PowerPoint Tutorial: Cinemagraphs in 3 Steps

Have you noticed all the rage about Cinemagraphs and GIFs? Or wondered how to make them?

I’m going to show you how to easily create Cinemagraphs using PowerPoint in just 3 simple steps…

Follow the steps below OR watch the video tutorial here:

So what’s the difference between a GIF and a Cinemagraph?

A GIF is simply a series of still images placed together to look like they are moving – or to look like a short video.

See in this GIF here that it looks a little choppy – it’s just images that were put together to form what appears to be a video. And there is movement all around the clip.

A Cinemagraph, on the other hand, is a video that has an isolated portion of the video that keeps the movement. They can draw attention to a specific area of the video to help make a point. This is perfect for PowerPoint presentations when you need to explain or point out something, but don’t want to just use boring arrows or other ways of drawing the viewer’s eyes.

Look at this first video – this is  a boring video from a shopping mall’s camera – so it’s black and white and nothing.

However, after I add the effect, the little girl on the escalator is the only thing moving and it draws your attention to her – and somehow is no longer a boring black and white video or photo.

So, now let me show you how I did this.

First, open PowerPoint and Insert the video you’d like to edit. You should really think of the message you want to send before you select your video… and of course, make sure you have appropriate copyrights to use the video.

This original video shows the entire movement of the water and the sky, including the clouds.

But let’s say we’re talking about cloud formations and would like to isolate the cloud movement.

First, I’ll duplicate the video using Copy and Paste. Depending on the effect, you may want to trim the video to only the portion you want to show.

So, I’ll crop the copy of this video so that it only includes the sky. Basically, I have both videos on the slide, but I’m going to leave one static, meaning it will not play – it will appear as an image. And, the 2nd video, the one I’ve cropped to just include the sky and clouds, will keep its movement or motion.

Next, you’ll fix the animations.

So, I’ll select the first video, the one I don’t want to move and click on the “Playback” Tab. Since this is already setup to Start On Click, I’ll leave it alone.

Next, click on the copy, the one I cropped to just include the sky and clouds, and click on the “Playback” Tab. I’ll select the “Automatic” Start option.

Next, to check that all of my settings are correct, I’ll click on the “Animations” Tab and open the Animation Pane. If the original video shows in the Animation Pane, I like to delete it just to make sure I don’t accidentally click and start it playing while I’m presenting.

So, let’s Play our Slideshow and see how this looks.

Notice that the water and waterfalls remain motionless and the sky and clouds are moving. When playing this slide, you would draw the viewers eyes to the sky and clouds. Cool, right?!

So, that’s how you create a Cinemagraph using PowerPoint.

You can get really creative and make your PowerPoint presentations standout by using this technique. However, as with all PowerPoint Tips and Tricks, limit your presentations – do not have every slide include a Cinemagraph, for example. It will get old and lose its effect on your audience.

Practice this technique with various videos and see what works best.

If you like this tip, please LIKE and COMMENT below and to receive other tips and tricks, be sure to click JOIN NEWSLETTER above (on my menu) and receive my FREE eBook: 65+ Ways to Use Office to be More Productive.