Adobe CAPTIVATE 5 User Manual

Using

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ADOBE® CAPTIVATE® 5

is 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 oine use.

Last updated 4/22/2010

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Using Adobe

This user guide is protected under copyright law, furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by Adobe Systems Incorporated. Adobe Systems Incorporated assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in the informational content contained in this guide.

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. The best way to provide notice is to include the following link. To view a copy of this license, visit

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® Captivate® 5 for Windows®

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Last updated 4/22/2010

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Last updated 4/22/2010

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Chapter 1: Getting Started

Resources

Activation and registration

Help and support

Services, downloads, and extras

What’s new

Chapter 2: Workspace

Workspace overview

Toolbars

Panels

Filmstrip

Timeline

Branching view

Adobe Captivate Library

Customizing the workspace

Grids

Shortcut keys

Undoing and redoing actions

Disable confirmation messages

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Chapter 3: Creating Projects

About Adobe Captivate projects

Create projects

Customizing the project size

Enable backup file creation

Chapter 4: Recording Projects

Types of recording

Hide recording icons and info in the recording window

Record a new project

Record additional slides

Pause while recording projects

Set recording preferences

Recording tips

Chapter 5: Slides

Master slides

Slide properties

Add slides

Delete and edit slides

Lock slides

Hide slides

Group slides

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Change slide order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Slide notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Slide transitions

Tips for introductory slides

Chapter 6: Adding and Managing Objects

Types of objects

Controlling the visibility of objects

Object style

Object effects

Manage Library objects

Managing objects with the Main Options toolbar

Copy, paste, and duplicate objects

Align objects

Resize and reposition objects by pixel

Change the display order of objects

Merge objects into a slide

Edit object information in the Advanced Interaction dialog box

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USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5

Contents

Chapter 7: Noninteractive Objects and Media

Text captions

Rollover captions

Highlight boxes

Mouse

Rollover slidelets

Zoom areas

Images and rollover images

Drawing tools

Animations

FLV/F4V

Using slide video

Set audio for noninteractive objects

Fix size and position of noninteractive objects

Chapter 8: Interactive Objects

Defining project navigation

Click boxes

Text entry boxes

Buttons

Chapter 9: Widgets

About widgets

Create widgets

Defining visibility mode for widgets

Using XML in widgets

Using variables in widgets

Using ActionScript 3.0 in widgets

Accessing Adobe Captivate movie properties

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Last updated 4/22/2010

DRAFT

Question widgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Add widgets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Troubleshooting widgets

Chapter 10: Audio

Adding audio

Recording in sync

Insert audio

Preview audio

Edit audio

View audio details

Export audio

Chapter 11: Variables and Advanced Actions

Variables

Advanced actions

Tutorial on scripting

Assign advanced actions to an event

Captivate SWF events

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USING ADOBE CAPTIVATE 5

Contents

Chapter 12: Creating a Quiz

Preferences

General workflow for question slides

Create question slides

Question pools and random questions

Chapter 13: Advanced Editing and Project Reviews

Projects and project preferences

Edit FMR files

Skins

Table of contents (TOC)

Preview projects

Combining multiple SWF files with aggregator

Resize projects

Spelling and search

Link Adobe Captivate projects

Creating accessible projects

Localizing Adobe Captivate projects

Import, export, and delete content

Using the AIR Review application

Chapter 14: Publishing Projects

Change the default location of published files

Set publishing preferences

Publish a project as a SWF file

Publish the project as an executable file or F4V file

Publish projects to the web using FTP

Send projects using e-mail

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Last updated 4/22/2010

DRAFT

Get reports by e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Collaboration with Acrobat.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Report to Acrobat.com or internal server

Chapter 15: Using Adobe Captivate with Other Applications

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

Learning management system (LMS)

Adobe Acrobat Connect Pro

Questionmark Perception

Adobe Flash

RoboHelp

Chapter 16: Troubleshooting

Animation timing

Application distortion when recording

Capturing while recording a web application

Capture of elevated applications in Windows Vista/Windows 7

Choppy full motion recording

Correcting colors in slides

Adobe Captivate output

Video errors

Text viewed in a browser

Publishing projects

Quizzing errors

JavaScript that does not appear

The Skin Editor

Uninstalling Adobe Captivate

Security warning with Flash Player 9 or later

Recording audio produces recording(Clip).wav file

Recording Applications on Mac

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Chapter 1: Getting Started

Resources

Before you begin working with your software, take a few moments to read an overview of activation and the many resources available to you. You have access to instructional videos, plug-ins, templates, user communities, seminars, tutorials, RSS feeds, and much more.

Activation and registration

To review complete system requirements and recommendations for your Adobe® Captivate® software, see the ReadMe file on the installation disc.

Install the software

1 Close any other Adobe applications open on your computer.

2 Insert the installation disc into your hard drive, and follow the onscreen instructions.

Note: For more information, see the ReadMe file on the installation disc.

Help with installation

For help with installation issues, see the Support Center at www.adobe.com/go/learn_cp_install_en.

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. If you want to install the software on a third computer, first deactivate it on one of the other two computers. Choose Help > Deactivate.

Register

• To register, follow the onscreen instructions in the Registration dialog box, which appears after you install the

software.

If you postpone registration, you can register at any time by choosing Help > Registration.

