narrated slide presentation video

How to Record a PowerPoint Presentation with Narration

Can be helpful in creating a dramatic narrative

Microsoft PowerPoint has a built-in recording tool that allows you to narrate your presentations using recorded audio. You can export and share recorded presentations as video files.

This tutorial covers everything about recording PowerPoint presentations on Windows and Mac computers.

Record PowerPoint Presentation with Narration

Open the PowerPoint file/presentation you want to record and follow the steps below.

Record PowerPoint Presentation on Windows

• Select the slide you want to start recording from on the slide thumbnail pane.

• Head to the Record tab on the ribbon and select the Record button to start recording from the current/selected slide.

To record from the first slide, select the down-facing arrow icon below the Record button and select From Beginning .

You can also record a presentation from the Slide Show tab. Select Slide Show on the ribbon and select Record , From Current Slide , or From Beginning .

That’ll open PowerPoint’s presentation recorder in a fullscreen window.

• Select the Record icon and start speaking after the three seconds countdown.

PowerPoint records the presentation window and captures your voice and webcam feed as you navigate the slides. Select the left-facing and right-facing arrows to move to the previous and next slides in the presentation.

Record PowerPoint Presentation in macOS

• Open the Slide Show tab and select Record Slide Show .

• Select the Record button on the toolbar to start recording your narration.

Use your keyboard arrow keys to move back and forth between slides. Press N or Space Bar to move to the next slide or animation in the presentation. Press P or Backspace to return to the previous slide or animation.

Select Tips in the top-left corner for more keyboard shortcuts and other presentation tips.

Note: The narration tool doesn’t record slide transitions. When moving between slides, wait for the destination slide to appear on the screen before speaking.

PowerPoint Recorder Control/Settings

You’ll find a handful of controls and options on the recording tool. We’ll show you how to use these controls to include voiceovers or audio recordings in your presentation.

Using Presentation Pointer Tools

PowerPoint provides several tools to mark up your slides when narrating your presentation. There’s a pen tool, eraser, laser pointer, and highlighter.

With the Pen tool, you can draw on slides during narration/recording. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Command + P (Mac) to use the pen tool. You can also select the Pen icon to convert the pointer to a pen.

The Laser pointer tool converts your cursor to an onscreen laser. Use the laser pointer to draw attention to something on a slide/presentation.

Press Ctrl + L (Windows) or Command + L (Mac) to use the laser pointer. There’s also a Laser pointer icon on the toolbar.

Pressing Ctrl + I (or selecting the Highlighter tool ) converts your cursor to a highlighter.

Use the Eraser tool to remove inks and highlight from slides. Select the Eraser icon or press Ctrl + E and select the ink to erase.

On macOS, select the Erase Pen icon (or press E ) to erase all drawings and highlights on the slide.

You can change the pointer tools ink from the color selection boxes. However, one major limitation is that you can’t change the size of these pointer tools.

Pause and Resume Your Recording

In Windows, press I on your keyboard or select the Pause button in the top-left corner to pause your recording.

Press I again or select the Record icon to resume the recording.

If you use a Mac, select the Pause icon in the top toolbar to pause the recording.

Unmute or Mute Microphone

Check that your microphone is unmuted before recording. Select the microphone icon in the bottom-right corner to mute or unmute your mic.

PowerPoint for Windows allows you to mute and unmute your microphone in real time while recording video/audio narrations. The macOS version of PowerPoint only lets you configure your camera and microphone settings before recording.

Switch Microphone or Camera

Want to record your presentation with an external microphone or camera? Press Ctrl + M or select the audio/camera settings icon in the top-right corner and choose your preferred microphone/camera.

In macOS, select the microphone icon to mute or unmute your microphone. Select the arrow-down icon next to the microphone or camcorder icons to switch input devices.

Enable and Disable Camera

The recorder displays your camera or webcam feed in the bottom-right corner of the presentation slides.

Select the camcorder icon to remove your webcam feed from the recording. Select the icon again to display your webcam feed in the presentation.

You can also use the Ctrl + K keyboard shortcut on Windows computers to enable or disable your camera.

On Mac computers, you’ll find the video control icon on the top toolbar.

Note: The recording tool greys out the camcorder icon if your microphone is turned off.

Enable or Disable Camera Preview

PowerPoint allows you to disable the camera preview without turning off your camera or webcam.

Press Ctrl + J (Windows) or select the Camera Preview icon in the bottom-right corner to disable or enable the camera preview.

End a Recording

Press S on your Windows keyboard or select the Stop icon to end the recording.

Replay or Preview Your Recording

When you end a narration, press V on your keyboard or select Replay to preview or watch the recording.

The recorded narration will include all pen inks, highlights, and laser pointer gestures made during the presentation.

You can also preview/replay the narration outside the recording tool. Open the Slide Show tab and choose to watch the playback From Beginning or From Current Slide .

PowerPoint allows you to preview the playback on individual slides. A speaker/audio icon appears in the bottom-right of PowerPoint slides with narrations.

Choose the slide you want to preview, hover your cursor on the speaker icon in the bottom-right corner, and select Play .

Delete Current Narration/Recording

Did you spot an error when previewing your presentation? Want to delete the current narration and start from scratch?

Select the Clear existing recordings icon and choose whether to Clear Recordings on Current Slide or Clear Recordings on All Slides .

On Mac, select the Bin icon to delete the entire narration/recording.

Close the Narration Tool

Select the X icon on the title bar to close the presentation narration tool and return to Powerpoint.

Select End Show in the top-left corner to close the recording tool on a Mac computer.

Delete Narrations from Slides

Want to delete the narration or timing on an individual slide or the entire presentation? Select the slide with the narration you want to delete and follow the steps below.

• Open the Record tab and select the down-facing arrow below the Record icon.
• Select Clear and choose to clear timing or narration on current or all slides.

Export Recorded or Narrated Presentation

You can export a narrated PowerPoint presentation as a video file. The video output includes ink strokes, recorded audio/video, laser pointer gestures, and webcam/camera recording.

• Open the Record tab and select Export to Video .

Alternatively, open the File menu, select Export on the sidebar, and select Create a Video .

• Choose the quality of the video export in the first drop-down box—Ultra HD (4K), Full HD (1080p), HD (720p), Standard (480p).

• Choose Use Recorded Timings and Narrations in the next drop-down box and select Create Video .

• Give the recorded presentation a file name and select Save .

Narrate Your PowerPoint Presentations

The Microsoft PowerPoint web app doesn’t have a recording tool. As a result, you can only record presentations with narrations using PowerPoint for Windows or Mac.

You might meet issues recording a slide show if you use an outdated version of PowerPoint. Also, the recording tool on older versions of PowerPoint has a different interface and lacks some controls. Update PowerPoint and restart your computer if you cannot record a slide show.

Sodiq has written thousands of tutorials, guides, and explainers over the past 4 years to help people solve problems with Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows devices. He also enjoys reviewing consumer tech products (smartphones, smart home devices, accessories, etc.) and binge-watching comedy series in his spare time. Read Sodiq's Full Bio

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Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How to Narrate a PowerPoint Presentation

How to Narrate a PowerPoint Presentation

Similar to doing a commentary to videos, you can also add narrations to your PowerPoint Presentation. It’s an interactive way to provide information to your audience instead of letting them read all points on the slide, with the added value that helps people with visual impairments.

