Page 1 DRAFT Using ADOBE CAPTIVATE ® ® This Help PDF is a subset of the complete, up-to-date Help available online. To see Help online, connect to the Internet. You can also use the new Community Help AIR application to download complete HTML Help for offline use.
Page 2 This user guide is licensed for use under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 License. This License allows users to copy, distribute, and transmit the user guide for noncommercial purposes only so long as (1) proper attribution to Adobe is given as the owner of the user guide; and (2) any reuse or distribution of the user guide contains a notice that use of the user guide is governed by these terms.
Page 3 Unpublished-rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States. Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, CA 95110-2704, USA. For U.S. Government End Users, Adobe agrees to comply with all applicable...
Page 4: Table Of Contents
Chapter 3: Creating Projects About Adobe Captivate projects ..................22 Create projects .
Page 5 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Contents Change slide order ....................46 Slide notes .
Page 6 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Contents Question widgets ....................128 Add widgets .
Page 7 ................205 Chapter 15: Using Adobe Captivate with Other Applications Microsoft PowerPoint .
Page 8: Chapter 1: Getting Started
License activation During the installation process, your Adobe software contacts an Adobe server to complete the license activation process. No personal data is transmitted. For more information on product activation, visit the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/go/learn_cp_activation_en. A single-user retail license activation supports two computers. For example, you can install the product on a desktop computer at work and on a laptop computer at home.
Page 9: Help And Support
Community Help Community Help is an integrated environment that gives you access to help content of Adobe Captivate and community-generated content moderated by Adobe and industry experts. Search Community Help to find the best content on the web about Adobe products and technologies, including these resources: •...
Page 10: Services, Downloads, And Extras
Adobe Labs Adobe Labs at www.adobe.com/go/learn_cp_labs_en gives you the opportunity to experience and evaluate new and emerging technologies and products from Adobe. At Adobe Labs, you have access to resources such as these: • Prerelease software and technologies • Code samples and best practices to accelerate your learning •...
Page 11 Getting Started Adobe Captivate for Mac Adobe Captivate 5 is available on Mac OS. Both Adobe Captivate on Mac and Adobe Captivate on Windows have identical features and homogeneous user interface. For Mac specific details and system requirements, see the <<TBD>>.
Page 12 Instantly update Adobe Photoshop files imported in Adobe Captivate projects. Adobe Photoshop can be invoked from within Adobe Captivate. If source files are directly updated in Adobe Photoshop, synchronize the linked file in Adobe Captivate with its source using a single click.
Page 13: Chapter 2: Workspace
Chapter 2: Workspace Workspace overview You create movies and projects in Adobe Captivate using various elements, such as, panels, bars, and windows. A specific arrangement of these elements is called a Workspace. Adobe Captivate provides preset workspaces that help you get started quickly. You can also customize the workspace by arranging the elements in a way that suits your requirements.
Page 14: Toolbars
Shortcuts to frequently performed actions, such as, save, record, and preview. Main Options Shortcuts for adding Adobe Captivate objects, such as, text captions, buttons, and highlight boxes. Object Toolbar Using this toolbar you can also draw objects, such as, lines and rectangles, and also set the stroke and fill colors.
Page 15: Panels
DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Workspace Horizontal dotted lines Panels To show or hide panels, select Window and then select the name of the panel. Displays a thumbnail view of the slides in the project in the order of their appearance. For more information, Filmstrip see “Filmstrip”...
Page 16: Timeline
DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Workspace To change the size of the thumbnails in the Filmstrip, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) on any slide, select Filmstrip, and then select Small, Medium, or Large. If a slide has a label (short title) assigned, the label appears under the slide. It might be easier to move slides and jump to a specific slide if you have assigned labels instead of just using the slide number.
Page 17 Select Window > Timeline. Rearrange the Timeline panel By default, the Timeline panel is docked at the bottom of any slide in an Adobe Captivate project. You can move, resize, group, or dock the Timeline panel to suit your requirement.
Page 18 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Workspace Timeline for slidelets A slidelet is a slide within a slide. A slidelet has its own Timeline. All the objects in the slidelet are displayed in its Timeline. When you select a slidelet, the Timeline changes automatically to that for the slidelet. To display the Timeline for the slide containing the slidelet, click anywhere outside the slidelet.
Page 19: Branching View
Using the Branching view, you can easily make changes to the branching design. You can export the Branching view of an existing Adobe Captivate project into a BMP, JPEG, or JPG file. Combines the selected slides into a single group. For more information on grouping slides, see Create Slide Group Displays all the slides belonging to the selected group.
Page 20: Customizing The Workspace
Resources or ‘items’ are automatically added to the library when you use them in the project. However, you can also import them into the library and use them when needed. By default, the Library panel is displayed in all the preset workspaces of Adobe Captivate. To hide (or show) the Library panel, select Window > Library.
Page 21 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Workspace As you drag the panels, you see blue highlighted drop zones, areas where you can drop the panels. If you drag to an area that is not a drop zone, the panel floats freely in the workspace.
Page 22: Grids
DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Workspace Collapse and expand panel icons You can collapse panels to icons to reduce clutter on the workspace. In some cases, panels are collapsed to icons in the default workspace. • To collapse or expand all panel icons in a column, click the double arrow at the top of the dock.
Page 23: Shortcut Keys
Change the grid size value. The smaller the value, the smaller is the gap between the dots in the grid. Shortcut keys Shortcut keys provide an easier and quicker way to navigate and use Adobe Captivate. They let you use keyboard key combinations instead of a mouse or program menu. The common shortcut keys are listed in the table.
Page 24 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Workspace Shortcut key Action Control+E (Win), Command+E (Mac) Extend the length of the object display time to the end of the slide on the Timeline (Edit view only) Control+F (Win), Command+F (Mac)
Page 25 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Workspace Shortcut key Action Control+Alt+O (Win), Command+Option+O (Mac) Record additional slides Control+Alt+P (Win), Command+Option+P (Mac) Remove a slide group. Control+Alt+Q (Win), Option+Shift+Q (Mac) Show the Question Pools Manager dialog box Control+Alt+S (Win only)
Page 26 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Workspace Shortcut key Action Shift+Control+C (Win), Shift+ Control+C (Mac) Add a new text caption (Edit and Storyboard views only) Shift+Control+D (Win), Command+Shift+D (Mac) View slide properties Shift+Control+E (Win), Shift+Command+E (Mac) Insert a new zoom area (Edit and Storyboard views only)
Page 27 Preview project in browser Change shortcut keys for recording Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). In the Preferences dialog box, select Keys from the Recording menu. To change keys, click once in one of the text boxes and, on the keyboard, press the key or key combination you want to use.
Page 28: Undoing And Redoing Actions
USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Workspace Note: If your Adobe Captivate movie will be displayed in a browser, set shortcut keys that do not conflict with common browser shortcuts. For example, F1 is frequently used as a keyboard shortcut to display Help.
Page 29: Chapter 3: Creating Projects
Chapter 3: Creating Projects About Adobe Captivate projects An Adobe Captivate project is a set of slides that are played in a desired sequence as a movie. Start creating an Adobe Captivate project using one of the following options on the Welcome screen: Choose a predefined template for your project.
Page 30: Create Projects
Create projects Create a project by recording You can create an Adobe Captivate project by recording events in an application or screen area on your computer. The following modes of recording are available. Adobe Captivate captures screenshots automatically and places them in separate slides. For...
Page 31 Displays a bounding box with dimensions corresponding to that of the project. Resize the handles of the box Crop to select the area that you want displayed on the slide. If you selected Constrain Proportions, Adobe Captivate maintains the height-to-width ratio of the bounding box.
