Skills & Drills Workbook...

Adobe Captivate 5: The Essentials

Note: Adobe recently released Adobe Captivate 5.5. Since version 5 and 5.5 are so similar, there are no immediate plans to create a dedicated book for version 5.5. As we come across lessons in this book that have been impacted by Captivate 5.5, we will keep you posted on the Errata page for this book. If you would like to learn about the new features specific to Captivate 5.5, please check out our BLOG for step-by-step instructions on using the new features (with appropriate screen shots). There is some cool stuff in version 5.5 including the ability to rotate objects, improved quiz formatting and quiz templates, the ability to publish directly to YouTube and support for the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod.

Price: $37.00. Order here.

Learn Adobe Captivate 5 fast with this step-by-step workbook

If you are an instructional designer or technical writer, you have no doubt spent years attempting to perfect the art of teaching programs using fewer and fewer words. If you are in the business of educating, you know how difficult this job can be.

These days, interactive lessons that can be viewed over the Internet or from a CD are all the rage.

There are many programs that can be used to capture a computer's screen, mouse action and audio. Unfortunately, the resulting movies can be huge--a five minute lesson could easily gobble up nearly 100mb of storage space on a hard drive. Downloading a file that large will take a lot of time, even if a user has a fast Internet connection. Large file sizes are just part of the problem. The movies may not be cross-platform (they may not work on both Macs and PCs). Interactivity is a feature most of the "mouse capture" applications do not support. And there are few of these programs that allow images to be imported.

In short, the technology for creating interactive lessons WAS bad. But not anymore. Using Adobe Captivate 5, you can capture screen shots on your computer and quickly turn them into lessons (movies). The movies you create can be interactive--you can add images, captions, rollovers, clickable areas, typing areas and sound effects.

Note: The Adobe Captivate 5 software does not come with this book. You can download the trial software here.

Captivate 5 System Requirements

Windows: Adobe Captivate 5, 1GHz or faster processor, Intel Pentium 4, Intel Centrino, Intel Xeon, or Intel Core Duo (or compatible) processor, Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (Service Pack 3 recommended); Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 1; or Windows 7, 1GB minimum RAM (2GB recommended), 3GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on flash-based storage devices), DVD-ROM drive, 1,024x576 display (1,280x1024 is recommended) with 16-bit video card, Broadband Internet connection required for online services.

Mac: Adobe Captivate 5, Multicore Intel processor, Mac OS X v10.5.7 or v10.6, 1GB minimum RAM (2GB recommended), 3GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-sensitive file system or on flash-based storage devices), DVD-ROM drive, 1,024x576 display (1,280x1024 is recommended) with 16-bit video card, Broadband Internet connection required for online services.

You will also need Microsoft Word 2000 or newer on your computer. Word is used during the exporting activities beginning on page 190. If Word is not installed, you will not be able to complete all of the activities

This book includes the following eLearning and Adobe Captivate 5 concepts:

eLearning and Captivate

In This Module You Will Learn About:

• Education Through Pictures, page 2
• Planning eLearning Projects, page 4
• The Captivate Interface, page 7
• Workspaces, page 9
• Previewing, page 16

And You Will Learn To:

• Explore a Project, page 7
• Explore the Default Workspaces, page 9
• Modify and Reset a Workspace, page 11
• Create a Workspace, page 13\
• Navigate a Project, page 15
• Preview a Project, page 16
• Zoom Closer to a Slide, page 18

Recording Demos and Sims

In This Module You Will Learn About:

• Resolution and Recording Size, page 20
• The Development Process, page 21
• Preparing to Record, page 23
• Demonstrations, page 29
• Assessment Simulations, page 34
• Training Simulations, page 37
• Custom Recordings, page 40

And You Will Learn To:

• Rehearse a Script, page 24
• Edit Recording Settings, page 25
• Set Recording Keys, page 27
• Record a Demonstration, page 29
• Record an Assessment, page 34
• Record a Training Simulation, page 37
• Record a Custom Simulation, page 41

Captions, Styles and Timing

In This Module You Will Learn About:

• In This Module You Will Learn About:
• Text Captions, page 46
• Caption Styles, page 55
• The Timeline, page 59

And You Will Learn To:

• Duplicate a Slide and Hide the Mouse, page 46
• Insert, Resize and Move Text Captions, page 48
• Modify Text Caption Properties, page 51
• Edit the Default Caption Style, page 55
• Reset an Object Style, page 57
• Change an Object’s Position & Size, page 58
• View the Timeline, page 59
• Change a Slide’s Display Time, page 60
• Use the Timeline to Set Object Display Times, page 61
• Show/Hide Timeline Objects, page 62
• Use the Properties Panel to Control Timing, page 63
• Set Mouse Properties, page 66
• Check Spelling, page 67
• Align Slide Objects, page 69