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ReadMe

A ReadMe file for your software is available online and on the installation disc. Open the file to read important information about topics such as the following:

• System requirements

• Installation (including removing the software)

• Activation and registration

• Troubleshooting

• Customer support

Help and support

Adobe Community Help client (CHC) is an AIR application that displays help content for Adobe Captivate.

For more information on community help, see “Community Help” on page 2.

To launch the client, open Adobe Captivate and press F1.

Some of the key features of the Community Help client are:

• Up-to-date definitive reference content online and offline (local help). An offline copy of the help package is

downloaded automatically onto your machine when you launch the client for the first time.

• Relevant content contributed by experts from the Adobe community

• Ability to comment on, rate, and contribute to content in the Adobe community

• Dynamic navigation based on search results to find related content

• Content updates and feature enhancements without reinstalling the AIR application

For a more detailed information on how to use the search features and set up preferences in the Community Help client, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_cp_chcblog_en.

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:

• Videos, tutorials, tips and techniques, blogs, articles, and examples for designers and developers.

• Complete online Help, which is updated regularly and is more complete than the Help delivered with your product.

If you are connected to the Internet when you access Help, you automatically see the latest online Help rather than the set delivered with your product.

• All other content on Adobe.com, including knowledgebase articles, downloads and updates, Adobe Developer

Connection, and more.

For more information on community help, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_community_help_en.

Other resources

Online Help also includes a link to the complete, updated PDF version of Help.

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Visit the Adobe Support website at www.adobe.com/go/learn_cp_support_en to learn about free and paid technical support options.

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Services, downloads, and extras

You can enhance your product by integrating various services, plug-ins, and extensions in your product. You can also download samples and other assets to help you get your work done.

Adobe Exchange

Visit the Adobe Exchange at www.adobe.com/go/learn_cp_exchange_en to download samples as well as plug-ins and extensions from Adobe and third-party developers. The plug-ins and extensions can help you automate tasks, customize workflows, create specialized professional effects, and more.

Adobe downloads

Visit www.adobe.com/go/learn_cp_downloads_en to find free updates, trials, and other useful software.

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

• Early versions of product and technical documentation

• Forums, wiki-based content, and other collaborative resources to help you interact with like-minded users

Adobe Labs fosters a collaborative software development process. In this environment, customers quickly become productive with new products and technologies. Adobe Labs is also a forum for early feedback. The Adobe development teams use this feedback to create software that meets the needs and expectations of the community.

Adobe TV

Visit Adobe TV at http://tv.adobe.com to view instructional and inspirational videos.

What’s new

Adobe Captivate 5 software offers new features for rapidly authoring, enriching, publishing, and maintaining complex interactive e-learning content-without programming.

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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>>.

Optimized user interface

Improve the overall authoring experience with Property inspector that provides an in-context list of attributes when objects are selected. Work simultaneously on multiple projects using the multiple-document interface. Personalize workspaces and switch between them as and when needed. Benefit from a user interface that is consistent with popular Adobe® applications such as Adobe® Flash®, Photoshop®, and Dreamweaver®.

Object Styles

Quickly obtain a uniform and consistent formatting for objects by defining styles and applying them. Reuse the styles across multiple Adobe Captivate projects without having to recreate them.

Master Slides

Use Master Slides to easily create and maintain well formatted and consistent-looking content that meets corporate guidelines. Make project-wide formatting changes conveniently and consistently.

Rich animation effects

Create rich object animations within Adobe Captivate 5, by combining predefined effects such as straight-line motion, rotation, and glow. For added impact, seamlessly import custom animation effects from Adobe Flash® Professional.

Multi-video support and synchronization

Include videos in your content without having to use another application. Import videos in a wide variety of popular formats (AVI, MOV, FLV, MPEG) and synchronize video with a project, slide, or a set of slides.

In-context learner collaboration using Twitter

Use the Twitter widget to create courses that let learners collaborate with each other as well as with the author using their Twitter account. The learners can ask questions, get answers, and access preexisting discussions.

Collaboration and review using Acrobat.com

Enable multiple authors to work simultaneously on a project by hosting and sharing projects on Acrobat.com. Also, host projects on Acrobat.com for shared reviews to enable authors obtain collective review comments from reviewers.

Tracking and reporting without an LMS

Meet basic evaluation needs at no extra cost by tracking and reporting key performance metrics, such as average score and pass or fail, without having to invest in a Learning Management System.

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Getting Started

Expanded asset library

Get a larger set of prebuilt widgets, playbars, skins, stock animations, images, text captions, and buttons with superior aesthetics and usability.

Adobe Photoshop round-tripping

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.

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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.

A. Tabbed Document windows B. Application bar C. Workspace switcher D. Panel title bar E. Control panel F. Tools panel G. Filmstrip H. Collapse To Icons button I. Panel groups in vertical dock J. Timeline

B DC

• The Application bar across the top contains a workspace switcher, menus (Windows only), and other application

controls.

• Object Toolbar contains tools that help you draw, insert, and edit objects on slides.

• Filmstrip shows a preview of all the slides in the current open project.

• The Document window displays the file you are working on. Open documents are displayed in different tabs.

• Timeline displays the timeline of the current slide and its objects.

• The Properties palette displays the properties of the selected slide or object. This palette also allows you to specify

other aspects of the selected slide or object, such as, display duration and transition effects.

• The Library palette lists all the resources used in the Adobe Captivate project.

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Hide and show panels

Click Window and select the panel to show or hide.

