The Logical Blog by IconLogic

Articulate Storyline 360: Rescue Corrupt Projects

When I teach my vILT Storyline 360 classes, I tell my students to avoid editing the project file over a network drive. Because Storyline projects are a package of assets, those assets can get lost when the project is opened and edited over a network. To avoid the possibility of a corrupt project, always edit the .story files locally (on your local drive) and back up the project files to a network drive. (Or use the backup feature available when you publish to Articulate Review 360.)

 

I frequently hear from Storyline developers who either didn't know about the network issue, forgot, or IT requires developers to work off the network. Sooner or later, this message will appear when attempting to open the corrupt project:

 

If you receive the message above, the file is likely corrupt, and there is little you can do to fix it. However, all is not lost. It is possible that an earlier version of your project is on your local drive. Here's how you can save the day.

 

1. Open your hard drive in Windows Explorer
2. Open Users > your user name
3. Select the View tab and, from the Show/hide group, enable Hidden Files
4. Open the AppData folder
5. Open the Roaming folder
6. Open the Articulate folder
7. Open the Storyline folder
8. Scan the contents of Storyline folder for a tmp file that starts with the name of the corrupt project.
9. Copy the newest version of the tmp file to your desktop
10. Change the file extension of the copy on your desktop from .tmp to .story.
11. Double-click the .story file to open it in Storyline.

Stay off that network, and all will be right with the world!

Adobe RoboHelp: Consistent Image Sizes

I recently had a student from one of my vILT RoboHelp classes ask how they could quickly control the size of multiple images for an entire project. Her supervisor wanted several images displayed at 50% of their original height and width.

This is a reasonably simple task via CSS.

To begin, open the assets folder and open your project CSS. In the example below, I opened the default css that comes with every new RoboHelp project.

Create a New Style.

In the Class area, type a name. In the example below, I've named my new style Images. Note that the same name will automatically be added to the Selector area.

Click the Done button.

With the new style open, open the Layout category. Because my student wanted the images 50% smaller than the original, I set the Height and Width to 50%.

Save the project.

Open a topic with an image or import an image into a topic.

At the far right of the RoboHelp window, click Styles.

Select the image in the topic and click your Images style from the list of styles.

Use the style on as many images throughout the project as appropriate.

To change the size of the images using the Images style, go back to the CSS file and edit the Images styles. After saving the CSS file, all images using the Images style will instantly update.

 

Adobe RoboHelp: Creating a TOC for Word and PDF Output

You can easily include a TOC for your RoboHelp online output by opening the default TOC and adding sections and pages as needed. The TOC works fine when you output Frameless or HTML5 content. However, if you output Word or PDF content, the default TOC will not work. What's the deal?

There are two types of TOC available in RoboHelp: Online and Book. The default TOC is an online TOC and only works with online output (Frameless, HTML5). If you want to output a Word doc or a PDF and include a TOC, you must create a Book TOC and add the TOC as "front matter."

Here's how to create a TOC for Word and/or PDF output and add the required front matter:

Select Table of Contents from the list of categories at the left of the Author tab.

Click the New Table of Contents icon.

In the New Table of Contents dialog box, select Book TOC and then click the Done button.

Add sections and pages to the TOC as you would normally do.

From the top of the new TOC, click the Insert Front Matter icon and choose TOC page.

Select the Output tab, select Output Presets, and then click the New Preset icon.

Choose Word from the Type drop-down menu, give the layout an appropriate name, and click the Done button.

With the Word preset open, specify an output path.

On the Contents tab, select your Book TOC from the Table of Contents drop-down menu.

Save the project and then output the Word content.

You will likely see two Word alerts. The first one allows Word to create the TOC from the RoboHelp project. Click Yes.

The second alert allows you to ensure the entire TOC is accurate. Select Update entire table and then click OK.

The TOC is added to the Word output.

Are you looking for RoboHelp training or mentoring? We've got you covered. 

Adobe Captivate: Slide Video vs. Video

When adding media blocks to an Adobe Captivate version 12.3 project, you have two options: Slide Video and Video. You can go with one or the other, but you cannot add both to a slide.

So when should you choose Slide Video vs Video?

Go with Slide Video if you only need one video on the slide. The video will play automatically for learners based on when you set it to appear on the Timeline.

Insert a Video if you need one to three videos on the slide. The videos will not play automatically when you go with the Video option. Learners must start the videos by clicking a play icon on the video's player.

Are you looking for Captivate training or mentoring? We've got you covered with live training, recorded training, and one-on-one mentoring.

TechSmith Camtasia: 2024 Version Now Available

TechSmith rolled out Camtasia 2024 today, and our step-by-step book, "TechSmith Camtasia 2024: The Essentials" is not far behind.

New in Camtasia 2024:

• A new recording engine for higher frame rate and resolution screen captures
• AI-powered dynamic captions. (I saw a demonstration of this, and it's a very cool feature. Powered by AI, every word onscreen can automatically be highlighted as spoken. Meaning, no manually creating closed captions... no importing SRT files.)
• New effects
• New filters
• New transitions
• More integrated assets featuring more than 100 million royalty-free images, videos, and audio files

TechSmith also announced three product plans: Camtasia Essentials, Camtasia Create, and Camtasia Pro. The product plans include Camtasia’s AI-assisted Rev, simplifying and speeding up video creation through quick layout and design choices.

“The updates to Camtasia 2024 are focused on further reducing the friction of the editing process and empowering users to unleash their creativity and go beyond what they thought possible with a video editor,” said Tony Lambert, CTO of TechSmith. “As we continue incorporating advanced AI into Camtasia to achieve this, our new product plans are designed to provide customers with the most cost-effective way to select our breadth of new features based on their unique creative needs.”

If you need Camtasia support, training, or mentoring, we've got you covered.

Articulate Storyline 360: May 2024 Update Makes 64-Bit Storyline the Default

With the May 2024 Storyline 360 update (Build 3.88.32474.0), the 64-bit version of Storyline 360 is now the default.

According to Jesse Taber, engineering manager for Storyline 360, "Storyline has traditionally been a 32-bit application. The primary difference between 32-bit and 64-bit applications is the amount of system memory they can use. In Windows, 32-bit applications can access, at most, 4GB of memory, while 64-bit applications can access far more memory than any modern consumer-grade PC can accommodate."

Taber went on to state that "The primary benefit of targeting 64-bit processor architecture is the ability to use more system memory. When Storyline 360 opens a project file, it loads it all into memory. Very large projects, particularly those with many rich media assets, can experience issues opening, saving, and publishing in the 32-bit version of Storyline 360. Projects like this should be much more stable in Storyline 360 x64."

"Aside from memory usage, most authors will likely see performance on par with the 32-bit version of Storyline 360. While performance improvements were not a primary driver for creating Storyline 360 x64, we plan to invest more directly in performance improvements going forward," said Taber.

To install the update, start the Articulate 360 app, click the drop-down menu to the right of Storyline 360, and choose Install Update.

If the 64-bit version isn't working, you can easily restore access to the 32-bit version via the Articulate 360 preferences. Open the Articulate 360 desktop app, click the drop-down arrow in the upper right corner, and choose Preferences.

From the Legacy Access area, select Restore 32-bit Storyline 360 and then click the Save button.

 

Articulate Storyline 360: Cloud Backups

Back up. Seriously, back up!

Sorry, I mean backup... as in, back up your projects.

During my Articulate Storyline 360 training vILT classes, I stressed the importance of backup projects. While I love Storyline, projects can get corrupt like any other program. You'll breathe a bit easier if you have a recent project backup. The problem with backups is remembering to create them and/or ensuring the backup is on an external or network drive (it does not do you much good if your backup project is on your hard drive and that drive goes bad... say goodbye to your project and your backup).

Articulate Storyline 360 now offers you free cloud project backups.

To begin, Publish the project and select Review 360.

