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4 steps to create a video from PowerPoint slides

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You can create great videos using PowerPoint! A common reason to create videos is to post them on YouTube but you can post them on a website or on social media as well.

You can make them as simple or as complicated as you want. Here are the basic steps to create a video from PowerPoint slides:

1. Create animated slides (including transitions)

Of course, you start with animated slides. The basic concept is to keep things moving like they would in a video. A video is a very different medium from a slide presentation, so you have to think differently.

For example, after you apply entrance animations, you can apply exit animations so that objects come in and go out. Use some of the more extreme animations that you would never use in a regular business presentation.

2. Add audio (narration and/or music)

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Why you need to get your presentations on the Internet–and how

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Get your presentation on the Web? Why and how?presentation_to_internet-300x125-1

I’ve come up with 4 reasons to put your presentations on the Internet and 6 ways to do it.

Why #1–as a handout for your audience at a live presentation

Let’s say you’ve given your presentation live and–

  • Some important audience members couldn’t attend
  • People who did attend would like to have your presentation as a handout
  • You want people to have continued access to your presentation so they can review it and learn more from it

STOP! Don’t print out your slides! If you used the Tell ‘n’ ShowSM Method (see “How to design more effective slides with the Tell ‘n’ Show(SM) method“), most of what you say isn’t on the slides in text, so people who get your slides won’t know what you said. (If you need to send your slides, I recommend putting the text of your presentation in the Notes pane in PowerPoint and sending Notes pages or using the Send to Word feature, which can also include the notes.) Printing also uses lots of ink and paper–why not post your presentation instead?

Why #2–for marketing–to spread your message to the world!

Would you like a larger audience? Sure! Unless you get paid to speak and don’t want your talk available for free everywhere, or your presentation is confidential/for a select audience, you probably would like more people to hear you. Some scenarios:

  • You gave a sales presentation and would like to expand your reach to more people
  • You spoke about an important idea and want the world to hear it
  • You want to use your presentation to let many people learn more about you

Why #3–to collaborate with colleagues

Do you need to work with others to develop your presentation? Why not post it so everyone can work on it together!

How much better is that than e-mailing back and forth incessantly and losing track of which version is the latest–and who has it!

Why #4–for training or reaching far-flung audiences

I often give presentations via webinar. I also post webinar recordings and short tutorial presentations on my website. In these ways, you can use the Internet to train people who can’t be in the same room as you.

You can put presentations on the Internet in many ways.

How #1–Upload to a slide-sharing site

Slide-sharing sites let you upload presentations for the world to view, although you can also keep them private if you want. The most commonly used slide-sharing sites are:

Check out each one, because their capabilities vary. Some support narration and animation much better than others.

How #2–Post on YouTube

You can convert your presentation to a video and post it on YouTube. YouTube is the #2 search engine and will give you the greatest exposure. The easiest way to convert your presentation to a YouTube-ready format is to convert it to video in PowerPoint 2010.

You’ll want to add narration first, however. Silent films went away a long time ago! You’ll also need to add automatic timing, so that the presentation runs itself. The video will then include both the narration and the timing.

How #3–Embed in a blog or webpage

Once you post your presentation on a slide-sharing site or YouTube, you can get Embed code and use it to post your presentation on your blog or on a webpage.

How #4–Display in a browser

Several sites let you create presentations online or upload presentations you’ve created on your computer. You can then display them in a browser and give people the URL. Examples are Office Web Apps, Google Docs and Zoho. Some that specialize in online creation are SlideRocket and Prezi. Office Web Apps offers Embed code so that you can post your presentation on your website.

How #5–Make available for download

You can just upload the presentation to a web server and give people the URL so they can download the presentation file. Again, make sure that you include the text of what you said in the Notes pane or offer a handout, rather than just the presentation file, for download.

How #6–Share during a webinar

Webinar services let you either upload slides or share your desktop so that people can view your slides and hear you speaking live. Most also record the webinar so that you can post the recording. I use GoToWebinar, but others are Webex and Adobe Presenter.  (Update: I now use Zoom.)

Want more detail about the ways to get your presentations on the Internet? My recommendations for the best tools? My webinar recording on this topic includes that information as well as  how to add narration and automatic timing to a presentation. Learn more…

Post your PowerPoint presentation as a video to YouTube

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I get lots of requests for information on how to post a presentation as a video to YouTube.

Here are some options:

  1. Use PowerPoint 2010 or 2013. Choose File> Save and Send (in 2010) or Export (in 2013)> Create a Video. Then choose from a couple of options, as you see here. You can use existing timings for each slide or assign a timing. This is the absolute easiest method. The video output will include sounds and narration, and even embedded videos! PowerPoint 2010 outputs to WMV format. PowerPoint 2013 outputs to MP4 format.powerpoint-tips-post-powerpoint-to-youtube-1
  2. Use Techsmith Camtasia Studio. For longer presentations, and when you want editing capabilities, Camtasia is a great tool, with lots of features. I use it a lot. Camtasia is video-recording software, so you run through your presentation and Camtasia creates a video. You can record your voice as you go.
  3. Techsmith’s SnagIt can also record video, but you won’t get any editing or narration features.
  4. CamStudio is free, open-source video-recording software.  I’ve only tested it once. It doesn’t let you edit your video.
  5. Authorstream, a presentation-sharing site, lets you convert up to 5 minutes to video and upload it to YouTube. They have paid versions that will let you convert more time.

To get the best results, you’ll need to know about slide timing and perhaps narration. Go to Create a video effect for information on slide timing and go to  Secrets for successfully narrating a presentation for information on narration.

When you have your video output, you just upload it to YouTube the same way you would upload any other video.

What tools have you used to put a PowerPoint presentation on YouTube?

Put a YouTube video in PowerPoint

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You can embed a YouTube video into a PowerPoint presentation. For example, your company may have videos on YouTube that you would like to show.

Update: See my comment for a more current procedure because both PowerPoint and YouTube have changed since I wrote this blog post.

If you’re sure that you’ll have a live Internet connection when you present, you can use this method.

  1. Display the YouTube movie at YouTube.com.
  2. From the URL text box, copy the URL to the clipboard.

YouTube in PowerPoint

  1. Choose View> Toolbars> Control Toolbox. (In PowerPoint 2007, go to Developer tab> Controls group. If you don’t see the Developer tab, click the Office button> PowerPoint Options. In the Popular category, check the Show Developer Tab in the Ribbon check box.)
  2. Click the Hammer button (More Controls).
  3. Choose Shockwave Flash Object from the menu. (In PowerPoint 2007, click OK.)

YouTube in PowerPoint

  1. Drag a box across the screen to get the desired size and location. Don’t cover the entire slide.
  2. Right click the box and choose Properties.

YouTube in PowerPoint

  1. In the Properties window, click the Movie item.
  2. Paste the YouTube URL that you copied.
  3. In the URL, delete the text watch?.
  4. In the URL, replace the = (equal) sign with a / (forward slash). You’ll end up with a URL that looks like http://www.youtube.com/v/0onkpWsGc4A.
  5. Set the Loop value to False unless you want the movie to repeat over and over.
  6. Set the Playing value to False to allow you to click when you want the movie to start, rather than automatically when you display the PowerPoint slide.
  7. Close the Properties window using its close box.
  8. Choose Slide Show view to see the movie. Click the Play button to start the movie.

Note: On repeated playing, the movie sometimes starts itself or plays at a quick speed. Just click the Pause button, drag the slider to the left, and click Play.

YouTube in PowerPoint

Once you embed the YouTube video in your PowerPoint presentation, just make sure that your Internet connection is live and you’re set to go!