The all-new timeline in Presenter 360’s consolidated narration window makes it a snap to sync animations. This user guide explains how.

Syncing Animations with Existing Narration

  1. Go to the Articulate tab on the PowerPoint ribbon and click Narration.

    The consolidated narration window will open to the slide you’re currently viewing in PowerPoint, but you can switch to a different slide. Just select a slide thumbnail in the left navigation panel. If the slide already has narration, you’ll see its audio waveform in the timeline panel at the bottom of the window.
  2. Click Sync Animations on the ribbon.
  3. As the slide’s narration plays, click Next Animation each time you want an animation to occur. The number on the Next Animation button lets you know how many on-click animations are left for the current slide. The number will count down each time you click the button to trigger another animation.
  4. If you need to pause temporarily, just click the play/pause button on the ribbon. Click it again to continue.
  5. When you’re finished, click Done Syncing.
  6. To preview the slide with your synchronized animations, use the play/pause button on the ribbon.
    • If you need to start over, click Sync Animations again.
    • If you need to fine-tune your animation timings without syncing the whole slide again, just drag the animation markers left or right along the timeline at the bottom of the screen. See this user guide for details.
  7. To synchronize other slides in your course, use the Previous Slide and Next Slide buttons on the ribbon or just select another slide thumbnail in the left navigation panel.
  8. When you’re done, click Save & Close on the ribbon to return to PowerPoint. (If you want to close the window without saving your changes, click the X in the upper right corner.)

Syncing Animations and Recording Narration at the Same Time

  1. Go to the Articulate tab on the PowerPoint ribbon and click Narration.

    The consolidated narration window will open to the slide you’re currently viewing in PowerPoint, but you can switch to a different slide. Just select a slide thumbnail in the left navigation panel.
  2. If you want to use your PowerPoint notes as a script while you’re recording narration, make sure the notes panel is open on the right side of the screen. If it isn’t, click the Notes bar to expand it.

    You can widen the notes panel by dragging its left boundary. You can even undock the notes panel and move it to another monitor if you need more room. Just double-click the notes title bar to undock it. When you’re done, click the Redock button to dock it back in its original position.

    The notes panel might not be white with black text like the rest of the screen. We wanted to make it easier to see how your notes panel will look if you include it in your published course. The notes panel colors are controlled by your player properties. See this article to learn how to change the notes text and background colors.

    The PowerPoint notes panel is synced with the notes panel in Presenter's consolidated narration window. You can edit your script while you’re recording, and your PowerPoint notes will automatically update to reflect the changes.
  3. Click the top half of the Record button on the ribbon to begin recording.
  4. If you need to pause while you’re recording, click the pause button. To resume recording, click the pause button again.
  5. As you’re recording, click the Next Animation button when you want an animation to occur.

    The number on the Next Animation button lets you know how many on-click animations are left for the current slide. The number will count down each time you click the button to trigger another animation.
  6. When you’re done recording the slide, click Stop Recording.
  7. Use the play/pause button to preview the slide with your narration and synchronized animations.
    • If you need to start over, click the Record button again. It’ll overwrite your previous recording.
    • If you need to fine-tune your animation timings without syncing the whole slide again, just drag the animation markers left or right along the timeline at the bottom of the screen. See this user guide for details.
  8. If there are other slides you’d like to narrate and synchronize, use the Previous Slide and Next Slide buttons on the ribbon or just select another slide thumbnail in the left navigation panel.
  9. When you’re finished, click Save & Close on the ribbon to return to PowerPoint. (If you want to close the window without saving your changes, click the X in the upper right corner.)

Syncing Animations Without Audio

  1. Go to the Articulate tab on the PowerPoint ribbon and click Narration.

    The consolidated narration window will open to the slide you’re currently viewing in PowerPoint, but you can switch to a different slide. Just select a slide thumbnail in the left navigation panel. If the slide already has narration, you’ll see its audio waveform in the timeline panel at the bottom of the window.
  2. Click Sync Animations on the ribbon.
  3. The playhead will begin moving across the timeline panel at the bottom of the screen. Click Next Animation on the ribbon at each point where you want an animation to occur. The number on the Next Animation button lets you know how many on-click animations are left for the current slide. The number will count down each time you click the button to trigger another animation.
  4. If you need to pause temporarily, just click the play/pause button on the ribbon. Click it again to continue.
  5. When you’re finished, click Done Syncing.
  6. To preview the slide with your synchronized animations, use the play/pause button on the ribbon.
    • If you need to start over, click Sync Animations again.
    • If you need to fine-tune your animation timings without syncing the whole slide again, just drag the animation markers left or right along the timeline at the bottom of the screen. See this user guide for details.
  7. To synchronize other slides in your course, use the Previous Slide and Next Slide buttons on the ribbon or just select another slide thumbnail in the left navigation panel.
  8. When you’re done, click Save & Close on the ribbon to return to PowerPoint. (If you want to close the window without saving your changes, click the X in the upper right corner.)

You Might Also Want to Explore:

Recording Narration
Importing Audio
Adding Animations and Slide Transitions
Fine-Tuning Animation Timings