This guide will cover how to create a narrated PowerPoint presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint on Windows. Before you start narrating your presentations in PowerPoint, it would worth to read some of the special considerations to set up the environment (reduce noises, configure the mic, etc.).

Method #1: Narrate a PowerPoint Presentation (Audio-Only)

This first method to narrate a PowerPoint presentation is ideal to add audio narration to those already-made presentations.

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation, navigate to the Insert tab, and click the Audio dropdown icon.

2. You can add audio using two ways; if your audio is pre-recorded and saved on your computer, select the Audio Browser option and select the narration recording. Whereas if you want to record a new narration, click Record Audio .

Note : You can only narrate one slide at a time using the Record Audio option, which makes it suitable for narrating key points.

3. After clicking Record Audio, a new window will appear on the right side of the screen.

4. To record, click the red button; the audio bar will begin moving as you start narrating.

5. To stop the recording, click the Stop button. You can listen to the narration right after by selecting the Play icon.

6. If you want to start over, click the Discard button.

7. When it’s ready, you can add it to the slide by clicking the Insert button.

8. A white audio icon will appear on the slide. You can adjust the icon by selecting it and dragging one of the points on the border. You can also see the play, forward, backward, and volume icons on the playback bar.

9. To set the timing of when the audio will play, go to the Playback tab and find the Start option ( Play icon with lightning ). By default, this will be set to In Click Sequence , but you can also change it to Automatically , or When Clicked On .

• In Click Sequence – The audio will play based on the click actions or animations that are set in the slide. You can adjust this by going to the Animation Panel . If you don’t have any animations on the slide, the narration will play before you advance to the next slide.
• Automatically – The audio will play as soon as you arrive on the slide. 
• When Clicked On – The narration will only play once the audio icon is clicked on Slide Show mode . This works great for audio that’s only optional to listen to.

Method #2: Use Record SlideShow to Narrate a PowerPoint 

The second method to narrate PowerPoint presentations may seem more taxing, but it can be done when creating the assets to include in the presentation. Let’s see how to narrate a PowerPoint presentation by recording the slideshow.

1. Navigate to the SlideShow tab and select the Record SlideShow icon. This will let you record the presentation from the beginning.

2. The Record SlideShow window will soon appear. Here are its parts:

• On the top bar, you’ll see the recording duration, the trash, record, and pause buttons. You can also toggle the camera and microphone by clicking their icons on the right edge of the bar.

To blur your background on the camera, click the Camera dropdown menu and select Blur Background .

• Below, you’ll see the current and next slide previews. You can also add notes under the Next slide preview. You can adjust the font of the notes by clicking the buttons on the bottom-left.
• If you want to move to the next slide or go to the previous one, use the arrow buttons below the Current slide preview.
• To create illustrations or drawings, use the drawing tools that are beside the forward and previous buttons.
• You’ll see all slide thumbnails on the bottom of the screen.

Note : To know more about keyboard shortcuts on the Record SlideShow window, open the Tips button by clicking it.

3. To record the entire presentation, make sure that the camera and microphone features are switched on. Then, press the Record button when you’re ready.

4. You can choose to pause the recording by pressing the Pause button.

5. To stop the recording, click the Stop button. You can check the narration by pressing the Play button; once you want to delete it, click the Trash button.

6. Once it’s ready, select End Show . You can see the narration on each slide, indicated on the slide thumbnails .

7. To set the timing of when the narration video will play, select the narration thumbnail on the bottom-right of the slide and go to the Playback tab.

8. Similar to the first method, navigate to the Start options. By default, the timing is set to Automatic . You can also change this to In Click Sequence , or When Clicked On .

9. To clear timings and narrations on all slides, go to the SlideShow tab and select the Record SlideShow dropdown arrow.

10. Under the Clear options, you can choose if you want to Clear Timings on Current/All Slides or Clear Narrations on Current/All Slides .

Considerations Preparing the Environment Before Narrating a PowerPoint presentation

Before narrating a PowerPoint presentation, make sure that you’re in a quiet environment and free from unnecessary background sound. Noises from air conditioners, fans, street noise, and people nearby can be heard on the narration recording, leading you to start over again. Investing in soundproofing foam for better sound insulation is an expenditure that pays itself over time, you won’t regret such action.

Another factor to look out for is checking if your computer’s microphone works properly. To test your microphone on Windows, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Start menu and select Settings > System > Sound .

2. Under Input , make sure that it is set on your computer’s default microphone .

3. Also, try speaking near the microphone and check if the audio bar is moving (under Test your microphone ).

4. If you’re experiencing mic problems, click the Troubleshoot button and follow the on-screen steps. Then, restart your computer and see if the mic issue is solved.

Finally, and as extra caution, be sure to properly place your microphone in the scenario that you use an external microphone (not a handset).

Dynamic microphones, thanks to their affordable price, are an option these days for many users, but they do count with a “recordable” side: this means that according to their polar curve, there is a side on the microphone that will record sound in proximity to it, and there’s a side that won’t capture sound at all. Refer to the manufacturer specs prior to blaming any potential issue.

Final Thoughts

Adding narration to your PowerPoint presentations is a great strategy to keep your audience engaged . You can use these methods to point out the brief points on each slide, besides letting your audience read the content on the slide.

Keep in mind that narrating is not an alternative to inserting videos into your PowerPoint presentations since they target different objectives from a content perspective.

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• Presentations

How to Record Narration in a PowerPoint Presentation (New Video)

• Bahasa Indonesia

You might think of PowerPoint as the app you use when you're speaking to an audience. But what if that audience can't be in the same room as you? You can do just that as we learn how to narrate a PowerPoint presentation.

You can record audio inside of PowerPoint. Then, your viewer can play it back at their convenience. Best of all, the audio stays synced to the slide timings you set while recording the audio.

If you send a presentation on its own, your audience may flip through the slides and miss the point. But if you can add narration to your presentation, you have the chance to reinforce your key points. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to record narration in PowerPoint. 

Need Help? Download Our New eBook on Making Great Presentations (Free)

We also have a useful compliment to this tutorial. Download our FREE eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations , which will help you write, design, and deliver the perfect presentation. Quickly grab it before you read on.

When you narrate PowerPoint presentations, your best bet is to use a premium template. With thousands of designs Envato Elements has you covered. Here are some of the very best:

Now let's learn all about how to record quality PowerPoint audio narration: 

How to Quickly Record Narration in PowerPoint (Watch & Learn)

Watch this quick, two minute screencast below for a guided tour on recording narrations in PowerPoint. In it, you'll learn how to add narration to your presentation or on selected slides:

Prefer a written set of instructions for how to narrate a PowerPoint? Keep reading to walk through the steps to add narration to your PowerPoint presentation.

3 Audio Recording Best Practices for Proper PowerPoint Narration

With an affordable microphone you can add the commentary your audience should hear. It's easy to include it with the final PowerPoint presentation file so that your commentary follows the PPTX file.

You may not have access to a professional recording studio, but that doesn't mean that you can't improve the audio quality of your voiceover.

There are quick wins to improve the quality of your presentation narration. Great narrated PowerPoint examples have clear, easy-to-understand audio. Here are my favorite tips on how to narrate a PowerPoint presentation better:

• As a presenter, I always like to write an outline or script  for my recorded audio. Use the speaker notes section in PowerPoint or print your notes to keep your audio on track.
• Purchase an inexpensive USB microphone as a major upgrade over your laptop's built-in microphone. I like this  Samson Go Mic that clips to the top of my laptop. You can even use wireless headphones like Apple AirPods to narrate PowerPoint. Remember: the best microphone is the one that you have with you.
• As always, remove background noise when possible. Turn off fans, devices, and close the door to avoid distractions.

