Beamer+: Interactive Presentations

As someone who teaches and presents technical topics often, I found myself limited by the static nature of traditional Beamer slides. I wanted a more dynamic experience—something that could combine beautifully typeset slides with video playback, drawing, and annotation tools. That’s why I created Beamer+.

What Is Beamer+?

Beamer+ is a lightweight web-based presentation app built with Python and Flask that enhances your Beamer PDFs by adding:

• 🎥 Embedded Video Playback
• ✏️ Real-Time Drawing and Highlighting Tools
• 🖱️ Keyboard and Mouse Navigation

With Beamer+, you can turn a static PDF into a more engaging and interactive lecture or demo—perfect for classrooms, conferences, or online content creation.

Why I Built It

As a computer science researcher and educator, I regularly use slides that integrate visual intuition, code snippets, and now more frequently, demonstrations via video. I wanted a seamless way to switch between slides and short video clips without disrupting the flow of my presentation. I also wanted to annotate and draw on slides during discussions—all while keeping everything self-contained and customizable.

How It Works

The app runs locally and loads your Beamer-generated PDFs and video clips from a static folder. With a clean UI and keyboard shortcuts (like P for pen, H for highlight, E for eraser), it’s easy to teach and present without ever breaking stride.

Try It

You can find the open-source project here To get started, just download the executable, add your slides and videos, and you’re ready to present!

Got a feature in mind? I’d love to hear it—reach out anytime!