Page 32 Note: The placeholder objects are not visible when you preview or publish a project created with a project template. In addition to placeholders, you can add all Adobe Captivate objects and supported media to templates. The template serves as guidance only. Users can change the objects and placeholders without any restriction when creating a project from the template.
Page 33: Customizing The Project Size
Enable backup file creation Adobe Captivate creates a backup file for your project when you save it. When you re-save the project, the changes are saved to the backup file too. The backup file is saved with a .bak extension.
Page 34 Note: The size of the backup file might be larger than that of your main project. Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). In the Preferences dialog box, select General Settings from the Global menu.
Page 35: Chapter 4: Recording Projects
You can later edit the text in these captions. A click box is an object in Adobe Captivate that designates an area around the place where the mouse was Click Boxes clicked during recording.
Page 36 Adobe Captivate. Using the custom mode, you can create a project that is part demo, part training, and also provide for assessment. None of the Adobe Captivate objects are added by default during recording in the Custom mode.
Page 37 “mini movie” within the larger project. You know that full motion recording has begun by looking at the Adobe Captivate icon in the system tray (lower-right corner of your computer screen). When you are recording normally, the icon appears as a regular icon. When full motion recording automatically begins, the icon flashes.
Page 38: Hide Recording Icons And Info In The Recording Window
• If you are adding commentary during recording, select the type of audio input. • To change the default settings that Adobe Captivate uses when recording, click Settings. For more information on customizing recording preferences, see “Set recording preferences” on page 33 Click the Record In Selected Mode button .
Page 39: Record Additional Slides
You can also add slides by importing them from other Adobe Captivate projects or PowerPoint presentations. Pause while recording projects You can pause while recording an Adobe Captivate project. Any action performed after a project is paused is not recorded.
Page 40: Set Recording Preferences
Note: You can change the keys that you want to use for pausing or resuming projects in the Preferences dialog box. Set recording preferences Adobe Captivate uses a default set of preferences for panning and other settings when recording or creating projects. You can customize these preferences using the various options available in the Preferences dialog box.
Page 41 Preferences dialog box. You can also set options to optimize the size of the FMR SWF file and set the color mode for the SWF file. Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). In the Preferences dialog box, select FMR from the Recording menu.
Page 42 Set Preferences for the different modes Some of the options for recording modes are disabled in Adobe Captivate. The reason for disabling the options is based on the logic for recording in that mode. However, you can still enable some of the options if you have a special requirement.
Page 43: Recording Tips
“Highlight boxes” on page 75 Recording tips The following tips and tricks can help you create Adobe Captivate projects quickly and easily, while also giving you professional, high-quality results: Even for projects that need a few manually generated screenshots, consider Use automatic recording as far as possible automatic recording.
Page 44: Chapter 5: Slides
Much of the work you do in Adobe Captivate is done at the slide level. In fact, after you have set your preferences and completed your recording, you will probably work nearly exclusively at the slide level until you are ready to preview and publish your project.
Page 45 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Slides Adding a master slide To add additional master slides, select Insert > Slide > Master Slides. Though a project can have multiple master slides, you can link a slide to only one master slide.
Page 46: Slide Properties
DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Slides Editing Master slides Artifacts of a master slide can only be modified on the master slide. That is, you cannot edit the properties of master slide objects on the slide that inherits the master slide.
Page 47 A draft of the default e-mail editor opens with the e-mail address specified in the To field. Send E-mail To Adobe Captivate runs the specified JavaScript. Execute JavaScript Adobe Captivate runs the script written using the application. Execute Advanced Actions When the user performs the required action, the specified hidden object is made visible Show When the user performs the required action, the specified object is hidden from the user.
Page 48: Add Slides
Record additional slides for a project There may be cases in which you record an Adobe Captivate project and begin working at the slide level, only to realize that you need to record a few more slides. In this case, you probably don't want to rerecord the entire project but just a few actions.
Page 49 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Slides The slide or slides you selected are duplicated and placed in the project. You can edit and work with the new slides just like the original slides. Insert blank slides In an open project, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the slide after which you want the new blank slide or slides to appear.
Page 50: Delete And Edit Slides
Preferences dialog box, regardless of the rate prior to when the file is imported. The default setting is 30 Flash frames per second and is appropriate in most cases. You may need to change the rate if you are embedding your Adobe Captivate SWF file in another SWF file that has a frame rate different than 30.
Page 51 Editing background images Adobe Captivate provides an easy way to copy slides to the clipboard. You can then paste the slide into a graphics editing program (for example, Fireworks® or Photoshop), edit the image, and then paste it back into Adobe Captivate.
Page 52: Lock Slides
Lock slides Adobe Captivate gives you the option to lock individual slides. When you lock a slide, all objects on the slide can be viewed but not edited. This feature is useful if you want to send your project to others for review but do not want them to make changes to objects.
Page 53: Group Slides
DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Slides Group slides When the number of slides becomes unmanageable, you can group them. By expanding and collapsing groups, you can view subsets of the slides instead of all slides at once. Groups also provide a useful overview for the project, and they provide a convenient way of deleting or hiding multiple slides at once (for example, slides that you don’t want to...
Page 54: Slide Notes
Slide notes You can add slide notes and convert them into an audio file using the text-to-speech converter in Adobe Captivate. You can also convert slide notes to closed captioned text. Unlike slide notes, closed captioned text appears on the slide during runtime.
Page 55 Resolving the, “unable to decode and import the selected wav - mp3 file” error This error might be displayed when you are using Adobe Captivate on Windows Vista. You must register the Adobe DLL to fix this error.
Page 56: Slide Transitions
• Add sound. Adobe Captivate makes it easy to add sound to projects, and sound is very powerful in an introduction. You can add existing sound files or record your own voice-over. You can include a welcome message or play some appropriate music.
Page 57: Chapter 6: Adding And Managing Objects
DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 Chapter 6: Adding and Managing Objects Objects are different elements that you can add to Adobe Captivate slides. Adobe Captivate has many different types of objects. Types of objects Adobe Captivate provides various objects that you can use to enhance the usability and interactivity of your Adobe Captivate project.
Page 58: Object Style
To apply the style to an object, select the object and then select an object style from the Properties panel. Specifying default object styles for the current project Open the project for which you want to specify the default object styles. Go to Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). To specify •...
Page 59 Adding and Managing Objects Specifying default object styles for all projects Close all projects in Adobe Captivate. Go to Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). To specify • The default object styles while recording, click Recording > Defaults in the Category list, and then specify the styles.
Page 60: Object Effects
Object effects help you quickly draw users' attention to the required objects on a slide. To see the effects that you can apply to objects, select an object, go to Window > Effects, and click You can create effects in Adobe Flash and use them in Adobe Captivate. For more information, see Showing and hiding the Effects panel Go to Windows menu, and then click Effects.
Page 61 (Windows) \Applications\Adobe Captivate 5\Gallery\Effects (Mac OS). Creating custom effects in Adobe Flash You can save the classic tweens as XML files in Flash and then use the effects in Adobe Captivate. To select and apply an effect created in Flash, select the object, click in Window >...
Page 62: Manage Library Objects
