Getting Started ® ™ Adobe Captivate 2
© 2006 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved. Getting Started with Adobe® Captivate™ If this guide is distributed with software that includes an end user agreement, this guide, as well as the software described in it, is furnished under license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license.
CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: Getting Started . ......................................... 5 What’s new in Adobe Captivate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Guide to Adobe Captivate instructional media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 CHAPTER 2: Installing Adobe Captivate . ................................ 9 System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contents
CHAPTER 1 Getting Started Adobe® Captivate™ is a professional software tool for quickly creating interactive demonstrations and simulations in a variety of formats including Macromedia® Flash® from Adobe (SWF) and executable files (EXE). Anyone who needs to develop online product demonstrations, software simulations for e-learning, or online tutorials for user support will find Adobe Captivate an ideal solution.
• Enhance training with Flash Video • Create scenario- or interaction-based training Develop projects for training that include soft skills such as role-play, sales, or management training. With scenario simulation, you can create a project in three easy steps. • Reuse and update content in the Library Save production time and manage all project components using the Library. Drag objects from the Library onto the slide or into the Timeline. Reuse content and import libraries from existing projects.
• Work faster, edit more easily • Enhanced settings for object properties • Simplified e-learning content transferring from authoring or content systems to an Save time and increase productivity with a multitude of streamlined workflows and usability enhancements such as the new Hide and Lock option in the Timeline, automatic addition of text-entry boxes during simulation capture, color picker, customizable workspace, zoom in Edit view, an improved user interface, and many more.
Chapter 1: Getting Started
CHAPTER 2 Installing Adobe Captivate This chapter describes the system requirements for running Adobe Captivate and explains how to install Adobe Captivate. System requirements To create projects with Adobe Captivate, your computer system should include the following hardware, software, and accessories.
Registering is optional; it provides you with many benefits such as priority upgrades, new product bulletins, and timely e-mail messages about product updates and new content at www.adobe.com. To install Adobe Captivate: 1. Close all programs. 2. Do one of the following: ■ If you have an Adobe Captivate CD, insert the CD into the computer’s CD-ROM drive and then double-click the Adobe Captivate installer icon. ■ If you are installing Adobe Captivate from the Internet, double-click the downloaded file.
CHAPTER 3 Basics You can create projects with Adobe Captivate quickly and easily. The following are the basic steps involved in creating projects: • Plan your project using storyboards, scripts, or whatever organizational materials are appropriate. • Set initial project options and preferences. • Create your project. Capture onscreen action of all kinds. You can create a new project from scratch or use a template. You can even import other file and project types into Adobe Captivate projects.
Views Adobe Captivate has three main views: Storyboard view, Edit view (with the Filmstrip), and Branching view. You can move between views by pressing Control+Tab or by clicking any view tab. • Storyboard This view appears when you open a project from the Start page. The project opens with small images representing the slides that constitute the project. Storyboard view provides an easy way to see all of the slides within a project at a glance. It also enables you to see the flow of the project.
Library The Library, available in Edit view, lists all media objects in a project, and lets you easily view, edit, and reuse the images, backgrounds, audio, video, and animation in your project. New objects appear in the Library whenever you add an object to the project. An object remains in the Library and is available for reuse even if you delete the slide in which that object was originally located.
• Application • Custom Records all selected action within a custom-defined area. If you select this option, set a custom size in the Width and Height boxes or select a commonly used size from the Preset Size pop-up menu. • Full Screen Records all onscreen action. This option is especially useful if you need to capture action taking place in multiple applications. Records all selected action within a single running application to create a Software Simulation.
3. On the Start page, click Record or create a new project. The New project options dialog box appears. 4. In the left pane, click Software Simulation. 5. In the Project Type pane, select Application and click OK. The Recording window appears. 6. In the Record specific window pop-up menu, select the application to record. 7. (Optional) Select Record narration to record audio as you record the project. 8.
