Inserting Gifs into your Presentation; Why and How?

Would you like to learn how to attract and hold the attention of your audience while making presentations? Adding visual interest – and some humor – can liven up an otherwise dull presentation, and one interesting way to do this is by inserting GIFs into your PowerPoint. Gifs are becoming popular these days and are used almost as frequently as text. You will find them in your email, text messages, online courses, etc. GIFs are also commonly used extensively on social media, especially on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. If you are a newbie, you have no reason to sweat it. By the time you read this guide to the end, you will know how to insert GIFs into your PowerPoint.

Why should I use GIFs?

GIFs – Graphics Interchange Formats – are those soundless two- or three-second videos that you see which appear to loop continuously. It is a graphic bitmap image with apparent motion and an excellent medium between videos and flat images. They also take less space compared to videos and even images on your computer and are famous for showing several seconds of emotion.

A few years ago, it would have been absurd and considered unprofessional to use GIFs in a presentation or even in articles. But no thanks to social media and the use of today’s technology, the attention spans of most users have made it necessary to insert GIFs into your PowerPoint presentations. Here is why: the era of the smartphone is here, and there is no sign that it is going away anytime soon. Most people are nearly always on their smartphones, sending as well as receiving information almost as fast as they think. This has severely cut down the attention span of most people, and if you want to stop them in their tracks while scrolling through their newsfeeds or phones on the go, GIFs are the way to go.

GIFs are More Interactive

GIFs are also much more interactive than photos and the fact that there is no need to embed a player makes it quite convenient. You can use GIFs to pinpoint or even mirror the specific emotions which your audience can easily relate to. If you are presenting to your coworkers or even a potential employer, you can make the presentation unique and memorable by inserting GIFs in your PowerPoint, especially if those GIFs are from popular movies or shows like the Game of Thrones or The Matrix, etc. If your audience has seen those shows or movies, they will emotionally connect to that scene and the message you are trying to communicate at that point.

Do Not Overdo It

However, a little warning: do not overdo it. GIFS can allow you to display your humor, but there is a right way and a wrong way of using them. The best way is to sprinkle GIFs in your PowerPoint presentation in such a way that they are not overbearing. They shouldn’t be on every page or slide as it will seem as if you are trying too hard to impress your audience or just filling up empty spaces. How to insert GIFs into your PowerPoint Presentation There are three primary ways of inserting GIFs into your PowerPoint. You can use any of the methods that you find suitable at any time.

Method 1 – Copy and Paste: First of all, locate the GIF you want to insert into your PowerPoint in any folder on your computer. Then, use Ctrl + C to copy it. Then locate your PowerPoint slide and the appropriate page you want the GIF to be and then press Ctrl + V to paste. Another quick method is to highlight the name of the file, and then use the drag-and-drop feature to insert the image directly on to the PowerPoint slide of your choice.

Method 2 – PowerPoint Picture Utility: This step starts with the PowerPoint application. Locate and click the “Insert” tab on the application. Then move your cursor to the “Picture” icon. A window will pop up, and later you can try to locate the folder where the GIF you want to insert into the PowerPoint is. When you find the GIF, double-click on the file and it will automatically embed itself on the slide of your choice.

Method 3 – Embedding a GIF from the Net: This step involves the use of the “Insert Ribbon’s Picture” icon. Start by selecting “Pictures,” then write the URL of the image or GIF you want to use directly into the File input box. Next, select “Insert.” The PowerPoint application will automatically download the GIF that you selected into that particular slide for your presentation. You can also customize any GIF by fiddling with the Format Pictures tab and all the features that appear when you right-click on your desired animated image. You can also change the contrast and brightness using the Picture Corrections icon. You can also control the number of times your GIF loops, as this can also be pretty distracting. All you need to do is to make use of any online GIF editor such as egif.com, giphy.com, gifmaker.org, etc. You can even make your own GIFs on these websites, cut from your favorite movies, or by assembling several images. You can also resize the GIF without deforming its aspect ratio. Just drag any corner of the GIF with your cursor while pressing down the “Shift” key on your computer. GIFs can also be rotated like images when you drag the circular anchor above them.