SLA Captivate

Create your Screencast in a Flash Adobe Captivate Edward Metz Systems Librarian USACGSC Fort Leavenworth KS [email_address]

What is Adobe Captivate?
A tool for creating screencasts or “movies” on your computer with a narrator explaining what is happening as the action unfolds.
Uses: e-learning, tech training, simple how-to presentations

Overview
Record your interaction with a computer application such as a database in a web browser.
Insert additional screens as necessary with images or graphics
Add captions, call-outs, audio and other effects as needed
Run the result as a seamless “video”

Show me – Demo type video
CARL Tutorials
http://cgsc.leavenworth.army.mil/carl/tutorials/index.asp
Show times
http://tweaket.com/LibraryStuff/Screencasting/ShowtimesCaptivate_demo.swf

Show me – Interactive type video
Interactive
How to use Refworks

Adobe Captivate Features
You can integrate sound, video clips and visual effects
Easily insert PPT slides and images
Record all the screen motions including mouse movements and clicks
Add audio commentary
Easy to update

Adobe Captivate Features
Output options include MS word handouts, Shockwave file (.swf) with HTML
Start, stop and pause controls on the “skin”
Can create interactive options, rollovers, buttons and even quizzes.

Adobe Captivate - Challenges
Costs about $699
Need a Windows PC with min. 1GB Ram, 1GHz Processor
Users need to have a web browser with Flash Player installed
Learning curve
Not difficult and fairly intuitive but do need to learn something new.
Interactive screencasts require more planning and familiarity with advanced features
Does require some time to plan, record, edit and publish, upload to web

Preplanning Considerations
Keep it short. Bandwidth.
Screen size not to exceed 800x600 px
Avoid capturing browser bars and toolbars in your screen.
Prior to recording screenshots close your Outlook or other email programs.. (pesky email alerts).
Inserting images? Make them web-ready first.
Think ahead to future updates. Keep your files together.

The Process – what topic
Topic idea. (Ask yourself exactly what info you want to impart).
Show how to use a tool or just a particular feature?
Who’s your audience? How tech savvy are they?
Just demonstrate or do you want some interaction? Both?
Better to make several small screencasts than produce one long magnum opus.

The Process – Click path
Rehearse the click path several times
Sketch out the flow on paper. Strongly recommended if you plan on making it interactive or lengthy.
Makes you think about how you’re going to impart the desired info.

The Process – Screen recording
Select “record or create a new project”
At next screen select “custom size” option
Select the dropdown arrow to choose which application screen to record. (e.g. your browser window)
Set the screen size to 800x600 px. Hit the snap to fit button. Then adjust the red box to omit browser bar.
Choose the options tab to review recording option defaults
Go with Full motion recording
Choose whether to retain mouse and keyword click audio
Other Audio settings
Encoding Bitrate – FM quality 64 kbps
Encoding frequency – select 44 KHz
Select record and begin the screen captures along your planned click path.

The Process – Screen recording Click here

The Process – Screen recording Set screen Capture size Select application to record

The Process – Screen recording Red screen capture box 1. Fit to size 2. Select options button

Recording tips
Be economical in your clicks and mouse movements
Be wary of scrolling in your screen captures. Adds considerably to file size.

The Process – Screen Editing
Edit each screen. (Add bullets, highlighting, images, captions). Adjust the timeline as needed.
Insert additional screens such as an introduction screen and a closing screen. You can import a PPT slide or a Captivate question slide.
Let’s look at some examples of text captions, highlight boxes and insert a PPT slide.

Text Captions, highlight box and other insert options

The Process – Screen Editing Edit a text caption Edit a highlight box

The Process – Screen Editing Timeline

The Process – Audio recording
Prepare a script for each slide as needed. Add it to the audio recording notes screen. Have the recorder read thru all the audio content prior to recording.
Practice recording a short audio clip.
Record the audio.
Edit audio as needed and finalize your screen timings

Find someone with the “right” voice for recording.
Pause an instant at beginning of each audio segment before speaking to avoid cutting off first words.
Leave a second or two of silence at end of each audio segment.
Oh yeah…and the microphone. Just a simple $20 off-the-shelf audio microphone is adequate.
Microphone placement
Tips

The Process – ADA Compliance
Closed captions – hearing impaired

Accessibility - Screen readers

Note: this is only available if you check the 508 compliance box in Project Preferences

508 compliance for navigation

The Process – Verify Project Settings (Captivate 2.0)
Select Project – Preferences :
Start and End tab
Fade in on first slide
Project end options – Action - Select Open URL or file. Enter the url you’d like to open at conclusion of screencast
Fade out on last slide
Preferences Tab
Accept defaults – ensure 508 compliance box is checked
Add playback control skin to your project. Select Project – Skin
Modify the default settings as desired (color scheme, border, buttons etc)
Note: with Adobe Captivate 3.0 select Edit – Preferences – Project Settings

The Process – Verify Project Settings (Captivate 2.0)
Preferences

The Process Adobe Captivate 3.0 Project settings

The Process – Project Skin
Skin settings
Note: with Adobe Captivate 3.0 the Skins menu is still found under Project - Skin

The Process – Review and Publish
Ask another colleague to review
Publish and export HTML.
Export HTML – Creates an HTM file with the same name as the Captivate project. (.htm, .js and .swf file all should go inside same directory).
To run the movie, create a link to the HTM.
You can add further branding to the html file if desired

Publishing screenshot
Publishing screen

Let’s do a quick one
Search CARL’s Historic Military Documents Collection
Topic: Civil Affairs

Review
Topic idea
Rehearse the click path several times
Record – review recording settings
Edit - Add bullets, highlighting, images, captions, intro screen as needed. Tentatively verify the timing for each screen capture.
Record audio – prepare script in advance
Improve accessibility – ADA compliant
Check your Project settings – eg Start and End slide settings, Project Skin
Publish – create SWF and export HTML for posting on web

Get inventive and have fun
Infotainment
CARL Digital Library
http://www.comarmsblog.com/2007/06/carl-digital-library-flash-movie.html

SLA Captivate

by Edward Metz on May 22, 2008

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