There are programmes specifically designed to convert your PowerPoint documents into Flash ‘movies’ and they include Power Point Flash, compatible with Window versions from 2002 to the latest 2010 as well as iSpring. Converting Microsoft PowerPoint into flash makes your presentation more accessible because it can then be opened in a web browser and help you deliver a better PowerPoint presentation to a wider audience.
iSpring is a free trial download and you can also check out Open Office.
Using software, all you will need to do is click a couple of buttons and the software does all the work for you. If you opt to manually convert your PowerPoint Presentation, you will need to know some code, which isn’t as scary as it sounds for non-techs because there are ample tutorials. And, of course, for techies it will be a breeze.
Below is a step by step guide on how to convert your PowerPoint File to Flash:
- The first thing you will want to do is safe the presentation as a Windows Metafile (.wmf). Simply go to File, then Save As and then select the Windows Metafile option. You will be asked if you want to save all the slides. Select Yes.
- Now you are going to have to create a new Flash Document. Resize the Stage to 720 x 540.
- Next you will have to change the background to black. Do not skip this step.
- Go to File at the top of the window and select Import. You will be given options where you will then select Import To Stage. Continue like this until all of your slides (in .wmf) format has been imported to the new document you are creating.
- If you deleted the background images you used in your PowerPoint presentation before converting the slides to .wmf, import those images now.
- Next, you will have to go through the slides and delete the solid background so that your chosen background image is visible. REMEMBER: Add a slide or a frame at the end that says that the presentation/movie is over and prompt the viewer to click so that he/she can exit the presentation/movie.
- Here is where it gets a little technical and you will need to add some ActionScript, which is code that tells the Flash movie you are creating how to act.
- If you want your movie to play on full screen mode, you will need to enter the following command which is known as the fscommand:
fscommand("fullscreen","true")-;
and then add
Now, you will have to add a click function. This will allow the viewer to create the pace of the presentation/ movie. By clicking, the next slide will then appear. This code is a little longer and should look like this:
stop();
and then
function gotoNextSlide():Void {
if (_currentframe < _totalframes) {
gotoAndStop(_currentframe + 1);
} else {
quit();
}
}
function gotoPreviousSlide():Void {
gotoAndStop(_currentframe - 1);
}
function gotoHome():Void {
gotoAndStop(1);
}
function gotoEnd():Void {
if (_currentframe < _totalframes) {
gotoAndStop(_totalframes - 1);
}
}
function quit():Void {
fscommand("quit");
}
The last and final step with code, you will have to create a New Listener Object. The code will look like this:
var myListener:Object = new Object();
and then
myListener.onKeyDown = myOnKeyDown;
myListener.onKeyUp = myOnKeyUp;
Key.addListener(myListener);
myListener.onMouseUp = myOnMouseUp;
Mouse.addListener(myListener);-Here are the listener functions.
function myOnKeyDown():Void {
if (Key.isDown(Key.DOWN) || Key.isDown(Key.PGDN)) {
gotoNextSlide();
} else if (Key.isDown(Key.UP) || Key.isDown(Key.PGUP)) {
gotoPreviousSlide();
} else if (Key.isDown(Key.END)) {
gotoEnd();
} else if (Key.isDown(Key.HOME)) {
gotoHome();
}
}
function myOnKeyUp():Void {
if (Key.getCode() == 27) {
quit();
}
}
function myOnMouseUp():Void {
gotoNextSlide();
}
