This post should hopefully be useful for teachers, students and presenters.
Producing Video for PowerPoint
The two major considerations when producing video files for use in PowerPoint are which file format to export to and the dimensions of the final piece of video. File formats are continually changing and this section may need updating regularly but make these considerations. If you are presenting away from the office and need to carry with you your files on a memory stick then file size is an issue, whether you clips are 10 seconds long or 3 minutes long also has implications on file size and so to does the dimensions of the video, small 320 x 240 YouTube size videos are a lot smaller files than a video playing at 720 x 640. Of all the video formats supported by PowerPoint each have their positives and making the above considerations will enable you to choose the right one.
My current preferences: In the past, as a Mac user I favoured mpegs. The reason being they were a more generic format working across multiple platforms and operating systems. They seemed to be of a better quality than WMV exports and both seemed on par in comparison of file size. While Avi’s produced a better quality image the file size was dramatically larger and inappropriate for most purposes. I am currently exporting to WMV’s for my clients for two reasons. Since PowerPoint supports mpeg1 and mpeg2 formats I have recently addressed issues with these exports using Premiere Pro and receive an error during playback in Quicktime (Although they do seem to play on a PC) Also since I installed Flip4Mac Pro it allows me to fine tune my WMV exports and achieve very impressive quality video at exactly the file size and dimensions I require. Over time I have had less compatibility issues with with clients machines when I provide them with a WMV as apposed to an MPEG. I’m sure PowerPoint will soon support a wider range of file formats though, so watch this space.
Finally, Choosing the dimensions for your video is very important and can be decided upon by asking the following questions. What resolution and size is the display you are using? How would you like the video to sit on your slide?
If you are going to playback your presentation onscreen a small video might be hard to distinguish and so possibly a larger video would be better suited. If you were to display your presentation on an overhead projector you may still want to produce a large video but could also get away with a smaller video in this scenario.
Would you like the video to accompany other information on the slide or be the slides main attraction? I have produced a guide below to help you decide upon your dimensions.
Video dimensions on a Powerpoint slide
Note: I would recommend exporting your video at the desired size you would like the video to play in you presentation and NOT resizing it from within PowerPoint, this will cause pixelation of the image and reduce the quality of your image
Inserting the Video
Firstly place all your video files within the same folder that your PowerPoint presentation resides, unlike images PowerPoint does not embed the video in the project it merely creates a link to the video file (note that as you add the video, the .ppt does increase in memory, right click > properties to see the file size of your presentation) Create the slide that you would like to house your video then choose Insert > Movies and Sounds > Movie from File and browse to your video. You will be prompted to choose play automatically or when clicked, choose the option you are most comfortable with or best suits your presentation. Click and hold the video in order to place it correctly on the slide. Test the video is working by viewing the presentation.
An alternative method of displaying your video is to create a hyperlink from either a text or image object within your slide. This option launches your default media player and plays the video outside of your presentation. This offers greater playback functionality and is probably suited more towards a training exercise and less for a fluid corporate presentation. To insert a hyperlink, highlight your text or select your image. Again choose Insert > Hyperlink and then browse to your file.
Common Problems
Problem: Often you will receive a file and save it to a convenient location i.e. your video folder, you then insert it into your presentation. When you copy the presentation to your memory stick for the big show, your video no longer works.
Solution: Save all your presentation documents locally in a presentation folder, as the file is not physically in your presentation it will not play unless you have the video file on your memory device as well.
Problem: Your video will not play in your presentation and you view a white square onClick.
Solution: Reduce the length of you video filename and also the file path, generally over 128 characters causes this problem.
Problem: Lack of sound can be a problem in power point presentations
Solution: Be sure to use external speakers and test the sound before you present.
Problem: In Power point 2007 sound can often be quiet.
Solution: The 2007 version of power point now has a volume setting on the toolbar, this defaults to medium, set this to loud if your sound is reduced.
I didn’t realise that this was an unknown to many but often there is a need to pull things out of PowerPoint for alternative uses rather than put them in. This is often the case for me when produce video reports where the findings have been visualised in PowerPoint. So, it’s as simple as this, File > Save As > under the naming form fill change the drop down to png or jpg and hit save, you will then be prompted current slide or every slide, choose every slide and each slide in he deck will be saved as a separate picture or image.