Group the effect parameters by keyframes. You can use the ‘separator’ type to group related properties. • Check if the XML file of the effect exported from Flash is valid, before using it in Adobe Captivate. To do so, open the XML file in a browser or an XML editor.
Page 63: Managing Objects With The Main Options Toolbar
The new objects now appear in your current project Library, even if you dragged them directly onto a slide. You can reuse them as many times as you want. Note: After you open the Library of another Adobe Captivate project, that project stays in the Open Library menu. You can quickly access that project Library at any time.
Page 64 Simply copy and paste the object into any new projects you create. Note: To reuse media objects from another Adobe Captivate project, open that project Library from within your current project Library. Then drag objects directly onto a slide or into the current project Library for easy reuse.
Page 65: Align Objects
Align objects Align multiple objects on a slide If you have multiple objects on a slide, Adobe Captivate can automatically and perfectly align the objects for you. This is an easy way to create precise and professional-looking project slides. You have many options for aligning objects both vertically and horizontally. Some of the alignment options depend upon the location of the anchor object.
Page 66 Timeline. Align objects with the grid Adobe Captivate contains an optional grid that you can display while working on individual slides. The grid lets you more accurately place and position objects on a slide.
Page 67: Resize And Reposition Objects By Pixel
Change the display order of objects Adobe Captivate lets you add multiple objects, such as captions, highlight boxes, animations, or images to slides. You specify the order in which objects appear. Use the Timeline to precisely adjust the timing of all objects on a slide.
Page 68: Edit Object Information In The Advanced Interaction Dialog Box
DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Adding and Managing Objects The merging feature is useful in several situations. For example, suppose you import a large image into a slide that contains other objects. You can merge the image into the slide so that it becomes a static background for the other objects.
Page 69 This option allows the interactive object to carry a score for the overall project quiz. If you select Include In Quiz this option, Adobe Captivate adds the score from the object to the overall score. (Selecting this option selects the Include In Quiz option in the Reporting area of the Properties inspector).
Page 70: Chapter 7: Noninteractive Objects And Media
When you are not using voice-over narration, you can use text captions instead. The only way in which you can add plain text to a slide in Adobe Captivate is using transparent text Add text to a slide captions.
Page 71 “Object style” on page 51 General Displays the types of captions available in Adobe Captivate. Each text caption type is named, and a small Caption Type thumbnail image shows what the text caption looks like. Note: When adding or modifying a text caption, select the caption type before setting the style and format of text in a caption.
Page 72 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Noninteractive Objects and Media Time for the caption to completely disappear. Out [#] Seconds More Help topics “Set audio for noninteractive objects” on page 100 “Fix size and position of noninteractive objects” on page 101...
Page 73 When you record projects or record additional slides for projects, Adobe Captivate can automatically create text captions based upon the action recorded. For example, if you record the action of selecting the File menu, Adobe Captivate can automatically add a text caption that reads “Select File menu” on the same slide.
Page 74 Automatically resize text captions Adobe Captivate can automatically resize a text caption according to the amount of text in the text caption. If you edit the text, the caption is resized to accommodate the altered text. This is an easy way to keep your text captions looking balanced and proportional.
Page 75 In the Object Name and the Event Name tags, change the text for Default Template And Template Attributes to the specified language. Save the file. In the Preferences dialog box (Edit > Preferences (on Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (on Mac OS)), select Recording > Settings in Category. In the Generate Captions In, select the added language.
Page 76 Open the completed project. Select File > Export > Project Captions and Closed Captions. By default, the Word (DOC) file is saved to your My Documents\My Adobe Captivate Projects folder (on Windows) and /Users/<username>/Documents/My Adobe Captivate Projects folder (on Mac OS). Change the location if you want.
Page 77 Brightblue5.bmp, an image with a callout to the lower left Storing custom text caption styles You must store all the bitmap images for a custom text caption style in the Adobe Captivate Captions folder located in C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Captivate 4\Gallery\Captions (on Windows) and /Applications/Adobe Captivate 5/Gallery/Captions (on Mac OS).
Page 78 FCM files. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Captivate 5\Gallery\Captions (on Windows) or /Applications/Adobe Captivate 5/Gallery/Captions (on Mac OS). All the text caption BMP and corresponding FCM files are located in this folder. Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the FCM file you want to edit, and select Open With.
Page 79 Import text captions You can import text captions from a DOC file. First, you export the text captions from your Adobe Captivate project. Adobe Captivate creates a DOC file that preserves all the formatting from the text captions. While the text captions are in DOC format, you can make text and formatting changes in a word-processing program.
Page 80: Rollover Captions
Arial and the color to the default blue. In an open project, select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). In the Category panel, select Modes under the Recording menu.
Page 81 When you record a new project or record additional slides for an existing project, you can set a recording option that requires Adobe Captivate to convert tooltips to rollover captions. When this option is selected, Adobe Captivate creates a rollover caption for every tooltip that is selected during the recording process.
Page 82: Highlight Boxes
DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Noninteractive Objects and Media Highlight boxes Use highlight boxes tospotlight areas within a slide. Highlight boxes focus the user’s attention on the required areas of the slide. Properties of highlight boxes Use the Properties Inspector (Window > Properties) of the highlight box to customize it.
Page 83: Mouse
• Select this option to use a SWF file as a visual click effect. Adobe Captivate includes two effects you can Custom use. Test them by clicking the pop-up menu, selecting one, and then clicking Play. View the effect in the small preview window on the right.
Page 84 Select the slide and then select Slide > Mouse > Show Mouse. Hide the pointer for the entire project In an open project, select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). In the Category panel, expand Project, and select Publish Settings.
Page 85 You may need the pointer to be completely still during the playback of a slide and have it align properly with the previous or next slide. In this case, it is difficult to manually position the pointer correctly. Adobe Captivate can solve the problem by automatically aligning the pointer to the same position as the previous or next slide in the project.
Page 86: Rollover Slidelets
Rollover slidelets In Adobe Captivate, a rollover slidelet is a space on a slide that displays an associated slidelet (a slide within a slide) when the mouse is moved over the space. You can insert and display objects in the slidelet using the same procedure as that for the slides.
Page 87 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Noninteractive Objects and Media Properties of slidelets Select the slidelet and use the Properties Inspector (Window > Properties) to set the following properties of a slidelet: Slidelet Enter a unique name for the object. You can use this name when defining the visibility conditions for the Item Name object.
Page 88 Note: If your Adobe Captivate project is displayed in a browser, set keyboard shortcuts that do not conflict with common browser shortcuts. For example, F1 is frequently used as a keyboard shortcut to display Help on Windows. The Control, Alt, and Shift keys map to the Control, Option, and Shift keys on Macintosh®...
Page 89: Zoom Areas
DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Noninteractive Objects and Media To select all objects in a slidelet, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) an object within a slidelet, and choose Select All from the pop-up menu. Zoom areas Zoom areas help you draw the learner’s attention to important sections of a slide.
Page 90: Images And Rollover Images
Adobe Captivate contains a gallery of buttons, sounds, and animations (in SWF format) for you to use in your projects. By default, the gallery is stored in the following location when you install Adobe Captivate: C:\Program...
Page 91 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Noninteractive Objects and Media Properties of images and rollover images You can change the properties of an image using the Image Edit area of the Properties Inspector (Window > Properties) after selecting the image on the slide.
