Follow these simple steps to convert your hard work that went in to creating a PowerPoint into an accessible and compact YouTube video.
Step 1: Clean Up Your Slides
If you want to give a professional finish to the video, try breathing life into the slides first. Open the file with PowerPoint 2010 and click “View,” followed by “Slide Master,” to apply uniformity in alignment, bullets, fonts and spacing. After saving the Master template, go to “Slide Sorter” view and apply a minimalist, standard design. You can use an academic or corporate template as long as it’s minimal and clean.
Too much text in a slide will disrupt the attention span of the typical YouTube viewer. Get rid of bullet lists, fancy animations, flowcharts and tables. If you previously used a slide to describe something complex, break it down into easily digestible ideas spread across multiple slides. Use screenshots and full-slide, high-resolution images to fill up your new presentation. PowerPoint 2010 allows you to insert online pictures with a Creative Commons license and from the Bing search engine.
You can also use the “Pictures with Captions” layout along with “Design Ideas” to create a robust background for video frames. Use free stock images for new picture ideas.
Step 2: Insert Audio
Background narration is the most important component of a high-quality YouTube video. You can download royalty-free music, but the best YouTube videos always come with speaker narration. Go to “Insert,” followed by “Audio,” where PowerPoint allows you to record your own voice for each slide.
There’s a chance you aren’t getting a very high-quality audio with PowerPoint alone. It’s far better to work with a pre-recorded audio clip and a tight script. You can use a voice recording app like Audiophile or an actual digital voice recorder. Our aim is to achieve professional results by filtering out echo and background noise.
For a fifty-slide presentation, you should aim for no more than ten seconds of recorded narration per slide. Go to “Slide Show,” followed by “Rehearse Timings,” to get the timings right for each slide. Import the MP3 files into their corresponding slides and play them in automatic mode.
Finally, you are only required to set up the slide show. Check the options for “Play Narration” and “Use Timings” along with “Browsed by an individual (window).”
Step 3: Insert Video Clips (Optional)
If you did a good job with rehearsed narrations and images as described earlier, you can skip this part. However, a mini video clip within a video is a powerful way to retain your YouTube viewer’s attention. Unlike in the past, playing a video clip automatically from your PowerPoint is very easy. Go to “Insert,” followed by “Video,” where you can embed any video from YouTube’s “Share” menu and play it on your own presentation.
Always make sure that it is your own video. You can always choose Creative Commons videos from YouTube, Vimeo and other sites. Use PowerPoint’s “Playback” option which is displayed after you embed a new video.
Step 4: Save PPT as Video
After clicking “File,” followed by “Save As,” save the PowerPoint as a WMV file. Your video is now ready for upload on YouTube and any other video-sharing sites.
Step 5: Upload Video on YouTube
Upload the desired video output to your YouTube channel. If it is aimed at prospects alone, you might want to keep it private or unlisted with no embedding or comments allowed.
Do you agree that converting your PowerPoint files to a five- or seven-minute video is a good investment of time? Please let us know your thoughts. Want to make the most of your time? Learn these PowerPoint keyboard shortcuts.
