Looking for a way to convert your PowerPoint presentations to video clips? Want to share your presentations with a broader audience, including those who do not have a copy of PowerPoint installed? Your search is over: in this MasterNewMedia guide you can find all of the best free services to convert your PowerPoint presentations to video.

Photo credit: Viktor Gmyria

Why would someone want to convert a PowerPoint presentation to video?

• PowerPoint-free: Once your presentation is converted into a video, you do not need anymore to have PowerPoint installed to watch it nor do your recipients, regardless of which hardware or operating system they own.
• Multi-platform: Presentations converted into videos can be watched while on the move using your mobile phone, iPod, PSP or any other device that plays video.
• Distribution: You can distribute your video-converted presentations on YouTube, Facebook, MySpace and other video-sharing sites or social media to reach a broader audience.

Are there any drawbacks when converting a PowerPoint presentation to video?

One problem you may encounter is that the PowerPoint to video conversion service you choose to utilize may not retain transitions, animations, soundtracks and other media elements you have inside your slides. This is why if you have a complex presentation with Flash videos or special effects you might want to double check whether the service you select supports preserving such multimedia elements.

How do PowerPoint to video conversion services work?

The free services that convert PowerPoint presentations to video generally all work the same way: you first import your PowerPoint file, then choose an output video format, set the transitions between slides and you are done. Optionally, you can trim or crop the video to get exactly the result you desire or add an audio track to sync with your slides to create a video tutorial.

Here below is a comparative table and a set of individual reviews to help you compare all of these free services to convert PowerPoint presentations to video. Here the selection criteria used to compare the different services:

• Supported platforms: Specific operating system needed to run the PowerPoint to video converter.
• Video export formats: Output video formats supported (AVI, FLV, WMV, etc.)
• Batch conversion: Unattended conversion of multiple presentations
• Preserve special effects: Transitions, animations, videos, audio tracks and other media elements are preserved during the PowerPoint to video conversion process.

Here all the details:

Convert PowerPoint To Video Comparative Table

Convert PowerPoint To Video

1. E.M. Free PowerPoint Video Converter
   
   
   
   E.M. Free PowerPoint Video Converter is a software for Windows that converts your PowerPoint presentations to video. Just import your PowerPoint presentation and choose a video output format among AVI, MPG, MKV and WMV. Then choose an audio file to sync with your slides, crop and trim the video to get the result you desire, set the playback interval between the slides and you are done. All converted videos except WMVs will show a watermark using the free version. Original media, transitions and animations inside the original slides will not be preserved during conversion. Batch conversion is supported.
   
   http://www.effectmatrix.com/PowerPoint-Video-Converter/Free-PowerPoint-Video-Converter.htm
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Xilisoft PowerPoint to Video Converter Free
   
   
   
   Xilisoft PowerPoint to Video Converter Free is a Windows software to convert your PowerPoint slides to video. You just need to import your PowerPoint file and choose one of the supported video formats: AVI, FLV, MOV, MPEG-2, MP4 or WMV. Then customize the resolution of your video, the playback interval between slides and other output options before starting the conversion process. All media, transitions and animations inside the original presentation will be fully preserved during conversion. Batch conversion is not permitted.
   
   http://www.xilisoft.com/powerpoint-to-video-converter-free.html
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. iSpring Free
   
   
   
   iSpring Free is a PowerPoint add-in you can use to convert your PowerPoint presentations to SWF videos. Available for Windows machines only, iSpring Free installs inside your copy of PowerPoint and gives you the option to upload your video directly to YouTube, SlideBoom, or embed your video to your website or blog. All media, animations, music and transitions inside the original presentation file are retained during conversion. No batch conversion is available.
   
   http://www.ispringsolutions.com/products/ispring_free.html
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Free Acoolsoft PPT2YouTube
   
   
   
   Free Acoolsoft PPT2YouTube allows you to convert your PowerPoint presentations to a MP4 video you can upload to video-sharing sites like YouTube. Available only for Windows machines, PPT2YouTube also allows batch conversions to upload and convert multiple PowerPoint presentations at the same time. Media elements, transitions and animations inside presentation files are not retained during conversion.
   
   http://www.acoolsoft.com/free-powerpoint-to-youtube-overview.html
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. JODConverter
   
   
   
   JODConverter is a free plugin for OpenOffice that allows you to convert PowerPoint presentations to multiple formats, including PDF, MS Office documents and Flash (SWF). Since OpenOffice is available for nearly every operating system you can think of, JODConverter works on all those operating systems as well. Animations, audio tracks, transitions and other media inside your original slides are not retained during conversion. No batch conversion is supported.
   
   http://www.artofsolving.com/opensource/jodconverter
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. AuthorSTREAM
   
   
   
   AuthorSTREAM is a free slide-sharing webservice that allows you to convert PowerPoint presentations to video. The service generates a MP4 video file and the video itself cannot be longer than five minutes. To create videos up to 45 minutes long you can purchase credits ($2 each). All music tracks, animations or media elements inside the original presentation are fully retained during conversion. Batch conversion is not possible. Registration is required to utilize AuthorSTREAM.
   
   http://authorstream.com/
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. PowerBullet Presenter
   
   
   
   PowerBullet Presenter is a free presentation editing software for Windows that you can use to convert your PowerPoint files to Flash (SWF) files. Since the software cannot directly import PPT files, you must save each slide as a JPEG image using PowerPoint, and then import each image file to PowerBullet Presenter to start the conversion. You can also insert transitions, animations, flash videos or add an audio track to personalize your video. All elements you add to the presentation will be preserved inside your converted SWF video. No batch conversion is supported.
   
   http://www.powerbullet.com/
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Windows Movie Maker
   
   
   
   Windows Movie Maker is a free video editing software available for Windows XP through Vista that you can use to convert your PowerPoint presentation to video. Just open your presentation in PowerPoint and save each slide as a PNG file, then import all PNG files to Windows Movie Maker and drag them to the timeline. Last, choose the output video format you prefer (AVI or WMV) and you are done. Media elements, animations, and transitions inside your original slides will not be preserved during conversion. No batch conversion is possible.
   
   http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/moviemaker2.mspx
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. SlideShare
   
   
   
   SlideShare is probably the most popular free slide-sharing service on the web. You can use SlideShare to create a slidecast, which is kind of a video podcast that combines slideshow and narration. Just upload your PowerPoint presentation to the service, add an audio track to use as narration, sync slides with audio and publish the slidecast on SlideShare website. All multimedia elements, audio or transitions present inside the original PowerPoint slides will be lost after the upload to SlideShare. No batch conversion is available. Registration is required.
   
   http://www.slideshare.net/

Originally prepared by Daniele Bazzano for MasterNewMedia, and first published on November 16th, 2009 as "Convert PowerPoint To Video: Guide To The Best Free Services".