The primary way to change the duration of a video embedded in your PowerPoint presentation is by trimming it. This allows you to cut off unwanted segments from the beginning or end of the video, effectively shortening its playback time.
Trimming Your Video Clip in PowerPoint
PowerPoint provides a built-in tool specifically for this purpose. You don't need external video editing software for simple trimming.
Here are the steps to trim a video within PowerPoint:
- Insert the Video: First, make sure your video is inserted into the desired slide. Go to the Insert tab, click on Video, and choose Video on My PC... or Online Video... and select your file or provide the link.
- Select the Video: Click on the video on your slide to select it. This will make the Video Tools tabs appear in the ribbon: Format and Playback.
- Access the Trim Feature: Go to the Playback tab. In the Editing group, click the Trim Video button.
- Use the Trim Video Dialog Box: A new dialog box will open, showing a preview of your video and a timeline with two markers:
- A green bar representing the start point.
- A red bar representing the end point.
- A blue playhead showing the current position.
- Set New Start and End Points:
- Drag the green (left) marker to the desired start time of the video.
- Drag the red (right) marker to the desired end time of the video.
- As you drag, the time displayed in the Start Time and End Time boxes above the timeline will update. You can also manually enter precise times into these boxes.
- You can click the Play button within the dialog box to preview the section you've selected.
- Confirm the Trim: Once you are satisfied with the new start and end points, click OK. As seen in the reference provided, clicking OK is the final step that applies the trim to your clip.
Example:
Imagine you have a 1-minute video, but you only need the segment from 10 seconds to 45 seconds.
In the Trim Video dialog box:
| Setting | Original | New Value |
|---|---|---|
| Start Time | 0:00 | 0:10 |
| End Time | 1:00 | 0:45 |
| Result | 1:00 | 0:35 |
By setting the start time to 0:10 and the end time to 0:45 and hitting OK, the video clip will now play for 35 seconds starting from the 10-second mark of the original video.
After trimming, the video on your slide will only play the segment you specified. The original video file is not altered; PowerPoint simply remembers the new start and end points for playback within the presentation.
This is the primary method for changing the playback duration of a video directly within your PowerPoint slide.
