In PPT, how to make inserted movie path relative, not absolute?

[djfilms]

SOS. I'm creating a PPt for a client and am embedding movies. The
movies are in a folder at the same level as the PPT file itself. When
I pass the PPT and movies to my client via CD, PPT tries to acces the
movies via the absolute original path!!!!!!!!, not a relative one.
Therefore, it's trying to find my drive name on my client's computer,
and of course fails. How to I set a relative path, not an absolute
path when embedding movies? I've tried this on Mac Office 2004 and PC
PPT on XP.

Any help gratefully received.

 

[TAJ Simmons]

djfilms,

the general rule is to put the media file in the SAME folder as your
powerpoint presentation.

Then use - insert menu > movies from file > to insert the video clip.

Powerpoint will still look for the clip in the long path to the folder, if
it cannot find it, it then should look in the CURRENT folder. e.g. the same
folder as the currently loaded powerpoint presentation.

If you are doing all the above.... then double check that the 'total path
length is not over 128 characters.

e.g. \hard drive12\documents\presentations\etc etc
etc\2008\january\peterjohnpaul\the2nd
is very long

\hard drive\presentations

is very short

cheers
TAJ Simmons
Microsoft Powerpoint MVP

awesome - powerpoint templates,
http://www.awesomebackgrounds.com
powerpoint backgrounds, free samples, ppt tutorials...

 

[djfilms]

TAJ,

Thank you for the prompt reply!!!

I will try with the movies at the same hierarchical level as the PPT.

My only remaining question is: where does MicroSoft dig up their
programmers? Looney bins? If I pass a presentation with movies to
clients, it makes sense (to everyone except M$) to have only one PPT
with a folder of movies. This minimizes the number of files to
scrutinize for a lecturer. Otherwise, there's a clutter of files for
clients to sort through. Make sense? Not to M$.

Again, thanks for the prompt reply!

regards, David

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

Hi,

Use File > Save As and change the type of file to PowerPoint Package.

PowerPoint will create a new folder and put a copy of your presentation into
the folder as well as copies of all linked items. The presentation in the
folder will have all the links adjusted to be correct for the copies of the
media files.

Simply distribute the folder in its entirety and the presentation will work
with all of the correct links to the copies of the media files.

If you plan to distribute to Windows users your movie files will need to be
in .avi format before you link to them. QuickTime support on the Windows
side is still woefully deficient and .mov files probably won't play there.
QuickTime Pro can export in .avi format.

The Save As PowerPoint Package feature is Mac only. Windows users have to
manually create a folder and then re-create the links one-by-one.

-Jim

SOS. I'm creating a PPt for a client and am embedding movies. The
movies are in a folder at the same level as the PPT file itself. When
I pass the PPT and movies to my client via CD, PPT tries to acces the
movies via the absolute original path!!!!!!!!, not a relative one.
Therefore, it's trying to find my drive name on my client's computer,
and of course fails. How to I set a relative path, not an absolute
path when embedding movies? I've tried this on Mac Office 2004 and PC
PPT on XP.

Any help gratefully received.

--
Jim Gordon
Mac MVP

MVPs are not Microsoft Employees
MVP info

 

[djfilms]

Jim,

Wonderful!! Many thianks for this terrific tip.

regards, David