About editing projects After recording a project, you have many options for enhancing the project so it is as informative and interesting for viewers as possible. You can add text captions to point out important areas on a slide or use a highlight box instead. You can make projects interactive by including click boxes or text entry boxes. You can add the element of sound to projects by importing background music or record a voice-over narration track.
• Text entry boxes Text entry boxes let you increase Adobe Captivate project interaction quickly and easily. For example, you can use text entry boxes to ask simple quiz questions. • Buttons Buttons increase the interactivity of Adobe Captivate projects and can be added, sized, and located on a slide as required. About text captions Text captions are useful tools that draw attention to specific areas in a slide. For example, you can use text captions to point out menu items or icons.
5. Click the Options tab and set the following options: Display for Specify the timing of the text caption appearance. From the pop-up menu, select one of the following options. ■ ■ Specific time Select this option and type the number of seconds to specify the exact number duration the text caption appears in the slide. Rest of slide Choose this option to have the text caption appear the entire duration of the slide.
10. On the Size and Position tab, enter numbers or use the arrows to set the dimensions and location of the text caption. Tip: If you add a transparent text caption, avoid using bold text. Regular text appears clearer than bold text on most monitors. Adding highlight boxes Adobe Captivate lets you add highlight boxes to spotlight areas within a slide. You can think of a highlight box as the online equivalent of a highlighter pen used on paper.
6. If you want to add audio to the click box, click the Audio tab. Select from the following options: ■ Click the Play button to play the audio file. ■ Click the Stop button to stop playing the audio file. ■ Click the Delete button to remove the audio file from the click box. Edit Displays the Edit Audio dialog box. This dialog box lets you edit the audio file in a variety of ways, such as inserting silent periods and adjusting the volume. Record new Click to open the Record Audio dialog box.
4. Select the Click Box tab. This tab lets you determine how the project responds to user interaction. The options are divided into two basic categories: what happens when the user clicks inside the click box and what happens when the user clicks outside the click box. The following options are in the If the user clicks inside the click box area: On success Specify what should happen after a user clicks inside the box.
The following option is in the Set shortcut key area: Select keys Click to select a key combination for users to press when submitting responses. The current shortcut is displayed to the left of the button. Note: If your Adobe Captivate project is displayed in a browser, set shortcut keys that won’t conflict with common browser shortcuts. For example, F1 is frequently used as a keyboard shortcut to display help.
6. If you want to add audio to the click box, click the Audio tab. Select from the following options: ■ Click the Play button to play the audio file. ■ Click the Stop button to stop playing the audio file. ■ Click the Delete button to remove the audio file from the click box. Edit Displays the Edit Audio dialog box. This dialog box lets you edit the audio file in a variety of ways, such as inserting silent periods and adjusting the volume. Record new Click to open the Record Audio dialog box.
Adding text entry boxes Text entry boxes let you increase Adobe Captivate project interaction quickly and easily. For example, you can use text entry boxes to ask simple quiz questions. To add a text entry box: 1. Open an Adobe Captivate project. 2. Double-click the slide to which you want to add a text entry box. 3. From the Insert menu, select Text Entry Box. The Text Entry Box dialog box appears. 4. Click the Text Entry Box tab.
After last attempt Specify what should happen after the last attempt. You can select Continue, Go to previous slide, Go to next slide, Jump to slide, Open URL or file, Open other project, Send e-mail to, Execute JavaScript, or No Action. Note: If you select Open URL or file or Open other project, click the pop-up menu to select the window in which the URL, file, or project should appear; select from Current, New, Parent, and Top.
Background color This is the color that will appear in the background of the text entry box. Select a color from the pop-up display. Note: The transparency effect does not appear when you view the text entry box in Edit view. To test the transparency effect, press F4 to preview the slide. The following options are in the Options area: Success caption Select this option to include a success caption (for example, “Congratulations!”).
7. If you want to keep score for the text entry box or coordinate the score with an LMS, click the Reporting tab. Select from the following options: Report answers This option communicates quiz answers to an LMS. Objective ID This is an optional parameter. If the text entry box question is related to an objective set in your LMS, enter the objective here. Interaction ID If you want the Adobe Captivate project to send tracking information to your LMS, you must use the interaction ID specified by your LMS.
