This is Part II in a series of three TechTIP's to explain how to add an audio or video clip to a PowerPoint presentation.  The last TechTIP (Part I) discussed how to add an audio clip, and the natural follow-on to that is how to add a video clip.  A short video clip of a testimonial, new product, or service can help differentiate your presentation from the plethora of boring bullet slides frequently encountered.  This TechTIP, will explain how to insert an existing video file. The next TechTIP (Part III) will explain how to add your own video, captured with a simple webcam.

You can insert an existing video file from your corporate media library, or maybe something you downloaded from the web (observe copyright requirements).  File formats that are readily available and compatible with PowerPoint include: avi, mpg and wmv.  Once you have the video, select the slide where you want it and Insert/Movie and Sounds/Movie from File.  An Insert Movie window will open and you can navigate to the location where your video clip is stored and select it, and then click OK.  Another window will open and ask, "How do you want the movie to start in the slide show?", I suggest choosing, When Clicked.  You can position the video clip wherever you want it , but try to refrain from making the image larger by dragging the handles.  It will get larger, but the result will have less resolution and appear grainy.  When the slide show is running, clicking on the video will make it play.

By default, all video files are linked. That means a video file must be accompany the PowerPoint file, and reside on the original path from where it was inserted.  That is why presentations that contain video clips are usually presented on the computer where they were created, or in a presentation burned to a CD-ROM.  You can not email a stand-alone PowerPoint presentation that has a video clip and have the recipient be able to view your video.

Video files can get very large, very quick, and a one minute clip could be 14MB, or more.  The typical display sizes (in pixels) for a video are: 160 x120, 320 x 240 and 640 x 480.   I suggest using the 320 x 240 size as the best compromise in viewing size and file size.

Stay tuned for Part III and learn how you can capture and edit your own video with a webcam and Microsoft Windows Movie Maker.