Prezi Video Hacks with Guilherme Criscuolo
In this session of the Prezi Course and Masterclass, we met Guilherme Criscuolo. He is an award-winning Prezi Expert and founder of Next Interativa.
Guilherme won three times the Prezi Awards for the educational category in 2013, best overall design in 2014, and most innovative use of the tool in 2018. Check out the Prezi Master presentation awarded in 2018 here.
As an expert, Guilherme designed hundreds of Prezi Video presentations; that’s why we ask them to share some of his Prezi Video hacks and tips with our students.
What is Prezi Video?
Prezi Video is a tool that allows us to show the content on-screen side-by-side with the presenter. Basically, you can interact with your content on-screen during an online session and still be heard, keeping a human connection with your audience.
As we are experiencing a new reality where most of the companies had to adapt to an online structure and most of our daily work life is in front of a screen, Prezi Video plans to try to have the same human connection as in-person meetings.
How does Prezi Video work?
Prezi Video works like a Prezi presentation. It is clickable and non-linear while you are streaming it; this means that you can freely navigate through the entire presentation.
Tips for Prezi Video Design
In the Masterclass session, Guilherme shares several Prezi examples and the version he created for Prezi Video.
He affirms that you can get really creative while designing a Prezi Video presentation and shares some important tips to consider when creating a Prezi that will be used as a video.
Prezi and Prezi Video have almost the same features, but the most significant difference to consider for the video version is positioning your content on the screen. In a Prezi presentation, we use the entire screen to display our content, but we must make room for the presenter in the Prezi Video version.
Tip: Prezi Designers keep a visual connection between one screen and the next one for visual continuity in the presentation. In Fuji’s Masterclass, he shares some tips to structure Prezi and use topic covers to create visual continuity.
How much space to leave for the presenter in a Prezi Video presentation?
Guilherme explained that the first thing to consider is your content. He suggests the ideal proportion to follow while creating a Prezi Video presentation uses half of the screen for the content and the other half for the presenter.
Important note: If you have too much content, Prezi Experts recommend breaking down the content in different frames or different screens to keep the same proportion (half and half) throughout the entire presentation.
On the one hand, if you have a lot of information and cannot break down the content on different screens, Guilherme recommends using 2/3 for the content and 1/3 for the presenter. If you have a straightforward presentation with keywords or visual metaphors on the screen, you can use 1/3 for the content and 2/3 for the presenter.
The second parameter to consider in the design is the distance the presenter will be from the camera. Sometimes the presenter wants to be in full body on the screen (very far from the camera) and have some elements to interact with. Some others want to sit down closer to the computer screen, where you just see their face.
Prezi Video has different layouts, and your choice will depend on the amount of content to be shown the presenter’s preference, and the audience. The proportions are as significant as the presentation design.
How to turn Prezi into a Video?
Prezi Video has the same features as a regular Prezi. The main difference is that you can work on the Prezi Video design while looking at yourself on the camera, getting an idea of positioning the content on screen.
On the regular Prezi edit screen, you will see a button on the top right that says “Create Video.” This option lets you work on the Prezi Video design while appearing alongside the content or just add a voice-over to the presentation.
Once you click on “Create Video,” you need to enable your camera (select your camera and click on “allow camera”). Now you will see yourself in the background of the presentation. As your presentation was not designed to be used as a video, you will see that your content will be overlaying your face. Prezi has an option to automatically adjust your content to the right side of the screen, but Guilherme affirms that this is not the best way to do it.
Automatically Adjusting Content in your Prezi Video
The Adjust Content option will move your topics to a side but usually missed all the other elements in your presentation, for instance, the images and text box. That’s why Guilherme suggests recreating the entire presentation to adjust all the content for video use efficiently.
In most cases, you will need to change the image for the presentation’s cover. In the Prezi Video presentation, you must save room for the presenter; that’s why it is better to use horizontally oriented images as the presentation cover.
Pro Tip: In Prezi Video presentations, you need to add an element, such as a shape, behind the text box to make it visible because you never know how the presenter’s background will be.
Mandy Schild shares some tips and tricks to learn how to use visual metaphors in your presentation effectively; watch her Masterclass session here.
Does a Prezi Video presentation have a background?
Every Prezi presentation has a background, even the Prezi Video presentations. When you present a Prezi Video, the background disappears. In Present mode, Prezi Video will ignore colors, gradients, and pictures as background.
A Prezi Video Example
At the end of the Masterclass session, Guilherme shared a Prezi Video example that he created for a doctor about the development and use of technology for COVID vaccines.
The Prezi Video example is a very visual presentation, with a lot of graphics. The main idea was to use storytelling techniques supported by images to make the topic more comprehensive and complete (Watch Marcos Xalabarder’s Masterclass session about The Storytellers Secret). The audience can see visual metaphors and keep a connection with the presenter to convey the message.
Guilherme commented that the presentation could have had a different layout, but it is always essential to have a conversation with the presenter to feel comfortable delivering the presentation.