Ever needed to display an object across several or all of your Captivate project slides? Me too! The good news is that there is more than one way to accomplish the task. The bad news is that neither process works very well.
One way to show an object (such as your logo) across multiple slides is to use Captivate's Show for rest of project command via the Options tab. This technique works well enough until you come across one of the slides where you don't want the image. Since the Show for rest of project command is an all-or-nothing affair, you are sunk (unless you cover the object or know how to Hide an object).
The other way to show an object across multiple slides (hold onto your hat) is to copy and paste the object onto said slides. While antiquated, this is a simple-enough process until, sometime later, you want to move, alter or remove the object from all or some of those slides. The only foolproof way to make changes to those objects is to go from slide to slide and manually make the change(s). I know that there's an Apply to All feature, but it is often inappropriate to use or worse, simply doesn't work consistently. Ouch!
So hello to Captivate 5 where you will find a wonderfully welcome addition: Master Slides. Once you create a Master Slide, anything you add to a Master Slide can quickly be applied to any project slide(s). If you modify, move or delete Master Slide objects, the slides assigned to the Master Slide will instantly be affected. Nice!
To create a Master Slide, choose Window > Master Slide.
The Master Slide panel appears alongside the Timeline. If you click on a Master Slide, you'll enter Master Slide view. Any changes you make to the slide will affect the selected Master Slide.
Add, format or position object(s) on the Master Slide just as you would a project slide. In the picture below, I added a logo to the lower right of the master slide.
The final step is to apply the Master Slide to project slide(s).
On the Film Strip, select any or all of the slides.
From the General group on the Properties panel, select the Master Slide you would like to apply from the Master Slide drop-down menu.
You can have multiple Master Slides in a project (choose Insert > Master Slide while the Master Slide panel is open to add a new Master Slide). And you can name a Master Slide via the Properties panel of any selected Master Slide.
If you don't want to use a Master Slide on a specific slide(s), select the slide(s) and, from the General group on the Properties panel, select None from the Master Slide drop-down menu.
As mentioned earlier, once you have applied a Master Slide to a project slide, any changes you make to the objects on a Master Slide will have an instant affect on any slides that are assigned to the Master Slide.
Follow Kevin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kevin_siegel
Comments