How to Create a Karaoke File With PowerPoint

If you don’t have the money to invest in a karaoke machine and CD+G discs, you can use PowerPoint to create your own karaoke files that will play on your computer or television. Before you get started, however, make sure you have an MP3 version of your song track and prepare to spend a bit of time animating your text, if choose to do so.

Insert the Audio File

1. Rip a song from your favorite CD to your computer. Create a stereo MP3 file.

2. Remove the vocals from any CD rips. You can use the open-source Audacity, which works on Windows, Mac and Linux computers. Import the MP3. Click the drop-down arrow next to the file name and split the stereo track into a left and right channel. Select the entire right track, and then, from the Effects menu, choose Invert. Finally, set both tracks to Mono by clicking the drop-down arrow next the file name for each. Export to a new MP3 file.

3. Open PowerPoint and select the side where the music should begin. If your song has an instrumental introduction, you may want to start it on the title slide; if lyrics begin immediately, you may want to start on the first slide after the title slide.

4. Click Audio on the Insert tab. Select Audio on My PC. Navigate to your audio file and double-click it to select it. For now, we will insert the original audio file with vocals. This will make it easier to align our text animation with the song.

5. Click Play in Background on the Playback tab to make sure the song plays across all slides in your file.

Add Lyrics

1. Create a new slide and insert a text box. Set the font to about 42 points and use a crisp font that will be easy to read on the screen.

2. Paste the first word of the song in the text box. Create a new text box for each word of the first one or two lines of your song if you want to animate the text to change color along with the music. Otherwise, you can paste the first one or two lines of the song in a single text box. If you need help with your lyrics, check a popular online lyrics database such as AZLyrics, Song Lyrics or MetroLyrics.

3. Apply text animation to the first text box by clicking it and then selecting an effect such as Font Color from the Animations tab. Be sure to choose an animation that changes the color of the text in some way without distorting it. Make sure you set the transition on the Transition tab to On Mouse Click. Repeat for each word’s text box on the slide.

4. Repeat that process to create new one- or two-line lyric slides through the end of the song. To save time, you can duplicate your first lyric slide so that the transition and animation is already applied to the text boxes. Optionally add an ending slide, as well, if there is a long instrumental at the end of your song.

5. Click the title slide to select it. On the Slide Show tab, click Rehearse Timings. As soon as the lyrics begin, advance the slide. As each word is sung, click your mouse to animate the next text box, and advance slides through the end of the song. Close the timer, choosing to apply the rehearsed timings.

6. Click the title slide to select it. Change the slide transition time on the Transition tab to 3 or 4 seconds before the audio starts by subtracting it from the timing in the After text box.

7. Play the presentation to ensure your text animations synchronize with the music. Adjust where necessary by changing the timing in the After field on the Transition tab.

Insert the Instrumental Audio

1. Return to the title slide to select and delete the audio file. Since you want to sing along to the music, we need to insert the instrumental version instead.

2. Click Audio on the Insert tab. Select Audio on My PC. Navigate to and select your instrumental audio file.

3. Click Play in Background on the Playback tab to make sure the song plays across all slides in your file.

Convert to Video

1. Download and install the free RZ PowerPoint Converter to your computer. You can also choose other converters, including the Xilisoft PowerPoint converters (free and paid versions) and the imTOO PowerPoint to MP4 Converter. If using another converter, follow the instructions provided with your software.

2. Open RZ PowerPoint Converter and add your PowerPoint karaoke presentation to the queue. To add the file, click Add, locate it on your hard drive and double-click it.

3. Select the Convert to Video Files option and select the Target Format. MP4 files can store multimedia files, such as music and animated text, in a single container. Since it’s a reliable format that requires little bandwidth for playback, it’s a great option for your karaoke files. This option ensures your file will play on computers, DVD players and mobile devices.

4. Click Next to set Export settings. Select your Target Folder for the MP4 file, and then Start the conversion. You can burn your new MP4 to DVD to play on your TV or play it right on your computer.

Tips and Warnings

Align text boxes in PowerPoint by selecting all of the text boxes on a line to select them, and then clicking the Align button on the Format tab and choosing Align Top. You may use other alignment and arrangement selections as necessary.

These instructions use PowerPoint 2013. Steps may vary slightly for other versions. PowerPoint Online has many of the same features.

References:

Audacity WonderHowTo: How to Vocals from Any MP3 Using Audacity

Office: Play Music for the Duration of Your Slide Show

RZ: How to Convert PowerPoint to MP4 In 3 Steps By Using the RZ PowerPoint Converter

Digiarty WinXDVD: What Is MP4 Format

Microsoft PowerPoint 2013 Tutorials: Align Objects In PowerPoint 2013

How to Create and Print Punch Cards

Free Templates and Resources Available for Many Skill Levels

Punch cards are a great way to promote your business or get your kids to do their chores. When cardholders present these cards, they get a punch. You offer an incentive (i.e., free item, percent-off discount or tickets to the next boy-band concert) for a certain number of punches, creating a win-win for you and your customers.Since you want your cardholder to be able to carry the punch card wherever they go, consider making them wallet-sized. There are plenty of speciality papers you can use with free online templates to create and print quality punch cards.