Toolbars

Toolbars provide you an easier access to the most commonly used menus. You can quickly complete a task or a procedure by clicking the buttons on the toolbar instead of navigating to the menu.

You can hide or show toolbars according to your requirements. To show or hide a toolbar, select Window and then select the name of the toolbar.

Main Options Shortcuts to frequently performed actions, such as, save, record, and preview.

Object Toolbar Shortcuts for adding Adobe Captivate objects, such as, text captions, buttons, and highlight boxes.

Using this toolbar you can also draw objects, such as, lines and rectangles, and also set the stroke and fill colors.

The Line tool contains hidden tools. Click and hold the mouse on the tool to view the hidden tools.

T U

A. Selection Tool B. Insert Text Caption C. Insert Rollover Caption D. Insert Highlight Box E. Insert Click Box F. Insert Button G. Insert Text Entry Box H. Insert Rollover Slidelet I. Insert Zoom Area J. Insert Mouse K. Insert Text Animation L. Line tool M. Rectangle tool N. Oval tool O. Polygon tool P. Pen tool Q. Set Stroke Color R. Paint Bucket tool S. Set Fill Color T. Set Stroke/Fill to Black/White U. Swap Fill/Stroke Colors

Align Shortcuts for aligning different objects on a slide. For more information, see “Align objects” on page 58.

Rearranging the Object Toolbar

By default, the tools in the toolbar are arranged in a single column. Click the double arrow at the top of the toolbar to make it horizontal or to arrange the tools in two columns.

Note: To make the toolbar horizontal, ensure that the toolbar is free-floating and is not grouped with any other panel.

To group the toolbar with a panel, drag it by its bar to the panel and drop it when you see a blue drop zone.

To make the toolbar free-floating, drag it out of the panel group using the two horizontal dotted lines at the top of the bar.

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Horizontal dotted lines

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Panels

To show or hide panels, select Window and then select the name of the panel.

Filmstrip Displays a thumbnail view of the slides in the project in the order of their appearance. For more information,

see “Filmstrip” on page 8.

Question Pool Displays a thumbnail view of the slides in question pools from where quiz questions are randomly

picked at run-time. For more information, see “Question pools and random questions” on page 165.

Master Slide Displays the slides that define background and common objects, such as logos, headers, and footers for

other slides. For more information, see “Master slides” on page 37.

Timeline Displays the timeline of a slide and its objects. For more information, see “Timeline” on page 9.

Library Displays all the resources, such as, images and audio files that are currently available for a project. For more

information, see “Adobe Captivate Library” on page 12.

Properties Displays the properties associated with the selected slide or object.

Quizzing Properties Displays the properties associated with quiz slides.

Slide Notes Displays notes that are added for a slide. For more information, see “Slide notes” on page 47.

Widget Displays widgets available in the widget gallery that you can add to a slide. For more information, see “About

widgets” on page 116.

Comments Displays review comments provided by reviewers. For more information, see “View or sort comments in

the Adobe Captivate project” on page 196.

Effects Displays the effects applied to the selected object on the slide. For more information, see “Object effects” on

page 53.

Filmstrip

The Filmstrip displays all the slides in the project in the order in which they appear when published.

You can change the order of a slide by dragging it to a new location within the Filmstrip. To select multiple slides, hold down the Shift or Control key when clicking on slides; to select all slides, press Control+A.

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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.

A: Slide Label

If the contents of a slide were recorded using Full Motion Recording (FMR), then a handycam icon appears in the lower right corner of the slide.

If a slide has an audio file associated with it, the audio icon appears in the lower-right corner of the slide. You can click the sound icon to show a menu with sound options such a Play, Import, and Edit.

If a slide is locked, the lock icon appears in the lower-right corner of the slide. You can click the lock icon to unlock the slide.

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If a slide contains mouse movement, the mouse icon appears in the lower-right corner of the slide.

Timeline

The Timeline is a visual representation of all objects on slides. The Timeline provides an easy way to view, at a high level, all objects on a slide and their relationship to each other. With the Timeline, you can organize objects and precisely control the timing of objects. For example, on a slide that contains a caption, an image, and a highlight box, you can display the caption, then the image 4 seconds later, and then the highlight box 2 seconds after that. The Timeline also shows any audio associated with the slide or with objects on the slide, letting you easily coordinate the timing of audio with objects.

Timeline

The Timeline header shows time, in seconds (1s for 1 second, 2s for 2 seconds, and so on), so you see exactly when objects appear.

The major components of the Timeline are objects, the header, and the playhead. The objects on a slide are displayed as stacked bars in the right pane of the Timeline. The header at the top of the Timeline indicates time in seconds (and parts of seconds). The playhead shows the point in time in which the slide is being viewed.

You can use the Timeline to hide or lock objects easily. This is useful when a slide contains many objects and you need to edit the objects separately.

Rest the mouse pointer over any bar in the Timeline and use the hint message that appears to view details about the timing of that object.

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Show or hide the Timeline

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.

Change the zoom level of the Timeline panel

Use the slider in the Timeline panel. The center of the slider indicates 100% zoom. To increase the zoom level, drag the slider to the right. To reduce the zoom level, drag the slider to the left.

Change the order of object layers

1 Move the mouse over the object in the Timeline panel until the hand icon appears and drag the object up or down

to reposition it.

2 If you have two objects that overlap on the slide, you need to select the object you want in front by setting the

stacking order.