Record Narration for PowerPoint (Tutorial Steps)

Now, let's walk through how to set up for proper audio recording. You'll learn how to professionally record your narration. Then, you'll add it to your PowerPoint slides. 

As you follow along with how to add narration to PowerPoint, it helps to have a great design. We’ll be using the beautiful Sora - Multipurpose Presentation from Envato Elements to demonstrate.

Download it today to follow along as we build a narrated PowerPoint example. Let's get started!

Step 1. Set Up Your Microphone

Before you start to record audio inside PowerPoint, start off by making sure that your microphone is plugged in and ready to record.

Whether you're on Windows or macOS, you'll want to access the audio device settings and set your default microphone at a system level. Select your external microphone to ensure it's utilized instead of the built-in mic.

Step 2. Press Record in PowerPoint

To record narrations in PowerPoint, start off by finding the  Slide Show  tab on PowerPoint's ribbon. Click on the Slide Show tab to change the available options. 

Make sure that you start on the first slide in PowerPoint to record audio and timings for the entire presentation.

Now, find the Record button and click on it. PowerPoint launches the Recording menu. You’ll see thumbnails of your slides below, and a menu bar at the top. 

This menu dashboard lets you control your recording settings. In a few clicks, you can set things up to narrate PowerPoint exactly how you want. 

Make sure you're ready before you press  Start Recording.  As soon as you click on it, you can narrate PowerPoint as it records both audio and the screen.

Step 3. Start Recording Your Narration

When you click Record , PowerPoint won’t immediately be recording audio. Notice the round red Record button in the top center.

To capture audio, you’ll need to click this. When you do, a three-second countdown clock appears on your slideshow preview. Once it reaches zero, your microphone is live and all of your narration and audio records automatically.

At the top, you’ll see the Recording menu with a runtime counter. This is a handy way to keep track of time as you present.

Now, begin speaking and navigating through your slide deck. I like to use the arrow keys on my keyboard to move through my slides. Use the right arrow to jump to the next slide, or the left arrow to move to the previous PowerPoint slide. 

PowerPoint is recording exactly what's on your screen along with the audio you speak into your microphone. 

When you’re finished, click on the red Record button again. The recording stops. 

It's ideal if you have a dual monitor setup and you can use Presenter View, which puts a preview of your next slide with your speaking notes on a second screen. Turn on Presenter View on the Slide Show tab by checking Use Presenter View. 

Step 4. Use Annotations (Optional)

While you're recording your presentation, you can also add  annotations  to your PowerPoint. You can use a digital pen, highlighter or laser pointer to add markings. 

To use annotations, go to the row of buttons below your slide previews. The annotation controls are on the left side: laser, pen, and more. Click on one of these to activate it. 

After you select a tool, you can draw on the slide to add the annotation. Viewers will see these annotations drawn in while watching the recorded version of your presentation.

Step 5. Reset Presentation Timings as Needed

Let's say that you had the perfect audio take, but the timings of your slide changes were off by a bit. That's no problem. We can readily restart the process of setting your slide timings.

To do that, make sure that you're on the Slide Show tab and click on Rehearse Timings . Your presentation will go into full screen mode. Usese the arrow keys to change slides to set new timings.

Now that you're finished, you can send your presentation onto a viewer with your narration embedded. When they play the presentation, your recorded narration will play with it, timed how you've set it up while rehearsing.

How to Add Audio (Narration) for Selected PowerPoint Slides

If you don't want to record audio with timings for an entire presentation, another option is to add audio to a selected slide. 

To do this, click on the  Insert  tab on the PowerPoint ribbon. On the right side of the ribbon, find the  Audio  button and click on it. Again, you'll want to make sure that your microphone is selected in your system settings before choosing this option.

On this drop-down menu, you can actually add audio clips that you've recorded in other apps using the Audio on My PC...  option, or record audio right inside PowerPoint by clicking  Record Audio.

If you choose to Record Audio , you'll see a new window. Press the red Record button to capture audio inside PowerPoint and place it on a slide directly.

Discover More Great PowerPoint Tutorials (On Envato Tuts+)

You've got a new skill in your tool belt: how to record voiceover on PowerPoint presentations. Why stop now that you know how to narrate PowerPoints?

We've built out a comprehensive learning resource, How to Use PowerPoint (Ultimate Tutorial Guide.) You can teach yourself PowerPoint with this deep set of tutorials. Check out a few of our favorites below:

More Top Templates for Microsoft PowerPoint

As you learned how to add narration to PowerPoint, we featured a premium template. But this is just one of many PowerPoint pre-built slide designs. Thanks to great templates, you'll have more time to build a narrated PowerPoint example!

We regularly feature top PowerPoint templates on Envato Tuts+. Check out more of the top templates below. They work perfectly with our steps to narrate PowerPoint slides, too!

Download Our New eBook on Making Great Presentations (Free PDF)

We have the perfect complement to this tutorial, which will walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully. 

Download our new eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It's available for FREE with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter. 

You Just Learned How to Record a Voiceover on PowerPoint

I love voiceovers as a way to share your commentary with viewers, even when you aren't in the same room. Add your audio to create professional, spoken versions of your presentation.

Now, it's your turn to practice how to add narration to PowerPoint. Re-open a slide deck you've built in the past, and narrate PowerPoint slides. Then, send your narrated PowerPoint example. I'll bet they understand the content better than ever!

Editorial Note: This post has been updated and a new video added with help from Andrew Childress . Andrew is a freelance instructor for Envato Tuts+.

How-To Geek

How to record voiceover narration in powerpoint.

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6 Steps to Ensure You Never Lose a Microsoft Office File Again

Microsoft office vs. google docs, sheets, slides: which is best, sticking to one android home screen for 12 years taught me a lot about phone organization, quick links, preparation, record a voiceover for your presentation.

If you’re sending out your presentation instead of giving it in front of an audience, but you feel adding a vocal explanation would better help to deliver the message, record a voiceover narration. Here’s how to do it.

Before you begin your PowerPoint narration, you’ll need to make sure you’ve made the proper preparations.

Set Up Your Mic

First, you’ll need a microphone. Most modern computers have a built-in microphone that gets the job done, but investing in a USB microphone will increase the audio quality of the narration by quite a bit.

The built-in microphone will be set as your input device by default, so if you plan on using it for the PowerPoint narration, you don’t need to take any additional steps in setting it up. However, if you plan to use a USB microphone for the narration, be sure to set it as the input device.

To do this on Windows, right-click the volume icon found on the right of the taskbar. In the menu that appears, select “Open Sound Settings.”

The “Sound Settings” window will appear. Here, scroll down to the “Input” section and click the box under “Choose your input device.”

If you’re using a USB microphone, it will appear here. Select it to set it as the input device.

The steps for Mac users are extremely similar. The only difference is you should go to "System Settings" and select "Sound" instead of right-clicking the volume icon like on Windows. From there, the steps are the same.

Take Notes and Rehearse

With your mic set up, you’re ready to start recording, right? Well, not quite. While you may not be physically standing in front of the audience delivering this presentation, you still need to treat it as though you are. This means going through the basics---taking notes and rehearsing your delivery.