From the bottom of the Publish dialog box, select Upload project file to Review 360.

Click the Publish button to upload a backup copy of the project to the cloud.

Once the project has been published, click the View Project button.

You can download the cloud copy by selecting Current Version > Download Project File.

Looking for training or mentoring? I'm just an email away if you need help using Storyline 360 or Rise support.

Adobe Captivate 12.3: Image Editing Improvements

The 12.3 update Adobe made to Adobe Captivate now provides some helpful image editing features. You learn how to add images to a project early on the first day of my two-day Adobe Captivate training class,

Once you have added an image to a slide, you can change the image focus and crop it via a single screen. What I love about the editing enhancements is that you can see how the edit will appear in multiple views without first having to close the editing screen and preview it in the browser.

To change the image focus, select the Visual Properties panel.

To the right of the Image drop-down menu, click the Edit icon to open the Edit Image options.

From the Image Focus area, select an alignment.

The three previews at the right provide a helpful indication of how the edit will appear on multiple displays.

To crop a Captivate image, at the left side of the Edit image screen, drag one of the corner circles a few inches

The preview area will show you how the cropped image will appear in the different screen sizes.

When finished, click the Save button.

Note: Once you have Adobe Captivate 12 installed on your computer, updates are free. To get the 12.3 update, go to the Help menu and click Check for Updates.

Looking for training or mentoring? I'm just an email away if you need help using Adobe Captivate or Adobe Captivate Classic.

Adobe Captivate 12.3: Hip hip hooray for Closed Caption Imports!

Closed captions support hearing-impaired learners by displaying text synchronized with the slide and/or video audio onscreen. Once the closed captions have been added to the Captivate project, learners click a CC button on the Playbar to display them.

On the first day of my two-day Adobe Captivate training class, I teach how to add closed captions to a project manually. This ability has existed in Captivate for years. What wasn't possible was importing the closed captions. I'm happy to report that in Captivate 12.3, you can now import caption files (SRT files). This awesome feature will save you hours of labor.

An SRT is a raw closed caption file containing the text from an audio or video file and the audio timing. Websites like REV (rev.com) allow you to upload audio and video files and receive downloadable SRT files for as little as $1.50 per minute of audio. You import the SRTs into Captivate, and, like magic, your captioning work is done.

Here is an example of an SRT that I added to a video in my project. Notice the time stamps that have been added to the file. You do not need to know how to add these time stamps; they are added automatically when the SRT file is created.

To import the SRT file, select a slide video, or if the audio has been added to the slide, click the Audio icon at the right of the Captivate window.

Click the Import Captions button, open the SRT file, and... you're done!

If you need Captivate support, help is just an email away.

TechSmith Camtasia: JKL to Speed Up Preview Playback Speeds

You've been tasked with editing a multi-hour video in TechSmith Camtasia. Specifically, you need to add annotations, remove distracting audio such as breath sounds and lip smacks, and remove unnecessary video portions.

Face it: If a video has a runtime of three hours, you will be at your computer for at least every minute of those three hours. Add the time it will take to rewind, make edits, and review them; your level of effort can be two to three times the video's playtime.

Previewing a video at regular speed could be time-consuming and futile. Never fear; faster playback is possible by pressing the following keys on your keyboard: J, K, and L.

The three keys are conveniently located together on most keyboards.

Pressing the L key once increases the video's playback speed twofold.

If you can press the L key again, the playhead will hum along the timeline at six times the speed.

Not fast enough? Press the L key again, and you'll hum along the timeline at eight times the speed.

Press the J key, and the playhead will move in reverse.

Want to stop the Playhead? Press the K key. 

Looking for TechSmith Camtasia training? We've got you covered with three live, online vILT courses. If our scheduled classes don't work for your schedule, you can purchase and attend the classes via pre-recorded versions of the courses. If you prefer private group training or one-on-one Camtasia mentoring, email us to discuss your specific needs.

Adobe Captivate 12.3: Share for Review

The Share for Review feature is one of the more compelling enhancements in the recently released 12.3 update for Captivate 12. Project stakeholders can now add slide-by-slide comments to your slides in one central location. Reviewers do not need to own Captivate or know how to use it. The review interface is clean and very intuitive.

To begin, ensure you're using the 12.3 build. You can get the free update by choosing Help > Check for Updates.

Create or open a project, and then click the Share for review icon at the lower right of the Captivate window.

You can accept or customize the default Title in the Share For Review screen. For instance, you might want to add a date or version number to the title. Otherwise, click the Create review button.

The project is published to a secure Adobe server. 

From the Access type drop-down menu, you can choose between making your review Public (anyone with the link can access the review project) or Private (only people you invite can see the review project).

Invite people to the review by clicking Invite people and adding email addresses as appropriate.

Here is a sample email that your reviewers will receive once you click the Invite to view button:

Reviewers click the Open Review button and are taken to the project review screen. As mentioned, reviewers do not need Captivate or any special software to participate in the review process. 

Once the review window is open, team members can add comments slide-by-slide.

What I like about the review feature is that people can add comments for each preview mode. In the image above, I added a comment in the Desktop view. I switched to tablet mode in the image below and added a comment.

 

As issues are resolved in Captivate, the developer clicks the Update review button, and the updated project is uploaded to the server. You do not need to create a new review; just let reviewers know an update is available.

Are you looking for Adobe Captivate mentoring or Adobe Captivate training? We offer one-on-one sessions, a step-by-step workbook, and private classes. And we love a classic. If you're still using Adobe Captivate Classic, we offer training and support on that version as well. Email me directly for more information.

TechSmith Camtasia: Proxy Media

Proxy media has been available in Camtasia for a few years. However, with a recent update to Camtasia 2023, recordings created by the Camtasia recorder are added to the media bin and the timeline as proxies by default.

Using proxy media speeds up production by lowering your computer's processing requirements while editing within Camtasia. However, using the proxy feature results in a blurry video on the canvas. Learn to disable the proxy feature on demand.

After recording my screen in the recorder and clicking the stop recording button, the recording is automatically taken into Camtasia as expected. There is one notable change: I am now alerted that the media is being added as a proxy.

The proxy media on the media bin includes a yellow circle, which can also be seen on the timeline. Also, the proxy media is blurry on the canvas.

While proxy media reduces your computer's resource load, you may not like blurry media on the canvas. You can remove the proxy by right-clicking the media bin asset and choosing Proxy video > Delete Proxy Video. Deleting the proxy video does not delete the video from your project. Also, while the proxy video is blurry on the canvas, the video is not blurry in the exported project.

Here's a video showing the proxy feature in action: https://youtu.be/qIytcfJoiXY.

For Camtasia mentoring or training, please email me or visit https://www.iconlogic.com/instructor-led-training/software-title/camtasia.html

CenarioVR: AI Wizard Makes 360-degree Scene Creation Cooler Than Ever

CenarioVR has caught the AI bug by adding an incredible AI wizard. The wizard lets you quickly add 360-degree scenes to your VR eLearning course faster and easier than ever!

To add a scene to a scenario, click the Add Scene icon.

From the right side of the Scene dialog box, click the AI Wizard button.

In the Scene Description field, type Four mice sitting around a table playing poker.

From the Select Category drop-down menu, choose any category that you like (note that I left my category set to the default, Realism)

Click the Use button.

Click the Done button to add the new scene to your scenario.

Preview the scene to see just how cool the AI Wizard is.

If you'd like to see the mice playing poker, and who wouldn't, I've uploaded the poker scene to my web server.

If you'd like virtual mentoring assistance with CenarioVR, email me.

Teaching Virtual Classes: Get People Talking

by Jennie Ruby, CTT, COTP

 

People like to hear themselves talk. I don’t mean that in a bad way. What I mean is that people like to express themselves and feel heard. Feeling heard helps us feel connected to the others we encounter, the people we interact with, and—here’s my point—the people we learn with. Connecting with the instructor/facilitator and the other students/participants plays a huge role in online class engagement. When you are the virtual instructor, make sure you are fostering this connection in your classes.

