Easiest way to turn something a powerpoint into a video file I am looking to turn my stories into YouTube videos. We have images set for the backgrounds. They currently aren't as PowerPoint files. They were going to be HTML pages however it would be easier for us to host these on YouTube as we have some issues loading sounds and the javascript scrolling at the same time. 

Already Tried : using the YouTube video editor however I cannot fill the screen enough. 

Requirement : Cheaply create video files using background images, simple transitions and adding sound.

My Experience level : Not expert, not done since a long time.

What is the easiest/most cost effective way of doing this?
Not sure, which version you're using and I didn't use PowerPoint recently, but as far as I can remember, there is a video export function built in. Might be worth a try.

Also there's a list with free video software on Wikipedia, which you can take a look at. Many of them should work for your purpose.