Record a PowerPoint presentation to video / convert

Why record a PowerPoint presentation as a video?

Saving a PowerPoint presentation in a video format is an effective way to share your content in a dynamic and engaging way. This also makes it possible to have a presentation that happens from a PPTX format, and which can be read on a majority of supports.

Using PowerPoint to export videos has become common to create social media ads, presentations that don't require a speaker, or even short animations. Using video editing software can sometimes be more restrictive than using transitions on PowerPoint to create a simple video and share it. Whether it's for social networks, a school project or simply to share your ideas visually, converting your presentation into a video can be done by following these important technical steps.

Create your presentation and design the narration for the video

Create your presentation simply, and think about the fact that this material will be read without the help of a speaker. This means that messages should be very short and easy to read. Encouraging dynamism in your presentation layout will increase the adoption of your audience. Today's short formats, supported by social networks, require videos to provide key information at a steady pace. This is often antagonistic to the idea we have of a presentation, which is why we advise you to rethink it entirely even if it means dividing a maximum of information into a large number of slides.

Our method for having perfect control over your PowerPoint video export

By default, if you export a video to PowerPoint, the tool allows you to keep 5 seconds for each slide displayed.

You can adjust this timing to avoid having to keep a fixed value on each slide, which could make your video monotonous.

So, we will put 0 seconds on this timing and we will only use the transitions to adjust the timing of each slide, and thus move on each slide with the time we want.

To better understand how export timing works, you need to consider 3 important values:

1. The duration of animations for export

The video export to PowerPoint keeps the animations and their timing. This means that if you show an element and your animation lasts 1 second, that time will be added to the total length of your video.

You need to set the animations to “with previous” for them to launch automatically. This is useful for previewing your video without needing to export it. If you let the animations “on click”, PowerPoint will ignore them when exporting the video.

2. The duration of transitions for export

Like animations, transitions are also preserved in video exports. This means that if going from one slide to the other takes 1 second, that time will also be preserved. The timing of the transitions is located in this same tab, you can adjust the duration there. In general, transitions should be done quickly (in less than a second) to maintain dynamism in your video.

3. The duration to go to the next slide

This is the time set on each slide before moving on to the next slide. You will find it at the top right of the transition banner under “Advance Slide”. You can uncheck “when clicking” and check “After” in order to enter a value. This value will be preserved for video export and will be the reference value for the slide you are on.

Better understand export behavior

If the running time is less than the animation + transition time, it will be ignored and the latter two will take over.

If the running time is greater than the animation + transition times, the latter two will be deducted from the passage time.

If you enter 0 seconds and no animation and transition are present, then going from one slide to the other will be instant.

Test your PowerPoint video without having to export it

In summary:

• You have added all the necessary animations with automatic triggering (without clicking)
• You added transitions and set their duration
• You have defined an automatic transition to the next slide (without clicking)

You can now play your presentation in presenter mode in order to preview how it will look when the video is exported.

If everything is perfect, you can move on to the next step.

Export your PowerPoint file as a video

Once your presentation is ready, go to the “File” tab and select the “Export” option, then choose “Create Video.” You can then set the quality and size of the video.

For social networks, 720p quality is enough.

For the web on the big screen, we recommend 1080p.

For video creation, we recommend going to 4k (pay attention to the quality of your images in the presentation so that this is of interest).

Finally, click on “Export” to generate your video. Once the process is complete, your PowerPoint presentation will be converted into a video ready to be shared with your audience, it will be true to what you saw in presenter mode.

For information, your video will be exported in MP4 format. The MP4 file type is widely supported by most media players, online streaming platforms, and mobile devices, which ensures maximum compatibility for your PowerPoint presentation converted to video and is suitable for most uses.

Compress your video if needed

If your video is too big, you can use video compressors like Clipchamp on Windows, or even online. That said, social media platforms compress the video directly for you if you decide to share it online, whether for Youtube, Instagram, Vimeo.

Use the PowerPoint recording feature, with your comments and the transcript

PowerPoint recently implemented a feature to record your screen and presentation, along with your microphone and laser pointer. You will find a “save” button at the top right of the task bar.

This is useful if you want to record yourself presenting, rather than producing a video to be played. You can incorporate feedback and narration, and use timing.

Plus, once the video is recorded, you can easily share it online or keep it for future use. In summary, using the native PowerPoint screen recorder is a good way to share a meeting or training.

Show your presentation online and across platforms

To learn how to share a PowerPoint effectively, follow our tips in our article how to share a PowerPoint.

Conclusion

Depending on your needs, you can:

• Export a video as a motion designer, for uses such as Instagram ads, visual ads, or product launches.
• Record yourself presenting, in order to export a PowerPoint to video with your pace, cursor, annotations, and voice if necessary, while maintaining control over the flow of the presentation.