PPT97: How to Videotape a PowerPoint Presentation

PowerPoint does not have any built-in feature to record to videotape. However, there are a number of third-party products that you can use to create a videotape based on your presentation. This article describes some of the ways you can make a videotape of your PowerPoint presentation.

Before you begin, you should consider the following:

• Video uses an analog signal that is both fuzzier and lower resolution than the digital signal used by your computer to display information on your monitor. Do not use tiny or finely detailed text or graphics in your presentation.
• Information close to the edge of the screen may be cut off. Do not place text close to the edge of your slide.
• Some colors, such as bright red, do not display well on video. Avoid using bright reds and yellows in your presentation.

To videotape your PowerPoint presentation, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Use a Scan Converter

A scan converter is a device that converts the VGA or SVGA signal that the video adapter on your computer produces into an NTSC signal that a television or home videocassette recorder (VCR) can understand. There are numerous models, brands, and qualities of scan converters on the market. A scan converter does not usually require any software drivers; you plug it into the monitor and then plug your television or videocassette recorder into the scan converter. There is usually a way to plug your computer monitor into the scan converter as well; what you see on the monitor is sent to your television or VCR.

1. Install your scan converter using the instructions that came with it.
2. If your presentation contains sound, connect the Speaker or Line Out jack on the sound card in your computer to the Audio In jack on your VCR.
   
   NOTE: To complete this step, your computer must have a sound card and you must obtain the proper cable (usually a cable with a mini- plug on one end and an RCA plug on the other).
3. Press the Record button on your VCR.
4. Run your PowerPoint presentation. The VCR records the slide show.

Method 2: Use Digital Video Editing Software and Hardware

Digital video editing offers a more advanced method for creating videotapes from your computer. This method uses a card that either replaces or works in concert with the video adapter card in your computer. The card has outputs for several different types of video signal and also may have inputs for several different types of video signal. Some examples of this type of card are the Wakeboard by Digital Video Arts, the AV/Master by Fast, and the Bravado 1000 by True Vision. To control this card you need some type of video editing software, such as Premiere by Adobe Systems, Inc. or Lumiere by Corel Corporation.

You also need a videocassette recorder to hook into your video board.

If you have this kind of hardware and software installed on your computer, you can take MPEG or QuickTime movies or use images stored in a number of formats and record them to videotape.

1. PowerPoint can save presentations as a series of graphic files. The supported formats are GIF, JPEG, PICT, or PNG formats. If you have an earlier version of PowerPoint, you can use a screen-capture utility to save each slide as a graphic file.
2. If you have a program that lets you create a QuickTime movie of what happens on the screen, you can use that to create a movie file of your presentation.
3. Use your digital video editing software to send your graphic or movie files to your VCR.

The third-party products discussed here are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.