How To: Record your PowerPoint Presentation on Mac

Overview:

This article will walk you through the steps needed to record your PowerPoint presentation, with audio narration and a PiP (Picture in Picture) video of yourself. 

With Microsoft PowerPoint, you will not need video editing software for this process, just the PowerPoint application itself. 

 

Prerequisites:

  • A complete PowerPoint presentation that you don't plan on making any further changes to. 

  • A Mac with an in-built microphone/headset/microphone, and a built-in camera/webcam. 

 

Instructions:

As stated above, please ensure your presentation is as close to finished as possible to avoid having to redo the steps of your presentation. 

  1. Open your PowerPoint presentation.

  2. Navigate to the "Slide Show" tab. This will display all available actions for Slide Shows in PowerPoint. Click "Record Slide Show". This will bring up a look that is very similar to "presenter view".

    image-20240410-001635.png

     

  3. At the top of the window, you will see a rectangular record-status bar. 

    It is important to ensure you have the correct microphone selected, especially if you are using an external microphone or a headset. 

    Click on the microphone icon (to the far right of this bar) to see a dropdown list of available microphone sources, and choose the appropriate one. 

    image-20240410-001645.png

     

  4. If for any reason you have multiple cameras/webcams plugged into your Mac, you can click the "Camera" icon to choose which camera you would like to use. 

     

  5. When you are ready to begin, click the large RED recording button. 

    A countdown timer of 3 seconds will appear on the screen, and when it disappears you will be live to your recording.

     

  6. You can progress your presentation forward through slides using the left and right arrow keys (< >) on your keyboard.
    It is important to note: please record your presentation one slide at a time.
    There is no need to STOP the recording between slides, just do not talk over slide transitions. This will make it easier for you to redo a slides' video and audio later on if you wish. 

     

  7. If you would like to pause the recording at any stage, click the pause button located to the right of the red record button.
    You can use this time to collect your thoughts if need be. 
    When ready, click the pause button again to resume. 
    If you would like to re-record an entire slide, click the red record button to stop recording, and then click the delete icon, indicated by the trashcan to the left of the record button. 

     

  8. When you are finished, and happy with the recording of your entire presentation, click the record button to stop recording, and then click "End Show" in the top-left of your presentation.
    You will be taken back to the PowerPoint editing screen. You can now see your video has appeared in the bottom-right of each slide. You can hover your mouse over each video, and click the play button to review each recording.

     

  9. When you are ready to export your presentation as a video, navigate to File and click "Export..."

     

  10. Here are a few definitions of the fields you will see in the "Export" pop-up window. 

     

    Export as: Your name, and your presentation. As long as it is clear to event organisers that this is YOUR presentation. See our Content Guide if you are unsure of how to name your presentation.

    Where: The location on your computer where this file will be saved. 

    File Format: Please choose "MP4". 

    Quality: Leave the quality as "Presentation Quality". 

    Timing: If there is no video/narration on a slide you can set how long that slide will be on the screen for. The default is 5 seconds, you can change this to suit your presentation. 

  11. Finally, click the "Export" button when ready and your project will begin exporting to the location you chose in the "Where" dropdown list. 
    You may need to wait a while for the video to complete exporting, especially if it is a long presentation. 

Outcome:

You have now successfully recorded your presentation, and exported it in the file format required for the Evexus platform. 

 

Tips:

  • Avoid having any text/images/relevant information underneath your video window.
    While it is possible to move the presentation video window around, we suggest altering your slides to accommodate the video. 
    Try resizing images and text boxes so that everything fits nicely on screen. 

  • Keep text concise, use appropriate fonts and font sizes, and do not clutter the slides. 
    We understand sometimes this is not possible, especially if your presentation requires a lot of text, but bear in mind that some people may be watching your presentation on a phone/small device. 
    It should always be legible.Â