There are many options for recording and sharing virtual presentations, and different classes will have different preferred methods. Always check with your professor to see if there is a required platform for your class.
If your professor does not have a specific method for recorded presentations in your class, this guide contains a few recommendations for tools available to UMW students.
If you need help with creating effective presentation slides, the Speaking and Writing Center is a great resource to help you approach the creation of your presentation slides. Additionally, Simpson Library Research Help can assist with finding sources for your content.
Recording #
You could always use a camera or phone to record yourself doing a presentation. But if you want a high-quality recording, or if you want to record visual aids, here are a couple of options:
Equipment & Spaces #
The number one thing you can do to improve the quality of your recorded presentations is to record high-quality audio and video at the start. No amount of editing and touch-up afterwards can save a poor recording!
In some cases your laptop or phone may work just fine, but we highly recommend doing a test recording to make sure. Record a few seconds of audio and video in exactly the conditions you plan to record, then play back your recording to make sure you are capturing what you want.
If you need better equipment or a sound-balanced room to record, UMW has several options.
HCC Equipment Checkout
The HCC Info Desk rents out cameras, microphones, tripods, and laptops for free to UMW students. These can tremendously improve the quality of your recording. See the full list on the HCC Equipment Checkout page.
Media Creation Spaces
The DKC supports several spaces for media creation in the HCC, including a Video Production Studio, a 24-hour Mini Green Screen Studio, a Podcasting Studio with four studio microphones, and a 24-hour Vocal Recording Booth with a single microphone and camera. See the full list on the DKC Spaces page.
Software #
Microsoft Clipchamp
Microsoft Clipchamp is a browser based video editor that is available through UMW Microsoft account. It provides an easy editing experience along with free stock graphics, effects, music, and videos. Most importantly for recorded presentations it provides a way to do screen and camera recording.
See our Microsoft Clipchamp guide for more info.
ScreenPal
ScreenPal is a tool that allows you to record what’s happening on your computer screen, as well as video and audio via your computer’s built-in webcam and microphone. This is a useful tool for recording presentations for class, especially if the project includes PowerPoint slides or other visual aids. It also includes digital accessibility features to create captions and audio descriptions.
See this ScreenPal guide for an overview and information on how to access UMW’s ScreenPal.
Zoom
Zoom is a quick, no-frills option for recording a presentation. Simply create a Zoom meeting with yourself as the only participant, start recording, and then give your presentation. You can also use the “Share Screen” feature to record your PowerPoint or other visual aids along with your presentation (alternatively, you could use the video editing tools below to put your visual aids in after recording).
For help getting started with Zoom, see our Zoom guide.
Microsoft PowerPoint
After creating a slideshow in PowerPoint, you have the option to record yourself presenting it. You can record audio, webcam video, and your PowerPoint slides in a simple one-stop solution, but you must use the desktop (downloaded) version of PowerPoint which you can get for free as part of your UMW Office 365 account. Video recording is not available with PowerPoint on the web.
See this Microsoft PowerPoint recording guide for more info.
Editing #
If you recorded your presentation perfectly in one take, you can skip this section! However, most videos will need a little editing. Below are a few tools we recommend. For more information, including advanced tools for more complex projects, see our full Video Projects guide.
Clipchamp #
Microsoft Clipchamp is a free video editor that can be used on Mac or PC using a chromium-based web browser. It provides an easy editing experience along with free stock graphics, effects, music, and videos. Sign in with your UMW Microsoft 365 account to access premium features and connect with your UMW OneDrive account.
See our Clipchamp tool guide for more info.
ScreenPal #
If you are using ScreenPal to record your presentation you can easily edit it as well. Once your recording is finished, you can trim, cut, add transitions, annd more using ScreenPal’s video editor.
See the Editing section of the ScreenPal tool guide for more info.
Canva #
Canva is a free, browser-based graphic design and video editing tool for users of any skill level. Its simple interface makes it ideal for basic editing tasks like removing errors, inserting or rearranging video clips, overlaying text and graphics, and adding transitions. Canva projects can also be shared and edited by multiple users, making it perfect for group projects.
