Summary
Ever thought creating video ads with almost nil budget? Even though the heading says ‘video ads on any budget’, the reality is surprisingly different. The tools you’ll find me using in this and the next post cost nearly nothing. The saying goes, it’s the skills that matter. And so, you’ll see simple ways to make nice-looking product video ads with these tools. This week it’ll be PowerPoint for video ads, followed by Canva in the week coming next. Let’s begin.
Main Topics
Before You Begin
We’ll make the video ad in 2:3 aspect ratio, which is good for Pinterest marketing. I choose this size not because I love it but to demonstrate that you can create an ad of any size in PowerPoint.
Sizing the ads is easy to do, and I’ve explained the steps in Knowledge Base article.
While designing animated product video ads in PowerPoint like the way I do, I’ve realized that the two following pre-design actions are essential for good designing.
ONE ↓
Creating a background shape cutout on which will come all the design elements like texts, graphics, etc. but not product images. Prod images will come below the cutout shape because when they animate they will not ‘obstruct’ the other ad contents. Find out how to do it in this post.
TWO ↓
Keeping images ready for the ad, properly sized. This may seem easy, but it’s not. You need to know which portions of your product images should be exposed from under the cutout. You’ll soon see why.
Okay, so here are all the steps for designing the video ad in PowerPoint.
Step One – Video Ad Sizing for 2:3 Aspect Ratio
By default, PowerPoint gives you a 16:9 work area for slide size. However it’s easy to resize it for any aspect ratio. In the present case we need a 2:3 work area for crating video ad.
So, on the main menu at the top, let me proceed from Design > Slide Size > Customize Slide Size. And here, on the popup window, let me change the width and height of the slide to 15cm and 22.5cm respectively.
This makes the ad size conforming to 2:3 aspect ratio. Watch the GIF below that explains this step.
Step Two – Creating the Cutout BG
If you wish to create video ad that shows multiple products in animated sequence, you may need to first create what I call a ‘cutout background shape’.
While the ad contents like the texts, graphics, CTA button, discount bubble, etc. will appear on the cutout, the all-important product images will come beneath. Why?
Well, for one, the ads look aesthetically pleasing. More importantly, the images, when animated, will not infringe upon the other static ad contents.
You’ll understand this in steps 4 and 5. For now, let’s see how to create a cutout shape BG in PowerPoint in the following GIF.
Step Three – Adding Ad Contents
This step is pretty straightforward. You’ll be adding static ad contents on the cutout shape as mentioned above. Since texts are a main part for creating video ad, a few points are worth keeping in mind.
ONE ↓
Since the cutout shape will be the main background for your ads, choose its color wisely.
Light colors are usually preferred unless you’re creating video ads for cars, fashion items, or similar high-end products. But then don’t hesitate to choose dark colors if your ads demand so irrespective of types of products.
In the example below, I’ve chosen light-colored background for pottery sales.
TWO ↓
Carefully choose the fonts, their sizes and colors.
There are tons of exquisite fonts (mostly free) available with Google, Microsoft, Adobe, and others. And you’ll be spoilt for the right choice.
In the present example I’ve chosen the fonts Cormorant Unicase SemiBold, Crushed, and Alice.
THREE ↓
Be economical with the text contents.
You can write history of your products, but don’t. Just write enough to evoke curiosity of the viewers and what they gain if they click on your ad.
Remember, the main attraction are the images of your products.
Okay, let’s watch this step in the following GIF.
Step Four – Adding Images
Images are heart and soul of any ads, more so for multi-product video ads which we at VidBazaar specialize in designing.
However, it is important that you choose images diligently while carefully selecting which part of them should show up in the video ads.
Feeling confused? Watch the GIF below to follow this step.
Step Five – Animating Video Ad
PowerPoint offers almost unlimited choices for animations. While types of animations number 51 (plus 49 transitions), the trick is to combine different animations to a single element to bring out a unique effects.
You can create any number of combination animations in PowerPoint. And they can be different for different elements on the same slide. This is PowerPoint’s unique advantage over Canva and other design tools.
In the present example, I’ll use the Fade transition between the slides. You can also use Fade animation for the same effect but in that case you’ll likely use 2 product images on each slide.
Take a look at the following GIF for this step.
Step Six – The Finishing
Now that we’ve completed creating video ad in PowerPoint, we’ll do checking to confirm everything is in order. And after that we’re ready to publish the video ad, which will look exactly as under.
Get this PowerPoint video ad template for FREE – let us know in the comment box below or contact us here.
Summing Up
By now you have surely realized how creating video ads in PowerPoint costs almost nothing. But the truth is, not everyone is a designer, and not every business has ad making as its core activity.
For them it makes good sense to outsource video ads creation to expert designers. Talk to us for redesigning up to 8 video ads every month for your business.
Meanwhile, watch the 4 video ads below modeled on the same design as shown here. Click on them to buy the ready-to-use templates.
