Problem
What is the best solution to record and edit a PowerPoint presentation that can be shared in YouTube?
Solution
When creating videos for YouTube, resolution and video dimensions are important in the overall quality and appearance of the video. YouTube uses a video player in the standard 16:9 format. In order for your video to be viewed with the best quality, the video must be in 16:9 format. A popular use of Camtasia Mac is recording PowerPoint presentations that are hosted on YouTube. By default, most PowerPoint presentations are displayed in the standard 4:3 format. When recording, there are black bars on the sides of the video as seen below:
We want to record, edit, and playback the PowerPoint presentation in 16:9 format which YouTube adjusts to high definition (720p or 1080p). These changes are first made in PowerPoint.
PowerPoint
To adjust the ratio for the presentation, select Design > Slide Size > Widescreen (16:9). When the slides are set to 16:9, see this article on how to record PowerPoint.
YouTube
When the video is uploaded to YouTube, the black bars are not visible on each side of the video and the quality is good. However, you expect it to be better. The cause is YouTube is playing back the video at lower quality, unfortunately we have no way of changing this setting. When the video is viewed on YouTube, click the gear icon in the transport bar and make sure 720p or 1080p is selected for playback. When this is selected, the recorded presentation plays back in HD quality.