See our Canva tool guide for more info.
iMovie #
iMovie is Apple’s free video editing software, available for Mac computers and iOS devices. It is a simple video editor that allows you to trim video, add multiple video clips, and add audio tracks.
iMovie is available on all iMac computers in UMW’s Hurley Convergence Center and many other places on campus.
See our iMovie tool guide for more info.
YouTube Studio Editor #
The YouTube Studio Editor allows you to make basic cuts to your presentation. It does not allow you to add other video clips, graphics, or audio tracks to your presentation. This is a great solution if you are already planning to share your video on YouTube, and only need to make basic cuts.
See our YouTube Basics Step-by-Step guide for more info on creating a YouTube account, uploading a video, and using the video editor.
Accessibility #
To make sure your video is accessible to all viewers, it is important to embed closed captions and/or provide a transcript.
If you worked from script for your presentation, providing this script along with the video goes a long way to making your video accessible. But even if you do provide a transcript, captions are also recommended.
ScreenPal Auto-Captions and Audio Description #
UMW’s ScreenPal license gives faculty, staff, and students access to tools to auto-generated captions and audio description. This removes the vast majority of the work, but you’ll need to review the captions and audio description for accuracy. If you are already using ScreenPal to record and edit a recording it makes sense to use ScreenPal for this stage.
See the AI Captions and Audio Descriptions section of the ScreenPal guide.
YouTube Auto-Captions #
All videos uploaded to YouTube are automatically captioned by Google’s voice-to-text algorithm. This removes the vast majority of the work of captioning, but YouTube’s captions you’ll need to review the captions for accuracy. Since YouTube is also a great option for trimming and sharing your video this can be a good solution for captions.
See our YouTube Basics Step-by-Step guide for more info on creating a YouTube account, uploading a video, and cleaning up auto-captions.
Microsoft Clipchamp #
Videos created in Clipchamp can have captions automatically generated. This removes the vast majority of the work of captioning, but Clipchamps’s captions but you’ll need to review the captions for accuracy. If you are already using this tool to record and edit your presentation it makes sense to use Clipchamp for this stage.
See the Clipchamp guide on how to use autocaptions.
Microsoft OneDrive #
Videos hosted in your UMW Microsoft OneDrive will automatically generate captions. This removes the vast majority of the work of captioning, but OneDrive’s captions but you’ll need to review the captions for accuracy.
See Microsoft’s guide on viewing, editing, and managing captions.
Accessible Video Guide #
For additional tips, check out our guide on Accessible Video.
Sharing #
ScreenPal #
The easiest way to share videos you’ve recorded and edited with ScreenPal is using UMW’s ScreenPal Hosting, and then sharing the link.
When publishing videos, you can set videos to be publicly searchable on the internet, accessible only via the direct link you share, or password protected.
YouTube #
YouTube is a convenient platform for storing and sharing videos. However, since it is a public platform, you must be careful to set the privacy settings for your videos correctly. Unless you want your videos to be available to anyone on the internet, most videos should be set to “Unlisted.”
See our YouTube Basics Step-by-Step guide for more info on creating a YouTube account, uploading a video, adjusting privacy settings, and sharing your videos.
Microsoft Clipchamp #
The easiest way to share videos you’ve made in Clipchamp is by sharing them from inside Clipchamp. You can choose to share the entire project or just a viewable version.
See the Microsoft guide on Sharing a Clipchamp project or video for more info.
Microsoft OneDrive #
Every UMW student has access to a personal OneDrive folder where they can store files, and share them with other members of the UMW community. OneDrive does not auto-caption videos, but it is a useful way to share files if you do not want to use an outward-facing platform like YouTube.
See our Microsoft OneDrive guide for more information on accessing and using your UMW OneDrive account.
Want More Help? #
- Book an appointment with a consultant at the DKC. We would love to help you with any steps of creating and recording a presentation!
- Check out our Presentation & Recording tool guides.
Updated by Shannon Hauser 01/22/26