Page 92 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Noninteractive Objects and Media Timing Specifies how long the image is displayed on the slide. Display For [Time] Delay between the first appearance of the slide and the first appearance of the image.
Page 93 OS), and then select Edit PSD Source File. You can also edit the file from image properties (Window > Properties). Update PSD files If the files in the Adobe Captivate library and the original files are not in sync, the status column in the library changes from...
Page 94: Drawing Tools
Drawing tools You can use the drawing tools in Adobe Captivate to create artwork for your projects. Drawing tools help you create basic shapes within Adobe Captivate so that you don’t have to create and import them from other applications.
Page 95 To draw an object once, click the corresponding icon in the toolbar and drag the pointer on the Stage to create the object. Adobe Captivate resets to the Select tool after an object is created on Stage. To draw the same type of object many times over (multiple drawing mode), click the corresponding icon on the drawing toolbar while pressing the Control key (on Windows) or Cmd (on Mac OS).
Page 96 Resize drawing objects • To manually resize objects, use the selection tool. Adobe Captivate does not have a separate transformation tool. You can resize any object after selecting it. Move the cursor over the corners of objects, and when the relevant cursor appears, resize the object to the required dimensions.
Page 97: Animations
Adobe Captivate lets you add animation to Adobe Captivate SWF files. This introduces an element of motion that is effective and eye-catching for users. Add existing animation files to a slide or use the animated text feature in Adobe Captivate.
Page 98 Link to the source FLA file of the animation SWF file. Source Click to edit the FLA file using Adobe Flash from with Adobe Captivate. Edit The transparency of the animation file. A high Alpha value results in a bright version of the animation file and Alpha a lower value in a dimmer animation.
Page 99 Note: Device fonts are not displayed in Adobe Captivate. If you import an animation file containing text created with device fonts, the animation appears in Adobe Captivate, but the text will not. For animations that will be imported into Adobe Captivate, try to use embedded fonts for text.
Page 100: Flv/F4V
DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Noninteractive Objects and Media More Help topics “Set audio for noninteractive objects” on page 100 “Fix size and position of noninteractive objects” on page 101 Properties of animated text Use the Text Animation Properties dialog box of the animated text to set its properties.
Page 101 Buffer Time (appears only when the selected video type is Streaming Video or Flash Video Streaming Service) the amount (time) of video that must be loaded before the video plays in the Adobe Captivate project. (The length of actual time it takes to stream video varies depending on the user’s bandwidth.)
Page 102 You can easily add an existing FLV/F4V file to your project. Note: Only FLV/F4V files with metadata play in Adobe Captivate projects. If the inserted file does not have metadata, use third-party software like FLVMDI to add metadata to the file.
Page 103: Using Slide Video
USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Noninteractive Objects and Media You can fix most of these problems by changing the video quality of the slide. Adobe Captivate provides four levels of video quality, even though only the Low option is suggested for most uses.
Page 104 In the View import options, select the appropriate choice and then click OK. A slide video can be imported to multiple slides (a video slide group). Adobe Captivate retains the grouping. You can insert the same video to another slide or a group of slides in the same project.
Page 105 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Noninteractive Objects and Media • Add a beginning slide and an end slide: For effective control over video distribution, you can, if necessary add slides prior to the first slide or after the last slide in your project. This is useful if unused video is present in the beginning or end.
Page 106 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Noninteractive Objects and Media Using audio You cannot associate additional audio to a slide video. Therefore, Adobe recommends that you use audio in file and not audio as object as synchronization might not be proper. Setting timing ❖...
Page 107: Set Audio For Noninteractive Objects
Displays the Import Audio dialog box. This dialog box lets you browse to an audio file and import it. Import Opens the Library. The Library lists all audio files that are already part of the currently open Adobe Library Captivate project.
Page 108: Fix Size And Position Of Noninteractive Objects
DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Noninteractive Objects and Media Specifies the time for the audio to fade in to full volume. Fade In [#] Seconds Specifies the time for the audio to fade out to silence. Fade Out [#] Seconds Fix size and position of noninteractive objects To specify the exact size and position of the object, in the Properties Inspector (Window >...
Page 109: Chapter 8: Interactive Objects
A draft of the default e-mail editor opens with the e-mail address specified in the To field. Send E-mail To Adobe Captivate runs the specified JavaScript. Execute JavaScript Adobe Captivate runs the script written in Adobe Captivate. Execute Advanced Actions When the user performs the required action, the specified hidden object is made visible Show When the user performs the required action, the specified object is hidden from the user.
Page 110: Click Boxes
Unless specified as a double-click or right-click box in the properties, click boxes act as left-click boxes. You can recognize the different kinds of click boxes by their associated icons. Right-click boxes are not supported in the following cases and act as left-click boxes after you publish the Adobe Captivate project.
Page 111 • If you select the Open URL Or File option and specify a URL, the URL is visible when you edit the slide in Adobe Captivate. However, it is not visible to the user. To show the URL, create a simple image with the URL text on the image.
Page 112 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Interactive Objects Specifies the time for the audio to fade out to silence. Fade Out [#] Stops playing the audio file associated with the slide when you click inside the click box Stop Slide Audio When Clicked area.
Page 113: Text Entry Boxes
Text entry boxes are text fields into which users can enter text. Text entry boxes are a great way to test users’ knowledge. After the user answers a question, Adobe Captivate matches the answer with the answers that you have set when creating the text entry box.
Page 114 • If you select the Open URL Or File option and specify a URL, the URL is visible when you edit the slide in Adobe Captivate. However, it is not visible to the user. To show the URL, create a simple image with the URL text on the image.
Page 115 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Interactive Objects Timing Specifies how long the text entry box is displayed on the slide. Display For Specifies the delay between the first appearance of the slide and the first appearance of the text entry box.
Page 116: Buttons
Buttons You can increase the interactivity of your Adobe Captivate projects by adding buttons. To quickly add a button, use the default button style (a plain, white rectangle) or import custom button images you have created. You can size and position buttons on a slide.
Page 117 • If you select the Open URL Or File option and specify a URL, the URL is visible when you edit the slide in Adobe Captivate. However, it is not visible to the user. To show the URL, create a simple image with the URL text on the image.
Page 118 Interactive Objects Note: If your Adobe Captivate project is displayed in a browser, set keyboard shortcuts that do not conflict with common browser shortcuts. For example, F1 is frequently used as a keyboard shortcut to display Help. The Control, Alt, and Shift keys map to the Control, Option, and Shift keys on Macintosh®...
Page 119 To change the properties of the text entry box, click the box and change the properties in the Property inspector. Automatically resize buttons You can configure Adobe Captivate to automatically resize a button or caption according to the amount of text in the button. If you edit the text, the button changes size to accommodate the new text.
Page 120 Note: If your Adobe Captivate project is displayed in a browser, set keyboard shortcuts that do not conflict with common browser shortcuts. For example, F1 is frequently used as a keyboard shortcut to display Help. The Control, Alt, and Shift keys map to the Control, Option, and Shift keys on Macintosh®...
Page 121 Add JavaScript to boxes and buttons You can add JavaScript to click boxes, text entry boxes, and buttons in Adobe Captivate projects. The JavaScript can run when a user clicks inside or outside the box or button. Using JavaScript gives you the opportunity to extend projects in numerous ways while adding interactivity.
Page 122 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Interactive Objects Note: To use the Library option, the Adobe Captivate project must contain one or more audio files. If the project has no audio files, the Library option is unavailable. In the Select Audio From The Library dialog box, select the audio file, and click OK. To use an audio file that does not exist in the library, click Import.
