Learn how to video record yourself presenting a PowerPoint with tips, tools, and techniques for a polished presentation.
Learn how to video record yourself presenting a PowerPoint with tips, tools, and techniques for a polished presentation.
May 21, 2024
This makes the editing process so much faster. I wish I knew about Descript a year ago.
Matt D., Copywriter
This makes the editing process so much faster. I wish I knew about Descript a year ago.
Matt D., Copywriter
Recording yourself presenting a PowerPoint can be challenging, especially getting the technical aspects right. You need to capture your screen, webcam, and audio seamlessly while delivering your content naturally and avoiding awkward transitions between slides.
Finding a tool that integrates all these components can seem daunting. However, recording yourself presenting a PowerPoint doesn't have to be reserved for the tech-savvy or professional speakers.
Whether you're a teacher creating online lessons, a marketer producing a product demo, or someone looking to improve their presentation skills, this guide will walk you through user-friendly tools and strategies that will teach you how to video record yourself presenting a PowerPoint.
Video recording your PowerPoint presentations offers several advantages:
1. Open the PowerPoint slide you want to record.
2. Click on the Record tab of the top toolbar.
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3. Click on the Record button and choose from any of the following options:
4. You'll see the PowerPoint screen recording window.
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5. Select the microphone and camera from the icon on the top-right.
6. Click the Stop and Replay buttons to end or replay your recording.
7. To export your presentation's recording, click Export to Video within the Recording tab.
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Benefits: Easy to use, no external tools needed
Limitations: Limited editing capabilities.
While PowerPoint's built-in recording features are helpful, they may not produce the refined result you want for your presentation. That's where Descript comes in handy.
It’s a whole production studio at your fingertips, with video recording, transcription, and editing capabilities, ready to transform dull PowerPoint slides into an engaging experience for your audience. Descript also has a built-in screen recorder.
You can use Descript on Windows, Mac, or even straight from your web browser.
Here's step-by-step guide to recording your PowerPoint presentation with Descript.
1. Install and open Descript. At the top of the editor, click and open the Record panel.
2. Select Screen.
3. Set Recorder settings:
Adjust the default recording settings to your liking, including the transcription language, the maximum recording resolution, and more.
4. Set recording options. Choose which audio and video sources to record (e.g., microphone, computer audio, camera). Remember to turn the camera on to capture your talking head video alongside your PowerPoint presentation.
5. Click the Additional Settings icon for
6. Add (optional) Speaker labels for each audio track (e.g., "Narrator," "Expert") by typing them in the text box next to your audio inputs.
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1. Select the right recording option:
2. Click Record at the bottom of the Record panel.
3. Drag over the area of your screen you wish to record. Click Start Recording. Press Space to start recording the full screen.
4. Click Stop to finish recording
Bonus: Descript creates separate tracks for camera, microphone, and computer audio. You can edit each track individually for more precise control.
Pro tips:
Descript's AI video editing tool makes it a breeze to trim, cut, and splice your video footage, ensuring a seamless flow from start to finish. You can add smooth transitions and other visual effects to make your presentation pop.
Here’s a glimpse of how to edit and polish your PowerPoint recording in Descript:
Edit your recording like a doc
Did you make a mistake during a slide transition? No problem. Just delete those sections in the text transcript (created automatically by Descript) and the video will adjust to match.
Remove filler words
Sound smoother and more confident by easily removing filler words like "um" and "uh" from the transcript.
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Fix voiceover mistakes by typing
Didn't nail your delivery on a specific slide? No need to start from scratch! Descript's Overdub feature lets you simply type in the correct narration and replace the audio on that slide with AI voice cloning.
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Boost video quality and engagement:
Use Zoom’s meeting recording feature to record yourself giving a PowerPoint presentation. Start a Zoom meeting with yourself, share your PowerPoint window, and enable recording
Loom is a handy screen recording tool that also offers a webcam overlay. Launch the Loom app or Chrome extension and set it to record your screen and webcam. Expect high-quality recordings but no advanced editing features. The free plan offers only five minutes of recording at a stretch.