Images and Drawing Objects

In This Module You Will Learn About:

• Slide Quality, page 74
• Blank Slides, page 75
• Images, page 76
• The Library, page 79
• Image Editing, page 83
• Mouse Visuals and Sounds, page 90
• Drawing Objects, page 92

And You Will Learn To:

• Change Slide Background Quality, page 74
• Insert and Delete Slides, page 75
• Insert an Image, page 76
• Set Image Size and Slide Position, page 78
• Use the Library, page 79
• Manage Unused Project Assets, page 82
• Crop an Image, page 83
• Create an Image Watermark, page 85
• Work With Image Stacks, page 88
• Add a Visual Click and Sound, page 90
• Draw a Line, page 92

Pointers, Buttons and Highlight Boxes

In This Module You Will Learn About:

• Pointer Paths and Types, page 96
• Buttons, page 98
• Highlight Boxes, page 104

And You Will Learn To:

• Modify the Mouse Pointer, page 96
• Edit Slide and Object Display Times, page 98
• Insert a Text Button, page 99
• Set a Button’s Timing and Options, page 101
• Work With Image Buttons, page 102
• Insert and Format a Highlight Box, page 104

Rollovers and Zoom Areas

In This Module You Will Learn About:

• Rollover Captions, page 110
• Rollover Images, page 114
• Zoom Areas, page 116
• Rollover Slidelets, page 118

And You Will Learn To:

• Insert a Rollover Caption, page 110
• Insert a Rollover Image, page 114
• Insert a Zoom Area, page 116
• Insert and Format a Rollover Slidelet, page 118
• Format the Slidelet, page 120
• Add a Caption and Image to a Slidelet, page 121

Audio

In This Module You Will Learn About:

• Importing Audio Files, page 124
• Slide Notes, page 127
• Recording Audio, page 128
• Silence, page 135
• Text-to-Speech, page 137

And You Will Learn To:

• Add Audio to a Slide Object, page 124
• Add Background Audio, page 126
• Add a Slide Note, page 127
• Calibrate a Microphone, page 128
• Record a Narration, page 130
• Import Voice Narrations, page 132
• Edit an Audio File, page 133
• Insert Silence, page 135
• Convert Text-to-Speech, page 137

Flash Video, Animation and Effects

In This Module You Will Learn About:

• Flash Video, page 140
• Animation, page 144
• Text Animation, page 146
• Object Effects, page 148

And You Will Learn To:

• Insert Flash Video, page 140
• Set Flash Video Properties, page 141
• Add Animation to a Slide, page 144
• Insert Text Animation, page 146
• Apply a Fly-In Effect to a Text Caption, page 148
• Apply a ZigZag Motion Path, page 149

Converting Demonstrations Into Simulations

In This Module You Will Learn About:

• Demonstrations versus Simulations, page 152
• Find and Replace, page 153
• Click Boxes, page 155
• Text Entry Boxes, page 159

And You Will Learn To:

• Hide the Mouse, page 152
• Replace Phrases, page 153
• Insert a Click Box, page 155
• Insert a Text Entry Box, page 159

Introduction to Question Slides

In This Module You Will Learn About:

• Quiz Setup, page 164
• Add Question Slides, page 168

And You Will Learn To:

• Edit Quizzing Object Styles, page 164
• Set the Quiz Preferences, page 165
• Insert Question Slides, page 168
• Format a Question Slide, page 169
• Add an Image to a Question Slide, page 171
• Paste as Background, page 172

Publishing

In This Module You Will Learn About:

• URL Actions, page 176
• Skins, page 179
• Table of Contents, page 183
• Preloaders, page 185
• Publishing, page 187
• Round Tripping, page 192

And You Will Learn To:

• Link to a Web Site, page 176
• Apply a Skin, page 179
• Edit and Save a Skin, page 180
• Delete a Skin, page 181
• Create a TOC, page 183
• Add a Loading Screen, page 185
• Publish a Flash (SWF), page 187
• Publish Word Handouts, page 190
• Export Captions, page 192
• Perform a “Round Trip”, page 194

FMRs, Panning, Manual Mode & Slideshows

In This Module You Will Learn About:

• Full Motion Recording, page 198
• Panning, page 202
• Manual Mode, page 206
• Image Slideshows, page 208

And You Will Learn To:

• Create an FMR, page 198
• Record a Lesson With Panning, page 202
• Record Manually, page 206
• Create an Image Slideshow, page 208

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"Essentials of Adobe Captivate 5" Book Specifications:

ISBN: 1932733388 | Spiral Bound | Page Size, 8 1/2 x 11 inches
Retail Price: $37.00

See also:

Keyboard Shortcuts

Live, Online Training on Adobe Captivate 5

Errata Log

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