One thing you can do to help you record a successful narration is to write out a script. As with a live presentation, though, you don’t want to sound like you’re reading straight from your notecards. Practice reading through the script a few times so that it sounds natural and fluid.

Once you’re confident in your delivery, it’s time to start recording.

Open the PowerPoint presentation in which you would like to record a voiceover narration. Head over to the “Slide Show” tab and, in the “Set Up” group, select “Record Slide Show.” Once selected, a drop-down menu will appear. Here, you can choose to start the narration from the beginning or from the current slide. If you choose to start recording from the current slide, make sure that you’re on the slide you’d like to start recording from.

Related: How to Record Your Screen with Microsoft PowerPoint

In this example, we’ll choose “Record from Beginning.”

Now, you’ll be in full-screen mode. You’ll notice a few extra tools appear, including a record button at the top-left corner of the screen. When you’re ready to start recording, click this button.

When you select the record button, a countdown timer will appear, giving you a three-second delay between clicking the button and starting your recording.

You can now start recording your voiceover narration! Continue through the presentation by clicking the right arrow to go to the next slide.

You can pause the recording at any time by pressing the pause button in the top-left corner of the window. The recording will automatically end when you make it to the last slide. Alternatively, you can press the stop button, also located at the top-left corner of the screen.

If you want to play your narration back, you can select the replay button.

A speaker icon will appear at the bottom-right corner of each slide that has a recorded narration. You can also play your narration back on each slide by hovering over the icon and pressing the play button.

If you’re not satisfied with the narration, simply repeat these steps to re-record.

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• Microsoft PowerPoint
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Animoto Blog

• Video Marketing
• Video Ideas
• News & Features

How to Create Video Voice Over Presentations (With Templates!)

Mar 14, 2023

Presentation videos allow you to make your pitch to anyone, from anywhere. With the right combination of text, music, visuals, and voice over, you can engage and persuade any audience. With a voice over video, you can create a presentation that sparks emotions and helps you connect with everyone who watches.

In this blog, we’ll show you how to do a voiceover on a video and share tips to create impactful video voice over presentations.

The benefits of adding voice overs to presentation videos

Presentation videos can be leveraged throughout your entire organization. Any department, from sales to marketing, customer support, and HR can create a voice over video to share information in an engaging way.

Many of today’s top hybrid companies are already using videos in meetings to inform their teams, clients, and online audiences. Just last year, in fact, presentation videos were among the most commonly-made videos by businesses. Here are just a few reasons why they are becoming such a popular communication tool.

• Improves information retention: Video appeals to a wide variety of learning styles by using both audio and visual storytelling. When you share information in a way that resonates with your audience, their recall and retention rates will surely improve. Some studies have even shown that viewers retain 95% of a message after watching it in a video, compared to only 10% when reading it.
• Adds personalization: Voice over narration adds a unique element that only you have – your voice! These recordings add a personal touch to your videos that draws viewers in. A little personalization can go a long way for attracting and retaining attention!
• Complements your on-screen visuals: Voice overs actually complement and add value to your visuals. Rather than overloading your video with text, you can use voice over narration to go into more detail. Then, the text can be used to summarize main points and key takeaways.

How to make video voice over presentation with Animoto

Animoto makes it easy to create video voice over presentations! Just follow the steps below to record your custom voice over narration and create a polished presentation video that can engage any audience.

1. Choose a video template or start from scratch

First things first, choose a template! Use one of the free presentation templates below, or browse through our template library for a great starting point. You can also create your own voice over video from scratch for the perfect fit!

2. Customize your video with text, photos, and more

Now it’s time to make your video your own! Apply different themes to transform the design of your video with a single click. Or, make your video on-brand by adding your logo and brand colors. Then add supporting text, photos, video clips, and screen recordings to create a engaging and easy-to-follow business presentation .

You can even use music and voice overs together to craft a compelling story! Just remember to choose a neutral music track that won’t compete with your voice over tracks, and adjust the volume of your music to play quietly in the background.

3. Record or upload your voice over tracks

Next, create your voice over. You can either record a voice over track from scratch or upload existing voice overs right into Animoto. Just follow these simple instructions or dive into our [complete guide to voice over narration]( https://animoto.com/blog/video-marketing/voice over-animoto-guide) to learn how:

• Click on the “Audio” icon at the top of the page to open the audio menu.
• Click the microphone button below your video preview.
• Click “Upload voice over” and select your track or click on “Record voice over”
• Click the red button to record. You’ll see a three-second countdown, after which your recording will begin. Click the stop button to end your recording.

4. Trim or reposition your voice over tracks

Now it’s time to edit your voice overs. You can drag the buffers on either end of the recording to trim off any unwanted sound. Then, drag and drop the recording throughout your audio timeline to align with the visuals on screen.

5. Adjust the volume of your voice over tracks

Select on your voice over track and click the volume button. Then, increase or decrease the volume of your track to help it shine over any background music.

6. Download and present your voice over presentation

Finally, your presentation is ready to share! Download your presentation video to your device for easy sharing and storage. You can then add your presentation to a portable USB to present it in person. Alternatively, you can embed your presentation in an email or share it directly to social media to connect with your online audiences.

Tips for creating professional voice over presentation videos

If you don’t have much experience with voice over narration, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why we’ve put together some tips to help you record great voice overs in fewer tries!

Write a voice over script

Scripts can save you a lot of time! Instead of having to cut out pauses and “umms” from your voice overs, try writing a script so you can stay on track. This will boost your confidence, help you sync your voice over with your video, and ensure that you know exactly what to say and when.

Find a quiet place to record

Cut down on background noise to create more professional and crisp-sounding recordings. Small confined spaces like closets are great at filtering out background noises. Even recording in a room away from windows can eliminate unwanted outside noises and let your voice shine through.

Practice first before hitting record

Go through a practice run before the “real deal”. This will help you feel more comfortable and confident once you click the record button. Practice makes perfect, you know!

Don't record everything all at once

Recording a long voice over presentation can be quite the mouthful. Instead of worrying about saying everything all at once, record multiple voice over tracks and piece them together! Doing so makes it easier to trim bit by bit and drag your recordings throughout the video so they align perfectly with your visuals.

Use a good microphone

Last but not least, use a good microphone. Even using the microphone on your headphones will provide you with crisper audio than your computer’s mic. But if you’re creating a series of video voice over presentations, you may want to consider using a high-quality external microphone like the ones on this list .

Types of presentation videos you can make (plus templates)

Presentation videos can be made for virtually any topic! From recapping a meeting, to sharing quarterly results and making a sales pitch, you can personalize any presentation with voice over. Here are some video ideas and templates you can use for free to start off on the right foot.

Presentation

This template is a great place to start for your next presentation. Simply record your screen as you run through your presentation slides and speak through them as you go. You can create this video with voice over narration or turn on your webcam and speak directly to your audience!

Educational presentation

Present to your peers, board members, or classroom with a voice over video! This template brings topics to life with simple text boxes, animations, pictures, and video clips.

Team update

Keep the teams across your organization up-to-date and engaged with a voice over video! Use this presentation to share your progress, hurdles, and next steps with any audience. In addition to voice over, you can also include screen and webcam recordings to help tell your story!

Workplace explainer

Explain the importance of new workplace policies with a business presentation ! These are great assets for managers, HR professionals, and anyone who wants to educate their teams.