Tip: Adobe Captivate contains a gallery that has buttons, sounds, and animations (in SWF format) for you to use in your projects. By default, the gallery is stored in the following location when you install Adobe Captivate: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Captivate 2\Gallery. Adding existing audio You can quickly add audio to a project if you already have audio files in WAV or MP3 format. Simply import the files and use them as opening music, background narration, instructions, or any other purposes.
5. In the left pane, click Software Simulation. 6. In the Project Type pane, select Application and click OK. The Recording window appears. 7. In the Record specific window pop-up menu, select the application to record. 8. Select Record narration. 9. (Optional) Click Options to set a wide variety of recording options, including the capability to automatically capture screenshots and automatically generate text captions. 10. (Optional) If necessary, change the size and position of the window.
About using the Adobe Captivate Timeline The Timeline lets you organize objects and precisely control the timing of objects on slides. When you view the Timeline, you see a snapshot of a single slide and all of the objects on the slide. You have full control over when objects appear and can even specify that objects appear at the same time.
To change slide timing: 1. Open an Adobe Captivate project. 2. Double-click a slide whose timing you want to change. 3. If it is not open already, show the Timeline by clicking the splitter bar. To expand the Timeline, click the display arrow. 4. The slide timing is contained in a Timeline object named “Slide.” To shorten or lengthen the amount of time it takes for the slide to play, click the right edge of the Slide object until the resize pointer appears, and drag the edge to the left or right.
5. If you have two objects that overlap on the slide, you need to select the object you want to appear 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. ■ In Edit view, right-click an object on the slide and select one of the object order options.
Loading Screen This option displays a loading screen at the start of the project. A loading screen might be useful if the first slide of the project is large or contains audio and takes a few moments to appear. Click the More button to select an image. Note: Adobe Captivate includes several loading screen images you can use, or you can create a custom image.
5. Click the Preferences tab. The following options are in the Output options area: Advanced project compression This option compresses slide data that is shared between slides, thereby reducing overall file size. Note: In certain circumstances, compressed projects may not appear correctly when imported into Macromedia Flash. In such cases, do not select the advanced project compression option. (When the compression option is not selected, file size increases.
Include audio when project is generated This option includes any audio files that have been added to the project. Play tap audio for recorded typing when project is generated This option plays tapping sounds in the final project to represent recorded keystrokes. (For example, if you recorded an email message being sent, you most likely typed an address to which the e-mail should be sent.
E-learning options You can use Adobe Captivate to create truly interactive e-learning projects with full PENS and SCORM/AICC compliance. Adobe Captivate lets you do the following: ■ Create quizzes that automatically integrate with your LMS. Capture scoring data from all interactive elements, including click boxes, text entry boxes, buttons, and quizzes. Each interactive element can be assigned a point value, Objective ID, and Interaction ID for integration with an LMS.
• Add click boxes and choose different paths if users click inside the click box or outside the click box. Click boxes have the same answer options as question slides, but can be incorporated into existing slides instead of requiring their own slide. This enables you to add branching and interactivity to your projects at the same time. Click boxes have other optional functionality including stopping slide audio when clicked, pausing the project until clicked, and adding hint, success, and failure captions.
The following is the procedure for adding a matching question. The process is similar for the other types of question slides. For detailed information about creating other kinds of question slides, see Using Adobe Captivate 2. Creating a new matching question slide Select this option to create a question that provides users with two lists of items that must be correctly matched. To create a matching question slide: 1. Open an Adobe Captivate project. 2.
Go to previous slide Go to next slide Jump to slide Select this option to have the project return to the previous slide. Select this option to have the project proceed to the next slide. Select this option to have the project jump to a specific slide. Open URL or file Select this option to have the project jump to a specific URL on the Internet or to a local file. Click the pop-up menu to select the window in which the URL should appear; choose Current or New.
