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Using the PowerPoint add-ins

Amanda James
Using the PowerPoint add-ins

Powtoon offers two add-ins for PowerPoint (Microsoft's presentation software). This article covers both add-ins and walks through each task available in the conversion add-in.

  • Powtoon | Convert Presentations to Video — exports your PowerPoint slides to Powtoon, where they become a Powtoon you can edit and awesomize in Powtoon Studio.
  • Powtoon Embed — embeds an existing Powtoon into a PowerPoint presentation.

In this article:

Installing the conversion add-in

You need to install the Powtoon | Convert Presentations to Video add-in before you can use any of the export features below.

Office 365 users

Visit the Powtoon add-in page on Microsoft AppSource to get and install the add-in.

Desktop users

  1. Open PowerPoint and select the Insert menu.
  2. Click Get Add-ins.
  3. Search for Powtoon in the Office Add-ins store.
  4. Click Add to install the add-in.

Export all slides to Powtoon

Use this option to convert every slide in your PowerPoint file into a single Powtoon.

  1. Open the PowerPoint file.
  2. Select the Insert menu, then click Powtoon Export.
  3. If you have not yet done so, log in to your Powtoon account.
  4. In the Powtoon panel, click Export all slides to Powtoon. The export process will begin.
  5. After the export finishes, click Open Powtoon to go to your My Powtoons page.
    ► If you prefer to continue working in PowerPoint, click Close instead.
  6. On the My Powtoons page, the converted Powtoon is labelled PPTX converted above its name. Click Edit to open it in Powtoon Studio.
  7. Edit and awesomize your Powtoon using all the content available in Powtoon Studio. The converted Powtoon will contain the same number of slides as your original PowerPoint file.

Notes:

  1. By default, a soundtrack is added to the converted Powtoon. You can swap it for any other ready-made soundtrack. See Swapping music for more information.
  2. If the background in your PowerPoint was applied using the slide master, it will not be converted. You will need to apply a new background manually. See Adding a background for more information.

Export selected slides to Powtoon

Use this option to convert only specific slides from your PowerPoint file into a Powtoon.

  1. Open the PowerPoint file.
  2. Select the Insert menu, then click Powtoon Export.
  3. If you have not yet done so, log in to your Powtoon account.
  4. Select the slides you want to export. For example, you might select slides 1, 4, and 5.
  5. In the Powtoon panel, click Export selected slides to Powtoon. The export process will begin.
  6. After the export finishes, click View in Powtoon to go to your My Powtoons page.
    ► If you prefer to continue working in PowerPoint, click Close instead.
  7. On the My Powtoons page, the converted Powtoon is labelled PPTX converted above its name. Click Edit to open it in Powtoon Studio.
  8. Edit and awesomize your Powtoon using all the content available in Powtoon Studio. The converted Powtoon will contain only the slides you selected for export.

Notes:

  1. By default, a soundtrack is added to the converted Powtoon. You can swap it for any other ready-made soundtrack. See Swapping music for more information.
  2. If the background in your PowerPoint was applied using the slide master, it will not be converted. You will need to apply a new background manually. See Adding a background for more information.

Save selected slides to My Scenes

Use this option to save specific PowerPoint slides as individual scenes in your personal My Scenes library, ready to use in any Powtoon you create.

  1. Open the PowerPoint file.
  2. Select the Insert menu, then click Powtoon Export.
  3. If you have not yet done so, log in to your Powtoon account.
  4. Select the slides you want to save as scenes. For example, you might select slides 1, 4, and 5.
  5. In the Powtoon panel, click Save selected slides in 'My Scenes' library. The export process will begin.
  6. After the export completes, a confirmation message confirms that the slides have been saved. Each slide is saved as an individual scene in your My Scenes library.

Supported and unsupported PowerPoint elements

The conversion feature is currently in beta. Some elements from your original PowerPoint file will not carry over to the converted Powtoon. You can add unsupported features manually using the content available in Powtoon Studio.

Supported elements — these convert successfully:

  • Text and bullet points
  • Backgrounds applied to individual slides (not via slide master)
  • Shapes and images
  • Line charts, bar charts, and pie charts
  • Slide transitions

Unsupported elements — these will not appear in the converted Powtoon:

  • Animation and entrance/exit effects
  • Sound effects
  • Tables
  • Hyperlinks
  • Notes and comments
  • Embedded objects
  • All chart types except line, bar, and pie
  • SmartArt
  • Backgrounds applied via the slide master

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