Meeting recap

Recap the best parts of your latest in-person and online meetings in an engaging way. With meeting recap videos, you can make sure your key takeaways are front and center. It’s also an impressive delivery method for sharing findings and results with clients!

Customer onboarding

Make sure new customers hit the ground running by creating an engaging onboarding video! This can be used to get new clients setup with a new product or make sure that they know where to go for help. It’s a great touchpoint to include right at the start of your relationship.

Training videos can also come to life with a lively voice over track! Check out this Manager Training video that outlines an upcoming training course. Just add the details of your own training program, including due dates, add your branding, and make it your own with voice over narration.

Make a personal connection through video voice over presentations

Whether you want to make personal connections online or build excitement for your next presentation, you can do so with voice over! And with professional templates at your fingertips, you can create a voice over video in less time with double the impact. All you need is an idea and your voice!

Voice over video presentation video FAQ

How long should a video presentation be.

Video presentations should be around thirty to sixty seconds for maximum engagement. These presentations engage your audience through visuals and audio to engage viewers with multiple learning styles.

What tools do I need to record a voice over?

All you need is a [voice over recorder]( https://animoto.com/features/voice over-video) and a microphone to record voice overs! As a bonus, you can use an integrated recorder and video-maker to turn your recordings into engaging presentation videos.

Are USB microphones good for voice overs?

External USB microphones can make your voice overs sound more crisp and professional. Oftentimes, even using the mic on your headphones provides better quality than computer microphones.

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Record a presentation

Record narration and timings for your presentation to give it a professional and polished feel.

Record narration and timings

Open the slide you want to start recording from.

Near the upper right corner of the PowerPoint window, select  Record .

Choose from two options

When you're ready, select the round, red  Record button, wait for the countdown, then start speaking. To record from a specific slide, go to it, and then select Record .

Note:  Narration isn't recorded while the transition between slides happens, so pause during a transition, then resume speaking.

Manage narration and timings

There are different ways to manage recordings in your presentation:

Pause - to pause a recording

Stop - to end a recording

Replay - to replay a recording

Pen , Highlighter , or Eraser - use the pen, highlighter, or eraser tools to mark up your recording

Remove narration or timings

An audio icon appears on a slide when narration is available.

You can also remove narration or timings from your slide.

If you're in record mode, select  Clear .

Choose from two options:

Clear Recording on Current Slide - to delete narration and timings on the current slide

Clear Recording on All Slides - to delete narration and timings from all slides at once

Save a recording

When you're done recording, save and share your presentation as a PowerPoint file or video.

Select File .

Choose an option like Save or Export .  Your recording will automatically play when someone opens the presentation.

Record a slide show with narration and slide timings

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Step-by-Step Instructions on Narrating PowerPoint Presentations

Let’s say you want to share a tutorial with new hires or some learning material with your colleagues. Do you think they will be able to grasp it completely from a static combination of texts and images? 

Adding audio or video narration to your slides might be what you need to make your slides self-explanatory. PowerPoint lets you record your voice in an audio or video format to add more content and appeal to your slides. 

This article is a step-by-step guide toward everything related to narration in PowerPoint. But before starting, let’s read about what narration is and its importance in a PowerPoint presentation.

What is a Narration in PowerPoint?

Narration in PowerPoint presentations means that you record your presentation. So, when someone is going through your slides, they can quickly understand the content better. It makes the presentation easily shareable and relatable for other people who are not a part of it.

 Some examples where you can use narration –

• Sharing presentation slides with team members. 
• Creating training materials for new joiners.
• Faculty members share slides ahead of a lecture.
• Building a library of best practices for the business.

How Will Narration Help Your PowerPoint Presentations?

Good narration will help you solidify the content of your slides . It will help you provide context to your content, explore deeper into the concepts, and enrich the material on your slides. Also, it enables you to share the material with whomever you want without having to lead through the presentation.

Note – Ensure that you are not reiterating the content of your slides in your narration.  

Things to Keep in Mind When Recording Your Presentation

Before moving further on how to narrate your PowerPoint slides, let’s read about a few things you should consider before proceeding to record. 

a). Record in a Quiet Spot

You might remember to tell people around to keep quiet while recording. But there are a lot of other noises you might forget to consider, such as loud ACs, refrigerators, phone buzzing, traffic noise in the background, etc. So, it’s better to find the quietest corner possible, or record at a time when you have the minimum disturbance possible.

b). You are Good Without Fancy Recording Equipment as Well

You don’t need fancy recording equipment or professional recording studios to add narration to your presentation. In most cases, the built-in microphone in your system is enough for recording. In cases where you wish to deliver a presentation on something important, you can go for USB microphones. The microphones are equipped to remove background noises making them a good choice for you.

Note – Check your microphones before starting. Make sure they are properly plugged in, and remember to test and troubleshoot. Your audio bar will fill up with color as you continue recording, so be mindful of that.

Now, let’s move forward to one of the most important parts of the guide, i.e., the type of PowerPoint narration tools. There are two narration tools you can use to record your presentation.

1. Record Audio

Record Audio is available in the older version of PowerPoint. The tool is faster to use and open and lets you record voice notes on a slide quickly and smoothly. You can use the tool for only voice narration, and it adds audio to one slide at a time.

Even if you don’t want to record the presentation using this tool, it is extremely useful when creating quick voice notes for the slides. You can add your thoughts or important messages without having to be bogged down with the editing details.

 How to use the tool for narration?

a). Access the Record Sound Dialogue Box

To do that, click on the insert tab, open the audio drop-down, and click on record audio.

b). Record the Audio

You will now have access to the Record Sound Dialogue Box; type the name for your clip and click on the record button (to begin narrating). The stop button lets you pause, and the play button lets you listen to the presentation. Click ‘OK’ to save your narration.

c). Play the Narration

You can resize and move around the audio file and view it in the normal and slide show view of the presentation. The default setting (in click sequence) lets your audio file play when you move on to the next slide. You can also change the setting of when your file plays by selecting the file, clicking on the playback tab and then the start drop-down, and choosing the right option (In Click Sequence, Automatically, Then Click On). Let’s learn about these options-

(i). In Click Sequence

It means that your audio will play as part of the sequence of the actions that you have set for the slide, like any animation sequence, video, trigger actions, etc. If you don’t have anything in place, the audio will play before you move to the next slide.

(ii). Automatically

The audio file begins playing as soon as you get to the slide and not when you are about to move on to the next slide.

(iii). When Clicked On

The feature enables you to play the audio when you click on it. It lets you decide at the moment whether to play certain audio or not (keeping in mind time or other constraints).

d). Delete/Overwrite a Narrated File

If you want to delete an audio file, click on the object and select the delete tab. In case of overwriting/changing any existing narrated file, go to the Record Audio Dialogue Box again, as shown above, and you will be able to overwrite the existing file on the slide.

Note – You can’t have two narrated audio files on a single slide. If you decide to narrate again, the first file will get overwritten, meaning you have to start from scratch to change the narration on that particular slide. PowerPoint lets you trim an audio file but not split/merge, so in that case, you would need to use audio editing software.

2. Record Slide Show

PowerPoint incorporated this tool in a later stage with a lot of features and options. The tool offers features like voice narration, video narration (people get to see your face), narrating the entire presentation in one sitting, and setting slide timings to help convert the presentation into a video. The feature lets you use a laser pointer, pen, highlighter, etc., to give a command and capture it in the narration as well and lets you pause and restart the recording.

a). Access the Record Slide Show Dialogue Box

Click on the slide show tab and then the Record Slide Show button. You see two options when you click on the command; select the record from the beginning.

