PowerPoint 2019 (Part 19): Inserting Video
PowerPoint allows you to insert videos into slides and play them during your presentation. This is a great way to make your presentation more engaging for your audience.
You can even edit videos in PowerPoint and customize their appearance. For example, you can trim the video length or add a fade-in effect.
How to insert a video from a file
This example will insert a video from a file saved locally on your computer.
1. From the Insert tab, click the Video drop-down arrow , then select Video on My PC.
2. Locate and select the desired video file, then click Insert.
3. The video will be added to the slides.
With the Screen Recording feature on the Insert tab , you can create videos of whatever you're doing on your computer and insert them into your slides.
How to embed a video online
Some websites—like YouTube—allow you to embed videos into your slides. Embedded videos remain hosted on the original website, meaning the video itself isn't added to your file. Embedding can be a convenient way to reduce presentation file size, but you'll also need an internet connection to play the video.
Working with video
How to preview a video
1. Click on a video to select it.
2. Click the Play/Pause button below the video. The video will start playing, and the timeline next to the Play/Pause button will appear.
3. To move to a different section of the video, click anywhere on the timeline.
How to resize a video
Click and drag the resizing handles in the corners until the video is the desired size.
The resizing handles at the corners will resize the video while maintaining the original aspect ratio. If you use the resizing handles at the edges, the video will be distorted.
How to move videos
Click and drag to move the video to a new position on the slide.
How to delete videos
Select the video you want to delete, then press the Backspace or Delete key on your keyboard.
Video editing and formatting
The Playback tab offers several options you can use to edit your video. For example, you can trim your video to play a segment from the original, add fade-in and fade-out effects, and add bookmarks that allow you to jump to specific points in the video.
Most features on the Playback tab can only be used with videos inserted from a file. They will not work with embedded videos.
How to trim a video
1. Select the video, then click the Playback tab on the Ribbon.
2. Click on the Trim Video command.
3. A dialog box will appear. Use the green handle to set the start time and the red handle to set the end time.
4. To preview the video, click the Play button.
5. Once you've finished trimming the video, click OK.
How to add Fade In and Fade Out effects
1. On the Playback tab , find the fields Fade In: and Fade Out:.
2. Enter the desired values or use the up and down arrows to adjust the time.
How to add bookmarks
1. Click on the timeline to find the desired section of the video.
2. From the Playback tab , click the Add Bookmark command.
3. The bookmark will appear on your timeline. Click on the bookmark to go to its location.
Video options
There are other options you can set to control how the video will play. These can be found in the Video Options group on the Playback tab.
- Volume: This action changes the video volume.
- Start: This controls whether the video starts automatically or when the mouse is clicked.
- Play Full Screen: This allows the video to fill the entire screen while playing.
- Hide While Not Playing: This feature will hide the video when it's not playing.
- Loop until Stopped: This mode will display the video until it stops.
- Rewind after Playing: This action will return the video to the beginning when it finishes playing.
Video interface format
Like photos, PowerPoint allows you to format the appearance of a video by applying video styles, adding borders, changing shapes, and applying various effects.
How to create a poster frame
You can add a poster frame to your video; this is a placeholder image that viewers will see before the video starts playing. A poster frame is usually a frame taken directly from the video.
1. Click on the timeline to find the desired section of the video.
2. From the Format tab , click the Poster Frame command. Select Current Frame from the menu that appears.
3. The current frame will become the poster frame.
4. If you want to use an image from your computer, select Image from file .
How to apply video styles
1. Select the video, then click the Format tab on the Ribbon.
2. In the Video Styles group , click the More drop-down arrow to display the available video styles.
3. Select your desired style.
4. A new style will be applied to the video.
To learn more about adjustments, color correction, borders, shapes, and effects, review the Image Formatting lesson .
