Hello Everyone:
This is the seventh and final part in my series: Let’s Make an Explainer Video Using PowToon.
Recap
In previous posts I’ve covered each of the topics listed below, with the exception of the last.
- Pick a Topic
- Write the script
- Edit the script
- Create the video
- Edit the video
- Upload the video
Time spent so far: 15 hours.
At this point the video is ready to go — the edits have been done, narration and background music added, and final tweaks applied.
In this post I’ll cover the final steps: exporting the video and uploading it so that others may access it.
Preview your video
It’s always a good idea to preview your video before exporting and uploading your video.
The Preview button and the Export button are located in the upper right hand corner of the PowToon interface.
After you preview you can return to editing or move directly to export your video.
Export your video 
To export and upload your video to a hosting platform click Export either at the bottom of the preview screen (not shown) or in the upper right hand corner of the PowToon interface.
You will be presented with a number of options on right hand side of the screen:
- Publish To — publishes your video to your dedicated storage area in PowToon; you can make the video available to others from that area if you like
- Upload To — publishes your video to one of four options: Vimeo; YouTube, Slideshare, or Wistia; using any of these options requires that you have previously set up up an account with the chosen hosting platform
- Download As — publishes your video and allows you to download it in a number of different formats: PowerPoint, PDF, MP4 and Offline file; PowerPoint and PDF are not, of course, video formats
- Share To — publishes your video as either a video or a slideshow and allows sharing to a number of social media platforms or by email
To begin, merely click on the desired option. For example, to publish your video and upload it to YouTube, merely click that option and follow the directions.
You’ll need supply PowToon with Type, Details, and Quality information.
Type information includes your previously created YouTube account and whether you want the video to be private, unlisted, or public.
Details include a video description which appears on YouTube along with the YouTube category for the video (e.g. Training, Education, Personal, etc).
Quality includes a number of options, including whether or not you want to have the PowToon intro and outro removed. Note that some options are only available if you have paid for a premium account.
When you are done with your selections, just click the Upload PowToon button.
You can also download your video on to your computer if you want. You may wish to do this if you want to directly embed the video into your blog (e.g, WordPress), although most blogging software also allows you to easily embed YouTube videos as well.
You’re done!
Time spent on uploading: 0.5 hours.
Total time spent on the explainer video: 15.5 hours.
This is a considerable investment in time, but the more videos you do, the faster you will get. Always remember to weigh the pros and cons of any video project before undertaking it and consider both cost and audience type.
There is a lot in PowToon that I have not covered, and PowToon’s feature set seems to expand every week. I’d recommended taking a look if you have any interest in creating videos.
So — what are your thoughts on videos for Author Bloggers? Worth it or not? Let me know in the comments.
Well, that wraps up this series on creating a simple explainer video. Thanks for reading, and I will see you again soon..
