Alternatives for creating Powerpoint animations?

[superboyac]

Is there an easy alternative for creating powerpoint animations?  I'm not familiar with flash or another kind of animation package.  Maybe doing it in powerpoint is the best way, but I'm sure you guys know of different ways.  FYI, I need to use the animation for a PP presentation, so don't misunderstand me in thinking I'm trying to use PP just to make an animation.

Thanks.

[Curt]

I guess you are not talking about some little gif-animation, but you know that PP will take various kinds of material (video, flash, pictures, a.m.m.), so maybe others are thinking like me and would be more enclined to answer if they knew a little more on what kind of result you want: What kind of animations?

[gjehle]

if you're talking about powerpoint PRESENTATIONS
i can "recommend" www.openoffice.org impress.

the 'animation' part is a little awkward, at least it was a few versions back
but since i'm a total animation and slide transition hater using only blank cuts as transitions...
i couldn't care less ;-)

[dhuser]

Some Ideas:
* OpenOffice.org Impress is an excellent presentation-maker. It can save and open PowerPoint presentations, and has many PowerPoint-like features. A Screenshot is shown below:

... Animated Demo: http://www.openoffice.org/nonav/product/flash/Impress.html
... Get it at http://download.openoffice.org/2.2.0/index.html
* Create a flash animation using a free program: Liveswif 2.2 at http://liveswifers.org/. The tutorials will help you with creating an animation.

* Create a show using PowerPoint, and capture it using DebugMode Wink (free video-screen-capture program) at http://www.debugmode.com/wink/

Some ideas...
dhuser

[superboyac]

I guess you are not talking about some little gif-animation, but you know that PP will take various kinds of material (video, flash, pictures, a.m.m.), so maybe others are thinking like me and would be more enclined to answer if they knew a little more on what kind of result you want: What kind of animations?

Well, it's an engineering diagram.  I need to insert some basic shapes and have them slide around and fade in and out, blink and flicker.  I've gotten like 80% of it in powerpoint so far using it's regular functions.  I was just wondering if there was something a little more powerful out there without having to go full-out Flash.