Using Video Capture Software for Online Presentations

Let's say there's a video clip that really illustrates a point you're trying to make in your online presentation. Not that long ago, such a situation might call for you to ask for your audience's indulgence as you stop your presentation and fire up a VCR hooked to a too-small television with poor sound quality. Instead, you now can use video capture software to seamlessly incorporate video clips into your online presentation.

Using video capture software for online presentations can make your work stand out. For instance, it can inject an invigorating change of pace into a text-heavy presentation, bringing your audience back to focus as you hit important points. It also brings a hint of multimedia flavor to any presentation.

Image courtesy of TechSmith Adding videos to online presentations can make them stand out. Video capture software makes it easy.

Video capture software helps convert older, analog video images, such as those on video tape cassettes, into digital format. For example, a company might want to convert its old training tapes to digital. Or, a public relations firm might collect a variety of past television news reports concerning a client that might help define the client's public image.

There are many choices in this area of software, including freeware such as AviScreen Classic and commercially available software, such as Windows Movie Maker and many others.

Once the video images are captured, presentation authors can incorporate them using the insert menu in PowerPoint. The program also allows the author to create titles and in some cases mark up the video, perhaps placing circles around important things shown in a clip.

We'll talk about how to use screen capture software for online presentations on the next page.