Screen recordings are a powerful tool to help display and share animations from your RAS model. You can create screen recordings of the RAS Mapper animations that can be used to show changes in velocity, WSE, Depth, or any other mapping variables over time, instead of as a still image. There is software out there that will create screen capture animations; SnagIt is one I use a lot.  A quick Google Search will turn up several options as well.  However many of these will cost money to download and the free ones will commonly have built in advertisements that will display on your animations.  Not to mention the risk of downloading a harmful app or malware.  But have you ever wondered how to create a screen recording without the cost or risk of downloading an outside software? Well, the solution is readily available to Microsoft office users. Microsoft PowerPoint includes a built-in recording studio that will allow you to record your screen. The steps to creating a screen recording using Microsoft PowerPoint are as follows:

1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint

2. Right click on your toolbar ribbon and select “Customize Ribbon”.

3. Check the “recording” box on the “Customize the Ribbon”, “Main tabs” drop down list.

The “Recording” tab in the toolbar should now be available.

4. Go to the “Recording” tab and select “Screen Recording”.

5. A recording tool bar will appear on your screen. This toolbar allows you to draw your recording area, record your pointer, record audio, and record. Draw your area using “Select Area” and then press “Record” to start your recording.

A countdown will appear counting down until the recording starts.

6. To end the recording, bring your curser back to the top middle of your desktop where the recording toolbar was prior to the countdown. The recording toolbar should reappear and allow you to select the “Stop” button to end the recording.

7. The recording should be imported into your PowerPoint presentation where you can right click and select “Save Media as…” to save your recording as an mp4 media file.

That’s it! A quick and easy way to use Microsoft PowerPoint to create a screen recording of your RAS output.