7 ways to use eye catching video background in

your Presentation
As more and more PowerPoint users incorporate video backgrounds into presentations, it's more
important than ever that it's done in a way that produces eye-catching and effective results. This can be
a bit tricky for the uninitiated, so this article gives seven quick and simple tips for using video
backgrounds successfully in a PowerPoint presentation.

1. Be Sure the Video Background Motion Isn't Too Fast

One of the biggest issues with poorly executed PowerPoint presentations that incorporate video
backgrounds is speed. It's easy to over design a presentation that uses a video background. I've seen
many examples of presentations that have distracting, fast-moving backgrounds, distracting from the
presentation itself. So a key reminder is to use backgrounds that are slow to medium in the speed of
animation and motion. That way your text and other elements will remain the focus.

2. Choose Backgrounds That Support Your Presentation

As with any "new toy" so to speak, presenters can fall into the trap of adding  backgrounds that have
nothing to do with the subject or theme of their presentation. Adding video backgrounds that don't
connect with the presentation theme can be a killer and distract the audience from what you're hoping
to communicate. So remember to choose backgrounds that augment your presentation. This will help
you to communicate more effectively during your presentation. Although it can be tempting at first, it's
never a good idea to use video backgrounds just to show off your ability to use them.

3. Choose Uncluttered Design That Doesn't Compete with Text

Another important key reminder is to choose backgrounds that are primarily uncluttered so that you
have ample available space to include your presentation text and other graphic elements. If you use
complex backgrounds with too many animation and design elements, it can once again compete with
your text and presentation itself. An uncluttered video background with slight movement goes a long
way to enhance an otherwise plain PowerPoint presentation. You don't need a lot of design and
movement to be eye catching.

4. Looping Is Important
When selecting video backgrounds to incorporate into your PowerPoint presentation be sure the video
seamlessly loops. This is a featured added to many of the professionally designed animated backgrounds
available in the marketplace. Essentially seamlessly looping video backgrounds can be played back
continuously without detecting where its loop point is when viewing. This offers you a great advantage
as a PowerPoint presenter. During your presentation you can be parked on any particular slide and have
the background continuously looping in the background. The result: eye-catching motion that enhances
communication during your presentation.

5. The Right Encoding (and Plugin) for Playback

It's important to note that to include (and import) video into your presentation the file must be one that
is accepted by PowerPoint. The typical files that PowerPoint works with are AVI, MPEG and Windows
Media (WMV). I recommend using WMV files since it's a file type created and supported by Microsoft
itself, which is always a good benefit. So you must take your original video files and be sure to convert
(encode) them to one of the three file types mentioned above. When encoding the files for playback in
PowerPoint be sure to remember the following specifications (and do some testing):

640 x 480 resolution, 4:3 (Currently this offers the most stable playback. If using 16:9 source material
you'll need to convert the 16:9 video to 4:3 letterboxes when converting to 640x480).

15 fps (frames per second)

Medium to High Video Quality

Test different settings to get the quality and performance you're looking for. The settings you choose will
depend on the speed of your computer.

Also if you want to use video as a layer that you will put text and other graphics over, you'll need to
purchase a third-party plug-in that allows you to do this within PowerPoint. There are video background
plug-ins for PowerPoint easily found by searching the web. Try searching: PowerPoint Video Background
Plugin and you'll discover new ways to pump up your presentations with dynamic motion.

6. Use Video Optimized for PowerPoint

If you don't think you're up for encoding and converting video into the required file type to work within
PowerPoint, don't fear! You can search for and purchase stock video that has already been optimized
(encoded) to work within PowerPoint. This can be a big benefit to you because someone else has
already spent the time to encode the video background properly (i.e., file type, frame rate, bit rate,
etc...) and all you have to do is import into PowerPoint. Try searching on the following keywords to find
video backgrounds already optimized to work within PowerPoint: PowerPoint Optimized Video Loops (or
search on some variation of these keywords).

7. Do Testing with Free Backgrounds Available on the Web

If you currently don't have any video backgrounds in your library, consider searching the web for free
PowerPoint video backgrounds that you can use to do some testing. You'll be surprised how many
websites offer sample free clips for you to download and test out in your project of PowerPoint night
ideas.
In conclusion, there are several considerations to take into account when designing a PowerPoint
presentation that incorporates video backgrounds. The main key to remember is to always make clear
communication the number one priority when building your PowerPoint deck - and only use video
backgrounds to augment and enhance the effectiveness of your presentation.

David Mathews is the managing director of [http://www.motionkit.com] - a website offering fresh,

innovative and HD stock footage, video backgrounds, PowerPoint video backgrounds and digital motion
media.