Changing the stacking order consists of moving objects to the back and front of the slide Stage. The key point to remember is that objects at the back of the Stage appear behind other objects. Use one of the following methods to set the stacking order:

• Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) an object on the slide and select one of the object order

options. If necessary, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) other objects on the slide and adjust their order.

Bring To Front This option brings the selected object to the top. When the project plays, the object appears on

top of all others.

Send To Back This option sends the selected object to the background. When the project plays, the object

appears behind all others.

Bring Forward This option moves the object one layer forward.

Send Backward This option moves the object one layer back.

• In Edit view, on the Timeline, move the mouse over an object until the hand appears and drag the object up or

down to change its position in the stacking order. Moving an object higher in the stacking order moves it to the front of the Stage, while moving an object lower moves it to the back of the Stage.

Hide objects during editing

❖ In the Timeline, click the dot below the eye icon in the layer that you want to hide.

The object disappears from the slide and an X icon appears in the column. To display the object on the slide, click the X icon.

When you hide an object layer, it is hidden only on the Stage. You can still view the layer when it is previewed or published.

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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. For more information on slidelets, see “Rollover slidelets” on page 79.

Lock objects

❖ In the Timeline, click the dot below the lock icon in the layer that you want to lock.

The layer and its corresponding object cannot be edited or moved until you unlock the layer. To unlock the layer, click the lock icon.

Set time for objects and slides using the Timeline

You can change the amount of time an object or slide appears in the movie using its Properties dialog box or by using the Timeline. You may find this feature useful in several situations. For example, you may want to set exact object timing when coordinating a voice-over with a highlight box; you might want the highlight box to appear only when the voice-over says, “Enter the date here.”

• Move the mouse over the left or right edge of the slide or object on the Timeline until the resize pointer appears.

Click and drag the edge to the required position in the Timeline.

• To set two objects to appear at the same time, align their left and right edges. For example, you can set a highlight

box to appear at the same time as an image so that the highlight box can appear over the image.

• To adjust the display time of interactive objects (such as text entry boxes, click boxes, and buttons) rest the pointer

over the line between Active and Inactive in the bar until the slider handle appears. Drag the slider to adjust the display time.

You can select multiple objects and move them at the same time. Hold down the Shift key and click objects to select consecutive stacked objects in the Timeline, or to select nonconsecutive objects, hold down the Control key and click the objects to move.

You can determine whether keystrokes are played slowly or quickly in a project. If the project has many keystrokes, increasing the speed will make the pace of the project faster. However, if keystrokes are critical in the project, you may want them to play slowly so users can view them clearly. Use the Timeline to change keystroke speed. Keystrokes are contained in a Timeline object named Typing.

You determine the speed at which the mouse moves on any individual slide in a project. A high mouse speed increases the pace at which the project plays. However, if mouse movements are complicated, you may want to decrease the mouse speed so users can view all movements. Mouse movement is contained in a Timeline object named Mouse. To shorten the amount of time it takes for the mouse movement to play, move the mouse pointer over the left edge of the Mouse object until the resize pointer appears. Click and drag the edge to the left.

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Preview a slide using the playhead

The playhead moves through the Timeline to indicate how the currently displayed slide appears in the project. It is a quick and efficient way to preview a single slide and check object timing. To see how the playhead functions, press F3. The red line that moves across the Timeline is the playhead. You can stop a playhead when it is playing by clicking it. To drag the playhead to a required position, move the mouse over its “head” in the area displaying the time. When the pointer appears, drag the playhead to the required position.

❖ Do one of the following:

• “Scrub” the slide by dragging the playhead to the left or right. As you move the playhead, objects appear and fade

as they will when users view the slide. Scrubbing gives you the ability to control the pace and view the slide at any speed from very slowly to very quickly.

• With the playhead in any location on the Timeline, press the Spacebar or F3 to begin playing the slide.

• With the playhead in any location on the Timeline, press Play in the lower-left corner of the Timeline. (To end

playback, press Stop, or to wait, press Pause.)

Branching view

The Branching view gives you a visual representation of all links between the slides in a project and lets you quickly edit those links. Select Window > Branching View to open the Branching View panel.

The main pane displays all the slides, the type of link between the slide,s and lets you find and select the slide you want to review. To collapse the slide path use the ‘-’ icon that appears adjacent to the slides. To view and change the properties of a slide, select the slide and use the Property Inspector.

The bottom pane provides an overview and the left pane lists all the unlinked slides.

The Branching view is particularly helpful when creating instructional materials containing question slides and specifying different paths for right and wrong answers. For example, you can set one action (such as “Go to the next slide”) when a user supplies a correct answer, and you can set a different action (such as “Open URL or file”) when a user supplies an incorrect answer. 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.

Create Slide Group Combines the selected slides into a single group. For more information on grouping slides, see

Expand Slide Group Displays all the slides belonging to the selected group. The slides in a group are by default in a

collapsed state.

Collapse Slide Group Combines the expanded slides of a group back into a group.

Remove Slide Group Ungroups the grouped slides.

Export Branching View Export the Branching view as a JPEG or BMP file using the dialog box that appears.

Adobe Captivate Library

Library overview

An Adobe Captivate library is a repository of resources, such as, audio files, images, and animations. Every Adobe Captivate project contains its own library.

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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.

