Syncing speaker video with PowerPoint

[Mark Suszko]

At first I thought you meant Microsoft Producer, which is free…

https://blogs.technet.com/b/quenguyen/archive/2008/10/16/creating-multimedia-web-trainings-by-microsoft-producer.aspx

https://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint-help/produce-computer-based-training-with-powerpoint-producer-HA001222910.aspx

Here’s a variant:

https://www.geekwire.com/2012/9slides-unveils-presentation-software-sync-slides-videos/

But I do dimly recall another such product, I think the name started with a “C”… I’ll think on it some more. Maybe it was this:

https://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/video/ps9339/ps6681/product_data_sheet0900aecd806ef7f8.html

[Michael Heckman]

Thanks… It’s definitely not MS producer or any free tool. It’s oriented specifically toward the needs of corporate video professionals. Any guidance would be appreciated.

[Mark Suszko]

I’ll try to remember it, but you know, it’s not as much about the specific tool, as the skill with which you USE it. The finest app in inexpert hands is not more useful than a freeware like powerpoinnt, in the hands of an expert presenter.

[Joe Knapp]

Articulate Presenter?
https://www.articulate.com/products/presenter.php

[Michael Heckman]

Much as I appreciate guessing, please only post if you actually know the product to which I’m referring. Articulate Presenter is not remotely close to a product that;

1. Requires you to use a second camera trained on the computer with the PPT deck.
2. Imports the deck into video editing software.
3. Outputs a synced presentation in a VIDEO format
4. Is oriented towards the needs of people who shoot with real video cameras and edit video

Presenter is an eLearning tool that:

1. Outputs Flash, not a video format
2. Operates as an extension within PowerPoint
3. Requires you to sync your video with PPT slides manually
4. Has the capability (and works best) when you shoot selfie video with your computer’s webcam

Apparently, few people have even heard of the product I’m trying to find. But if any of you have, I really really really would appreciate a post. To save some time and guessing, this product is NOT:

1. Adobe Captivate
2. Articulate Presenter or Storyline
3. Microsoft anything
4. TotallyHip.com
5. Apple Keynote
6. A substitute for skill
7. Prezzie

[Michael Heckman]

Finally found the product I was referring to: Presto from Red Giant.

[Mark Suszko]

Shooting the slides off a projector screen with a “low-quality, inexpensive” camera? Sounds barbaric. 🙂

I DO remember seeing this when it first came out, and dismissing it because it’s really nothing you can’t do in FCP and/or Motion yourself already, with perhaps more style. Where it helps most is a case where the cameraman was lazy or not even present for the shoot, and typically, someone like that wouldn’t be bringing two cameras anyway.

The recognition software does the face tracking so the speaker is always “pinned” to the pre-set composition, which is what the shooter should have been getting paid to do.

What I don’t get is who the target user is for this kind of thing, because it assumes you have mastery of an NLE platform of one type or another, but that in addition to knowing how to use an NLE, you (or your partner) are also a terrible/negligent camera operator. I’m not sure that Venn diagram connects with much overlap.

Red Giant makes some awesome products, but I have trouble seeing a value case for this one, personally. I wonder if it is a huge seller? And to whom, exactly?

[Michael Heckman]

“it’s really nothing you can’t do in FCP and/or Motion yourself already, with perhaps more style.”

Very true. The key feature I needed was the image recognition– so that the slide images could be synced with the speaker quickly, automatically, and cost effectively. We have a number of these presentations– for internal use only– where we need the speaker and the PPT on screen and in sync.

If we had more hours and resources, there would be dozens of ways to do this in Premiere, Motion, FCP, Adobe Presenter, Adobe Captivate, Articulate, and maybe a dozen other tools. But for this particular project, we needed something that a junior-level editor could do without investing a lot of time.

[Jim Brown]

The product you are asking about is Presto from RedGiant software. It used to carry another name which I cannot recall that I used in FCP6 days. Great product. Produces very nice results. Glad to see RedGiant is now offering a version for Premiere.

www. redgiant .com

Jim Brown
M & M ProductionsUSA