Note – If you click on the record slide show and not on the drop-down, it will start recording from the current slide. 

b). Record the Narration

Choose the camera/microphone and remember to turn it on. Use the commands (record, stop, replay, arrow) to start, stop, and move to the next slides. You can also pause the recording to restart it whenever you are comfortable. You can find your individual narration file in the lower right-hand corner of each slide when you are done. That means you can review or record narrations on whichever slide you choose from your presentation.

Note – You get to have a single narration file per slide. If you choose to re-record your narration, the previous file gets overwritten automatically. However, you can have two different files on the same slide by recording one with record audio and another with the record slide show command.

Your audio/video narration automatically plays when you run your presentation (current slide or from the start). If you wish to change the feature, you can select the file, click on playback, then start the drop-down and select the option (In Click Sequence, Automatically, When Clicked On). The features are explained above in the Record Audio section.

d). Record Slide Show Tools and Options

Here is a list of all the tools and options that you have in the Record Slide Show.

(i). Recording

Record lets you start recording the narration. Pause and stop buttons help halt and end the narration. The replay button helps play the slide again after you are done recording the slide. If you click on record again (after clicking on stop), you will start recording again, rewriting the previous recording.

Note – Don’t click on stop when you want to stop recording on your current slide. Navigate to the next slide using the forward arrow/arrow keys. 

(ii). Speaker Notes

Click on notes to open and close the speaker notes. Also, the action (open and close) will not show in your narration recording. Font size lets you change the font of your notes. However, the speaker notes panel is too small/inflexible to review speaker notes, so you can go for other options as well. 

(iii). Clear Recordings

The features let you clear previous recordings on current or all slides as chosen. You can overwrite the recordings and slide timings by recording over the narrations.

Note – This feature clears both slide timings and narrations. If you want to, let’s say, keep the slide timings and remove the narrations, you can do so by clearing recordings outside the Record Slide Show.

(iv). Camera, Microphone, and Camera Preview

This feature will help you choose a microphone and camera for your slides. If you are choosing other than the computer’s built-in camera and microphone, this is where you get to select the option.

Camera preview lets you see what your camera is recording when you are in the process.

Note – The on/off feature lets you turn them on or off. You can add/remove video recording or mute it when needed.

(v). Advance Slide

The next slide lets you move forward in your presentation. If you have an animation sequence, music, etc., to be played, clicking on this will play those sequences and take you to the next slide later. Previous slides help you move back in the slides. However, you can only do that when you are not recording, as you can only move forward in that case. 

(vi). Eraser, Highlighter, and Pen

You can draw, erase, and highlight things using this feature. You can change the color of your ink by selecting the colors. Also, your drawings get recorded, and anyone who sees the recording later will get to see the drawings. 

(vii). Slide Timings

The feature lets you see how much time you have spent on each slide in your presentation and on which slide you are currently.

Note – If you convert your slides into video, slide timings will help you see the time that you spend on each slide. 

(viii). Close and Minimize

It will help you minimize or exit out of (close) the record slide show box and go back to the normal view of your presentation.

Steps to Clear the Timings and Narrations

• Click on the slide show.
• Click on the record slide show dropdown.
• Click on clear.
• Choose the timings and narrations.

You can clear the timings and narrations on the current or all slides, depending on the option you choose. 

Note – You can clear both things from inside the Record Slide Show box. Click on the X tab to clear recordings (current or all). It will remove both options (timings and narrations) from the slides. 

Steps to Compress the PowerPoint Narrations

• Click on the file tab.
• Click on info.
• Click on the compress media dropdown.
• Click on the compression quality you wish to choose

 The feature will let you compress your presentation, as adding audio/video narrations will increase the size of your slides.

PowerPoint uses 1080p (Full HD) in a recording. You can select other options according to the size and space options.  

In a Nutshell

You can add a lot of versatility and content to your PowerPoint slides by going for audio and video narration. If you have the latest version of PowerPoint, Record Slide Show is a good option as it offers multiple features. Remember to compress your presentation as your file size greatly increases after narration.

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How to Narrate a PowerPoint Presentation: A Complete Guide

Learn to narrate PowerPoint presentations effectively with scripting, technical setup, and delivery tips for engaging your audience.

Understanding the Basics of PowerPoint Narration

What is powerpoint narration, benefits of narration.

• Enhances Understanding : Audio cues complement visual information, enhancing the audience's ability to understand and retain information.
• Engages the Audience : A well-narrated story can keep the audience interested and engaged throughout the presentation.
• Improves Accessibility : For visual-impaired audience members, narration provides an additional method of receiving information.

Preparing to Narrate Your PowerPoint

1. craft a compelling script.

• An introduction that sets the stage for the audience.
• A body that logically explains your slides.
• A conclusion that summarizes the presentation and suggests next steps or calls to action.

2. Practice Your Delivery

3. prepare your slides for narration, technical setup for narrating powerpoint, 1. equipment needed, 2. recording your narration.

• Go to the “Slide Show” tab.
• Click on “Record Slide Show.”
• Choose “Record from Current Slide” or “Record from Beginning” depending on your needs.
• As you record, speak clearly and pace your delivery to match the content on the slides.

3. Editing Your Narration

Tips for effective powerpoint narration, 1. keep it concise, 2. use emphasis wisely, 3. pause effectively, 4. engage with your slides, create ppt using ai.

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Create Videos Using Google Slides

Turn your Google Slides or PowerPoint decks into narrated video. Add interest by using one of many animated characters!

Make A Video With TalkingDeck Using:

Narration In 20+ Languages

One Of 12 Animated Characters

Subtitles - Burned Or Embedded

Turn Your Google Slides Into An Engaging Video

• Research has shown that short videos capture more attention and as a result induce more information retention than written materials.

• Video lectures, especially the slightly humorous ones are those that have a better recall later in time and should be considered as a valuable teaching medium.

Record lecture with Google Slides. Add narration (voice over) in 20+ languages and add an animated character of your choice. Your students will love to watch them!

Make an effective and persuasive video using Google Slides, add narration and an animated character to give face and voice to your cause.

Turn your Google Slides presentation into a video with voice over (narration) and add a charming character to add interest to your tutorial or explainer video.

Make An Attractive Video With TalkingDeck!

Draw more Views, Likes and Shares by creating a video everyone is going to watch. The easiest way to create a video clip is to turn your Google Slides presentation into a video with the help of TalkingDeck. The text from the speaker notes will be transformed into a voice over in any of 20+ languages you choose. Add a charming animated character whose lips will sync with voice over.

Want Your Audience To Stick Till The End?

Make a fun video using Google Slides. Record a video from your presentation with voice over and add an animated character to create an attention grabbing video. Add interest to your Google Slides presentation with audio narration and animated characters. Create interesting videos and make your audience stick till the end.

How It Works?

Make your Google slide presentation

Add narration script to speaker notes

Choose narration voice & animated character

Export your video

Make Video Lectures, It's Easy With TalkingDeck!

If you feel hesitant to record a video of yourself, try TalkingDeck! Our animated characters will say the words and present your content instead of you. Turn your Google Slides presentation into an interesting video, it’s super easy to use!