Note: When using the Open URL option, the URL is visible when you edit the slide in Adobe Captivate. However, it is not visible to the user. If you want to show the URL to users, create a simple image with the URL text on the image, add the image to your project slide, and place a click box over the image. Open other project Select this option to have the project begin playing a different project. Click the pop-up menu to select the window in which the project should appear; select from Current or New.
4. Select SCORM. 5. Click Manifest. 6. Set the SCORM Version by clicking the pop-up menu and selecting 1.2 or 2004. 7. Set manifest options. The following options are in the Course options area: Identifier The identifier is used by the LMS to identify different manifests. A default identifier based on the name of your Adobe Captivate project is automatically added to this field. You can change the identifier at any time by selecting the text and typing in new text.
Launch data Select this option to specify initialization data expected by the resource. (Optional field) 8. Click OK. The manifest file is generated. To see the manifest file, you should publish your Adobe Captivate project and create a SWF file. Then, if you used the default save location, you will see the SWF file and imsmanifest.xml file in your My Documents\My Adobe Captivate Projects folder.
Generate autorun for CD This option ensures that the output file runs automatically when the EXE file is placed on a CD. Export HTML This option exports the HTML code necessary to add the Flash file to a web page. Send PENS notification This option sends notification of the project’s PENS compliance. 7.
15. Select a location in which to store the Adobe Captivate project. 16. Click Publish to This Folder. 17. Fill in the correct content and speaker information. You must specify a title for the project, a language, and a speaker name. When you are finished, click Next. 18. (Optional) Click Customize to set options, such as permissions. 19. Click Next. A dialog box appears and confirms that the project was successfully published to the Connect Enterprise you specified. 20. Click OK. 21. Click OK again.
Caption text Select this option to print the text of captions underneath the slide on which they appear. For example, if slide 2 of the project contains a caption, the text on the caption prints below the slide when the project is converted to Word format. Add blank lines for notes Select this option to print blank lines under each slide of your project on the Word document.
8. Select from the following Template options: Header text Footer text Enter text that you want to appear in the header of the project. Enter text that you want to appear in the footer of the project. Include hidden slides Select this option if you want hidden slides to appear in the published project. Include quiz question slides Select this option if you want to include quiz question slides in the published project.
Include hidden slides Select this option if you want hidden slides to appear in the published project. 9. When you are done, click Publish. Microsoft Word opens with the new project document. You can make modifications and save the file as desired. Note: The Lesson, Storyboard, and Step by Step templates are stored in the Gallery (for example, C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Captivate 2\Gallery\PrintOutPut).
9. When you are done, click Publish. Microsoft Word opens with the new project document. You can make modifications and save the file as desired. Note: The Lesson, Storyboard, and Step by Step templates are stored in the Gallery (for example, C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Captivate 2\Gallery\PrintOutPut). When Adobe Captivate is first launched, these templates are copied to the user profile (for example, C:\Documents and Settings\\My Documents\My Adobe Captivate Projects\Templates\PrintOutput).
Animations Video Select this option to import video files into Flash. Click boxes Text boxes Buttons Select this option to import animations, such as AVI or SWF, into Flash. Select this option to import click boxes into Flash. Select this option to import text boxes into Flash. Select this option to import buttons into Flash. Rollover Captions and Images Select this option to import rollover captions and rollover images into Flash. Zoom Select this option to import zoom into Flash.
6. Navigate to the Adobe Captivate project (CP) file, select it and click Open. The Adobe Captivate Options dialog box appears. 7. Select the Adobe Captivate elements to import. The following options are in the Basic elements area: Slide backgrounds Select this option to import slide backgrounds, such as the screenshots that comprise the project, into Flash. Background changes Select this option to import background changes, such as keystrokes and button-down states, into Flash.
