How To Put A Video In A Fancy Frame With PowerPoint
The Adventure Of The Tree Pelicans!
Have you ever wondered how people go about putting videos in fancy frames and posting to the internet?
There are several ways to do this, but I’m sharing a simple way to do it today.
The programs that I used, with alternatives in brackets are:
Microsoft PowerPoint 10
Paint Shop Pro (Photoshop, PS Elements, Serif Photo Plus)
Wondershare Video Converter (Freemake Video Converter)
Image Source: Youzign.com
Video Source: Allan Cockerill
First, How Did I Do It:
The video was one that I created last year when my wife and I went away to the coast for a long weekend.
The pelicans were hanging out for a feed from fishermen cleaning fish on the beach.
Downloading the image from Youzign.com was simple, you could also try Pixabay or Shutterstock if you aren’t a member of Youzign (though I would recommend joining).
Next, I made the center of the heart shape in the tree transparent.
And I made sure that the image was nice and large. I used 2000 x 2000 pixels, but you may get away with smaller.
The format that the image was saved in was PNG.
Then I started playing with the video.
My camera saves videos in .mov format, while PowerPoint saves in WMV (Windows Media Video).
You can use the Wondershare converter to change this. It costs $49.00US, sometimes cheaper, especially if you bundle it with Filmora, which is their video editor.
Then comes PowerPoint!
Next, I opened PowerPoint, choosing a new presentation with a blank layout.
Clicked insert -> video.
After the video was imported I stretched it to around the size that I thought would fit inside the heart shaped frame that I wanted to use.
Next, I clicked insert -> picture, and selected the photo.
This is where it can get fiddly as you juggle the image and video to get the right fit.
If the video seems too small, delete the image and stretch the video. Then reload the image..
Likewise, you can stretch or shrink the the video if you need to.
Tip: Remove the video controls by clicking Slide Show -> untick controls.
When you’re happy with it, simply go to File -> Save and Send -> Create Video.
The program will save in WMV format, but if you want to upload it, you can convert it back to mp4, webm or any format required.
If you decide to go with the Freemake converter, just be aware that it comes with other programs included.
You can prevent this by unticking the relevant boxes duringthe download.
Why would they do this?
Freemake is just what the name suggests, free.
By downloading the programs they may benefit from affiliate commissions if you buy later.
Their program is so good though that you can make a donation on the website via Paypal.
The Next Stage!
Not being content with featuring pelicans in a tree, I decided to take them to the mall and display them there.
I used an image from DropMock, and followed a tutorial from Joe Ferdinando in the DropMock group on Facebook, using Camtasia to squeeze the video into the frame at the angle required.
You can find Joe’s free tutorial here.
And here are the pelicans at the mall!
The videos used on this page are self hosted, and are displayed using the Custom Video Player from Matt MacDonald!