March 2016 - Page 2 of 2 - The PowerPoint Blog

Introduction to VideoBlocks

Presentations often feature videos. But where can designers get quality videos? VideoBlocks.com is a subscription-based site with unlimited downloads from a library of professional stock video footage. TLC Creative Services has used VideoBlocks for several years, going back to purchasing DVDs from their pre-online business.

VideoBlocks Photo 1

VideoBlocks has an in-depth library with over 115,000 studio-quality videos, motion backgrounds and after effects clips. Additional videos are added every month. VideoBlocks members have two download options – videos included in the subscription (great value) or videos from an a la carte Global Marketplace where professional videos are uploaded and sold individually (average $49 per video).

In addition to variety (more on that in a moment), quality and value, one thing that distinguishes VideoBlocks from their competitors is their royalty free permissions on all videos (at least those in the subscription library). Videos are pretty much permitted to be used for any project, with any level of distribution and they include global usage rights. Other VideoBlocks customers include big companies like ABC, MTV, and even National Geographic, so we are in good company!

For variety, my sample search for puppies gave me over 27K results! That broke down to 65 videos in the free Unlimited Library and 27,000 in the a la carte Marketplace. Sixty-five puppy videos is a good result AND I found the perfect one for my presentation.

VideoBlocks Photo 2

The search can be filtered only to show videos included in the subscription library or to include those available in the Global Marketplace. It can also be filtered by category or resolution (more on this in a moment). In addition, VideoBlocks has 15 preset categories that range from Business and Professions to Holidays and Celebrations. All in all, the TLC Creative Design Team has little trouble using the search options to find a video clip suitable for their presentations.

MP4 and MOV file formats are available for all video clips. Resolution sizes vary from SD 480p to full HD 1080p but almost all videos are 1080p. You can also look under the “Red Camera” category for a good selection of 4K resolution videos.

VideoBlocks Photo 3

After a quick search on the site, I found that a one-year subscription is currently $149. The subscription price is a huge value and something TLC Creative has renewed annually for several years so we always have a video resource for our projects. They also have specials a few times per year that drop the price to $99. And you will be locked in at that special rate for renewals. I asked and received a referral link that will get anyone a $50 discount. Click here to bring the current price down to $99 a year!

-Troy @ TLC

By TLC Creative Services, Inc.|2016-08-10T08:35:12-07:00March 7th, 2016|Resource/Misc|

Interlaced vs Progressive with Powerpoint

When it comes to exporting video in PowerPoint, or any other program, there are many factors that play a role in the final quality.

One of those factors is the concept of interlaced or progressive.

All PowerPoint videos export as progressive, but why?

In order to understand the answer, we first need to know what progressive vs. interlaced really means.

Here is the simple explanation:

Interlaced is sending half the picture in 1 frame and the other half in the next frame. When done fast enough, the human eye sees a full picture.
Progressive is sending the entire picture on every frame.

progressive and interlaced video example

Interlaced video was made popular with television and over the air TV transmission (in the dark ages, before Cable TV). Interlaced video sends half the data and bandwidth, so it made TV signal transmission easier. For video editors, it made digital editing and processing faster because you were working with half the amount of data.

With current technologies of HD and beyond, computer monitors, television monitors and projectors, the idea of interlaced (or 1/2 quality) video is virtually a thing of the past. So 720p and 1080p stand for “progress video” at that resolution. 720i & 1080i means the video is interlaced at that resolution. If there is not an “i” or “p” after the resolution it is assumed to be progressive “p.”

Because progressive video has more data than interlaced video (entire picture in each frame vs. half the picture in each frame), it appears sharper and richer in color.

Progressive

progresive video

This technique, however, is not ideal for broadcasting, due to the amount of data that needs to be transmitted. This brings us to Interlaced video. For the most part, interlaced video is used by TV broadcasters. It outputs from two adjacent frames one after the other, blending odd and even lines to form each image.

Interlaced

interlaced video

Quite a difference, right? To answer the original question “Is all PowerPoint video progressive?” – the answer is yes. PowerPoint’s video export only has profiles for progressive video, with 3 different resolution options. There is no practical need for interlaced video on any computer playback. If you are sourcing a video for a presentation and one of the options is progressive or interlaced, choose progressive.

-Troy @ TLC

By TLC Creative Services, Inc.|2016-08-10T08:35:32-07:00March 4th, 2016|PowerPoint, Resource/Misc|

Recolor Content with Powerpoint Tools

In PowerPoint, you can place content on top of a video background to create a dynamic and dimensional design.

Find a great example we created here:

[KGVID]https://thepowerpointblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/unnamed-file-7.mp4[/KGVID]

Here’s how to create a similar effect to your video

1

Insert (1) Video onto your Canvas , click (2) Video and select your Video.

2016-03-01_11-02-20

2

To recolor your video, click on (1) Format Tab, select (2) Color tool in the drop down, you get Recolor options.You can add custom colors by Selecting the (3) More Variations or using the (4) Eyedropper tool.

1_ Recolor Content Over Video

3

Once you are satisfied with the styling of the video, select your (1) video on the Canvas, select (2) Playback, set the video to (3) Start Automatically and Loop until Stopped.

2016-03-01_11-35-523

4

Next, add stylized text and graphics directly on top of the video and animate as desired. The end result is a slide with content that animates directly on top of the video background.

2016-03-01_11-54-45

-Michelle @ TLC

By TLC Creative Services, Inc.|2019-11-12T11:50:22-08:00March 2nd, 2016|PowerPoint, Tutorial|