APPENDIX Keyboard shortcuts Shortcut keys can provide an easier and quicker method of navigating and using Adobe Captivate by enabling you to use keyboard key combinations instead of a mouse or program menu. Shortcut keys are commonly accessed by using a keyboard “F” key, Alt, Control, and Shift in conjunction with a single letter or number. Shortcut key Action F1 Open Adobe Captivate Help (To access dialog-level help, click the Help button on individual dialog boxes.
Shortcut key Action Control+H Change slide to high quality Control+I Increase indent (selected object in Edit view) Control+J Change slide to JPEG quality Control+K Lock the slide Control+L Sync selected object to the playhead Control+M Merge the selected object with background Control+N Move to Slide Notes pane Control+O Open project Control+P Align selected object with playhead on Timeline (Edit view only) Control+R Print the project (through the Publish dialog box) Control+S Sa
Shortcut key Action Shift+Control+M Add new image (Edit and Storyboard views only) Shift+Control+N Insert animation slide (Edit and Storyboard views only) Shift+Control+O Add new rollover image (Edit and Storyboard views only) Shift+Control+P Publish Shift+Control+Q Insert question slide (Edit and Storyboard views only) Shift+Control+R Add new rollover caption (Edit and Storyboard views only) Shift+Control+S Insert new mouse activity (Edit and Storyboard views only) Shift+Control+T Add new
Appendix: Keyboard shortcuts
INDEX A accessibility 6, 34 creating closed captions 7 activating Adobe Captivate 9, 10 Adobe Captivate Help 7 Adobe Connect Enterprise publishing to 43 Adobe Devnet 7 Advanced Interaction dialog box 5 AICC compliance 5, 6 animated text 16 animations about 16 gallery 28 order, changing 31 application recording 14 apply to all option 7 audio about 27 background 35 closed captioning 7 gallery 28 importing 28 library 35 loading screen 33 quality 34 recording 15, 28 settings 35 text captions 18 Timeline 30 Aut
D Defaults tab 35 demonstrations 5 Devnet, Adobe 7 E e-learning about 36 branching 36 features 5, 6 manifest file 40 question slides 37 e-mail click boxes 20 publishing projects 42 sending 33 Edit view 12 editing projects 16 environment, work 11 EXE files 5, 42 expiration dates 33 Exporting Adobe Captivate projects to Flash 48 F fade effect audio 35 slides 33 features 5 file size compressing slides 34 features 5 quality settings 34 files, loading 33 Flash exporting Adobe Captivate movies to 48 importing Ado
lessons, publishing projects as 45 Library content audio 35 features 6 objects 16 viewing 13 loading screens 33 lock option in timeline 7 looping 33 M magnifying screens 6, 16 manifest file 40 marketing 5, 6 matching question slides 38 menus skins 6 workspace 13 metadata Connect Enterprise 34 Microsoft PowerPoint, importing slides 14 Microsoft Word 44 Microsoft Word files lessons 45 step-by-step guides 46 storyboards 47 mouse movement, recording 34 mouse properties 16 MP3 files 27, 28 N narration 27 new fea
R recording application projects 14 audio 27, 28 keystrokes 35 mouse movement 34 projects 13 registration 9, 10 resolution 5 rollover captions 16 S sales content 5, 6 scenario simulation creating projects 5 scenario-based training about 36 branching 36 creating 14 features 6 manifest file 40 question slides 37 SCORM certification 5, 6 features 36 manifest file 40 screen readers 6, 34 screenshots 15 security 33 serial number 9, 10 settings audio 35 settings menu 7 setup 9, 10 shortcuts, keyboard 51 simulatio
timeline hide and lock options 7 timing audio 27 Defaults 35 text entry boxes 25 toolbars 13 training about 36 branching 36 creating 14 features 6 manifest file 40 question slides 37 trial version 10 U user guide 7 user support 5, 6 V videos, Flash 16 views 12 voice-over instructions 27 W WAV files 27, 28 websites click boxes 20 customer support 7 loading 33 Word 42, 44 Word files lessons 45 step-by-step guides 46 storyboards 47 work environment 11 Z zoom areas 6, 16 Index 59
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