Page 123: Chapter 9: Widgets
For example, users of a pie chart widget can customize the size and colors of the different segments of the chart. The base code for creating different types of widgets for Adobe Captivate is available in Flash. Developers can use this base code for widgets inserted in Adobe Captivate.
Page 124 Preview the slide. When you move the pointer over the button, the Button widget glows. Question widget You can use question widgets to add new question types in Adobe Captivate. If you are a developer trying to create a question widget in Flash, you can explore the code for the sequence question widget.
Page 125 Compress the folder and name the ZIP file, giving it a .wdgt extension. Place the ZIP file in the Widgets folder. The path to this folder is \\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Captivate <version number>\Gallery\ (on Windows) and /Applications/Adobe Captivate 5/Gallery (on Mac OS).
Page 126: Create Widgets
Create widgets Create static widgets In Adobe Captivate, select File > New > Widget in Flash. In the Create New Widget dialog box, select Static in the Widget menu and then click OK. In Flash, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the Actions layer in the Timeline, and select Actions.
Page 127 ZIP the file, and change the extension of the zipped file to .wdgt. Properties of widgets In addition to the parameters defined by the widget developer, Adobe Captivate allows you to set properties for widgets. You can modify the properties of a widget using its Properties Inspector (Windows > Properties).
Page 128 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Widgets Transition Transition effect for the widget. You can apply a fade in or fade out effect, and set the time for the fading effects. Effect Action The options available if the user successfully fulfills the criteria specified in the widget. For more...
Page 129: Defining Visibility Mode For Widgets
Click Import to display the Import Audio dialog box. This dialog box lets you browse to an audio file and import it. Click Library to open the Library. The Library lists all audio files that are already part of the currently open Adobe Captivate project.
Page 130 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Widgets • Property Inspector • During run time • Optimize the code for drawing. Excessive use of this code can slow down the player. The widget dialog box might not disappear even after the OK button is clicked.
Page 131: Using Xml In Widgets
_parameters; This code segment creates an object named and assigns the field to it. When the _parameters country _parameters object returns, Adobe Captivate stores it in XML format for future use (for example, for publishing in a certain language).
Page 132: Using Variables In Widgets
Flash ActionScript Dictionary Using variables in widgets To use an Adobe Captivate variable in widgets, specify the variable within $$. You can use both user-defined and system variables in widgets. The widget can get and set variables within the Captivate demo.
Page 133: Accessing Adobe Captivate Movie Properties
For example, movieHandle.replaceVariables( $$JohnDoe$$ scored returns "JohnDoe scored 10 out of $$cpQuizInfoPointsscored$$ out of $$cpQuizInfoTotalQuizPoints$$) 100" assuming that JohnDoe scored 10 points out of the total 100 that was set in Adobe Captivate. Return the properties of the container. getContainerProps() •...
Page 134 Indexing begins with 0. endFrame Returns the properties of the Adobe Captivate movie that is closest to the hierarchy of the widget. The getMovieProps returned object has the following members: •...
Page 135: Question Widgets
== "Question Slide" ) { myLabel.Text = "" ; Ensure that operations are carried out during Adobe Captivate runtime only when the widget is enabled. Operations (particularly ) when the widget is not enabled might lead to unexpected results.
Page 136: Add Widgets
By default, the widgets available in the Widget gallery appear in the Widget panel. The Widget gallery is created in the \\Program files\Adobe\Adobe Captivate 5\Gallery\Widgets (on Windows) and /Applications/Adobe Captivate 5/Gallery/Widgets (on Mac OS) when you install the application. The Widget panel shows only those widgets created using the ActionScript version 3.0.
Page 137: Chapter 10: Audio
Importing audio files into the movie after you complete recording it. • Converting slide notes to speech using the Convert to Speech option. You can add audio to any of the following in Adobe Captivate: • Slides • Project •...
Page 138 Adding audio files to Adobe Captivate project. After you add the audio to the Adobe Captivate project, listen to it again. Play the project as users Additional feedback normally would. Finally, ask others to preview the Adobe Captivate SWF/audio file. If necessary, edit the audio file again.
Page 139 “downward,” compressing them into mp3 files uniquely tailored to their playback scenario. When working with audio, keep your users in mind. If a user is likely to access the Adobe Captivate project by using a dial-up modem, use a higher compression/lower sampling rate, such as 56 Kbps. However, if you are distributing the project on a CD-ROM, you can use a lower compression/higher sampling rate, such as 144 Kbps.
Page 140 Note: Adobe Captivate must be able to detect a recording device before trying to calibrate. Check that a microphone or recording device using “line in” is connected to your computer properly and is turned on before calibrating.
Page 141 When you finish, click Save. Record audio while creating a project Adobe Captivate lets you record an audio track at the same time you record a new Adobe Captivate project. This can be a very efficient way to create a full-featured project quickly.
Page 142: Insert Audio
Adobe Captivate lets you add narration, music, step-by-step instructions, or almost any sound to your projects. You can use audio in Adobe Captivate projects in a variety of ways. For example, you can do the following, all in the same project: •...
Page 143 Audio After you add audio to a project, you can adjust the timing of objects to fit the sound file precisely. Adobe Captivate also contains features for adding silence to audio files and for normalizing audio for all slides so the sound level is consistent.
Page 144: Preview Audio
Note: Before overwriting the file, you may want to copy and place the original KeyClick.mp3 file in a backup folder so it can be used again if necessary. Copy the new keyboard tap sound from the location in step 3 above, and paste it into the Adobe Captivate sound effects folder.
Page 145: Edit Audio
Edit audio Edit audio files You can edit the audio files in your Adobe Captivate project at any time. Using the Edit Audio dialog box, you can listen to an audio file, insert silence, adjust volume, and change numerous other options.
Page 146 Click to increase or decrease the sound level of the audio file. There is also an option to fine-tune Adjust Volume quieter portions of the audio file. • Select this option to have Adobe Captivate adjust the sound volume automatically. Normalizing Normalize audio helps keep the sound level consistent between slides. •...
Page 147 Add silence to an audio file You can add a period of silence to any audio file that is part of an Adobe Captivate project. This feature is particularly useful if you have imported an audio file and need to synchronize the audio with objects and slides. By adding silent periods, you can make the existing audio file work in an Adobe Captivate project without having to edit the audio extensively.
Page 148 Edit audio using Adobe Soundbooth You can use Adobe Soundbooth to edit audio when you want to go beyond the audio editing options available in Adobe Captivate. You can either edit the audio files from slides or batch process by opening multiple audio files for editing in Adobe Soundbooth using the Library panel.
Page 149 If you modify the exported audio files in Adobe Captivate, they are overridden by the files edited and reimported from Adobe Soundbooth. But if you delete or break the audio files into clips in Adobe Captivate, then those files are not reimported.
Page 150: View Audio Details
Size The original name of the sound file. Original Filename The name of the file after you have renamed it in Adobe Captivate. If you have not renamed the file, the Display Name original name is displayed. This rate is the number of times per second the original waveform is translated into digital Audio Sample Rate (kHz) form.
Page 151: Export Audio
DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Audio Indicates whether a transcript of the dialogue or sound effects has been included in the audio file. Closed Caption Slide settings Plays the audio for the selected slide. Play Stops the audio from playing.
Page 152: Chapter 11: Variables And Advanced Actions
User-defined You can use user-defined variables to store data that is used or updated many times in the Adobe Captivate project. Each variable has a unique name, and a value corresponding to the text that is stored in it. When you modify the value...
Page 153 Customize Adobe Captivate to your requirements: You can use variables in advanced actions to provide advanced interactivity in your Adobe Captivate projects. • Integrate Adobe Captivate with other applications: You can use get/set variables in Adobe Captivate from other applications. Create a user-defined variable Select Project >...
