How to Record PowerPoint Slides
You can use the Panopto recorder app to record PowerPoint slides with voiceover. Here are the steps:
- In PowerPoint: open the PowerPoint presentation you wish to include in your video.
NOTE: Save any edits you've made to your PowerPoint immediately before recording. If you don't, your unsaved presentation will close without saving and you will lose your edits.
- Leave PowerPoint open, and also open the Panopto recorder app. To do so, go to panopto.emerson.edu, click the Create button at top right, click Record a new session, then click Open Panopto when prompted by a pop-up message.
OR, you can open the recorder from the "Record" tab of the Panopto embed button's window in Canvas.
NOTE: You will need to download and install the Panopto recorder app before using it for the first time. When you follow the above instructions and click Record a new session, you will be given download links for the Mac and PC versions of the app.
- In the Panopto recorder: Use then "Folder" dropdown menu near the top of the recorder to select the folder you wish to upload to. We recommend My Folder, since its contents are private until you share or embed them.
- Set your Primary Source's Video to None if you only want to record your PowerPoint, or choose your webcam (the exact name will vary) if you wish your face to be included alongside your slides.
- Set Audio to Built-in Microphone. You should see the colored bar move when you speak.
- If you're on a Mac, make sure Secondary Sources are set to None. Under Slides, check the box for Record PowerPoint.
NOTE: In the screenshots below, the Primary Source's video is set to "None" so that only the PowerPoint is included in the video. If you want to record your face AND your PowerPoint, change the Video setting from "None" to your webcam. You should see a preview of your webcam's view before you start recording.
If you're on a PC, under Secondary Sources, check only the box for "Capture PowerPoint":
NOTE: If your PowerPoint contains moving parts such as video, you will need to select your main screen as a Secondary Source (on Mac) or check the box for Capture Main Screen (on PC) in order to capture the motion. This will create an additional video stream where the motion is visible.
- Click the Record button at top left to begin recording.
- Leave Panopto open and recording, and return to your PowerPoint presentation. Switch to Presenter View. Proceed through the presentation as you typically would, narrating as you go. You will be able to see your notes, but only the slides themselves will be recorded.
- When you're finished, go back to the recorder and click Stop at top left to stop recording.
This will create a video that displays your PowerPoint slides and voiceover. The video will upload to the Panopto folder you specified, which you can find at panopto.emerson.edu. You may then wish to embed your new video in a Canvas course.
If you recorded your webcam as the Primary Source video, the video will include a small panel of you speaking and a larger panel that displays your slides.
When the video is viewed in Panopto, your slides will appear as a timestamped stream beneath the presentation. Viewers can click a slide to instantly jump to that portion of your video and hear your narration.
Example
Here is an example of a Panopto video with recorded PowerPoint slides that includes the speaker's webcam. You can watch it here or click the diagonal arrow at bottom right to view it in Panopto:
Troubleshooting Tips
- If you are recording with your webcam and you are looking at PowerPoint in full screen mode you will not see your face. It is being captured by the Panopto recorder, and will show up on the final video.
- If your Panopto video is not displaying as expected, e.g. your Primary Source video is not in a small panel within a larger panel that displays your slides, check if the Video “Podcast Type” is “Picture-in-Picture” (full instructions here).