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02 12 animated narrators whose lips sync with narration, 03 subtitles to follow voice over, burned or embedded.

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How to Record a slide show with narration and slide timings

Looking for our  Text to Speech Reader ?

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Table of contents, recording with narration and slide timings, use speechify to help record audio.

To enhance your PowerPoint presentation, you can record a narrated slide show with timings. Microsoft PowerPoint provides an easy and effective method for recording narration and slide timings. In this guide, we'll show you how to record a slide show using PowerPoint's built-in features.

Recording a slide show with narration and slide timings can greatly enhance your PowerPoint presentation. Whether you want to provide audio explanations or guide your audience through the slides, Microsoft PowerPoint offers a simple and effective way to record your narration along with slide timings. In this article, we will guide you through the process of recording a slide show using PowerPoint's built-in features. Microsoft PowerPoint provides a powerful and user-friendly platform for recording slide shows with narration. Using the "Record Slide Show" feature in the Slide Show tab, you can start recording your audio narration from the current slide or beginning. PowerPoint records your narration and slide timings as you navigate through the presentation. You can even utilize annotation tools like the laser pointer, eraser, and highlighter for added visual emphasis. If you want to include video files, simply insert them into the slides. The recording window allows you to choose a webcam for additional visual elements. Once you're done, click on the "End Show" button to finish the recording. PowerPoint records your audio narration and slide timings, ensuring a seamless playback. With features like the countdown, ink gestures, and customizable transitions, PowerPoint empowers you to create engaging slide shows with professional-quality audio narration.

Step 1 : Open PowerPoint and access the Slide Show tab: Launch Microsoft PowerPoint and open the presentation you want to record. Once the presentation is open, click on the "Slide Show" tab located in the toolbar. Step 2 : Start Recording: In the Slide Show tab, locate the "Record Slide Show" button. Click on the down arrow next to it, and a drop-down menu will appear. From the drop-down menu, select "Start Recording from Current Slide" if you want to start recording from the selected slide or choose "Start Recording from Beginning" if you want to record from the first slide. Step 3 : Configure Recording Options: After clicking on "Start Recording," a recording window will appear. Here, you have several options to customize your recording:

• Select Record Narrations: If you want to add audio narration to your slides, check the "Record Narrations" box.
• Use Timings: Check the "Use Timings" box if you want to record slide timings as well. This will synchronize the slide transitions with your audio.
• Play Narrations: Check the "Play Narrations" box if you want the narrations to play during the slide show.

Step 4 : Record the Slide Show: To start recording, click Start Recording. PowerPoint will start recording your narration and slide timings from the selected slide or the first slide after you press the record button. Step 5 : Navigate through the Slide Show: As you progress through the slides, PowerPoint will automatically advance to the next slide. You can manually advance to the next slide by clicking on the slide or using the arrow keys when in normal view. Step 6 : Use Annotation Tools (Optional): During the recording, you can use annotation tools like the laser pointer, eraser, ink gestures, highlighter, and more. These tools are available in the toolbar for easy access. Step 7 : End the Recording: To end the recording, click on the "End Show" button located in the recording dialog box or press the Esc key on your keyboard. Step 8 : Save and Playback: After ending the recording, PowerPoint will prompt you to save the recorded slide timings and narrations of all slides. Choose the desired options on the slide show and save the presentation. To play back the recorded slide show, go to the "Slide Show" tab and click on the "From Beginning" or "From Current Slide" button. PowerPoint's recording feature is a valuable tool for creating interactive and engaging presentations. Whether you're using a Mac or Windows version of PowerPoint, the process remains the same. By recording a slide show with narration and slide timings, you can deliver a seamless and professional presentation that captivates your audience. Experiment with transitions, audio narration, and video files to create a dynamic and impactful PowerPoint presentation that effectively conveys your message.

Speechify is an excellent tool for creating narration for slide shows, especially when using Microsoft PowerPoint. With Speechify, you can easily record and generate audio narrations that synchronize seamlessly with your PowerPoint presentation. To begin, open PowerPoint and access the Slide Show tab. Click on the "Record Slide Show" button in the toolbar, then select "Start Recording from Current Slide" or "Start Recording from Beginning." This opens the recording window, where you can choose to record your narration and slide timings. You can even use annotation tools like the laser pointer, eraser, highlighter, and ink gestures to enhance your narration. Speechify also supports the insertion of video files and allows you to utilize a webcam for additional visual elements. Once you're ready, click on the "Start Recording" button to initiate the audio recording. PowerPoint records your narration and slide timings as you navigate through the slides. To end the recording, simply click on the "End Show" button or press the Esc key. With Speechify, you can create dynamic audio narrations for your PowerPoint slides, enhancing the overall presentation and engaging your audience effectively.

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How to Create a Narrated Presentation With Voice Over Using Visme

Written by: Nayomi Chibana

If you've ever taken weeks, even months, to painstakingly prepare for an important presentation, you know how useful it is to have a recording of your memorable delivery to share with others.

Here at Visme , we're excited to tell you that you can easily record your own voice over right within this online presentation design tool .

This allows you not only to create self-running presentations or stand-alone slide decks but also narrated software tutorials, audio presentations and visual stories with narration.

All of these can be easily shared across all social media platforms with just the click of a button or embedded into your own website or blog.

You can also repurpose written content into a narrated presentation, which is one of the best ways to make the most of every marketing dollar you spend. To learn more about repurposing, you can read our post on 11 smart ways to repurpose your content.

To get started, follow this simple step-by-step tutorial on how to create a narrated presentation in Visme by adding a voice over. We'll also help you learn how to add background music to your presentation to make it more dynamic and engaging.

Video: How to Make a Presentation in Visme

The video tutorial below will walk you through the process of creating a presentation in Visme. Keep scrolling for a detailed, step-by-step guide on how to create a narrated presentation.

1 Create a Visme Project

To create a slideshow with voiceover, you'll need to log in to your Visme account and create a new project. If you don't already have an account, you can easily create one here for free.

Enter your name, email and password to register. Once you're inside the dashboard, click on the "+ Create" button on the left-hand side of your screen.

Create a stunning presentation in less time

• Hundreds of premade slides available
• Add animation and interactivity to your slides
• Choose from various presentation options

Sign up. It’s free.

2 Choose a Presentation Template

Find the perfect template for your next presentation! Browse Now

Click on the "Presentations" tab to view all the customizable templates inside Visme. Pick a presentation template that best fits your content and industry, and click on "Edit."

You can also choose to start with one of our presentation themes. Each theme is packed with hundreds of fully designed slides that you can mix-and-match for your own use.

3 Customize Your Slides

Customize this presentation theme now! Edit and Download

Next, edit and design your presentation using all the graphic assets Visme has to offer, including icons, images, text and interactive elements such as video and maps.

Add charts, maps and data widgets to visualize boring numbers. You can also upload your own images and fonts or embed third-party content, such as surveys, quizzes and polls.

4 Click on Add Audio

Now, open the Media tab in the left-hand panel, and click on "Add Audio".

Visme offers dozens of free audio clips you can attach either to individual slides or set as background music for your entire presentation. If you've subscribed to a paid Visme Plan, you'll have access to all of the free audio files in the library.

To create your voice over slides, you can also upload your own audio file from a voice actor or record your voice over directly in Visme.

5 Attach an Audio File

To attach an audio file to the current slide, click on the gear icon next to it and select "Attach to Current Slide". You can preview each clip by clicking on the Play button next to it.