 

Your learners are not empty containers for you to fill with information. In adult learning, the learners are also teachers. Ask them to help you teach the class! Well, okay, maybe not literally like, 

 

“Fonzarelli! Would you like to get up here and teach the class?” 

 

But more like this: 

 

“Amy, can you think of a way you might use [what we just learned] in your work?”

 

Often in my online software classes, I stop and ask this:

 

“Have any of you used [this concept or technique] in your projects? Raise your hand or give me a green check.”

 

Then I call on one of the participants who signaled yes, and I ask them to come off mute and say hello. Once their mic is working, I repeat the question and invite them to tell how they have used the [concept] in their projects. They typically share one or more really good examples, express some degree of enthusiasm for it, and/or have additional comments or suggestions.

 

After that—and this part is really important—I invite the class to respond to what they shared.

 

“Does anyone else do something similar?”

 

“What do you think, Eliana, could you use this in your projects?”

 

The result? The class members are engaged with one another as well as with me. Those who share their experiences feel heard and appreciated. (Did I mention thanking them for the concepts they shared?) The class benefits from hearing a broader range of examples than I might think of alone. And voices other than mine are heard over the audio connection, adding variety and interest to that dimension of the class.

 

Bonus points: If you are discussing a later topic in the class, and it relates to what a class member shared earlier, make sure to recall what the participant shared, mention it again, and tie it to the new topic. Doing this makes the class feel more dynamic and alive and less like a canned presentation. Once more, the participant feels heard and appreciated, and everyone gets a little more out of the class experience.

 

If you'd like to become an awesome virtual trainer, check out our upcoming Online Training Professional Certification course.

 

***

 

Jennie Ruby, CTT, COTP, is a veteran eLearning developer, trainer, and author. Jennie has an M.A. from George Washington University and is a Certified Technical Trainer and Certified Online Training Professional. She teaches both classroom and online courses, and has authored courseware, published training books, and developed content for countless eLearning projects. She is also a publishing professional with more than 30 years of experience in writing, editing, print publishing, and eLearning.

Microsoft PowerPoint 365: How to Edit Icons Like a Pro

Let’s say you wanted to insert a checkmark graphic into your PowerPoint deck. You might do so from the Icons tool (Insert > Icons) by typing “checkmark” into the search field.

But, maybe, you have quite discerning tastes when it comes to your checkmark imagery. Perhaps you prefer a more bold and stocky variety of checkmark. You may even notice that the checkmark you desire exists within another icon, locked away just out of reach.

As it exists in its Graphic format, you cannot remove the individual checkmarks from the checklist icon. You can only edit the whole thing as one cohesive image. There is, however, a way to extrapolate that checkmark of your dreams, and I’m here to share it with you.

1. From that same dialog box, click on the icon with the checkmark-ed list and click the Insert button to place it on your slide.
2. With the image selected, head to the Graphics Format tab on the Ribbon.
    
   
   
3. On the far left, from the Change area, click the Convert to Shape

Your Icon, previously a Graphic, is now a Shape, which means it can be pulled apart and its individual elements harvested. You’ll know it’s a Shape because the Shape Format tab will appear in place of the Graphic Format tab on the Ribbon.

4. With the Shape selected on your slide, press [Ctrl][Shift][G] on your keyboard (or right-click the shape and select Ungroup from the drop-down menu) to Ungroup the shape.
   
   
   
   You are now able to pull apart and edit the individual pieces of your formerly cohesive graphic.

Sayonara skinny checkmark!

Articulate Storyline 360: Emphasis Animations

Articulate updated Storyline 360 to include interactive emphasis animation effects like pulsing, shaking, and teetering.

To get the latest build, start Articulate 360 and install the update. Once installed, you'll be working with Storyline build 3.84.31647.0.

Create or open a Storyline project and insert an image onto a slide. In the example below, I inserted a cute puppy from the Content Library.

Select the image and, on the Animations tab, click Add Emphasis Animation.

There are currently five emphasis animations: Pulse, Grow, Shrink, Shake, and Teeter. I selected Shake.

Once the emphasis animation has been applied, you'll have some options. For instance, I've set the Shake amount to Medium.

Then I set the animation's Duration.

A trigger is added to the Triggers window. Double-clicking the trigger offers the ability to edit the trigger as appropriate.

I published the sample emphasis project and uploaded it to my web server. The interaction is very subtle, which I like. You can see it here.

If you're looking for Storyline help, we offer virtual training, mentoring, and development support. Send me an email and let's discuss your needs.

Adobe Captivate: Customizing Quiz Question Feedback

I love the quizzing functionality in the new Adobe Captivate (version 12.2) and find it superior to Adobe Captivate Classic. However, editing the question feedback in Classic was easier and more straightforward. In Classic, you edit the question feedback directly on the slide. In the new Captivate, the process for editing the feedback captions isn't so easy.

First, insert a Captivate question slide by clicking Create New Slide and selecting a question type.

In the example below, I'm using a multiple-choice quiz question and settling the age-old debate about the world's greatest breakfast cereal.

In Captivate Classic, you can specify a correct answer directly on the slide. It's super easy. In the new Captivate, you first need to click Select answer on the Visual properties to select the correct answer.

On the slide, now you can specify the correct answer by clicking to the left of the answer (this part is just like Classic). To set the answer, click Done. I've made the only correct answer in the example below: Cap'n Crunch.

If you preview the slide and answer the question, you'll see feedback captions for an incorrect or correct answer. In the example below, I've answered incorrectly. The default feedback is That's incorrect! Click anywhere or press 'y' to continue.

I'd like to customize the feedback. When I mentioned things being muddy earlier, this is what I mean. Remember, in Classic, the feedback can immediately be edited onscreen. In the new Captivate, muddy means there's no obvious way to edit the feedback. Where are those pesky captions?  Read on, and I'll clear things up for you.

On the Visual properties, Components area, click Show.

At the top of the slide, you'll see the green correct feedback area. But there's no obvious place to edit the content. This is where you'll need to modify states--a process very different than Captivate Classic.

Select the feedback area at the top of the question slide to display the States panel. There are states for a correct answer, an incorrect answer, and a message for an incomplete answer. In the example below, I've selected the Correct state and, onscreen customized the feedback message.

In the example below, I've selected the Incorrect state and customized the incorrect feedback message.

And here is what the slide looks like when previewing.

If you need help with Adobe Captivate, we offer Captivate development services, training, and one-on-one mentoring. Send me an email ([email protected]) or give me a call at 888.812.4827

Adobe Captivate: Export and Import Themes

Themes in Adobe Captivate 12 allow you to control such project attributes as colors, fonts, image presets, slide background colors, and UI components, including buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, input fields, and drop-downs.

You can edit a project's existing theme, export the settings, and import the theme into any Adobe Captivate 12.2 (or newer) project.

To begin, click the Project properties icon from the lower right of the Captivate window.

Click the Edit Theme button.

Select a category (such as Color Palette) from the left side of the Themes window.

Once you have finished editing the categories, click Export. You can save the file anywhere, even a network resource.

To use the exported theme in a new Captivate project, click the Project properties icon and then click Import.

Your theme is now available for use. Click the Change Theme button on the Project properties screen and select the imported theme. You can select the imported theme as the default theme by clicking the three dots and choosing Set as default.

If you're looking for Adobe Captivate 12 training, we've got you covered with this hands-on, project based vILT Captivate course.

Articulate Storyline: Action Fine Tuning

Storyline does a great job recording software simulations. During my vILT beginner Storyline classes, we cover all of the recording modes and the many options.

Once you've recorded a simulation and added it to a scene, you will likely notice that Storyline captured too much. In a recent recording, I noticed that Storyline showed the student where I clicked by highlighting the menu item. I was okay with the menu item being shown when demonstrating the steps. However, in the "let me try" version of the course, I didn't want the learner to see the "click hint."

