Insert Video using Adobe Presenter

Similar to inserting a SWF file, you can insert a video file into PowerPoint using Adobe Presenter. Now do remember that this Insert Video option is only for content that is going to be output by Adobe Presenter, and not for conventional PowerPoint slides. Also unlike SWF files, you cannot play videos inserted using Adobe Presenter using PowerPoint's Slide Show view. To preview such videos, you must use Adobe Presenter's Preview options.

Remember to save your presentation once before using this option. Thereafter follow these steps:

1. Within PowerPoint, access the Adobe Presenter tab of the Ribbon, and click the Video button, as shown highlighted in red within Figure 1.
2. 
   Figure 1: Video button within the Insert group
2. This opens the Import Video dialog box, as you can see in Figure 2, below.
3. 
   Figure 2: Import Video dialog box
4. Navigate to the location where the video files are saved on your computer and select the file you want to insert. But before you insert the video file, take a look at these options within the Import Video dialog box, as marked in Figure 2 above:

5. A. Files of type

6. This drop-down list shows video formats that you can insert, as shown in Figure 3.
7. 
   Figure 3: Files of type drop-down list
8. Do note that there's no option to insert files using the old-time AVI format. However, you can still insert an AVI file and the built-in Adobe Media Encoder will convert to a compatible format.

9. B. Quality

10. Click to bring up Quality drop-down list, as shown in Figure 4. Choose the video quality from High, Medium, and Low. These settings are for the video import -- this means that you can choose a very high quality video and then ask Adobe Presenter to import it at a lower quality to keep the output file size smaller.
11. 
    Figure 4: Quality drop-down list

12. C. Import On

13. Click this to bring up a drop-down list, as shown in Figure 5. Here you can select the slide on which you want to import the selected video file. By default, the active slide is always selected.
14. 
    Figure 5: Import On drop-down list

15. D. As

16. Here you'll get two radio buttons:
• Slide video: Choose this radio button to place and play the selected video file on the slide.
• Sidebar video: Selecting this option plays the video file on the sidebar of Adobe Presenter player (the area highlighted in red within Figure 6). This option can be used for branding purposes.
• 
  Figure 6: Sidebar animation in the Adobe Presenter player

17. E. Preview

18. Here you can see the preview of the selected video file. Make sure you have selected the Preview check-box (highlighted in red within Figure 2, earlier on this page).
3. Once you have made choices, click the Open button within the Import Video dialog box to place the video into your slide. Figure 7 below shows the inserted video file on a slide.
4. 
   Figure 7: Video inserted on the slide

Once you add a video file within Adobe Presenter, you can also edit this file -- this is explained in our Edit Video using Adobe Presenter tutorial.