The items in the library are categorized and organized in folders, such as, Audio, Images, and Media. The following information is displayed for each item:

• Name

• Type

• Size (in kilobytes)

• Use Count, which indicates the number of items the item is used in the project.

• Date Modified

Note: Click the title of any of these columns to sort the list of items within each folder.

Using the Library panel, you can do the following:

• Edit the properties of the items.

• Reuse the items within a project as well as across other Adobe Captivate projects by exporting or importing them.

• Synchronize the items with their source files. You can also open and edit the source files directly in the supported

programs.

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Import objects into the Library

You can import objects from other Adobe Captivate projects or templates into the library of your current project.

1 Select File > Import > External Library.

2 In the Open dialog box, navigate to and select the Adobe Captivate project or project template from which you want

to import objects.

3 Click Open.

The objects in the project or project template are added to the library of your current project.

Customizing the workspace

You can create a custom workspace by rearranging and resizing document windows and panels. You can save the customized workspaces and switch between them.

Rearrange document windows

When you open more than one file, the Document windows are tabbed. To rearrange the tabbed Document windows, drag and drop the window’s tab to the new location.

Move panels

• To move a panel, drag it by its tab.

• To move a panel group, drag the title bar.

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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.

Note: The position of the mouse pointer, rather than the position of the panel, activates the drop zone.

Press Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) while moving a panel to prevent it from docking. Press Esc while moving the panel to cancel the operation.

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Dock and undock panels

A dock is a collection of panels or panel groups displayed together, generally in a vertical orientation. You dock and undock panels by moving them into and out of a dock.

• To dock a panel, drag it by its tab into the dock, at the top, bottom, or in between other panels.

• To dock a panel group, drag it by its title bar (the solid empty bar above the tabs) into the dock.

• To remove a panel or panel group from a dock, drag it out of the dock by its tab or title bar. You can also drag it

into another dock or make it free-floating.

• To resize a panel, move the mouse over the edges of the panel. When double-sided arrow appears, drag the panel

to the required size.

Add and remove panels from docks

If you remove all panels from a dock, the dock disappears. You can create a dock by moving panels to the right edge of the workspace until a drop zone appears.

• To remove a panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) its tab and then select Close, or deselect it from

the Window menu.

• To add a panel, select it from the Window menu and dock it wherever you want.

Stack floating panels

When you drag a panel out of its dock but not into a drop zone, the panel floats freely. The floating panel allows you to position it anywhere in the workspace. You can stack floating panels or panel groups so that they move as a unit when you drag the topmost title bar.

• To stack floating panels, drag a panel by its tab to the drop zone at the bottom of another panel.

• To change the stacking order, drag a panel up or down by its tab.

Note: Be sure to release the tab over the narrow drop zone between panels, rather than the broad drop zone in a title bar.

• To remove a panel or panel group from the stack, so that it floats by itself, drag it out by its tab or title bar.

Resize panels

• To minimize or maximize a panel, panel group, or stack of panels, double-click a tab. You can also single-click the

tab area (the empty space next to the tabs).

• To resize a panel, drag any side of the panel. Some panels, such as the Color panel in Photoshop, cannot be resized

by dragging.

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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.

• To expand a single panel icon, click it.

• To resize panel icons so that you see only the icons (and not the labels), adjust the width of the dock until the text

disappears. To display the icon text again, make the dock wider.

• To collapse an expanded panel back to its icon, click its tab, its icon, or the double arrow in the panel’s title bar.

• To add a floating panel or panel group to an icon dock, drag it in by its tab or title bar. (Panels are automatically

collapsed to icons when added to an icon dock.)

• To move a panel icon (or panel icon group), drag the icon. You can drag panel icons up and down in the dock, into

other docks (where they appear in the panel style of that dock), or outside the dock (where they appear as floating, expanded panels).

Save customized workspaces

By saving the current size and position of panels as a named workspace, you can restore that workspace even if you move or close a panel. The names of saved workspaces appear in the workspace switcher in the Application bar.

1 Go to Window (on Windows) > Workspace > New Workspace.

2 Type a name for the new workspace, and click OK.

Any changes that are made to the workspace are saved automatically. To revert to the default state of a workspace, select Window > Workspace > Reset [Workspace Name].

Switch workspaces

Select a workspace from the workspace switcher in the Application bar.

Rename and delete workspaces

Select Window > Workspace > Manage Workspace.

• To rename a workspace, select the workspace and click Rename.

• To delete a workspace, select the workspace and click Delete.

Grids

The Snap To Grid option helps you position objects accurately on a page. A grid is a set of lines to which the objects “stick” when the Snap To Grid feature is enabled. When you bring an object close to a grid line, the object snaps to the line much in the same way as iron sticks to a magnet. For example, you can stack objects accurately one above the other using a grid.

Work with grids

• Select View > Show Grid. The grid is displayed as a matrix of dots on the slide.

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• Select View > Snap To Grid.

• Select View > Snap To Object

Snap To Object is applicable only when you are drawing objects on a slide and not when you are editing or moving them. When both Snap To Grid and Snap To Object options are selected, the Snap To Object option takes precedence.

Change the dimensions of a grid

1 Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS).

2 In the Preferences dialog box, select General Settings from the Global menu.

3 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.

