PowerPoint Tip: Using FLV videos in PowerPoint

There are two types of video files that do not work well in PowerPoint for Windows: MOV QuickTime files and FLV Flash video files. In a previous newsletter I dealt with how to play QuickTime videos in PowerPoint (if you missed that issue, click here to read it in the archives). Today I will deal with Flash video files.

Flash video is the most popular video format on the Web because virtually every browser has the Flash player installed and the video plays automatically. You may have a Flash video file on your web site that you’d like to use in your presentation, but you will run into two problems. First, how do you get the video off the web and on to your computer. Second, how do you get the video file to play in your presentation.

Let’s address each of these.To get the Flash video file off the web and on to your computer, you may need to follow one of the following methods. If you can right-click on the web page link to the video, you can save the file directly to your computer as an FLV file type. Many flash videos are run from within an HTML web page and need a special method to capture the video that plays on the page. You can use a free tool located at http://komando.com/myvideo/ to capture the video from a web page (Thanks to Kim Komando for creating this download utility and suggesting a good FLV player). Now that you have the file, you need to be able to play it.

PowerPoint does not natively play Flash video files, and, while you will see instructions on some web sites on how to include a Flash video by inserting objects and setting parameters, it can be complicated and prone to problems if you don’t set every parameter just right. I think it is easier to download a Flash player program like the VLC media player at http://www.videolan.org/vlc/. Once you have installed the player application, you associate FLV files with that application in the Tools – Folder Options – File Types tab in Windows Explorer. On your slide, create a hyperlink from a shape or text to the FLV file on your computer. When you activate the hyperlink in your presentation, the Flash Player will open and play the video. It is a good idea to open the player in full screen mode or know the key combination to switch it to full screen as soon as it starts.

I know some of you will say that integrating the Flash video using the object method is a cleaner way to play the video and I would have to agree. But the reality is that for most non-technical presenters, setting object parameters is too complex and the above method, while not as smooth, is more reliable, which is what most presenters are looking for. If you do want to try the object method, click here to see the instructions at indezine.com.

Cutting design & graphics costs

After a recent presentation, an audience member approached me and wanted to talk about how much her company was spending on graphics with a design firm. It seems that the design firm charges a fee every time a minor change is made. The graphic for the slide is a single image, so any minor change needs to go through the design firm, costing a significant fee, no matter how small the change. She was asking me if there is a better way. I think there is.

When you are contracting for some graphics to be designed for your slides, make sure you select a design or graphics firm who is willing to design the graphics in a way that you can make minor changes yourself or re-use parts on other slides. Ask them to provide the finished graphics as individual images grouped into the completed graphic. That way, if you need to make a minor change, you can ungroup the individual elements, make the change, and re-group them.

Another way to create professional graphics is to do them yourself using high-quality vector images. Combine individual elements and you can create the exact graphic you need. For example, you can combine a truck graphic and a factory graphic with one of a retail store to show the movement of goods through the process in your firm. Where do you get these vector images? I’d start with istockphoto.com and search for your keywords while specifying that the results should be vector images. I am using some vector images in my own presentations that I got from istockphoto.

Can you use professional graphics and not break the bank? Yes you can. Create them yourself or leverage the graphics you have created by a design firm.

Feb 17/09 Slide Makeover Video Podcast now available

Just a quick note to let you know that a new Slide Makeover Video Podcast based on the ideas in "The Visual Slide Revolution" is available for your viewing through the iTunes Store, online or through my YouTube channel. When explaining a technique, it is better to show than to tell. This makeover, supplied by a reader of "The Visual Slide Revolution", shows how he transformed a simple, mostly text explanation, into a visual that makes the technique crystal clear to the audience.

This slide was submitted by a subscriber to the newsletter- someone just like you who is looking for a way to make their presentations more effective. If you want to submit some of your slides to be considered for a future slide makeover, e-mail them to me at Dave@ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com.

If you have already subscribed through iTunes or another podcatcher, the new podcast should be automatically downloaded when you next run the program.

To subscribe via the iTunes Store, click here.
To view online or get the RSS file for other podcatchers, click here.
You can also watch all the podcasts on my YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ThinkOutsideTheSlide

If you have subscribed via iTunes or YouTube, please provide your positive feedback on the videos in the Comments and Ratings areas of the service so others know the value you get from the videos.



To get your own copy of "The Visual Slide Revolution", click here.
To access quick "how-to" videos for only $1.99 each, click here.

Special Launch: Take me with you when you present

If you have ever run in to problems when you are setting up or during your presentation, wouldn't it be nice to be able to call me and get a solution to your problem? Nice, but not possible, since I can't possibly offer that service to everyone. But I've done the next best thing, and I am happy to announce it today.

When problems arise during your presentation, pull out your Blackberry, iPhone, Windows Mobile device or other smartphone and pull up http://m.thinkoutsidetheslide.com, the new mobile-specific section of the ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com web site. It answers the most common questions presenters face before or during their presentation, like:

• My slides show on my laptop screen but not through the projector - what do I do?
• My video clip won't play - what do I do?
• The mouse cursor keeps coming up every time I advance to the next point - how do
  I get rid of it?
• I was just told I have less time to present - what do I do?
• My computer just froze up - what do I do?
• and many more

Here is what is looks like on an iPhone/iPod and a Blackberry:



Each question is a hot link to the answer, so just click on the question and you have quick access to just the information you need. You can also scroll through all the questions and answers to find the right information to solve the problem you’ve run in to.

Bookmark http://m.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/ on your device today and pass it on to fellow presenters.

Don’t have a smartphone? No problem, the site works from any computer. You can even save it as an HTML file on your computer because the entire site is on one page!

February 3/09 Slide Makeover Video Podcast now available

Just a quick note to let you know that a new Slide Makeover Video Podcast based on the ideas in "The Visual Slide Revolution" is available for your viewing through the iTunes Store, online or through my YouTube channel. If you are showing a process that repeats on a regular basis, make sure that it is clear for the audience. This makeover shows a slide that tries to explain a cyclical process but doesn't succeed as well as it could. The new slide tells the story clearly and is easier to understand.

This slide was submitted by a subscriber to the newsletter- someone just like you who is looking for a way to make their presentations more effective. If you want to submit some of your slides to be considered for a future slide makeover, e-mail them to me at Dave@ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com.

If you have already subscribed through iTunes or another podcatcher, the new podcast should be automatically downloaded when you next run the program.

To subscribe via the iTunes Store, click here.
To view online or get the RSS file for other podcatchers, click here.
You can also watch all the podcasts on my YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ThinkOutsideTheSlide

If you have subscribed via iTunes or YouTube, please provide your positive feedback on the videos in the Comments and Ratings areas of the service so others know the value you get from the videos.



To get your own copy of "The Visual Slide Revolution", click here.
To access quick "how-to" videos for only $1.99 each, click here.