This is the perfect use case for Storyline's Action Fine Tuning.

Right-click the slide that needs to be tuned and choose Action Fine Tuning.

In the Capture Action Fine Tuning dialog box, click the Previous Frame button to remove the unwanted click visual.

Click the OK button, and you're done.

Check out this short video I created and posted to YouTube to see how the Action Fine Tuning feature works.

Looking for Storyline support or mentoring? We've got you covered: https://www.iconlogic.com/consulting-mentoring-services.html.

Articulate Storyline 360: Instant placeholder text

You've been asked to create a Storyline slide. The images are ready, but the text is not. Instead of typing fake placeholder text, Storyline can do the heavy lifting for you. 

Select the object and type =lorem() to add placeholder text to a slide object.

Press [enter], and Storyline will fill the object with lorem ipsum text.

Type =rand(), and Storyline will add actual words to the object.

Adding text between the parenthesis tells Storyline to add a specific number of paragraphs and lines. For instance, Type =rand(4,3), and Storyline will insert four paragraphs and three lines.

If you'd like to see this feature in action, check out this YouTube video.

If you are looking for Storyline training, we've got you covered with these vILT courses. We've got you covered if you need eLearning mentoring or development services.

Free eLearning calculator helps determine your development effort

One of the most common questions we hear during our live, online eLearning classes is, "How long does it typically take to create eLearning using Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, or TechSmith Camtasia?"

The answer depends upon several factors:

• what is the total playtime for the course (in minutes)?
• how much voiceover audio will there be (in minutes)?
• what is your comfort level using the development tool?
• how much access do you have to media such as images and videos?
• how much interactivity will you have in the training?
• how much help do you have?
• is the training teaching a life skill, a software simulation, or a video demo?

We've created a calculator to help you estimate the effort necessary to develop eLearning content.

TechSmith Camtasia: Audiate = Awesomeness!

I always include voiceover audio when I record my software video demonstrations with Camtasia. That audio always needs editing. Typical editing tasks include removing fillers such as "um," silencing breath sounds, removing background noise, and removing long pauses. I also create closed captions manually or import them via closed caption files I've created through transcription services. Of course, all of this effort takes time. Creating the closed captions is particularly labor intensive if I haven't first created a voiceover script.

Along comes TechSmith Audiate, which integrates wonderfully with TechSmith Camtasia, and I have to say, I'm impressed.

After recording the software simulation in the recorder and adding it to the Timeline, I would typically use the Camtasia audio tools to edit the audio. However, because I have a subscription to Audiate, I can right-click the audio media on the timeline and choose Edit in Audiate. Alternatively, I can click the Edit in Audiate button on the Properties panel.

The media is sent to Audiate, where a transcript is automatically created.

On the transcript, I can see that I said "um" several times. I could edit the transcript myself or, even better, ask Audiate to lend a hand.

In the upper left of the Audiate window, there is an icon with some editing suggestions.

Clicking the drop-down menu displays several suggested edits.

I accepted all of the suggested edits with a click, and, poof, my transcript and the audio file are both edited.

Next, I located the effects icon in the lower right of the Audiate window and clicked the add effect icon.

Specifically, I removed background noise and breath sounds (plosives) from my audio.

I clicked the Sync drop-down menu in the upper right of the Audiate window.

I selected Edit Media Only and Default Captions from the Captions drop-down menu.

Then I clicked Sync.

Back in Camtasia, my audio media has been cleaned up, and the closed captions have been automatically added!

I'm unsure what to do with all the time Audiate saved me. Perhaps a new project? Maybe golf. Time to ponder my options.

If you'd like Camtasia training, here are some fantastic options. I also offer one-on-one Camtasia mentoring. Otherwise, perhaps I'll see you on the course.

Articulate Storyline 360: Cloud Backup for Source Files

Articulate updated Storyline 360 earlier this month to include the ability to upload your project source files to the cloud. This feature allows members of your team to download your project files easily.

To upload your project to the cloud, choose File > Publish.

From the list of options at the left, choose Review 360.

From the Cloud Backup area, select Upload project file to Review 360.

Publish the project.

On the Publish Successful screen, click View Project.

Login to your Articulate account.

At the left of the window, select the version you'd like to download from the Current Version drop-down menu.

Click the three dots and choose Download project file.

The project's source file is downloaded to the Downloads folder on your computer.

If you need turn-key eLearning development in Storyline, Camtasia, or Captivate, consider IconLogic. If you need training, we've got you covered with our virtual instructor-led classes.

TechSmith Camtasia 2023: New Integrated Assets

TechSmith has integrated some fantastic assets with Camtasia update 23.3.2.

You will need to ensure that you are running the latest Camtasia update. To find that update, choose Help > Check for Updates. To check your version, choose Help > About Camtasia. (If you’re on a Mac, choose Camtasia 2023 > About Camtasia.)

Using the assets is simple. Visit the Media tool at the left and click the Camtasia Assets icon.

Scroll through the list or, even better, use the Search feature to find what you're looking for. (There are videos, images, and sound assets... millions of them.)

Right-click the asset you'd like and choose Add to Timeline at Playhead.

Alternatively, drag the asset directly onto the Canvas. Either way, the asset will be downloaded from the TechSmith website and added to your project.

Note that if you are using a virtual machine such as Parallels, the download process does not work. Instead, visit the https://library.techsmith.com/en and download the assets manually.

Here's a quick video demonstrating the integrated assets (some are free, and some require a subscription to the assets at https://library.techsmith.com/en).

For Camtasia training, check out our certificate program at https://www.iconlogic.com/techsmith-camtasia-certificate-live-online-course.html. For Camtasia development support, visit https://www.iconlogic.com/basic-development-services.html.

Integrate Adobe Captivate eLearning Output with Adobe RoboHelp Projects

Integrating interactive eLearning with your use assistance or help documentation is super easy if you use the Adobe Technical Communication Suite.

Check out this full training session that I taught for Adobe at DitaWorld: https://youtu.be/FdM148qDjTQ?si=-5Dq7o-QYAh_tzi6

You'll learn to use Adobe Captivate Classic (Captivate 2019) to create an interactive software simulation and publish the lesson as HTML5. Then, you will learn how to incorporate the training into an Adobe RoboHelp project.

TechSmith Camtasia: Say Hello to Rev and Goodbye to Labor

AI comes to TechSmith Camtasia, making enhanced video creation as easy as click, click, click!

Ensure that you're using the latest Camtasia build and then start the recording (either by starting the Camtasia Recorder 2023 app or clicking the Record button from within a Camtasia project).

On the lower right of the Recorder control panel, you'll see the Camtasia Rev icon. If necessary, click the toggle to enable Rev.

Record the video as you would normally do and when you stop the recording, Rev appears onscreen. There are five tabs, each offering curated formatting options.

On the Size tab, you can choose between the size you used when you recorded or specify Wide, Vertical, or Square.

Switch to the Layout tab, and you can choose from several layouts that change how your video appears on the learner's display.

Click to add a background to your video on the Background tab.

The Effects tab allows you to instantly add features like a Drop Shadow, Cursor Shadow, Highlight, and increase the size of the mouse pointer seen by the learner.

After you've clicked through the tabs, all that's left to do is click Export to publish the project.

Creating video demos truly does not get any faster than this!

If you need Camtasia training, mentoring, or development support, we've got you covered:  https://www.iconlogic.com/instructor-led-training/software-title/camtasia.html

If you'd like to see Rev in action, check out my short video on YouTube.

Copyright Law: Using music or other audio in training and presentations

Over the past few weeks, you learned about copyright law related to images and content created with AI, specifically when used in training and presentations.

But what about copyright concerns regarding the use of music or other types of audio?

