Convert PPT or PPS to video files

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jenny
  • Start date Start date
J

Jenny

HELP!! I've been searching all day to find a software
program that will convert my PowerPoint 2000 interactive
presentations to a video file that is more universal for
various people. Is there such a thing, and where can I
get it? I would love to be able to convert the PPT to
an .AVI, or .MPEG, or any of a wider number of file
types. Someone give me some advice!
 
[CRITICAL UPDATE - Anyone using Office 2003 should install the critical
update as soon as possible. From PowerPoint, choose "Help -> Check for
Updates".]

Hello,

PowerPoint for Windows does not have the built in ability to save
presentations as video files or any type (with the exception of PowerPoint
97 using an obsolete add-in from the Windows Media Technologies team for
converting a presentation with narrations to an *.asf file).

If the ability save presentations as video files, directly from within
PowerPoint, is important to you (or anyone else reading this message), OR
if there are specific features of PowerPoint slide show that you would like
to see (which would mitigate the need to save presentations as video
files), don't forget to send your feedback (in YOUR OWN WORDS, please) to
Microsoft at:

http://register.microsoft.com/mswish/suggestion.asp

As with all product suggestions, it's important that you not just state
your wish but also WHY it is important to you that your product suggestion
be implemented by Microsoft.

* Is there some problem with PowerPoint's current output options for which
you believe saving the presentation as a movie is the solution/workaround?
* You want to distribute/show your presentation as a movie (even though
there will be loss of functionality and fidelity) because....<why>?
* Other reasons?

Microsoft receives thousands of product suggestions every day and we read
each one but, in any given product development cycle, there are only
sufficient resources to address the ones that are most important to our
customers so take the extra time to state your case as clearly and
completely as possible.

IMPORTANT: Each submission should be a single suggestion (not a list of
suggestions)

In the meantime here are a couple of free Microsoft downloads for capturing
(recording) what's on your screen (including a slide show):

1) Microsoft Windows Media 9 encoder

and if you are using PowerPoint 2002 or 2003...

2) Microsoft Producer 2003 for PowerPoint (use it's screen capture
capability during a PowerPoint slide show).

Both of these create *.WMV files which are the same as *.ASF files (just a
different file extension). In each case they only capture the screen and,
optionally, the default audio input source (not output) so to record audio
you would have to use an audio patch cable to connect the line-out or
speaker-out port to the default audio input port on your system. If your
slide show contains any video, it would not be captured. To convert the
resulting *.WMV to a different format (such as *.AVI or *.MPG) you would
have to use some additional tools.

John Langhans
Microsoft Corporation
Supportability Program Manager
Microsoft Office PowerPoint for Windows
Microsoft Office Picture Manager for Windows

For FAQ's, highlights and top issues, visit the Microsoft PowerPoint
support center at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=ppt
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base at:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Use of any included script samples are subject to the terms specified at
http://www.microsoft.com/info/cpyright.htm
 
Just a suggestion here, but the quality of a video conversion will not be
nearly as good as the original. Would it be satisfactory to provide the end
users with a link to the free PowerPoint 2003 Viewer which they can download
and install? Or do they not have computers? If the latter, are you
planning to write the video to a DVD?
 
I would write to DVD but we aren't assured that everyone
getting it would have a DVD player. We have a large
number of people to distribute the interactive file to and
PPT is the best format, but having an alternative in case
they don't have PPT is our problem.
 
You might consider Producer, then, a free add-in available on the Microsoft
download pages. You'd get an HTML file which your recipients can play in a
browser.

Another option might be Windows Movie Maker, another free download from MS.
You'd pull your slides into the movie timeline, but you'll lose all your
animations and transitions. Movie Maker has some panning and transition
elements, though, so it may be a possibility -- depending on your
presentation.

You can also explore converting to Flash. There's a list of third-party
programs for that on my website.
http://www.echosvoice.com/autoruncdlinks.htm

Or capture as video (bearing in mind the quality caveat). Sonia already gave
you a link for that.

But I'm with Sonia -- if you know your recipients will all have a computer,
they can use the PPT Viewer. You could even create an autorun CD which
supplies the Viewer for them and runs the presentation. No PPT needed.
http://www.rdpslides.com/pptfaq/FAQ00037.htm
 
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