Using Microsoft Products

1. Open Microsoft Word and search "punch card" on the start screen. Select the available 10-per-sheet template. Note the Avery specialty papers that work with the template.
2. Click [Company Name] to edit it and type your company name or a name for your promotional program. Do the same for the [Company tagline] and the Offer fields. This will update the field on every card.
3. Click each field again and reformat the text, as desired. You can change the font size and color or apply styles.
4. Click the table icon in the upper-left corner of the first punch card to select the table. On the Design tab, select one of the grid Table Styles so that you can see the edges of the card. You can remove or restyle them again later.
5. Click graphic elements to select and delete them. To delete all graphics, click the white background to select everything. Insert new graphics, as desired, from the Insert tab.
6. Click inside the first table cell and place the cursor below the text. From the Insert tab, you can optionally insert a table that is five columns wide and two rows to create 10 punch spaces. Select the table and set the row height to half the dimension of the column width (0.34 inches). Restyle the table border, as desired. You can also remove the borders and place shapes or other images inside the table cells.
7. Place the mouse on the left side of the punch card cell (not the punch spaces we just created) until the cursor turns into a black arrow. Click the mouse to select the cell, and then copy it. Press the Tab key and paste the cell contents. Repeat for all remaining punch card cells.
8. Insert the associated Avery paper product for this template into your printer. In Word, choose Print from the File menu. Select your printer and print your punch cards.

Using Avery Online Software

1. Access the Avery Print & Design online tool . You may sign in or create an account so that you can save your projects, however, you can also save your projects to your computer without creating an Avery account.
2. Click Design & Print Online from the Templates tab. Select the Business Cards category and choose the appropriate template for the Avery paper product you plan to use for your punch cards. Double-click the template to select it.
3. Select a design from the available categories. Designs have preset graphics and text to get you started. You can, however, change any of those elements when you edit your card. Double-click the blank or designed card to select it.
4. Click text boxes and graphics to edit them. Click Add Text Box to add new text boxes or one of the From buttons on the Images pane to add graphics.
5. Add punch spaces using Shapes from that pane or by uploading clipart images. Align your punch graphics using the options on the Arrange, Rotate and Align pane.
6. Click Preview & Print in the upper-right corner of the screen to review your card. If everything is as you want it, click Print .

Tips
You can use Avery templates with Microsoft Word, as well. If you're more comfortable working in Word, just download the template and edit as desired.

It is not necessary to use Avery paper products to print your punch cards. You can use other brands of speciality papers or plain cardstock (at least 60 lbs. for stability) with a paper cutter to cut out your printed cards.

References
Making the World Cuter: Punch Cards: Making Chores for Kids Fun

Office: Buy 10 Get 1 Free Punch Card (10 Per Page)

Avery Print & Design Online

 

How to Create Your Own Free Memorial Cards

Avery Print & Design Online

For Funerals, Graduations and Anniversaries

Remembering loved ones is important, and you may want your funeral or memorial cards to have a personal touch. You don't have to save them for funerals or memorial services; you can also create keepsake cards for birthday parties, graduations or anniversaries. Using free software or templates, you can design, create and print your own memorial cards at home.

Design Your Card

1. Decide what information you want on your card. Typical funeral cards include name, date of birth, date of death, and a personal quote, poem or religious verse. A graduation memorial card may include name, graduation year, school name, courses of study, and favorite quote.
2. Gather images and other graphics. If images are not already in a digital format, scan the photographs. You can search online for clipart, backgrounds, borders and other graphic elements. AllFreeDownload offers a variety of vector graphics and you can find other free images at sites like Public Photo, Stock.xchng and Bigstock Photo.
3. Decide the size of your memorial cards. For this set of instructions, we'll use Avery 8869 non-perforated business card paper to create 2" x 3.5" cards. Other templates for larger card sizes are available.

Use Avery Design & Print Online

1. Open your Web browser and access the Avery Template & Software page. Click to access Avery Design & Print Online.
2. Enter your Avery paper product number or, if you're not using an Avery paper, "business card" in the Quick Search field. Click "Go."
3. Click the appropriate template row to select it, and then click "Next."
4. Browse design categories. Once you locate a design, click it to select it, and then click "Next."
5. Customize your text and graphics for both the front and back sides of the card using the tools on the left side of the screen. You can change font size, color and position, and add shapes and custom images.
6. Click "Save" to save your card (optional), and then click the "Preview & Print" button.
7. Load your paper, set your print options, and click "Print" to print your cards.

Tips
Need some design ideas? Search Google Images for "memorial cards."
Avery also offers a Microsoft Word add-on that allows you to search for and open Avery templates within Word and downloadable templates for Word.