Several years ago, I was told that you could add 30 seconds of copyrighted music to your training or 10% of the total audio playtime without obtaining permission from the content owner. It turns out that that was bad information.

Copyright expert Linda Wolff Rohrbaugh states, "That myth arose from an education working group that tried to create safe harbor standards for face-to-face education. No court has adopted the standards, though apparently, the group had an excellent public relations effort because the myth spread far and wide and continues to persist." 

Rohrbaugh went on to say, "Audio is not free to use. Whether with or without music, recordings are copyrightable and have the most complex maze of protection possible. Why? There are two copyrights in a sound recording … one for the author and another for the recording artist/producer. Both need to be cleared if using a recorded song or other audio piece. Plus, each copyright has different protection periods. If the author’s rights have expired, you may still need clearance for the sound recording if it is still under copyright. Failing to obtain proper permission can result in a lawsuit for up to $150,000 per song or audio clip used, even if you didn’t make any money."

Audio performance rights are held by the audio's author (also known in music as the composer or songwriter) and apply to any performance of the notes, melodies, and/or words for people other than just close friends and family. It applies whether you are making a cover song to post on social media for fun or using someone’s recorded version in your online course.

Authors may independently handle copyright release requests or may have given these rights to an agent such as a music publisher. There may be multiple copyright owners and agents, and you’ll want consent from ALL of them to be safe.

Music rights owners can be researched online using a database called SongFile.

Use Strategies

If you want to use audio in your training legally, stick to audio from the public domain—from 1922 or earlier. The variety, especially of sound recordings, is a bit limited since sound recordings didn’t exist for too long prior to 1927. Music in the public domain can be freely reused BUT (and this is a big caveat!), if you grab a recorded version of that public domain music, you must check the date the recording was made. If it was after 1927, you will still need consent from the recording artist/label.

You could license the clip from the owner or their agent. Music libraries such as MusicBed are a great source for original music clips in various genres and lengths. Pricing is determined by how you plan to use the music. A popular source of publicly released music is Easy Song Licensing. They have pre-negotiated the rates for some music or can negotiate on your behalf to get the rights to use clips that require independent licenses. 

If you have time and talent, you can create and use your own music as you see fit. Remember to put your copyright notice on the presentation because everything you record will be copyright-protected from the moment you save the file, but the notice entitles you to more money if someone borrows your work without permission.

To learn more about copyright law as it relates to training and training support materials, check out this vILT course led by Linda and Kevin Siegel.

Copyright Law: Can content created with the help of Artificial Intelligence be protected?

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is all the rage these days, and for good reason. It is the next disruptive tool on the scale of the World Wide Web itself, so the sooner online educators learn and embrace it, the more likely they will be to keep pace with the advancing technology.

AI is certainly innovative. However, with innovation comes caution. While using AI may be fine for back-office purposes, such as creating marketing plans or figuring out the course titles that are most likely to grab attention, using AI to create substantive works may not be optimal and could even cause trouble for you down the road.

First, AI-generated content is not copyrightable. Only content created by humans can be protected. If your training course contains substantial artificial content, that content must be excluded when you register the copyright. Once the content has been excluded, the human-created remainder must be substantial enough to allow the registration to proceed.

Second, you cannot stop people from copying the AI-generated content you include in your course. Such content is considered to be within the public domain. You did not create it, so you don't own it. Thinking of the prompt that caused the AI to generate your desired content does not give you any claim to the content. Even if clever, the prompt itself is also unlikely to be considered original enough to be copyrightable.

Finally, how do you know the AI-generated content is accurate? AI gets its input from multiple sources, some of which may be solid and others dubious. If you republish incorrect information generated by AI, you could be liable for misleading the public, depending on the type of wrong information involved.

To learn more about copyright law, training, and training support materials, check out our upcoming training event led by Linda Wolff Rohrbaugh and Kevin Siegel.

Articulate Storyline 360: Integrated Comments

I updated my Articulate Storyline 360 a few days ago to version 3.79.3092.0 and was pleasantly surprised to see an improvement to the review workflow...review comments that appear directly within the Storyline project.

Publish your project to review 360.

Return to the Storyline project and notice that there's now a Comments window.

Click the Review Request button.

Add your reviewers and click the Send request button.

Your reviewers will receive a review invitation email, as shown below.

Reviewers click the Go to Review 360 button and add comments as shown below. When done, reviewers click the I'm done reviewing button.

The review comments appear in the Comments window within Storyline.

If you're looking for Storyline training, support, or mentoring, we've got you covered with our vILT classes, books, and development services.

Copyright Law: Using Images for Training

You've created training with Microsoft PowerPoint or an eLearning development tool such as Articulate Storyline, iSpring Suite, Articulate Rise, TechSmith Camtasia, or Adobe Captivate. Your training includes one or more copyrighted images.

 

If you are the copyright owner, you can reproduce or make copies of your images, distribute them to the public, and create derivative works based on the initial image. (Derivative works, also known as “adaptation rights,” include some or all of the original image and add new material to create something different from the original piece. For example, when you revise or update a website, you create a derivative work based on the old website. Other typical derivative works include translations, musical arrangements, dramatizations, fictionalizations, motion picture versions, sound recordings, art reproductions, abridgments, condensations, or any other form in which an image or video may be recast, transformed, or adapted.)

 

Copyright owners also have the right to publicly display the image at a place open to the public or to a substantial number of persons outside the usual circle of a family and its social acquaintances. Examples include using a photo in an eLearning project that will be marketed to the public, posting a picture on a website, or posting an NFT (a “non-fungible token,” which is a one-of-a-kind digital artwork, image, sound, motion picture, or anything else that can be downloaded and turned into an artificial intelligence algorithm) of a photo on an online marketplace.

 

But what are your rights to use the copyrighted image for training if you are not the copyright owner? Well, usually, you have no rights and should get permission. The fair use right to free speech is available to those who must use an image for criticism, commentary, parody, research, scholarship, or educational (face-to-face nonprofit) purposes. But even then, fair use is a defense that needs to be raised and proven to prevail.

 

The court will first consider the purpose of the use—whether commercial, promotional, or more about community benefit or criticism. Why would claiming fair use not work so well for you? A typical training course is a work made for commercial purposes, whether you sell the course or give it away to promote a platform or provider.

 

If there is a commercial purpose for the training, fair use is rarely found. Having a commercial purpose overrides the rest of the analysis in most cases. So, if your training is intended for an asynchronous audience or profit, getting permission is the wisest decision you can make because a fair use claim will likely go against you.

 

From a financial standpoint, if you decide to fight and claim fair use, the attorneys’ fees you have to pay to defend you are likely to come close to or even exceed the damage claim raised by the copyright owner, making it a poor business decision to pursue your “right.” Even if you have advertising injury insurance, your insurer may press you to settle rather than pursue your “rights” in court because it will typically hold their costs down.  

 

If the copyright owner discovers your use and sends you a cease and desist letter along with a demand for payment of damages, take it seriously. You can certainly try to negotiate with the owner to reduce the amount to pay in settlement of the claim, but if you ignore it, you may find yourself on the receiving end of a lawsuit that will likely go against you. The best, least expensive way to avoid unwanted litigation and a sizeable monetary penalty is getting permission in advance.

To learn more about copyright law as it relates to training and training support materials, check out our upcoming training event led by Linda Wolff Rohrbaugh and Kevin Siegel.

Adobe Captivate 12 (2023): The Timeline Widget

In the spirit of learner engagement and interactivity, you're going to love the widgets you'll find in Adobe Captivate 2023 (also known as Captivate 12). Over the next couple of weeks, I'll show you how to use the widgets in a project.

First up: the Timeline widget.

Open or create a Captivate project and insert a blank slide.

From the icons at the left, click Add new widget.

Choose Timeline widget.

The widget is added to the slide with placeholder content.

On the Visual Properties panel, change the number of timeline objects by moving the Number of nodes slider to as few as 2 and to as many as 6.

