How to Create Animations in Keynote
If you’ve seen the animated drills on LaxPlaybook or BBallPlaybook, you know how effective clear, simple motion can be for explaining an idea.
Here’s the thing — those animations were all built in Keynote. And while we use them to break down lacrosse and basketball plays, you can use the same techniques for product demos, tutorials, explainer videos, social media content, and more.
Keynote is basically an animation studio hiding inside a presentation app.
Decide What to Animate
Before you start adding effects, decide why you’re animating something:
Are you showing movement?
Guiding attention to key info?
Breaking down a process step-by-step?
This focus helps keep your animations useful instead of distracting.
Learn the Three Animation Types
Build In – How an element appears (great for introducing an idea or showing where movement starts).
Action – Movement while on the slide (used for passing sequences, product walkthroughs, or showing a process).
Build Out – How an element exits (helps keep things clean and moving forward).
Map Out the Sequence
In Build Order, arrange your animations in the order you want them to play. You can:
Run them on click for interactive presentations
Set them automatically for video exports
For example:
On LaxPlaybook, we animate player runs, passes, and defensive shifts in order.
In a business demo, you might animate product features appearing in sequence.
Keep It Clear and Simple
Stick to consistent colors, fonts, and icon styles.
Keep durations short — 0.5 to 1 second is a sweet spot.
Avoid overusing effects like spins or bounces unless they serve a purpose.
Export for Any Use
When you’re done, Keynote lets you export animations as:
Videos (MP4) for YouTube, Instagram, or training content
GIFs for quick, looping visuals on websites or emails
Presentations for live or recorded sessions
Why This Works
Whether you’re diagramming a sports play, walking through a software tutorial, or highlighting features in a pitch, animation makes ideas faster to understand and easier to remember.
That’s why we use them at LaxPlaybook and BBallPlaybook — and why they work just as well for almost any kind of teaching or storytelling.