If you decide to choose another file or want to remove an audio clip from a slide, you can detach it by clicking on the gear again and selecting "Detach."

6 Record Your Voice Over

Here’s how to do a presentation with voice over using Visme.

Record your own audio by clicking on the "Record" option to the top right of the "Add Audio" tab. Once chosen, you will see a red record button appear below your slide.

To start recording your own narration within Visme, simply click on the red button and speak into your microphone. Make sure your microphone is working properly before recording.

You can preview your recording before saving it to the library by clicking on the Play button. Once you're satisfied with your recording, click on "Save to Library."

Your audio will automatically be converted to MP3 format, added to your Audio Library and attached to your current slide. You can then rename it by double clicking on the file name or detach it from the slide by clicking on the gear and selecting "Detach."

7 Customize Audio Settings

If you’re looking to make an audio presentation, the process is super easy. After adding your video to the library, you can customize how it is played.

To customize the way your audio presentation is played, simply click on "Audio Settings" at the top. You'll see options at the bottom to trim your clip or adjust more settings by clicking on the gear icon.

In Visme, you can also customize the time your audio takes to fade in and out. For example, if you want your audio to quickly fade in at the beginning, you can set it for 1 second. Or, if you want your audio to slowly fade out, you can set it for 3 or 4 seconds.

Also, you can set the time at which your audio will begin. If you want your narration to start 5 seconds into your presentation, you type in a value of 5 in the "Start Playing After" setting.

You can also reduce or increase the volume of your audio by inputting any value up to 100%. Finally, you can have the audio loop automatically by enabling the "Loop Audio" setting.

The advantage of having the option to tweak the settings for each individual audio track is that it allows you to customize it according to the content presented on each slide. For example, for slides with long animations, you might want to enable the "Loop Audio" setting.

8 Preview Your Audio

To see if your audio narration or voice over is effectively complementing your visuals, select the "Present" option at the top-right corner of the screen to preview your slides.

9 Add Background Music

Along with your audio narration, you can add background music to your presentation.

Click on "Share" at the top of your screen and select "Advanced Settings" at the bottom-right of the window. Click on the "Sound" tab and then enable the "Background Music" setting.

Here, you'll be able to select your uploaded or recorded audio file from the drop-down menu or choose one of the free audio clips from the library.

10 Publish Your Project

Once you're satisfied with your voice over, you can share your presentation with the world by clicking on the "Share" button at the top and then choosing one of the three options below:

• Publish for Web:  This will publish your Visme project on the web and generate a shareable link, which will enable anyone on the internet to find and access your presentation.
• Share Privately:  This will generate a private link to your Visme project that you can share with specific people.
• Embed:  This will generate an embed code for your presentation that you can add to your web pages or email.

You can also choose to download your narrated presentation as an HTML5  or editable PowerPoint file to present offline or share with a pre-recorded voice over.

Five Tips for Adding a Good Presentation Voice Over

Ready to nail your audio presentation? Here are five useful tips for adding a voice over to your presentation.

Practice Before Recording

This is a critical step when prepping for your presentation voice over. Start with vocal warm and breathing exercises. Then do the initial takes and record them to identify and fix any issues that could hamper your delivery. These activities help warm your vocal cords, ease you into the right voice and ensure excellent delivery.

Use a Good Microphone

When recording your audio, you want to avoid poor production quality. Otherwise, you risk losing your audience's attention. According to Statista , 33% of people said they’ll abandon a video if it had poor audio quality.

Invest in high-quality microphones that produce balanced audio and clear dialog and eliminate background noise. The good news is that you don’t have to blow your budget on a full studio setup with expensive mics. You can find budget-friendly microphones to help provide professional-grade audio quality.

The best part? With a PowerPoint voice over software like Visme, you’re sure to have top-notch audio quality. The software comes with features that take your audio and voiceover recording to a whole new level.

Find a Good Place to Record

Where you record your presentation voice over can make a big difference in your audio output.

Microphones tend to pick up lots of background noises. So even if you don’t have access to a professional studio, find quiet and ambient environments. Also, opt for spaces with less reverberation and echo.

We get it. No place can be entirely silent, but you’ve got to be ingenious. For example, if you’re at home, you can stay away from the windows. You could even drive to a remote location and record in your car. It’s all about thinking outside of the box.

Sound Confident & Relaxed

Speaking with confidence can be a game-changer when it comes to presentations. It creates a great first vocal impression and ensures your audience pays attention to you.

One way to sound confident is to speak in a relaxed voice and moderate pace. Get rid of the tension by engaging in exercises that relieve stress. Then practice repeatedly to get familiar with your content, transitions and visual aids. Where necessary, infuse a bit of humor to lighten the mood and get you more comfortable.

Take Vocal Breaks In Between Slides

During the presentation with voiceover, you need to pause between slides.

This won't appear odd. Rather these pauses will give you a chance to catch your breath, calm down and organize your thoughts. Pausing also helps speakers avoid filler word like um, uh, er, which can make them sound uncertain.

Another upside of pausing is that it allows the audience to think, reflect and take in everything you’ve said.

Create Your Own Narrated Presentation With Visme

Creating a narrated presentation with your own voice over in Visme is super easy. All it takes is a few clicks and your presentation is ready to be shared with the world.

Sign up for a free account today and take it for a test drive.

Have you created an interactive presentation in Visme yet? Don't hesitate to share your best projects with us or tell us about your experience using the Audio Library and Record features.

Just drop us a comment below, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

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About the Author

Nayomi Chibana is a journalist and writer for Visme’s Visual Learning Center. Besides researching trends in visual communication and next-generation storytelling, she’s passionate about data-driven content.

Audio/Video Presentation Support: Creating a Narrated Slideshow (PowerPoint & Keynote)

• Submit Audio and Video to Brightspace
• Uploading Files to Third Party Storage
• Creating a Narrated Slideshow (PowerPoint & Keynote)
• Creating a Narrated Slideshow with VoiceThread
• Recording your Screen
• Recording with your Webcam
• Recording Audio Files
• Creating a Video with Pre-Recorded Files
• Graphic Design Tools

What Projects Would You Use This For?

Narrating a slide show is easy with online tools. This can be accomplished one of two ways: If you have a copy of Microsoft PowerPoint or Keynote for Mac, you can use the built-in narration function to create a simple slideshow with voice over. If you cannot use PowerPoint or Keynote, check out our guide on using VoiceThread to create a narrated slideshow here .

Suggested projects:

- Any presentation you would give in front of your class.

Creating a Powerpoint Slide Show with Narration

Creating a PowerPoint slideshow is easy and allows you to save your narration in a .mp4 format if you need to edit it or to insert the file into a larger video project. 

Microsoft offers many tutorials depending on the version of PowerPoint you are using:

- Microsoft Office 365

- Older Versions of Powerpoint for Windows

- PowerPoint for MacOS

Note that PowerPoint for the web does not support slide show recording and voiceover.

Creating a Keynote Slide Show with Narration

Creating a Keynote slideshow is easy and allows you to save your narration in a .mp4 format if you need to edit it or to insert the file into a larger video project. 

Click here to view a tutorial for creating a self-playing narration, or recording audio for use in a Keynote slideshow.

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• Last Updated: Aug 4, 2023 3:35 PM
• URL: https://sjcme.libguides.com/AVSupport