Select a design:

Add or remove your block components:

And replace the placeholder objects with your own content.

Preview the project to see the results and interact with the widget.

If you want to see the Timeline widget in action, check out this video.

If you're looking for a step-by-step training workbook, Adobe Captivate 2023 training, or mentoring, we've got you covered.

"Adobe Captivate 2023: The Essentials" Workbook Now Shipping

My newest book, "Adobe Captivate 12: The Essentials" is now available from the IconLogic website, Amazon (as a perfect bound book and eBook), and VitalSource (as a PDF).

This self-paced, hands-on workbook teaches the core Adobe Captivate 12 (Adobe Captivate 2023) skills to create interactive, fully responsive eLearning courses.

https://www.iconlogic.com/adobe-captivate-12-essentials-workbook.html

Adobe Captivate Classic: Using the CSV Questions Creation Macro

Adding quiz questions to an Adobe Captivate Classic project is easy. Go to the Quiz menu and choose Question Slide. Select your question type, number of questions, and click OK.

Like I said, it's easy.

Oh, wait. Now, you need to add the content to the quiz question and set the point value... and the feedback for right and wrong answers. If there are more than a few quiz questions, that will take time.

Pssst... come closer. I've got a secret for you. You can import the quiz questions... you know, get a subject matter expert to write up the content and you just import the quiz question.

What's that you say? You knew about CSV importing because you attended IconLogic's vILT Captivate classes. Okay, okay, sorry.

But... pssst... come closer, and I'll give you another secret. This one is epic. There' a CSV Questions Creation wizard that will make it so easy to create the quiz data that you're SME will truly thank you.

First, find the CSV Questions Creation Macro. Note that the file is typically located wherever you've installed Captivate Classic on your computer, then in Gallery > Quiz > CSVQuestionsCreationMacro.xlsm.

Open CSVQuestionsCreationMacro.xlsm with Microsoft Excel.

Select the CSVInputForm tab.

Select the question type from the drop-down menu and fill out the stem and the answer as appropriate.

Type an asterisk (*) in front of the correct answer.

Click the Add Question button to add the question to the Question CSV Sheet.

Back on the CSVInputForm tab, click the Clear Form button, and add more and more questions as appropriate. When done, click the Export to CSV button on the CSVInputForm tab. Then click the Export to CSV button.

Back in Captivate Classic, choose Quiz > Import CSV Format File and open the CSV you just created.

And... and... BAM! The quiz question appears, like magic, in your Captivate project.

Not convinced that this process is the bomb.com? Check out my video that shows the CSV creation process in action.

eLearning and Copyright: Are You at Risk?

Online training is more popular than ever. With powerful development tools such as Articulate Storyline, Articulate Rise, TechSmith Camtasia, Adobe Captivate, and Lectora, it’s never been easier to create relevant, highly interactive, and visually stunning eLearning.

Regarding the visually stunning part of eLearning... adding compelling images and videos to your training is a great idea. But where are you going to get those assets? A quick search on the internet finds this great image of Mickey Mouse. Another search finds a cute cat video that will add the perfect amount of humor to your module. The online options are endless, and the assets are easy to download and import into your project.

You publish and upload the project to your web server or Learning Management System. Along with the kudos from your learners comes a cease-and-desist letter from the lawyers at Disney. Worse, that cat video gets you sued for significant money. Even worse? You have to pay the fine, and it's painful.

According to copyright.gov, “anyone found to have infringed a copyrighted work may be liable for statutory damages up to $30,000 for each work infringed and, if willful infringement is proven by the copyright owner, that amount may be increased up to $150,000 for each work infringed.”

Let those numbers sink in for a moment... $30,000... $150,000...

As the boundaries between traditional and online education continue to blur, educators and institutions face unique challenges and opportunities to ensure that their eLearning content is effective and legally compliant. This course is designed to equip you with the knowledge necessary to navigate the complexities of copyright law within the context of eLearning, enabling you to confidently create, distribute, and use digital educational materials while respecting the rights of content creators.

Give us 90 minutes, and we've got you covered!

Learn more about copyright as it pertains to training and eLearning during this 90-minute, live, instructor-led course. Throughout the course, we will explore key copyright concepts such as the fundamentals, fair use and its application in eLearning, open educational resources, licensing models, and strategies for obtaining proper permissions. We will also delve into real-world scenarios and case studies, providing practical insights to inform your eLearning endeavors.

Who Should Attend?

• eLearning developers
• Technical communicators
• Educators
• Instructional designers
• Training managers
• Trainers
• Administrators

TechSmith Camtasia: Get Certified as an IconLogic Camtasia Developer

Get certified by the people who wrote the book on Camtasia via our popular “TechSmith Camtasia 2023: The Essentials.”  

The ideal path to certification starts with TechSmith Camtasia training through our virtual instructor-led courses. After completing all three classes, you will be well-positioned for the exam.

If you feel like you already have extensive experience with eLearning and TechSmith Camtasia, you can bypass the classes and head straight for the certification exam.

Adobe Captivate 12: Update 12.1 Released Today

Adobe released an update to Captivate 12 today. Here's a link to download the update: https://helpx.adobe.com/captivate/help/captivate-downloads.html

According to Adobe, here's what's changed in the 12.1 update.

• Captivate doesn't allow you to select any file on macOS while using the Open URL or file action.
• Captivate behaves unexpectedly when you select the Text tab of Success or Failure caption of a click box in a simulation project.
• A valid numeric input in an input field produces an error.
• Added a retry state for a Drag and Drop interaction when the number of attempts exceeds one.
• When you try to apply an image filter on a cropped image, the filter isn't applied as expected.
• Captivate behaves unexpectedly while creating a project on macOS. This happens when Captivate is installed with one user account and another user tries to launch Captivate.
• Captivate may behave unexpectedly on Windows if you select the following fonts in a text object. 
  • Lucida Bright Demibold 
  • Lucida Fax Demibold

If you need Adobe Captivate training, mentoring, or eLearning development, check out our vILT courses: https://www.iconlogic.com/instructor-led-training/software-title/captivate.html. And, yes, we are still offering training on Adobe Captivate 2019... now known as Adobe Captivate Classic.

Adobe Captivate 12: Button Icons

As I continue exploring the all-new Adobe Captivate 12 and its sparkling new interface, "hidden" gems are discovered. One such gem is button icons.

Add a button to a slide by clicking Add interactive components and choosing Button.

On the Canvas, select the button. Then, on the Visual properties panel, Appearance area, click Icon.

Toggle the ICON on; the selected button gets a star icon by default.

Change the icon by clicking the Choose icon folder.

The Assets in the current release of Captivate 12 include nearly 300 icons (I'm hoping the next release has thousands). I used the bell icon and clicked Replace icon.

And then I changed the icon's color.

Check out this video demo on Adobe Captivate 12 and button icons.

If you'd like training, mentoring, or Adobe Captivate development, we're here to help! And if you are still using Adobe Captivate Classic, we've got you covered there too.

Adobe Captivate 12: Infinite Slides

Fairly early in our vILT Adobe Captivate 12 classes, we teach learners how to work with slides and blocks. To add blocks, visit the toolbar at the left of the screen and you'll find tools that allow for text, images, videos, and interactive components such as buttons and data entry fields.

One awesome feature in Adobe Captivate 12 is the concept of infinite slides. Because Captivate is now a 100% responsive eLearning development tool, there is no such thing as a slide height. Add as many blocks as you want to a slide, and the slide gets taller and taller.

In the image below, I've added some text blocks, image grid blocks, and a few other items.

Notice that when I switch to mobile preview, the content reflows to fit the device screen size and, as the learner, I simply swipe to move through the content.

Check out my video demonstration of infinite slides.

TechSmith Camtasia: JKL Makes Previewing and Editing Even Faster

When I lead my live, virtual TechSmith Camtasia classes, previewing and editing are one of the most important skills that I teach. And a recent update to Camtasia makes previewing a lot faster.

