Using Microsoft Producer

What is MS Producer?

Microsoft Producer is an add-on tool for MS Office PowerPoint 2003. Producer 2003 is designed to let you easily incorporate audio, video, HTML files and still images with your MS PowerPoint slides to create dynamic and rich-media presentation.  

What can I Do with Producer?

You can install and run Producer on your computer that is running the Microsoft Window 2000 or Window XP operating system. Producer is a standalone application that lets you take your PowerPoint slides and synchronize them with audio and video. This can be audio and video that you have already recorded on your computer or new audio and video content that you record in Producer. Furthermore, you can add still images and HTML files to your presentation. Working with Producer, you can create a variety of presentation based on your specific needs.  

Working with Producer

  1. Getting Content into Producer
    The first task is to bring digital media files into your Producer project. The files that you can use in your project can include audio, video, PowerPoint slides, still images and HTML files. You can import files or you can capture audio and video files in Producer if you have an appropriate capture device connected to install in your computer, such as a Web camera and a microphone.  
     
  1. Editing in Producer
    After you have imported digital media files or recorded the video and audio you want to use in your presentation, you can then begin arranging them in your project. You start by adding them the timeline. The timeline is the Producer workspace in which you arrange the various elements that will appear in your presentation. The timeline enable you to edit the entire project or elements of the project, such as individual audio and video files.  You can use Producer to trim unwanted video and audio out of your presentation. You can enhance your presentation by adding a video transitions and effects.
     
  1. Synchronizing Your Presentation
    You can choose to synchronize existing video and audio files with your PowerPoint slides. This is important feature of Producer because it lets you take different digital media files, such as audio, video, still images, and slides and then quickly synchronize them to create a rich-media presentation. Synchronizing is done through the synchronize slides features.
     
  2. Previewing Your Presentation
    As you work on your project in Producer, you can preview it to see how the presentation will appear after you publish it. By previewing, you can get a “sneak peek” of your project before publishing it to a local computer. Web server, Windows media server, or e-service provider.
     
  3. Publishing Your Presentation
    When you have finished editing your project, you are then ready to publish the presentation. When you publish the project as a presentation, all the digital media in your project, including the any video, audio, HTML files, PowerPoint slides and templates, is compiled into one final presentation. You can then take the final presentation and the files contained in it and publish it to a local computer, Web server, Windows Media server, e-service provider, or even to a CD that you can then distribute.


Download Producer 2003

  1. Click here to download and save the file to your hard disk.
  2. Double-click the msprod2.exe program file on your hard disk to start the setup program.
  3. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.


MS Producer 2003 Web Resources

  1. Producer 2003 Demos and Samples (http://www.microsoft.com/office/powerpoint/producer/prodinfo/demos.mspx)
    View demonstrations and samples that show how you can use Producer 2003.
     
  2. Producer 2003 Tutorials (http://www.microsoft.com/office/powerpoint/producer/prodinfo/tutorials.mspx).
    The step-by-step tutorial to learn Producer 2003.
     
  3. More Information about Producer 2003 (http://www.microsoft.com/office/powerpoint/producer/prodinfo/default.mspx)
    Download Producer 2003, Producer Case Studies, FAQs, Evaluation Guide, System Requirements.
     
  4. Watch the video of Wylie ISD Teacher Training, created with Producer 2003
    (http://www.microsoft.com/office/powerpoint/producer/demos/Wylie150/E-LearningProducerI_files/default.htm)
    It creates fun and informative instructional content that helps teachers learn how to use Producer in the classroom.
Reference: Using Microsoft Producer: A Guide for Educators at
http://www.microsoft.com/education/?ID=EdGuideProducer