Shortcut key Action

F1 (Win & Mac) Open Adobe Captivate Help (To access dialog-box-level help, click the Help button on

F2 (Win & Mac) Rename the selected object

F3 (Win & Mac) Test view the current slide (Edit view only)

F4 (Win & Mac) Preview the project

F5 (Win & Mac) Record audio

F6 (Win & Mac) Import audio

F7 (Win & Mac) Perform a spelling and grammar check

F8 (Win only) Preview project from current slide

F9 (Win only) Show the Advanced Interaction dialog box

F10 (Win only) Preview the current slide and the following “N” slides

F12 (Win), Command+F12 (Mac) Preview the project in a web browser

Page Up (win & Mac) Scroll page up

Page Down (win & Mac) scroll page down

Alt+A (Win), Option+A (Mac) Create question pool

Alt+Up, Down, Left, Right Arrows (Win), Option+Up, Down, Left, Right Arrows

individual dialog boxes.)

Click the object, click a resize handle, and use these options to resize the object in the selected direction by 1 pixel

Control+A (Win), Command+A (Mac) Select all

Control+B (Win), Command+B (Mac) Find audio in the Library/Change text to Bold

Control+C (Win), Command+C (Mac) Copy (slide in Storyboard view or Filmstrip, and selected object in Edit view)

Control+D (Win), Command+D (Mac) Duplicate (slide in Storyboard view or Filmstrip, and selected object in Edit view)

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Shortcut key Action

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Control+E (Win), Command+E (Mac) Extend the length of the object display time to the end of the slide on the Timeline (Edit

Control+F (Win), Command+F (Mac) Find/replace a particular object in the project Library

Control+I (Win), Command+I (Mac) Increase the indent (selected object in Edit view)/Change text to Italics

Control+L (Win), Command+L (Mac) Sync the selected object to the playhead

Control+M (Win), Command+M (Mac) Merge the selected object with the background

Control+N (Win), Command+N (Mac) Open new project

Control+O (Win), Command+S (Mac) Open the project

Control+P (Win), Command+P (Mac) Align the selected object with the playhead on the Timeline (Edit view only)

Control+Q (Win), Shift+Option+R (Mac) Insert a random question slide

Control+R (Win), Command + R (Mac) Start/record new capture project

Control+S (Win), Command+S (Mac) Save

Control+T (Win), Command+T(Mac) Open project template

Control+U (Win), Command+U (Mac) Underline the selected text

Control+V (Win), Command+V (Mac) Paste what is on the clipboard (for example, slide, image, object, and so on)

Control+W (Win), Command+W (Mac) Close the project

Control+X (Win), Command+X (Mac) Cut (selected object in Edit view)

Control+Y (Win), Command+Y (Mac) Redo

view only)

Control+Z (Win), Command+Z (Mac) Undo

Control+Tab (Win), Command+` (Mac) Shift between Storyboard, Edit, and Branching views to the right

Control+Enter (Win), Conmmand+Enter (Mac) Preview the project

Control+Alt+A (Win), Command+Option+A (Mac) Export PowerPoint slides as animation

Control+Alt+B (Win), Command+Option+B (Mac) Show thumbnails (Edit view only)

Control+Alt+C (Win), Command+Option+C (Mac) Show the Closed Captioning dialog box

Control+Alt+D (Win only) Update the Library

Control+Alt+E (Win), Command+Option+E (Mac) Edit the slide group and edit points of polygon drawing object

Control+Alt+F (Win), Command+Option+F (Mac) Find in the Library

Control+Alt+G (win), Command+Option+G (Mac) Create a slide group and autoadjust the rollover area

Control+Alt+H (Win), Command+Option+H (Mac) Hide the selected object

Control+Alt+I (Win), Command+Options+I (Mac) Find PowerPoint slides in the Library

Control+Alt+J (Win), Command+Option+J (Mac) Edit PowerPoint slides

Control+Alt+K (Win), Command+Option+K (Mac) Lock the selected object

Control+Alt+L (Win), Command+Option+L (Mac) Show the Library (Edit view only)

Control+Alt+M (Win), Control+Option+M (Mac) Insert master slide

Control+Alt+N (Win), Command+Option+N (Mac) Show slide notes (Edit view only)

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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) Edit PowerPoint slide

Control+Alt+T (Win), Command+Option+T (Mac) Show the Timeline (Edit view only)

Control+Alt+U (Win), Command+Option+U (Mac) Library usage

Control+Alt+V (Win), Command+Option+V (Mac) Import video file

Control+Alt+W (Win), Command+Option+W (Mac) Redraw the shape of the rollover slidelet

Control+Alt+X (Win), Command+Options X (Mac) Show/hide the SWF-Commenting pane

Control+Alt+Z (Win), Command+Option+Z (Mac) Show/hide the Widget panel

Shift+F7 (Win & Mac) Show objects style manager

Shift+F8 (Win), Command + , (Mac) Preferences dialog box

Shift+F9 (Win), Shift+Command+F9 (Mac) Actions dialog box

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Shift+F10 (Win), Shift+Command+F10 (Mac) Table of contents