Press the L key on your keyboard to move forward through a preview at normal (1x) speed when previewing. Press L again and you're at double playback speed. Press L a few more times, and you're at 4x speed up to a blazing-fast 8x speed.

Press the J key, and you'll go backward from 1x to 8x speed.

Press the K key to stop.

Check out a video demonstration by Andy at TechSmith here.

Adobe Captivate 12: The Interface

With the recent release of the all-new Adobe Captivate 12, I'm beginning a series introducing you to some of my favorite features. This week, let's take a look at the new interface. If you're a veteran Captivate developer, you'll see that much has changed in this new interface, and many of the old standards have been removed (not changed or moved... removed entirely).

There are now two versions of Captivate that you can download from Adobe using one subscription: Adobe Captivate Classic (also known as Captivate 2019) and Adobe Captivate (also known as Captivate 12 and Captivate 2023). The two versions are very different, and we offer training and support for both. You can download both Adobe Captivate Classic and the new Adobe Captivate and have both on your computer at the same time, assuming different installation locations are defined when the applications are installed.

This article focuses on Captivate 12.

When you start Captivate 12, the first thing you'll see is the Home screen.

If you click the New Project button, you'll create a new blank project. Click the Open option and you can retrieve and open existing Captivate 12 projects. This brings me to a warning about using the new Captivate. There is no option for upgrading legacy Captivate projects to Captivate 12. If you elect to work with Captivate 12, do so with the understanding that you're creating new, responsive projects. The big thing about responsive projects is that you aren't asked to define a project's width and height as you create a new project. The Canvas size is fluid, and your content will automatically reflow to fit any screen size.

Adobe has indicated that as Captivate 12 evolves and matures, there will be a workflow for upgrading from legacy projects to the new version. The lack of an upgrade path appears to be the main reason that Adobe will continue to support Captivate Classic until 2027. I expect that it will take a few years to add features to Captivate 12 that are currently in Captivate Classic. For example, in Captivate 12, there aren't any slide masters. Nor is there a Library, virtual reality, or support for importing Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.

The new interface is very clean and modern-looking.

The Filmstrip is now simply the Slides panel.

At the far left is a column of tools that replaces the Captivate 2019 toolbar.

At the right, in place of the Properties inspector, Library, and Timing inspector, there's a cluster of icons that display Visual properties, Interactions, Animations, Audio settings, and Accessibility.

And at the bottom right are two easy-to-overlook icons: TOC and Playbar (which replaces the Skin Editor) and Project Properties.

One awesome feature of the new Captivate is the preview icons at the top of the window.

Using these icons, you can quickly see how your content will look as it reflows on various screen sizes (desktop, tablet, and mobile).

In the coming weeks, I'll show you the project creation process, how the many tools work, and how Captivate 12 compares to Captivate Classic/2019.

vILT on Adobe Captivate 12 and Adobe Captivate Classic

Adobe recently released an all-new, reimagined Adobe Captivate, and we've got your training needs covered by rolling out several new Adobe Captivate classes covering Adobe Captivate 12 and Adobe Captivate Classic (formerly Adobe Captivate 2019).

Adobe Captivate 12 Training

Beginner-Advanced training on the reimagined Adobe Captivate 12, released in mid-2023. This live, online, virtual instructor-led (vILT) course will teach you the essential skills to create interactive and engaging eLearning. Learn Captivate via step-by-step training from an experienced eLearning developer, Captivate expert, and certified online training professional (COTP).

Learn more.

Adobe Captivate Classic Training<

Since Adobe Captivate 12 is new, making it the standard eLearning development tool will take time. That means your toolbox still has a place for Adobe Captivate 2019 (now known as Adobe Captivate Classic). We've got covered there with three 3-hour classes:

• Adobe Captivate Classic Training 101 (Live, Online): An Introduction to Captivate and Soft Skills eLearning
• Adobe Captivate Classic Training 201 (Live, Online): Creating Software Simulations eLearning
• Adobe Captivate Classic Training 301 (Live, Online): Quizzes, Variables, Advanced Actions, and Reporting

 

TechSmith Camtasia: Set the Default Cursor Scale

I received the following comment on a video that I posted to my YouTube channel:

 

I am trying to find out how to make the mouse the size you want in a recording before the recording begins. How to set the default size to something normal. It would be nice to cut this by changing the cursor step out for every recording if you already know what size one wants before a recording. I want my cursor at 100% for every recording during a big project I am working on. Let me know if you know this information. Thanks.

 

Great question! With a Camtasia project open, choose Edit > Preferences. On the Project tab, you can set the default cursor scale by dragging the slider left or right and then clicking the OK button.

 

 

 

Adobe Captivate 2019: Is a Non-Responsive Project Still Mobile-Friendly?

I received the following question from a former student who attended one of my vILT Adobe Captivate training courses.

During the class, you told us how to make a project responsive without creating a “responsive project.” I’ve tried to find that part of your recorded sessions, but I’m not having much luck. Can you remind me of how this is accomplished?

You cannot create a responsive Captivate project without creating a responsive project (File > New > Responsive project). If you work in standard Captivate (File > New > Project), as most people do, the output will not be responsive at all. However, being non-responsive does not mean that your published output will not work on mobile devices. Because you’re publishing as HTML5, mobile support is there by default. However, you need to remember to select “Scalable HTML Content” in the Publish dialog box prior to publishing.

Once you do that, not only will the project work on mobile devices, it will resize automatically to support all screen sizes.

Articulate Storyline 360: Background Audio Now Supported

Earlier this month, Articulate released an update to Storyline 360 (build 3.74.30180.0) that allows you to include background audio in your published eLearning project. 

To add background audio to a Storyline project:

1. Ensure you have the latest update. (To get the latest Storyline update, start Articulate 360. If there's an update available for any of the tools that make up the Articulate 360 suite, you'll be alerted via a drop-down menu to the right of the application name.)
2. Open a Storyline project and open a slide.
3. Go to the Insert tab on the Storyline ribbon and click the Audio drop-down arrow.
4. Hover over Background Audio and choose Create Playlist to open the Background Playlist window.
5. Click the Add Audio icon (the plus sign) and select Audio from File or Media Library to upload your audio. (Note: You can import the following audio formats into Storyline: AAC, AIF, AIFF, M4A, MP3, OGG, WAV, and WMA.)

Your playlist can contain as many audio files as you like. From the Playlist Settings area, it's ideal to fade the music in and out. From the Slide-Related Settings area, lowering the background audio if there's competing audio added to an individual slide is also a great idea. You'll need to experiment with the exact percentage for lowering the audio. In my experience, the default 50% setting isn't always enough. To avoid distractions, I've found that lowering the background audio by 80% or more works best.

If you need to remove audio from the playlist, select the audio from the list of tracks and click the Delete button (the trash icon).

Looking for Storyline training, development support, or mentoring? We've got you covered with vILT classes and one-on-one support.

Adobe RoboHelp 2022: Update 2 Now Available

Fresh on the heels of Adobe releasing update 1 for RoboHelp 2022, there's a new update. Normally, updates can be accessed by going to the RoboHelp Help menu and choosing Check for Updates. You won't get the update that way this time. Instead, head over to the following website and download the update manually: https://helpx.adobe.com/robohelp/using/whats-new-robohelp-2022-release-update-2.html.

After installing the update, you'll know you're up-to-date by choosing Help.

