PowerPoint Tips & Tutorials

Make an object disappear behind another object

You can make an object seem to disappear behind another object, or appear from behind that object. This effect creates a 3D impression and seems quite magical.

In my tip, "Add relevance with layers of meaning," I discuss how you can use visual layering effects to bring out layers, or depth, of meaning.

In order for this to work, you need to create the appearance of a 3D environment that your object can disappear behind. This takes some experimentation. You also need to play with the order of the objects, by right-clicking and using the Order item on the shortcut menu.

Here's the slide in Normal view.

Here are the objects, separated. The top oval uses a gray-blue gradient, to give the appearance of the shadow inside the glass.

The tulip is simply cropped to provide a flat bottom.

Here's the animation. (I recorded and produced the animation with TechSmith's Camtasia Studio.)

(

Thanks to Deborah Gilden who brought this technique to my attention in her submission for the Tell 'n' Show contest.

To create this animation, follow these steps:

1. Select the object that you want to animate.
2. Choose Slide Show> Custom Animation. (In 2007, go to Animations tab> Custom Animation.)
3. In the Custom Animation task pane, choose Add Effect>Exit>Peek Out. (If Peek Out isn't on the list, click More Effects.)
4. Specify the Start, Direction, and Speed settings. I used On Click, To Bottom, and Slow, respectively.

If it doesn't look right, fiddle with the position of the objects and their order on the slide.

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