Shift+F11 (Win), Shift+ Command+F11 (Mac) Skin Editor dialog box

Shift+F12 (Win), Shift+Option+F12 (Mac) Publish the file

Shift+A (Win & Mac) Insert Animation placeholder

Shift+F (Win & Mac) Insert Flash video placeholder

Shift+R (Win & Mac) Insert rollover caption placeholder

Shift+O (Win & Mac) Insert rollover image placeholder

Shift+C (Win & Mac) Insert Text Caption placeholder

Shift+V (Win & Mac) Insert video place holder

Shift+M (Win & Mac) Insert Image placeholder

Shift+Q (Win), Option + Q (Mac) Insert Question slide placeholder

Shift+X (Win & Mac) Insert Text Animation placeholder

Shift+Alt+A (Win), Shift+Option+A (Mac) Show Audio Management dialog box

Shift+Alt+W (Win), Shift+Option+W (Mac) Close all the open projects

Shift+Alt+O (Win), Shift+Option+O (Mac) Insert recording slide placeholder

Shift+Alt+P (Win), Shift+Option+P (Mac) Import Photoshop file

Shift+Alt+S (Win), Shift+Option+A (Mac) Show Audio Management dialog box

Shift+Alt+V (Win), Shift+Option+V (Mac) Paste as Background

Shift+Alt+Up, Down, Left, Right Arrows (Win), Shift+Option+Up, Down, Left, Right Arrows

Shift+Control+A (Win), Shift+ Command+A (Mac) Add an animation object (Edit and Storyboard views only)

Shift+Control+B (Win), Shift+Command+B (Mac) Add a new button (Edit and Storyboard views only)

Click the object, click a resize handle, and use these options to resize the object in the selected direction by 10 pixel

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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)

Shift+Control+F (Win), Shift+Command+F (Mac) Insert an FLV file (Edit and Storyboard views only)

Shift+Control+H (Win), Shift+Command+H (Mac) Hide/show slide

Shift+Control+I (Win), Shift+Command+I (Mac) Decrease the indent (selected object in Edit view)

Shift+Control+J (win), Shift+Command+J (Mac) Insert a blank slide (Edit and Storyboard views only)

Shift+Control+K (Win), Shift+Command+K (Mac) Add a new click box (Edit and Storyboard views only)

Shift+Control+L (Win), Shift+Command+L (Mac) Insert a highlight box

Shift+Control+M (Win), Shift+Command+M (Mac) Add a new image

Shift+Control+N (Win), Shift+Command+N (Mac) Add a new animation slide

Shift+Control+O (Win), Shift+Command+O (Mac) Add a new rollover image

Shift+Control+P (Win), Shift+Command+P (Mac) Import PPT

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Shift+Control+Q (Win), Shift+Q (Mac) Insert a question slide

Shift+Control+R (Win), Shift+Command+R (Mac) Insert a rollover caption

Shift+Control+S (Win), Shift+Command+S (Mac) Insert an image slide

Shift+Control+T (Win), Shift+Command+T (Mac) Insert a text entry box

Shift+Control+U (Win), Shift+Command+U (Mac) Insert the mouse

Shift+Control+W (Win), Shift+Command+W (Mac) Insert a widget

Shift+Control+X (Win), Shift+Command+X (Mac) Insert a text animation

Shift+Control+Y (Win), Shift+Command+Y (Mac) Copy the background

Shift+Control+Z (Win), Shift+Command+Z (Mac) Insert Slidelet

Control + Shift + Tab (Win), Command+Shift+ ` (Mac)

Shift + Control + Alt + B (Win), Shift+Command+Option+B (Mac)

Shift+Control+Alt+S (Win), Shift+Command+Option+S (Mac)

Shift+Control+Alt+E (Win), Shift+Command+Option+E (Mac)

Shift between Storyboard, Edit, and Branching views to the left

Show Branching View

Save the project with different name

Show/Hide effects palette

Magnification shortcuts

Shortcut key Magnification level

Control+1 (Win), Command + 1 (Mac) 100%

Control+2 (Win), Command + 2 (Mac) 200%

Control+3(Win), Command + 3 (Mac) 300%

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Shortcut key Magnification level

Control+4 (Win), Command + 4 (Mac) 400%

Control+ - (Win), Command + - (Mac) Zoom in

Control++ (Win), Command + + (Mac) Zoom out

Control + 0 (win), Command + 0 (Mac) Best Fit Zoom / Center Align Workspace

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Shortcut keys for recording

The following table lists the default shortcut keys used during recording. These shortcuts should be used only after you start the recording process. The same keys function differently when you are editing a project.

Shortcut key Action

Control+R (Win), Command + R (Mac) Start/record new capture project

Control+Alt+O (Win), Command+Option+O (Mac) Record additional slides

End (Win & Mac) Stop recording

Delete (Win & Mac) Delete the current selection

Pause (Win & Mac) Pause or resume recording

Print Screen (Win & Mac) Capture a screenshot manually

F4 (Win & Mac) Preview project

F3 (Win & Mac) Preview single slide

F2 (Win & Mac) edit caption text

F12 (Win & Mac) Preview project in browser

Change shortcut keys for recording

1 Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS).

2 In the Preferences dialog box, select Keys from the Recording menu.

3 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. For example, click inside the To Stop Recording text box and then press Shift+Alt+4. The key combination you entered now appears in the To Stop Recording text box. You can use almost any key, including the Control, Alt, Shift+Control, and Shift+Alt keys. For example, you could change the stop recording key to Alt+R.

Change shortcut keys for an object

You can specify a new shortcut key for interactive objects such as buttons, text entry boxes, and click boxes.

1 Select the object.

2 Click the Shortcut text box in the Action area of the Properties panel. The box gets highlighted in blue.

3 Using your keyboard, set a key combination, for example, Control+Shift+K, Control+Right Arrow, or

Backspace+M.

