Tweet authorSTREAM upgrades PowerPoint to video engine: claims to be better than PowerPoint 2010

Online presentation sharing website authorSTREAM has announced an upgrade to their PowerPoint to video conversion engine. authorSTREAM lets you convert your PowerPoint presentations in WMV, AVI, FLV and MP4 video formats. Once converted videos users can send share them on YouTube via 'send to YouTube' option or download on desktop to burn on DVD.

Prior to PowerPoint 2010, authorSTREAM was the only online option for converting PowerPoint presentations in video format. authorSTREAM's PowerPoint to video engine now supports embedded videos and slide transition effects.

Here is the comparison put up by authorSTREAM between PowerPoint to video capabilities of authorSTREAM and PowerPoint 2010:

Features	authorSTREAM	PowerPoint 2010
PowerPoint to Video conversion support	Supports video conversion for most PowerPoint versions (2002(XP)/2003/2007/2010)	Supports video conversion only in PowerPoint 2010
Audio support in video conversions, created out of any PowerPoint presentation version	Yes	Audio compatibility issues are more often
Playing sound across selected slides	Yes	Yes, but when more than 1 audio file is inserted in a presentation and selected for specific slides, audio overlapping problems crop up
Transition sound effect	Yes	No
Preference to rehearse timings set for each slide (in case when slide contains some media)	Yes	No
Video formats support	AVI, FLV, MP4 and WMV	WMV video format only
Share presentation videos on YouTube	Send directly to YouTube (no need to download)	Upload manually

Tweet Basic difference between slide transition effects and animation effects

Slide transitions are the animation effects that are applied to whole slide whereas animation effects are applied to objects (text, shape, picture etc.) on a slide. For a slide you can have only one transition effect while each object on the slide can have multiple animation effects.

Transition effects appear in PowerPoint slideshow view when slides change from one to the next. Like animation effects we can control the speed of each slide transition effect, and we can also add music or sound. Video below should help you understand the difference:

Transition and animation effects provide visual impact and  grab the audience's attention but when to use them and when not entirely depends upon your content and target audience. It's advisable not to overdo animations or slide transitions and also to stick to one transition effect throughout the slideshow because your audience may find it annoying and distracting. A balanced use of animations and slide transitions can lead to effective presentations which will  keep your audience attentive and awake.