Here's a list of the bug fixes:

Application

• When changing topics on the Style panel, the stickiness of the Preview button does not work as expected. (Bug ID: 11471)

Publishing

    General

• In the German locale, after setting Publish Profiles for File System, the error message "Invalid destination path" displays. (Bug ID: 11482)  

   PDF output

• Sometimes, the PDF metadata is missing after upgrading from Adobe RoboHelp 2022. (Bug ID: 11460)
• A notice about the evaluation version of the PDF reactor is displayed when using the Save As PDF option. (Bug ID: 11473)
• Headings are missing for Front Matter and Back Matter items in TOC. (Bug ID: 11492)
• In the PDF template, the Use Headings up to Level option under TOC Structure is not working. (Bug ID: 11495)

Translation

• Project files (.rhpj), PDF, and Word template files (.plt and .wlt) are not exported during translation. (Bug ID: 11502)

TechSmith Camtasia: Reducing the Size of Video Output

I received an email from someone who recently attended my TechSmith Camtasia virtual classes. She wanted to know some best practices for reducing the size of exported Camtasia projects. That is an excellent question!

To begin, TechSmith says that "larger videos (in resolution) will dramatically increase file size. Limit your video size to no larger than 1280 pixels (width) by 720 (height)."

I completely agree with what TechSmith is saying. In fact, project (canvas) size and recording area size are two concepts that I cover early in my beginner Camtasia vILT class.

You can control the size of your Camtasia project by choosing Edit > Preferences > Project.

Set your project size right away. While it's easy to change the size of your project at any time, once you have added media to the project the new size will likely have a negative impact on media objects already added to the timeline/canvas.

TechSmith also suggests not recording the entire screen unless it's necessary, or consider adding zoom and pan actions in Camtasia. This way, you can still scale down the video but still focus the viewer's attention on a specific portion of the screen.

Here are some other great suggestions direct from TechSmith for lowering the size of the exported video:

Amount of Movement in the Video

The more movement in the video, the larger the file size. Importing PowerPoint slides as images will result in a smaller file size than recording an on-screen video of the PowerPoint presentation. If possible, try not to drag windows around and limit some of the animations in PowerPoint.

Audio Type

It is rare that uncompressed audio is going to make an audible difference to your learners. You can reduce the file size by compressing the audio upon production. The default MP4 format uses AAC audio compression, which has a good combination of sound quality and file size.

Frame Rate and Encoding Mode

The frame rate indicates how many frames per second are shown to the viewer. The custom production settings allow between 1 and 60 frames per second (FPS). The default is Automatic FPS, which is good for most videos. However, for many screen recordings, 15 fps is fine. If you're recording something static, like a PowerPoint presentation, you can drop the FPS down, which will save file size. You can also adjust the Encoding mode to increase or decrease the video quality. The higher the quality, the larger the file size.

The frame rate and Encoding mode options can be changed by choosing Export > Local Legacy Files > Video Settings.

Adobe RoboHelp 2022: Update 1 Now Available

Adobe recently released the first update for RoboHelp 2022. The update contains several improvements, including a redesign of the CSS editor, table header row styles, an additional field for topic notes, a collapsible right panel, integration with DeepL translator, and custom metadata for PDFs. There are fixes for Word import and security-related issues as well.

To get the update, start RoboHelp and choose Help > Check for Updates.

Here's a list of what's new and changed:

• Redesign of CSS editor
  
  • Search and filter styles list
    
  • Style list settings
• Support for @import in CSS
• Non-publishable notes
• Default Location of "My RoboHelp Projects"
• Sticky right-panel
• Table header styling
• Integration with DeepL translation API
• Repeat header rows in the PDF output
• Additional metadata in PDF output
• JavaScript to style PDF output

And here's a list of the bugs that were fixed.

Adobe Captivate: Understand Project Cache and Save Some Cash

When I teach my Adobe Captivate Classic classes, we cover application Preferences fairly early. If you're on a PC, choose Edit > Preferences. If you're on a Mac, choose Adobe Captivate > Preferences. From the top of the Preferences, click General Settings.

You will see two options in the Default Locations area: Publish at and Project Cache.

The Publish At option allows you to specify where your projects are published. That makes sense. The less obvious feature is the role of Project Cache. According to Adobe, the Project Cache folder contains all of your projects' components until you click the Clear Cache button. The cached assets make the process of opening, saving, and working on a project faster.

Note: In the image above, I created a folder named Cache directly on my hard drive. You can create the Cache folder anywhere you like, provided the location is not a network resource. Do not delete your Cache folder (or click the Clear Cache button in the image above) unless you have a project backup. Without the contents of the Cache folder, the steps listed below to recover a corrupt project will not work.

Should your Captivate project become corrupt or get misplaced, and you have the backup file, change the name of the backup file to new_name.cptx and you're all set. If you don't have a project backup and the only version of your project refuses to open, the cached version of the project will come to your rescue. Assuming you know the location of your project cache folder, you should be able to resurrect a project by following the steps below (the xxx in the example below will be different on your system).

Special thanks to fellow Captivate developer Rod Ward, Director of Infosemantics, who had the misfortune (or fortune, depending on how you look at the world) of working with a Captivate project that refused to open. Rod used these steps and was able to get back in the game.

1. Find the project cached folder (for example, C:\Users\your name\Documents\Adobe Captivate Cached Projects\CPDxxxxx\db).
   
   This is the default location of the cached project, and you can change this via the Global Preferences, as mentioned above.
   
   The folder will contain the following:
   
   A folder called Compressed_data. (This folder will contain several cpd files.)
   
   A folder called Objects. There should be a file within the folder called objects.cpo. The size of this file should be greater than 0 kb.
   
   A folder called uncompressed_data.
   
   A file called audio.cpad.
   
   A file called info.cpi.
   
   A file called text.cptd.
   
   A file called thumbnails.cpth.
   
   
2. Select the files named above and use them to create a zip file.
   
   Note: There may be other folders and files in the db folder mentioned above. Be careful to not include any other files in the zip other than those listed above. According to Rod, "the other files that might be there seem to be files used in locking the project so that you cannot inadvertently edit two of them at the same time."
   
   
3. Change the extension of the zip file to cptx and the file should open in Captivate.
   
   "Captivate saves one of these db folders each and every time you save a project file," said Rod. "If you don't have success with the first one you try (possibly because it is too corrupted), you can always try another one further down the list by looking at the time the folder was added."
   
   Rod went on to say: "The naming structure of the folders provides no clue as to which CP project corresponds to which cached folder. If you happen to be working on several projects simultaneously, it can take a bit of digging to find the one that you want. You have to keep creating and opening these zips until you get lucky. This, of course, is not a problem if you know the exact time when you happened to be saving a particular project."

"Adobe Captivate 2019: The Essentials" 4th Edition!

It's coming...

Adobe Captivate 2019: New Text-to-Speech Voices

Last week I told you about an awesome (and free) update to Adobe Captivate 2019. In that post, I told you how Adobe removed most of the outdated (Flash) SWF features. But there's more to this update, and I'm loving it. Specifically, Adobe has enhanced the Text-to-Speech feature.

Choose Audio > Speech Management to open the Speech Management dialog box.

 

At the bottom of the dialog box, you'll see a note about ReadSpeaker. If you're a veteran Captivate developer, you'll notice that Captivate used to rely on NeoSpeech. ReadSpeaker voices replace NeoSpeech.

Click the Download new and enhanced voices link. (Note that the download is nearly 4 GB, so if your internet speed isn't fast, prepare for a long wait while the package downloads.)

Exit (quit) Captivate, extract the downloaded file, and run the installer. Once the voices are installed, restart Adobe Captivate.

Choose Window > Slide Notes, create a new note, and then write some text into the note area.

From the upper right of the Slide Note, click the uppermost check mark and then click the Text-to-Speech icon.

The Speech Management dialog box reopens.

From the left of the slide note, click the voices drop-down menu.

The original NeoSpeech voices are still available, such as Paul and Kate. However, you'll see plenty of new voices like Adam, Ashley, and Mark. 

Select the voice you'd like and click Generate Audio.

You can preview the audio by clicking the Play icon.

If you'd like to learn more about Captivate, check out these training opportunities. If you need development support or one-on-one mentoring, I'm an email away.