The Control, Shift, and Alt keys map to the relevant Macintosh® keys.

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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.

4 If you want the users to use only the shortcut key, deselect Allow Mouse Click.

To change the shortcut key, click the delete icon and specify the new key combination.

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Undoing and redoing actions

You can reverse the previous action by using the Undo command.

• From the Edit menu, select Undo [Name of the recent action] or press Control+Z.

Each click reverses one more action. Continue clicking Undo (or pressing Control+Z) to remove as many of the previous changes as necessary.

When the Undo command is unavailable (dimmed), you cannot undo the previous action.

Adobe Captivate tracks actions from the time you open a project until the time you close the project. Therefore, you can undo as many times as you need to, as long as the project remains open.

You can reverse the action of the Undo command by using the Redo command.

• After you have used the Undo command, from the Edit menu, select Redo or press Control+Y.

Disable confirmation messages

Confirmation messages appear when you perform important, and often permanent, actions in Adobe Captivate. The confirmation messages give you an opportunity to reconsider your decisions when deleting information or changing key attributes.

If you find that certain messages are not necessary for the way you work or are slowing down your work, you might want to disable them.

1 In an open project, select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS).

2 In the Category panel, select Global > General Settings.

3 Click Confirmation Messages in the General Settings panel.

4 In the Confirmation Messages dialog box, deselect the options for which you do not require confirmation messages.

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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:

From Template Choose a predefined template for your project.

Software Simulation Record events in an application or a screen area on your computer screen using Adobe Captivate.

A series of screenshots is captured and placed sequentially in separate slides. A mouse, keyboard, or system event is the usual trigger for a new slide. During recording, use the application or website you want to demonstrate as you would normally—by moving the mouse, using the keyboard, and navigating through menus.

Blank Project You can start from a blank project with the selected project dimensions. You could add Adobe

Captivate objects, import Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, images, audio, video, and animations, or even record a software demonstration or simulation. For more information, see “Create a project starting with blank slides” on page 24.

Microsoft PowerPoint Slides You can import an entire PowerPoint presentation, or only selected slides, into an Adobe

Captivate project. You can later edit the PowerPoint presentations from within Adobe Captivate. For more information, see “Microsoft PowerPoint” on page 208.

Image Slide Show Import a set of images to create an image slideshow. For more information, see “Create a project

from images” on page 24.

Project Template When working on similar projects or modules within a larger project, you could create projects from

templates. Project templates ensure consistency and improve the efficiency of people working in a collaborative setup. For more information, see“Create project templates” on page 25.

Aggregator Project Combine multiple SWFs into a single project using the Aggregator. The Aggregator project can

then be published as a single SWF, or as a Windows or Mac executable. For more information, see “Combining

multiple SWF files with aggregator” on page 180

Mobile Projects (only if Adobe eLearning Suite is installed) Create an Adobe Captivate project for mobile devices by

selecting the target mobile device in Adobe Device Central. Use the screen resolution of the device as the dimensions for your project. Use Adobe Device Central to test the project on the target device.

You can add voice-over during recording, or at the editing stage.

After you create a project, you can edit it by doing the following:

• Edit content on the slides.

• Add Adobe Captivate objects such as text captions, buttons, text entry boxes, rollover captions, rollover slidelets,

highlight boxes and mouse pointers to the project.

• Add different media files, such as images, audio, video, and animations in multiple formats.

• Change the display times of slides and objects.

• Change the order of slides and objects.

• Add different kinds of slides, such as PowerPoint slides, image slides, and slides from other Adobe Captivate

projects to the project

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• Add quizzes to your project by adding question slides of different types, including multiple choice, matching, fill in

the blanks and image hot-spots. Randomize the questions to provide an entirely new set of questions to the learners every time they take the course.

• Add narration to the project, either by recording audio or by converting text to speech.

To get feedback on the edited file, send it out to one or more reviewers. Reviewers can comment on the SWFs while playing them in the Adobe Captivate Reviewer, an Adobe AIR application. The comments are automatically imported into the project and displayed on the timeline, and in the SWF Commenting panel.

You can make the required changes to the project and publish it in multiple formats, including SWF, PDF and AVI files. You can use the LMS settings in Adobe Captivate to publish a LMS-ready file.

You can do the following to improve efficiency when creating similar Adobe Captivate projects:

• Achieve consistency across projects using project templates.

• Ensure a consistent appearance for projects using design templates.

• Use rerecording scripts to automate the recording process for similar sequences for web applications.

You can enhance the potential of Adobe Captivate by using it with other software such as Adobe® Flash®, Microsoft® PowerPoint®, RoboScreen Capture®, and Acrobat Connect®.

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.

Automatic Recording Adobe Captivate captures screenshots automatically and places them in separate slides. For

more information, see “Automatic recording” on page 28.

Full Motion Recording Adobe Captivate records the entire set of events in real time as a video. For more information,

see “Full motion recording” on page 30.

Manual Recording You can manually capture screenshots using this option. The chosen set of screenshots appears

sequentially in separate slides after the recording is complete. For more information, see “Manual recording” on page 30.

For more information, see “Recording Projects” on page 28.

Create a project from PowerPoint presentations

You can import an entire PowerPoint presentation, or only selected slides into an Adobe Captivate project. Each PowerPoint slide is imported as a separate slide in the Adobe Captivate project. You can later edit the PowerPoint presentations from within Adobe Captivate.

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