What steps are involved in adding a motion path animation to a selected placeholder?

Adding a motion path animation to a selected placeholder involves using the Animations Ribbon Tab and expanding the Animations Gallery. This process allows you to access a variety of animation effects, including motion paths that enable you to move an object along a specified route on the slide.

Once you’ve selected the placeholder, navigating to the Animations Ribbon provides you with a range of animation options, including entrance, emphasis, exit, and motion paths. By expanding the Animations Gallery, you can find and choose the specific motion path that suits your presentation needs. This step is essential for customizing how the object appears and moves in your slideshow, enhancing the overall visual impact.

Other options may touch on different functionalities within PowerPoint but do not directly apply to the specific task of adding a motion path animation. For example, accessing the Slide Show Tab is more about presenting your slides rather than editing animations, while right-clicking for animation options would not necessarily provide the comprehensive features available through the Animations Ribbon. Likewise, applying a transition effect pertains to slide changes rather than the animation of elements within a slide.