OBS Studio is a free, open-source screen recorder/streaming software with a steeper learning curve. It’s popular among advanced or tech-savvy users who need granular customization and control.
To record your presentation, add a "Screen Capture" source to capture your PowerPoint window and a "Video Capture Device" source for your webcam.
You can use Microsoft’s Clipchamp, the built-in screen recorder and video editor for Windows, to simultaneously capture your computer screen, webcam, and audio for recording your PowerPoint presentation. It’s also available as a browser-based app. You can record up to 30 minutes on screen and webcam recordings.
Users can also adjust the screen and webcam recordings in the editing timeline separately.
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Use Mac’s Quick Time Player to record your PowerPoint presentation. It’s not as straightforward as the other options on this list, so here’s a quick guide to help you out:
Did you know PowerPoint lets you save your presentation as a video, too?
Here's a breakdown of the two ways you can do so—keeping all the presentation elements (narration, animation, pointer movements, timings, and so on) intact in the presentation itself.
This creates a separate video file (MP4 or WMV) that anyone can play, even without PowerPoint.
Follow these steps:
4. Decide on narration
5. Click Create Video
6. Name your video, pick a folder to save it in, and choose a file type (MPEG-4 or Windows Media Video)
Creating the video might take a while, especially for longer presentations. You can even leave it running overnight. Once done, find your video in the chosen folder and double-click to play it.
This saves your presentation as a special file (PPSX) that starts playing automatically on full screen when opened. It only works with PowerPoint.
Here’s how it works:
Now when someone opens the file, it will automatically play the slideshow.
Recording a flawless PowerPoint video rarely happens in one take. The key is practice.
Record practice run-throughs and watch them back. Make notes on areas that need improvement or parts lacking clarity. The more you drill your script, the more confident and natural you'll sound in the final recording.
Take advantage of PowerPoint's built-in Speaker Coach. The feature shows you whether your pace is too fast or slow, your use of filler words like "um," and suggestions to improve your voice modulation.
Wouldn’t a personal teleprompter make presentations so much easier? That’s what slide notes are for.
Having your thoughts and talking points organized within your PowerPoint file lets you have all crucial information and prompts readily available when recording.
Go ahead and add detailed notes or even a full script for each slide. This will help you stay on track and provide a handy transcript reference if you need to do any editing or voiceover work in post-production.
Poor audio recording quality is a surefire way to make even the most visually polished video feel amateurish. Do your presentation justice by investing in a decent external or Bluetooth microphone and audio interface to capture clear voiceover audio.
If you must use a built-in mic, record in a quiet environment to minimize background noise pickup. Or better yet, pair up with an AI-powered audio enhancement tool like Descript's Studio Sound, which reduces background noise, reverb, and other artifacts.
Ditch cluttered backgrounds. You want people to focus on the content of your PowerPoint and not be distracted by the funny shapes and colors in your video.
Your video lighting and framing matters, too. Position yourself facing a natural light source or bring supplemental video lighting to eliminate weird shadows and squinting-level glare.
Looking directly into the camera is essential to create a sense of connection with the audience. Position your webcam or camera at eye level and imagine you're talking to a friend. If you're using Descript, enable the Eye Contact feature to auto-adjust your gaze towards the camera.
Recording yourself virtually presenting a PowerPoint allows you to distribute your message using the most engaging type of content: video. And there are many screen recording tools out there that can capture your screen and web camera footage with just a few clicks.
But how do you stand out?
By focusing on the presentation's depth, your delivery, and the video's quality. The first two are the bare minimum to communicate your message effectively.
But the right screen capture software and all-in-one video creation tool like Descript can help you with third. Use the tool to improve the quality of your recorded PPT presentations.
With Descript, it's easier than ever to record your screen, polish up the audio, and create stunning visuals all in one place. So why wait?
Sign up for Descript today and simplify your workflow while creating a PowerPoint presentation video that sticks with your audience in the long term.
To create a presentation video with your face, follow these steps:
To present yourself effectively in PowerPoint, follow these steps:
Ayush is a freelance writer and marketer who loves writing about video marketing, the creator economy, and the software tools used in these industries.
