to set the object’s
final opacity. Choose an acceleration style from the pop-up menu, and then set
a duration in the field; a shorter duration means the object’s opacity will change
more quickly.

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