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Adobe CAPTIVATE 2 Getting Started Manual

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  • Page 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. Except as permitted by any such license, no part of this guide may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Adobe Systems Incorporated.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: Getting Started ......... . 5 What’s new in Adobe Captivate.
  • Page 4 Contents...

  • Page 5: Chapter 1 Getting Started

    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.
  • Page 6 • Export projects from Adobe Captivate to Macromedia Flash 8 Take projects from Adobe Captivate to Flash for further development using the improved, powerful Flash export feature.

  • Page 7: Guide To Adobe Captivate Instructional Media

    • Work faster, edit more easily 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.
  • Page 8 Chapter 1: Getting Started...

  • Page 9: Chapter 2: Installing Adobe Captivate

    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. System requirements: •...
  • Page 10 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: Close all programs. Do one of the following: If you have an Adobe Captivate CD, insert the CD into the computer’s CD-ROM drive ■...

  • Page 11: Chapter 3: Basics

    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. •...
  • Page 12 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.

  • Page 13: About Creating Projects

    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.
  • Page 14 • Application Records all selected action within a single running application to create a Software Simulation. • 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.
  • Page 15 On the Start page, click Record or create a new project. The New project options dialog box appears. In the left pane, click Software Simulation. In the Project Type pane, select Application and click OK. The Recording window appears. In the Record specific window pop-up menu, select the application to record. (Optional) Select Record narration to record audio as you record the project.

  • Page 16: About Editing Projects

    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.
  • Page 17 • 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.
  • Page 18 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 ■...
  • Page 19 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.
  • Page 20 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.
  • Page 21 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.
  • Page 22 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.
  • Page 23 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.
  • Page 24 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: Open an Adobe Captivate project. Double-click the slide to which you want to add a text entry box.
  • Page 25 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;...
  • Page 26 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.
  • Page 27 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.
  • Page 28 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.
  • Page 29 In the left pane, click Software Simulation. In the Project Type pane, select Application and click OK. The Recording window appears. In the Record specific window pop-up menu, select the application to record. Select Record narration. (Optional) Click Options to set a wide variety of recording options, including the capability to automatically capture screenshots and automatically generate text captions.
  • Page 30 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.
  • Page 31 To change slide timing: Open an Adobe Captivate project. Double-click a slide whose timing you want to change. If it is not open already, show the Timeline by clicking the splitter bar. To expand the Timeline, click the display arrow. The slide timing is contained in a Timeline object named “Slide.”...
  • Page 32 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.
  • Page 33 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.
  • Page 34 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.) Compress compiled SWF file This option compresses the SWF file so it is smaller in size.
  • Page 35 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 e- mail message being sent, you most likely typed an address to which the e-mail should be sent.

  • Page 36: E-Learning Options

    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.
  • Page 37 • 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.
  • Page 38 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.
  • Page 39 Go to previous slide Select this option to have the project return to the previous slide. Go to next slide Select this option to have the project proceed to the next slide. Jump to 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.
  • Page 40 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.
  • Page 41 Select SCORM. Click Manifest. Set the SCORM Version by clicking the pop-up menu and selecting 1.2 or 2004. 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.

  • Page 42: About Publishing Projects

    Launch data Select this option to specify initialization data expected by the resource. (Optional field) 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.
  • Page 43 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.
  • Page 44 Select a location in which to store the Adobe Captivate project. Click Publish to This Folder. 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. (Optional) Click Customize to set options, such as permissions.
  • Page 45 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.
  • Page 46 Select from the following Template options: Header text Enter text that you want to appear in the header of the project. Footer text 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.
  • Page 47 Include hidden slides Select this option if you want hidden slides to appear in the published project. 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).
  • Page 48 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).
  • Page 49 Animations Select this option to import animations, such as AVI or SWF, into Flash. Video Select this option to import video files into Flash. Click boxes Select this option to import click boxes into Flash. Text boxes Select this option to import text boxes into Flash. Buttons Select this option to import buttons into Flash.
  • Page 50 Navigate to the Adobe Captivate project (CP) file, select it and click Open. The Adobe Captivate Options dialog box appears. 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.

  • Page 51: Appendix: Keyboard Shortcuts

    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.
  • Page 52 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...

  • Page 53: Magnification Shortcuts

    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...
  • Page 54 Appendix: Keyboard shortcuts...

  • Page 55: Index

    INDEX boxes branching 37 accessibility 6, 34 click 20 creating closed captions 7 highlight 19 activating Adobe Captivate 9, 10 order, changing 31 Adobe Captivate Help 7 text entry 24 Adobe Connect Enterprise branching 36 publishing to 43 Branching view 12 Adobe Devnet 7 buttons Advanced Interaction dialog box 5...
  • Page 56 Defaults tab 35 gallery 28 demonstrations 5 graying out screen 6 Devnet, Adobe 7 handouts 42, 44 e-learning Help 7 about 36 hide option branching 36 in timeline 7 features 5, 6 highlight boxes manifest file 40 about 16 question slides 37 adding 19 e-mail order, changing 31...
  • Page 57 lessons, publishing projects as 45 Library content passwords 33 audio 35 PENS compliance 5, 6 features 6 PENS notification objects 16 use for publishing Captivate projects 7 viewing 13 pop-ups, recording 15 loading screens 33 PowerPoint, importing slides 14 lock option preferences, project 32 in timeline 7 preloader 33...
  • Page 58 importing Microsoft PowerPoint 14 notes 12 recording object order 31 application projects 14 preferences 32 audio 27, 28 Storyboard view 12 keystrokes 35 text captions 17 mouse movement 34 Timeline 12, 30 projects 13 timing, changing 30 registration 9, 10 sound resolution 5 about 27...
  • Page 59 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 user guide 7 user support 5, 6 videos, Flash 16 views 12 voice-over instructions 27...
  • Page 60 Index...

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