Page 154 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Variables and Advanced Actions _highquality default menu tabChildren _lockroot delete mouseChildren tabEnabled _name mouseEnabled tabIndex _parent double mouseX textSnapshot _quality doubleClickEnabled mouseY this _rotation dropTarget name throw _soundbuftime dynamic namespace throws _target...
Page 155 Controlling Adobe Captivate projects with variables You can control Adobe Captivate projects with variables that you can set on the Timeline. Controlling a project with variables is useful if you want to create custom SWF playback controls or if you are putting a project into an FLA file.
Page 156: Advanced Actions
Adobe Captivate. During scripting, it is possible for you to combine actions defined during scripting with predefined actions in Adobe Captivate. Best practice is that you go through the tutorial to get a better understanding of the possibilities of scripting in Adobe Captivate.
Page 157: Tutorial On Scripting
“Variables” on page 145 Tutorial on scripting The following tutorial helps you get started with using scripting in Adobe Captivate. You have been asked to create a login slide with fields to enter the user name and password. When the user enters the correct values, the following actions take place: •...
Page 158 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Variables and Advanced Actions When the user enters incorrect information, a text caption is displayed asking the user to reenter information. Create variables for the project Select Project > Variables. Create a variable named , with the value .
Page 159 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Variables and Advanced Actions • Move to the next slide if the information is correct. • Stay at the login slide if the information is incorrect and display a text caption requesting the user to reenter the login information.
Page 160: Assign Advanced Actions To An Event
In the Property Inspector (Window > Properties), select Execute Advanced Actions (in Action Area > On Enter). Click the Browse icon. In the Advanced Actions dialog box, specify the details. Click Close. Captivate SWF events The following table lists the SWF events that are signaled by Adobe Captivate: Event Signaled when CPMovieStartEvent The movie starts playing...
Page 161 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Variables and Advanced Actions Example eventHandle.addEventListener(CPMovieStartEvent.CPMOVIESTARTEVENT,CPEventHandler); where eventHandle = movieHandle.getMovieProps().eventDispatcher; This example illustrates how to print a message when Adobe Captivate movie starts playing. function CPEventHandler(e:Event):void switch(e.type) case CPMovieStartEvent.CPMOVIESTARTEVENT: var startEvt : CPMovieStartEvent; startEvt = e as CPMovieStartEvent;...
Page 162: Chapter 12: Creating A Quiz
Chapter 12: Creating a Quiz You can create a quiz to assess the user’s understanding of the demonstrated feature. Adobe Captivate provides a wide variety of question slides that you can incorporate into your quiz. You can keep your quiz unpredictable by picking questions from a question pool, or by shuffling the answers for a question every time the slide is displayed.
Page 163 You can set the minimum score required to pass a quiz. You can also define the action that should take place after the user passes or fails a test. Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). In the Preferences dialog box, select Pass or Fail from the Quiz menu.
Page 164 If Passing Grade section. Set question slide preferences Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). In the Preferences dialog box, select Default Labels from the Quiz menu. Change the default labels that appear on the Submit, Clear, Skip, and Back buttons in the Default Question Button Labels section.
Page 165: General Workflow For Question Slides
USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Creating a Quiz To set preferences for progress indicator, Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). In the Preferences dialog box, select Quiz > Settings. In the Settings section, select Show Progress.
Page 166 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Creating a Quiz Specify whether the question is a graded or survey question. Use this option if you are trying to evaluate the user using the score you have assigned for the Graded Question question.
Page 167 Send e-mail to Adobe Captivate runs the specified JavaScript. Execute JavaScript Adobe Captivate runs the script written using the application. Execute Advanced Action When the user performs the required action on the object, the specified hidden object is made visible Show When the user performs the required action on the object, the specified object is hidden from the user.
Page 168: Create Question Slides
(LMS) if this option is not selected. However, details of the quiz, such as the total score, result, and quiz state, are still sent to the LMS. If you want the Adobe Captivate project (SWF file) to send tracking information to your LMS, enter the Interaction ID interaction ID specified by your LMS.
Page 169 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Creating a Quiz More Help topics “General workflow for question slides” on page 158 Create a fill-in-the-blank question slide Follow the general workflow for creating a question slide. Add a Fill-In-The-Blank question slide.
Page 170 The hotspot area appears on the slide. You can place this hotspot area over any object on the slide. Note: To edit messages you’ve selected to show to the user, select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). In the Quiz menu, select Default Labels and modify the messages.
Page 171 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Creating a Quiz To make the hand icon appear when the mouse is moved over the hotspot, select Show hand cursor over hit area (in the General area of Property Inspector). Click Settings to select whether to apply all the properties or only the changed properties to the respective slide or to all the slides.
Page 172: Question Pools And Random Questions
You can insert question widgets created as SWF files in Flash into Adobe Captivate. Developers creating the question widget in Flash must use a template code for efficient integration of the question widget into Adobe Captivate. For more information, see “Create question...
Page 173 Send e-mail to Adobe Captivate runs the specified JavaScript. Execute JavaScript Adobe Captivate runs the script written using the application. Execute Advanced Actions When the user performs the required action on the object, the value of the specified variable set inside Assign the text caption.
Page 174 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Creating a Quiz Repeat the procedure to add more questions to the question pool. Moving question slides to a question pool You can move a question slide or a group of question slides to a question pool. The question slide is removed from the main project and placed in the question pool.
Page 175: Chapter 13: Advanced Editing And Project Reviews
Project properties are visible to users from the Information button that is included with all playback controls. It is important to set project properties if you are creating 508-compliant accessible projects. Select Edit > Preferences > Project > Information (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences > Project > Information (Mac OS)and specify the following properties: Name of the author or authors of the project.
Page 176 Choosing this option can increase the time taken to preview or publish the project. Define how a project starts and ends Select Edit > Preferences > Project > Start And End (Windows) or or Adobe Captivate > Preferences > Project > Start And End (Mac OS) and specify the following preferences: The movie starts playing as soon as it is downloaded.
Page 177 Advanced Editing and Project Reviews You can also create a SWF file to use as a loading screen. In the Adobe Captivate Preloaders folder, there is a sample SWF file and FLA file named DefaultPreloader. You can use these files as templates to create your own SWF file. If you...
Page 178 If you want to set the time of the caption automatically in accordance with the amount of data in it, select Calculate Caption Timing. Adobe Captivate calculates the time that the viewer requires to read the text and applies it to the text caption.
Page 179: Edit Fmr Files
Merge multiple FMR files • Split the file Note: Editing FMR SWFs created using other applications or other versions of Adobe Captivate can lead to unpredicable results. Trim FMR SWF files Select the slide that contains the FMR SWF file.
Page 180: Skins
Import the edited FMR SWF You must save the edited FMR SWF file before importing it into the Adobe Captivate project using File > Save. The changes are reflected in the FMR file that in the library.
Page 181 You can create custom Flash playback controls for your project. When creating custom SWF playback controls, follow these guidelines: • Store the source FLA file of the skin in the following location: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Captivate 5\Templates\PlaybackFLA. • Do not change the control names or symbols.
Page 182 - icoThumbBase (upper-left) • Store the published SWF file of the skin in the following location: <Installation Directory> \Gallery\Playback\SwfBars (on Windows); /Applications/Adobe Captivate 5/Gallery/Playback/SwfBars (on Mac OS). The Skin Editor picks the file from this location. Flash button-naming conventions Each SWF button contains three layers: a button, an icon, and an action layer.
Page 183: Table Of Contents (Toc)
