You have created a fantastic PowerPoint presentation, you would like to show it to all your friends or co-workers.
But, do not have the confidence that they have installed PowerPoint on their computer?
I have the solution for you: convert the PowerPoint presentation into a video. Following this advice, even those who do not have PowerPoint installed on your computer will be able to see the presentation without any problem.
At this point I already know what you’re thinking: who knows how difficult and expensive it will be to take a presentation in PPT or PPTX format and turn it into a video, right?
Well, I must say that you’re wrong! Converting a PowerPoint presentation is a simple task that requires very few clicks and costs no more than a penny.
To be more precise, it costs nothing because you already have PowerPoint installed on your PC (with regular license or active Office 365 subscription, I imagine) and because, if necessary, you can rely on free solutions easily found on the Net.
So, did we intrigue you with our speeches? If your answer is affirmative, take five minutes of free time, dedicated to reading this guide and try to put into practice the instructions in it.
We are sure you’ll be able to create perfect videos and amaze your friends and colleagues with the quality of your presentations turned into MP4, WMV or ASF files. Good luck and have fun!
Microsoft PowerPoint (Windows / macOS)
The simplest, and most effective, solution to convert PowerPoint presentations to video is the same Microsoft PowerPoint that, starting from the most recent versions (from 2013 onwards), allows you to export presentations directly in MPEG4 and WMV format.
Did not you know? Well, now you’re going to find out: here are all the steps you need to take.
First, open the PPT or PPTX presentation that you want to turn into video in PowerPoint and, if you’re using a Windows PC, click the File button located at the top left. Then select the Export item on the left side of the screen and go to Create Video.
At this point, you need to set the quality of the output video and you need to adjust the audio settings of the output.
Then expand the Presentation Quality drop-down menu to choose whether to export the video to the highest quality ( Presentation Quality option ), intermediate quality ( Internet Quality option ) or low quality ( Low quality option ).
As easily understood, the higher the quality and the “heavier” is the video that is obtained.
Next, move to the pop-up menu with the speaker icon and choose whether to use recorded audio intervals and comments (to include the original presentation sound in the output video) or if you do not use recorded audio intervals and comments (not to include in the output video the audio of the original presentation).
Finally, set the number of seconds for which each slide in the presentation should be shown in the video, by typing the desired value in the Seconds field for each slide at the bottom, and clicking the Create video button.
A window will open, allowing you to choose the name to be assigned to the output video, its file format ( MPEG4 or WMV, via the Save as type drop-down menu ) and its destination folder.
Once all the preferences have been set, click on the Save button and wait for the conversion of the PowerPoint file to be completed: it may take several seconds.
The output video will keep all the animations and transitions of the original PowerPoint presentation.
Do you use a Mac? In this case, you can convert PowerPoint presentations to video, but only after subscribing to the Office 365 service, which is priced at least € 7.99 / month after the first free trial month.
Once you have signed up for your Office 365 subscription and activated your copy of Office through it (if you have a retail version of the suite, the video export options will not appear), open a PPT or PPTX file within PowerPoint , go to the File menu > Export and, in the File format drop-down menu in the window that appears on the screen, you should also find the options for exporting to video. More info here.
Leawo Free PowerPoint to Video (Windows)
If you do not currently have Microsoft PowerPoint, you can contact Leawo Free PowerPoint to Video. It is a free software, available exclusively for Windows systems, which is able to transform PowerPoint PPT and PPTX files into WMV or ASF video.
There is also a more complete version, which allows you to export videos in AVI and MP4 format, but costs $ 69.95.
To download the free version of Leawo PowerPoint to Video, connected to the official website of the program and click on the Free Download button located halfway.
The download is complete, open the installation package Leawo Free PowerPoint to Video ( leawo_ppt2video_free.exe ) and, in the window that appears on the screen, click first on the button Yes and then click OK and Next.
Then check the checkbox next to the item I accept the terms of the license agreement, to accept the conditions of use of the software, and conclude the setup by first pressing on Next for four consecutive times and then on Install and End.
Now, to convert PowerPoint presentations to video with Leawo Free PowerPoint to Video, start the program by double-clicking on its icon on the Windows desktop and select the presentation to be converted by clicking on the Add button (A).
Next, select the output format you prefer most from WMV or ASF via the Profiledrop-down menu, set a level of video quality and audio quality between low, medium and high using the appropriate menus located at the bottom left and press first on the Start button and then on Yes to start the presentation conversion.
By default, the video generated by the program is saved in the folder Documents\Leawo\PowerPoint to Video Free.
If you want to change the location, click on the yellow folder icon next to the Destination field and indicate a folder of your preference.
Online Convert (Online)
If you do not want or can not install programs on your computer, you can convert a PowerPoint presentation to video by turning to online services.
For example, I recommend you try Online Convert, which is free, requires no registration and allows you to upload large files up to 100MB.
Unfortunately, it does not always keep the original animations of the slides, but to be a product that works directly online is excellent.
To convert a PPT or PPTX file to video with Online Convert expand the Video converter pop-up menu and select the file format in which you want to convert your presentation (eg Convert to MP4 to get a video in MP4 format).
In the page that opens, click on the Choose file button to select the PPT / PPTX presentation you want to convert; rule, if you like the video parameters to get (eg. bitrate, video codec, video orientation etc.) using the options under the heading Optional settings and click ‘ Convert files to start uploading and then converting the file first.
Once the conversion is complete, the output video will be automatically downloaded to your PC. Wait for the operation to complete and do not close the browser tab until the download starts, I recommend!
Alternative solutions
Have not the solutions we have just indicated fully satisfied you? We are sorry. In any case, do not give up: We are convinced that in one way or another you will be able to convert your PowerPoint presentations to video and share them with friends and colleagues.
How about to start playback of slides on your PC and record the screen of the latter in order to create a video? We assure you that this is a very simple procedure and that there are many free solutions to do it.