How to Use the PowerPoint Screen Recorder to Engage Your Audience

The array of features that Microsoft PowerPoint offers is quite impressive. Whether you’re creating private, business, or educational slideshows, you have many options at your fingertips.

One of PowerPoint’s most overlooked features is the screen recording functionality. It can be used in a variety of ways to make your presentations really stand out. And, since the opportunity to show things in real-time is not always an option, slideshows can be saved, shared, and referenced later easily.

Here is how to use the PowerPoint screen capture and some situations where incorporating this distinctive feature can help deliver your message.

The PowerPoint screen recording feature is effortless to use. First, simply navigate to the spot in your slideshow where you would like the capture included. Then, from the top ribbon, select Insert and then Screen Recording.

A small pop-up window will appear with options to select your screen area, record audio, and capture the pointer as you record. When you are ready to start, click the Record button.

During recording, hover your cursor near the top of the screen to access the recording configurations panel; you can use this to stop recording, or press Windows key + Shift + Q.

The screen recording will automatically insert in your chosen spot within your slideshow. You can click the play button to watch your recording, pause it if necessary, move forward or back, and adjust the volume.

To apply customization, select the recording from your slide and click Video Format in the ribbon. Here you can apply color corrections, tweak the contrast, add a frame, change the shape of the video, and more.

You can also right-click the video and select Size and Position to adjust attributes such as height, width, rotation, and scaling options.

Beneficial Applications of PowerPoint’s Screen Capture

1. Successful Training

A training presentation is a wonderful example of when the screen recording feature can be beneficial. You can include a screen capture to demonstrate steps to begin a particular task with, where to perform it, or how to complete it.

Using good visuals during your training can be the key to a successful session. If you notice that your training capture is a bit too long, you can trim it easily. Just right-click on the recording and select Trim. You can then adjust the start and end time using the slider or enter the times manually. Later, you can share your slideshow with participants as a reference.

2. Appealing Class Projects

Many high school and college students are tasked with creating PowerPoint slideshows for their projects. This allows the students to present their projects in a very organized and visually appealing way. For some added pizzazz, including a screen recording may be the difference between an A and a C for that project.

For instance, it’s helpful for showing how to do a task, such as steps to complete an equation, instructions for using a graphic design tool, or how to navigate to configurations on a computer.

Then, to make your recording stand out a bit, you can add a simple border. Just right-click on the recording and select Format Video. When you tap the paint can icon, you can add a solid line or gradient border. This really highlights your screen capture on light backgrounds.

3. Powerful Business Presentations

There are many ways to create a professional presentation for your employees, customers, and coworkers, and a picture can often speak louder than words. Using a screen recording to show a new website design with fresh features, a graph of company growth, or changes to an organizational structure can be compelling.

To describe the picture you are showing in more depth, consider adding audio to your screen recording, rather than a rehearsed speech during your presentation. Before you begin recording your screen, select Audio from the action panel, make sure your microphone is on, and then speak loud and clear.

4. Detailed Online Product Demos

When demonstrating new products to other departments in your company, potential investors, or possible clients, think about pulling in a PowerPoint screen recording to show off your product better. If you are on an online retailer, this makes even more sense than just including a screenshot. You can easily move between the product attributes, such as size and color, giving a larger and more detailed picture of the project.

Since your product should take center stage in your presentation, you may want to stretch the recording to the entire slide. Simply right-click on the recording, select Format Video, and click Size and Position. Here you can adjust the size of your capture without distorting it and then change its position to be centered on the slide.

This is very handy for those situations where you cannot rely on internet access, or don’t want to interrupt the flow of your presentation by switching back and forth between a web web browser.

5. Meaningful Processes and Projects

From showing an updated process, a constantly changing project plan, or task management overview, a screen recording is a valuable visual. You can easily do the work ahead of time and use the capture to show your team so that they can see how things are moving or have changed. And, letting them hold on to a copy via email or the company intranet means they can reference it when needed.

In addition to saving your recording with your slide show, you can also save it as a separate file. Just right-click on your recording and select Save Media as. You can then save it as an MP4 file and upload it to your YouTube channel, email it to participants, or even edit it first with a free video editing tool.

Keep Your PowerPoint Audience Interested

It’s difficult to build an engaging PowerPoint presentation. Many of us have sat through slide after slide, wishing we could be anywhere else. Don’t let your presentations end up like this. Use PowerPoint’s tools, like the screen recorder, to keep your slide deck interesting.