Table of contents (TOC) You can generate a table of contents (TOC) automatically for your Adobe Captivate project. The hierarchy of slides in the project is preserved in the TOC. Grouped slides are displayed as subentries under the group name. The name of the slides and the group are automatically added as in the project.
Page 184 DRAFT Last updated 4/22/2010 USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5 Advanced Editing and Project Reviews • To hide the TOC entry for a slide when the project is played, deselect the option for that slide under the eye icon. The slide is not removed from the project.
Page 185 Enable search in the TOC Adobe Captivate searches for content both within the slides and their labels. Question slides are searched only if you enable the option in the settings panel. Select Project > Table Of Contents.
Page 186: Preview Projects
Previewing a project before and during the editing of a project helps you notice the changes that are required. This way, you can be sure of the final output before you publish it. Open the Adobe Captivate project that you want to preview. In the main toolbar, click the preview icon, and select one of the following options: Plays only the current slide.
Page 187: Combining Multiple Swf Files With Aggregator
(TOC) using the names of the separate modules (SWF files). TOCs of individual modules are displayed under their module name. The Aggregator currently supports SWF files that are published using Adobe Captivate and that use the same ActionScript version.
Page 188: Resize Projects
In the Folder field, enter the path to which the files are published. Alternatively, click Browse to specify the path. Select Publish Files To Folder if you want Adobe Captivate to create a default folder into which the files are published.
Page 189: Spelling And Search
Open an Adobe Captivate project. Select Project > Check Spelling. Alternatively, you can press F7. When Adobe Captivate encounters an unrecognized word, the word appears in the Not In Dictionary text box. Select the appropriate options based on how you want the discrepancy handled: Ignores this instance of the unrecognized word.
Page 190 When you finish, click Close. Set spelling check options Adobe Captivate lets you check spelling in most places where text occurs in your projects, including captions, slide notes, slide names, text animations, and quizzes. Before using the spelling checking feature, review the spelling check options and change them if necessary.
Page 191: Link Adobe Captivate Projects
Search slides and replace content You can use the numerous options available in the Adobe Captivate Find feature to search for information on your slides. Besides text, you can locate different kinds of objects, such as text animation or a rollover image.
Page 192: Creating Accessible Projects
Project action Make sure all the linked projects or files are in the same folder before you use the procedure to link them. Link Adobe Captivate projects to other projects Open the project that must be linked with another project.
Page 193 • Playback controls (The function of each button is read by screen readers) • Password protection (If an Adobe Captivate SWF file is password protected, the prompt for a password is read by screen readers) • Question slides (Title, question, answers, button text, and scoring report are read by screen readers)
Page 194 Creating accessible content Create 508-compliant projects Create an Adobe Captivate project using the Section 508 option to view and test the output. Generating the Adobe Captivate project updates source files containing information about your project and creates output files that you can publish for users.
Page 195 • Accessibility in Adobe Captivate demos works better when all the slides have interactive content. If you are using JAWS 6.1 or later, be aware that JAWS sometimes does not clear the Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) tree.
Page 196: Localizing Adobe Captivate Projects
However, localization also entails editing information for a particular cultural context. Using Adobe Captivate with a localized user interface If you are creating Adobe Captivate projects that show a website or application that has been created in several languages, you can create localized projects for each language.
Page 197 If necessary, adjust the timing or resize the captions so that Adobe Captivate displays all the translated text correctly.
Page 198: Import, Export, And Delete Content
When you export the dynamic content of an Adobe Captivate project to an XML file, you can edit and translate content in the objects using the XML file. You can edit and translate many objects, including project properties, the Menu Manager slides and slide information, and so on.
Page 199 You can export preferences set in one Adobe Captivate project and import them into other Adobe Captivate projects. Preferences are exported as an XML file with a .cpr extension. When this file is imported into another Adobe Captivate project, the preferences defined in the file are set.
Page 200: Using The Air Review Application
Advanced Editing and Project Reviews Using the AIR Review application Creating reviews for Adobe Captivate projects After creating and editing an Adobe Captivate project, the author can publish the project for review on one of the following: • An internal server •...
Page 201 In the Send for Shared Review dialog box, type a name for the review file (CREV file) and then select Automatically Download and Track Comments From Acrobat.com. Provide your Adobe ID and password. If you do not have an Adobe ID, create it using the link provided at the top of the dialog box.
Page 202 • Install the Adobe AIR application on your computer. The installer is provided to you by the author of the Adobe Captivate project. If you have Adobe Captivate installed on your computer, you can locate the installer, AdobeCaptivateReviewer.air, at the location where you installed Adobe Captivate.
Page 203 View or sort comments in the Adobe Captivate project Authors can view and sort comments in the Adobe Captivate project as well as the AIR application. Some of the options available for sorting are available only when the author uses Adobe Captivate to review the project.
Page 204 Comments are also visible on the timeline of individual slides. Authors can use Preview > Play This Slide to view the exact location of comments. Open the project sent for review in Adobe Captivate. Select Window > Comments. The Comments panel appears. Comments posted by reviewers are displayed in the panel.
Page 205: Chapter 14: Publishing Projects
Pro, you can clear the option and decrease the size of the finished project file (SWF). However, if there is the possibility that the output file (SWF) may be used in Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro, it is a good idea to select the Publish Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro Metadata option.
Page 206: Publish A Project As A Swf File
Note: If you select the full screen option, Adobe Captivate generates two HTML files to accommodate the Windows XP Service Pack 2 release. Use both HTML files with the SWF file so that when you publish your project users won’t receive a Service Pack 2 warning message.
Page 207: Publish The Project As An Executable File Or F4V File
Flash Player in a browser. Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat® or Adobe Reader® version 9.0 or later installed on your computer to view the output.
Page 208 To change preferences, click Preferences. Publish the project as an F4V file You can publish your Adobe Captivate project as an F4V file. Open the published F4V file in any of the media players that support the F4V format. Note: All interactivity in your project is lost when you convert the project to an F4V file.
Page 209: Publish Projects To The Web Using Ftp
Servers dialog box. Note: You will not have to create a separate FTP server list for every project because Adobe Captivate saves changes made to the FTP list automatically. These changes are also captured when you import and export preferences.
Page 210: Send Projects Using E-Mail
XML File Note: Instead of publishing an Adobe Captivate project as an XML file, you can export the project content to the XML format and use the XML file to edit and localize to the required language. You can then import the localized XML file to the relevant Adobe Captivate project.
Page 211: Get Reports By E-Mail
Send the URL to the users taking the test. After the users complete the test, they must click the Send E-mail button. Adobe Captivate creates an e-mail message and sends it to your e-mail address. This process happens in the background and usually requires no user intervention.
Page 212: Report To Acrobat.com Or Internal Server
Report to Acrobat.com or internal server If you do not want to use a Learning Management System (LMS) for tracking the quiz scores, Adobe Captivate provides you with alternate reporting options. You can now choose Acrobat.com or an internal web server as your reporting servers.
Page 213 Adobe Captivate Quiz Results Analyzer lets you overcome these constrains. Adobe Captivate Quiz Results Analyzer and Offline reporting Adobe Captivate Quiz Results Analyzer is an AIR-based desktop application that allows you to analyze quiz results that are posted on Acrobat.com or internal server. Use this tool to: •...
Page 214 Installing the Quiz Analyzer You do not require Adobe Captivate installed on your machine to use Adobe Captivate Quiz Results Analyzer. Download the Quiz Results Analyzer.air from Adobe website or run it from the location where Adobe Captivate is installed.
