Putting Audio in PowerPoint (part 5)

I know that you are feeling the stress of the cliffhanger from yesterday. Today I'm going to let you know what to do if you need to take your PowerPoint presentation on the go, but the audio (or video) files don't embed. Not to fear, the solution is before you.

Plug in a flash drive to the computer where you created the presentation. Then open up that PowerPoint and click on the Office Button in the upper left. Click on "Publish" then "Package for CD" just like in the picture. Type in a name for the folder you're going to create. The presentation you have open is automatically added to the list, but if you want to save more (like if you're going away for a conference) you can click "Add Files" to put in more PowerPoint slideshows.

Choose whether you want the files to play automatically (Viewer Format) or if you just want to copy the files (Archive Format) by clicking the "Options" button. Make sure that the box next to "Linked Files" has a check in it. Click "OK" when you're done.

Next click "Copy to Folder" and point to the flash drive you plugged into your computer then click "OK." This will copy the PowerPoint files and all the linked media to a folder and change the link settings so that the presentation knows where to look for the files when it comes time to play them. Once the copying is complete you should have a fully portable version of your presentation with all the audio files intact.

Note: the presentation will need to be played from the flash drive or the entire folder will need to be copied over to the computer that is running the PowerPoint projector to make sure the files stay in place.

Read more here.

Putting Audio in PowerPoint (part 4)

Last time our hero was battling to get the audio clip into PowerPoint, but alas, the struggle is not over. Now that you've put that delightful rendition of "Send In The Clowns" into your presentation you need to make sure that everything is playing correctly.

Notice that when you have the sound icon selected that you see the "Sound Tools" tab. From here you can preview the file, set the volume and tweak the size of the icon. But right smack in the middle are a few important options that need your attention. We already covered hiding the icon during the presentation and the need to play  the file automatically rather than when it's clicked.



Look at the other options available. You can loop the sound file until you stop the slideshow. That's your best option if you are going to leave a slideshow running before or after church and you want some background music to go along with the cycling slides. Otherwise you'll have a never-ending loop going as you're trying to preach.

Another option is found in the "Play Sound" drop down menu: "Play Across Slides." That means that the audio file will continue to play until it's done as your presentation moves through several slides. This can be good if you have images that go along with a quote or song that you want to play, but I would use this sparingly. If you really want to do that, make a PhotoStory and embed that video rather than trying to mess with things in PowerPoint.

The other option there is the "Max Sound File Size" which limits the size of a file that can be embedded in a PowerPoint presentation file. If the file is larger than the limit set there it will be linked. Also if the file is anything other that a WAV file (like and MP3) it can't be embedded. That means that if you take the presentation to another computer, the non-embedded files will not go with your presentation . . . unless you do something about it.

Check to see if the audio is embedded by clicking that little box in the corner of the "Sound Options" section of the "Sound Tools" tab. A box will pop up with a few sections. In the "Information" section if it shows: [Within PowerPoint] you know the file is embedded. If it shows the file location you need to start thinking about some other options - hey, you're in luck, I'll tell you those options tomorrow.

Putting Audio in PowerPoint (part 3)

If it seems like I spent a lot of time and effort trying to convince you that audio should be used sparingly if at all in your PowerPoint presentations, it's because I am. It doesn't always work smoothly and it can distract from the message you are trying to share rather than building it up.

So, first things first. Move to the slide where you want to insert the audio clip. Click the "Insert" tab then the "Sound" button and choose "Sound From File..." Hunt around until you find that perfect file then drop it into your presentation by clicking "OK" and wait for PowerPoint to put it in place.

The first thing you'll notice is this funky sound icon. It looks like a little golden speaker. And it must be on the slide where you want to sound to exist. Neat, I know. So, I guess they put it there so you can choose to click on the icon when you want the audio to play as if you'll be sitting there with a mouse during your presentation or something. I don't know.

Make it smaller by dragging any of the handles on the edges (or you could make it bigger, I guess). But what I would rather do is to not have to see it at all. So here's how you can accomplish that feat.

Click on the "Sound Tool" then "Options" tab (it's probably already selected if you just inserted the audio). You need to check the box next to "Hide During Show" and select "Automatically" from the "Play" drop-down box. If you leave it set to play when clicked and the icon is hidden - well, you'll be in trouble, I hope you prepared to present without the audio (like I told you).

Now the file will start playing when you get to that slide and keep playing until the end of the audio clip or until you change slides, which ever comes first. Tune in to our next exciting episode to discover how to keep the file playing across multiple slides and what happens if you try to present on another computer.