Adding video to PowerPoint doesn't have to be complicated

Software and system used:

Adobe Premiere 6.5, Microsoft Windows Sound Recorder, Microsoft PowerPoint 2000; Windows 2000.

Shooting video and editing it on a computer is almost commonplace these days. But many presenters are still hesitant to edit and narrate clips for use in Microsoft PowerPoint.

However, narrated video clips are an excellent and elegant way to pepper a presentation with lively quotes, demonstrations, ads and more. This column will outline how to edit a simple digital-video clip, narrate it, save it and then insert it into a PowerPoint presentation.

For this example, I will create a PowerPoint slide that will play an embedded video clip accompanied by an audio narrative explaining what is happening in the video. I use Adobe Premiere 6.5 for editing video, but feel free to adapt these editing techniques to another application such as Apple iMovie, Microsoft Movie Maker, Ulead VideoStudio, etc. You will also need a microphone, either the built-in one on your computer or an external mic plugged into the computer's sound card.

Pick a video clip

Begin by choosing a video clip you wish to narrate. You can either import a clip from a camcorder, use one already on your computer's hard drive or purchase a stock clip. I purchased a video clip of a laser-surgery procedure from the Time Image Digital Film Library (www.timeimage.com).

Open Adobe Premiere (or the video-editing software of your choice). In Premiere, create a New Project (FILE » NEW PROJECT), import the video clip, then drag the clip onto the timeline (Example 1).

EXAMPLE 1: In Adobe Premiere, imported video clips can be easily dragged from the Project Area (upper left) onto the Timeline (bottom-half of screen).

Once in the timeline, I notice that the clip is 7 seconds long, so I will have to make an audio track that won't exceed 7 seconds. Although matching the timing of both the video and the audio is not always necessary, I will record the audio at this point so I can be sure the video won't run out before the audio ends. I name and save the project, then minimize the Premiere work window to the toolbar or dock to come back to it later.

Record the audio

To create narration for the video clip, make sure the microphone is connected and working properly. To access Microsoft Windows' Sound Recorder (on Windows systems only), from the Start Button, choose PROGRAMS » ACCESSORIES » ENTERTAINMENT » SOUND RECORDER (Example 2). Once it's open, you are ready to record.

EXAMPLE 2: The Windows Sound Recorder utility is a fast and easy way to create the narration audio file for use in the video clip.

Click on the red record button and speak clearly into the microphone. Press the stop button, the black rectangle, when you're finished. In this example, I do not let the length exceed 7 seconds. Then select FILE » SAVE and name your file before saving it in the WAV file format. When finished, exit out of the Sound Recorder (CTRL-Q) and return to Adobe Premiere (maximize its window from the toolbar or dock).

Putting it together

Back in Premiere, import the audio file into your existing video project and drag it onto the timeline. Press the Enter key to ensure the audio and video clips play back correctly (see Example 1 above). With both clips in place, save the project before it is exported.

The next step is to export the video clip in a format that PowerPoint will understand. In Premiere version 6.5, Adobe added an MPEG encoder to its export options, a nice feature that creates small, high-quality MPEG files (that will work well in PowerPoint). Go to the FILE menu and select EXPORT TIMELINE » ADOBE MPEG ENCODER. When the Adobe MPEG Encoder window appears (Example 3), select VCD in the MPEG Stream area.

EXAMPLE 3: Premiere's MPEG Encoder gives you access to automatic MPEG output settings, an easy way for presenters to create PowerPoint-friendly MPEG files.

The Encoder will select the rest of the settings for you, such as frame size, frame rate, etc. You can see these settings in the MPEG Settings Summary area to the right of the MPEG Stream setting. The VCD stream setting will use a frame size of 352 x 240, which keeps the file size low, but will still be large enough to view from a PowerPoint slide. In the Output Details area, type in a Filename for the file and browse to the Location into which you want it exported. When done, click on the window's Export button. Then quit Premiere and open up PowerPoint.

Into PowerPoint

In your PowerPoint presentation, go to the slide you want the video clip to play from. (For this project, I chose a template, Medical Master, from The Animation Factory [www.animationfactory.com] and open it in PowerPoint.) In the appropriate slide, select INSERT » MOVIES AND SOUNDS » MOVIE FROM FILE. When prompted, "Do you want your movie to play automatically in the show?" choose Yes, or if you want the movie to play only when you click on it within the slide, choose No. For my project, I select Yes.

To finish the slide's look, I add a large heading (the font is 36-point Albertus Extra Bold) and make it an aqua blue to offset the background design. Using PowerPoint's rectangle tool, I draw a box slightly larger than the size of the video clip, and fill it with the same aqua blue. I right-click on the video and select Order, and bring the video to the front, then line it up in the center of the box. This gives me a "screen" over which to play my video, and helps separate the video from the main background. Finally, I add a couple of simple bullet points using the same aqua-blue color (Example 4).

EXAMPLE 4: In the PowerPoint slideshow, the slide automatically plays the embedded video clip as soon as the slide appears on the screen.

When I play the PowerPoint slideshow and this slide appears, the video of a patient undergoing laser eye surgery plays nicely as the narration explains what it shows.

The MPEG video format is not only great for use in PowerPoint, the video will also play smoothly in most CD-ROM drives. The quality will never deteriorate over time, as it does in videotape.

As you grow more comfortable adding simple video clips with audio to PowerPoint slides, your presentations will grow in power and sophistication as well.


Patty Civalleri is an independent multimedia graphic designer and owner of 1-Take Multimedia in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Civalleri produces videos, CD-ROMs and Web sites. Reach her at 310.374.0934, pattyc@1take.com or www.1take.com.



Originally published in the November 2003 issue of Presentations magazine. Copyright 2003, VNU Business Media.