Page 215: Chapter 15: Using Adobe Captivate With Other Applications
Editing an embedded presentation does not affect its source file. However, embedding increases the file size of the Adobe Captivate project. You can embed the presentation when the location of the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation is not fixed. Embedding is also useful when the Adobe Captivate project must be opened on a computer that doesn't have access to the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.
Page 216 Avoid editing PPTX and PPSX files with older Microsoft PowerPoint versions. If you want to edit an embedded PPTX of PPSX file outside of Adobe Captivate, export the file from the resource Library and then edit the file. The edited file can then be updated in Adobe Captivate.
Page 217 In the Convert PowerPoint Presentations dialog box, do the following: Enter the name of the project. Select a size for the new Adobe Captivate project. The size displayed is the actual size of the slide in PowerPoint. Best practice is not to change the size.
Page 218 Edit imported PowerPoint slides within Adobe Captivate You can edit an individual slide or the entire set of slides imported from a PowerPoint presentation within Adobe Captivate without launching PowerPoint. If you want to edit only a few slides, edit each slide individually. It is faster than editing the entire presentation.
Page 219 Select Update. Note: If the file in the Adobe Captivate library and the original Microsoft PowerPoint file are not in sync, the color of the dot in the status column in the library changes from green to orange . If you remove or relocate the source Microsoft PowerPoint file, then a question mark appears in the status column.
Page 220: Microsoft Word
Adobe Captivate project. Slides that are not selected during import are also imported into the Adobe Captivate project, but they are not visible in the project. When you choose to reduce the file size, Adobe Captivate deletes such slides permanently from the project. This process is irreversible.
Page 221 If you want to change or remove the information in the header or footer, you can edit the DOT file by opening it in Word. When you install Adobe Captivate, the AdobeCaptivate.dot template is automatically placed in the program folder: \\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Captivate 5\Gallery\PrintOutput (on Windows) or /Applications/Adobe Captivate 5/Gallery/PrintOutput (on Mac OS).
Page 222 Note: The Lesson, Storyboard, and Step By Step templates are stored in the Gallery (C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Captivate 5\Gallery\PrintOutPut (on Windows) or /Applications/Adobe Captivate 5/Gallery/PrintOutput (on Mac OS)). When Adobe Captivate is first launched, these templates are copied to the user profile (for example, C:\Documents and Settings\<User>\My Documents\My Adobe Captivate Projects\Templates\PrintOutput).
Page 223: Learning Management System (Lms)
Publish projects as storyboards You can publish Adobe Captivate projects as storyboards in Microsoft Word format. The project is published as a Word document that includes a summary of project properties and a detailed view of each slide. Project properties include the number of slides used, score setting details, length of the slides, and so on.
Page 224 Launches the Adobe Captivate project from the LMS. HTML File Acts as a link between the SWF file and the LMS. Adobe Captivate sends tracking data to the LMS using JavaScript File the JavaScript APIs.
Page 225 (Required field) The identifier used by the LMS to identify different manifests. A default identifier based Identifier on the name of your Adobe Captivate project is automatically added to this field. You can change the identifier at any time by selecting the text and typing in new text.
Page 226 Click OK. The manifest file is generated. To see the manifest file, publish your Adobe Captivate project and create a SWF file. If you used the default save location, you see the SWF file and imsmanifest.xml file in your My Documents\My Adobe Captivate 5 Projects folder (on Windows) /Users/<username>/Documents/My Adobe Captivate Projects...
Page 227: Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro
You can upload the created project directly to an LMS or host it on your content server. Specify the required information for PENS in Adobe Captivate if you want to upload the project from the content server to an LMS.
Page 228 Pro as your quiz reporting output option. Use this option in Acrobat Connect Pro to track how users work with quizzes and interactive objects in Adobe Captivate projects. You can also place the project into a ZIP file for easier uploading.
Page 229 Select the language in which your project has been created. Click Finish. After you have uploaded the content to Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro, you can make it a part of an existing course or a new course. Add an Adobe Captivate demo to an Acrobat Connect Pro meeting You can bring an Adobe Captivate project into an Acrobat Connect Pro meeting using two different methods: •...
Page 230 Select Pods > Share > Select From My Computer. Navigate to the Adobe Captivate SWF file, select the file, and click Open. The upload message appears. When the SWF file has been uploaded, click the Play button on the Adobe Captivate playbar to start the project.
Page 231: Questionmark Perception
Select File > Import > QML, and import the published QML file. Adobe Flash If you are a Flash developer, use Adobe Captivate to record a SWF file. Then use the features of Flash to edit the file. Adobe Captivate 4 supports Flash CS3 and Flash CS4.
Page 232 Using Adobe Captivate with Other Applications Export from Adobe Captivate to Flash You can export a project from Adobe Captivate to Flash. You can enhance it or integrate it into a larger project. Note: You need not have Adobe Flash installed to perform this task.
Page 233 Adobe Flash round-tripping You can instantly update the SWF files in Adobe Captivate by editing the source FLA files in Adobe Flash. You can launch Adobe Flash from within Adobe Captivate. Using Adobe Flash to edit animation objects and widgets Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the animation or the widget and then select Edit With Flash.
Page 234: Robohelp
RoboHelp To add an Adobe Captivate project to a RoboHelp project, create the Adobe Captivate project, add it to the RoboHelp project, and select among several display options. Add an Adobe Captivate project to a RoboHelp HTML online Help system Create an Adobe Captivate project.
Page 235 Click OK. Preview the topic to see what the project looks like, or generate Help. Note: You can edit the SWF file you have inserted into RoboHelp only if you have the associated Adobe Captivate project saved on your computer.
Page 236: Chapter 16: Troubleshooting
After you click a link and a new page is loaded, wait for the page to load completely. After the page is fully loaded, you will hear the shutter sound of Adobe Captivate.
Page 237: Capture Of Elevated Applications In Windows Vista/Windows 7
Slide B uses color palette XYZ, and the two palettes are radically different, Slide B might resort to using palette ABC. Most of these problems can be fixed by changing the video quality of the slide. Adobe Captivate provides four levels of video quality, even though only the Standard option is suggested for most uses.
Page 238: Adobe Captivate Output
• If you are not going to upload your SWF files to Adobe® Connect™ Enterprise, you can turn off the Include Adobe Connect Metadata option in the project preferences. This option is on by default, and it adds data to your project that allows for better integration with Adobe Acrobat Connect Professional.
Page 239: Text Viewed In A Browser
Text viewed in a browser If text in a project is not displaying properly in a browser, the problem could be that a link is calling the Adobe Captivate project SWF file instead of the HTM file that corresponds to the SWF file. If you are adding your project to a web page, do not link directly to the SWF file.
Page 240: Javascript That Does Not Appear
If the Execute JavaScript option is selected as action in the Project End options of the Project Preferences dialog box (Edit > Preferences > Project > Start and End (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences > Project > Start and End (Mac OS)), Adobe Captivate may not display an error message when the JavaScript is previewed.
Page 241: Security Warning With Flash Player 9 Or Later
In the System Preferences, select Universal Access. Select Enable Access for Assistive devices. When you select File > Record new project and then select Application in Adobe Captivate on Mac, the menu lists the applications (for recording) only if you have this option selected.

Adobe CAPTIVATE 5 Help Manual

Chapter 1: Getting Started

Chapter 2: Workspace

Chapter 3: Creating Projects

Chapter 4: Recording Projects

Chapter 5: Slides

Chapter 6: Adding and Managing Objects

Chapter 7: Noninteractive Objects and Media

Chapter 8: Interactive Objects

Chapter 9: Widgets

Chapter 10: Audio

Chapter 11: Variables and Advanced Actions

Chapter 12: Creating a Quiz

Chapter 13: Advanced Editing and Project Reviews

Chapter 14: Publishing Projects

Chapter 15: Using Adobe Captivate with Other Applications

Chapter 16: Troubleshooting

Quick Links

Troubleshooting

Need help?

Questions and answers

Related Manuals for Adobe CAPTIVATE 5

Summary of Contents for Adobe CAPTIVATE 5

Table of Contents