I am in need for some Storyline wisdom! I want various objects to pop up during a pre-recorded video that is being played on the screen with the video controls at the bottom of the video. I can place the objects at different times on the slide time line but if the user uses the video controls to go back and forth, the objects will not pop up at the correct time. Is there any way to do this without taking the video controls out? The video is 4.5 min long and I don't want the user to have to re-listen if they miss a point in the video.
I had this problem in modules I created using video. I solved it by having our videographer/editor cut in the images using video instead of articulate. Why does this happen you ask? Syncing is the basic problem. When you play video, the playback may not always play the same way twice due to network traffic or your computer. Bottom line the video controls the playback and if it runs differently each time it is played you will not be able to do sync it to the popups.
Thanks Elissa. I do not have access to a video editor to place the images within the video. But even if I did, these images need to be clickable so that they trigger another layer while the media pauses.
Hi Noureen! Could you disable the video controls and enable the player seekbar instead? If you trigger the video to start automatically when the timeline begins, the video will be synced with the seekbar, as will all of the other objects on the slide. Hope that helps!
Thanks Alyssa. A simple solution that I overlooked. I usually work with a transparent player and disable all the features so I didn't even think to do this.
I would probably use Microsoft's free MovieMaker to cut the video into chunks corresponding to when the objects enter. Making an object visible at the start of the timeline is pretty easy. If there are multiple objects that appear at different times on the same screen, (especially if there are layers), things can get pretty ugly if the user scrolls backward and forward on the timeline.
The particular video I am working with is one continuous one without sections. Still I was toying with the idea of cutting up the video in chunks as well Walt and then triggering the slides to advance automatically when the media finishes on each slide to make it look seamless for the user. However, the video controls seek bar will start new for each slide (with the new video chunk) which would be confusing for the user....right?
If each new chunk started with something new, like the appearance of a clickable object on the slide, possibly not.
If you do go that route, be sure to advance when media completes. If you advance when timeline ends, and there are buffering issues, the end of the video segment will be cut off. I learned this the hard way; I am in the process of changing 150 modules to advance on media completes.
Hi Alyssa, I have a question. If you disable the video controls and enable the player seekbar, will the player seekbar control the video (i.e. ff or rewind)? Or will the video and slide timing still be separate? Thx
Great question! It depends on the type of content you are using. If the video is embedded into Storyline from a local file, it will automatically be synchronizedwith the slide and controlled by the timeline. Enabling the Player seekbar will allow you to control the video.
If a video is embedded into Storyline from a Website (like YouTube), the video will play independently of the slide and is not controlled by the timeline/seekbar.
11 Replies
Hi Noureen,
I had this problem in modules I created using video. I solved it by having our videographer/editor cut in the images using video instead of articulate. Why does this happen you ask? Syncing is the basic problem. When you play video, the playback may not always play the same way twice due to network traffic or your computer. Bottom line the video controls the playback and if it runs differently each time it is played you will not be able to do sync it to the popups.
Hope this helps,
Elissa
Thanks Elissa. I do not have access to a video editor to place the images within the video. But even if I did, these images need to be clickable so that they trigger another layer while the media pauses.
Hi Noureen! Could you disable the video controls and enable the player seekbar instead? If you trigger the video to start automatically when the timeline begins, the video will be synced with the seekbar, as will all of the other objects on the slide. Hope that helps!
Thanks Alyssa. A simple solution that I overlooked. I usually work with a transparent player and disable all the features so I didn't even think to do this.
Thanks!
Awesome, I'm glad that will work for you!
I would probably use Microsoft's free MovieMaker to cut the video into chunks corresponding to when the objects enter. Making an object visible at the start of the timeline is pretty easy. If there are multiple objects that appear at different times on the same screen, (especially if there are layers), things can get pretty ugly if the user scrolls backward and forward on the timeline.
The particular video I am working with is one continuous one without sections. Still I was toying with the idea of cutting up the video in chunks as well Walt and then triggering the slides to advance automatically when the media finishes on each slide to make it look seamless for the user. However, the video controls seek bar will start new for each slide (with the new video chunk) which would be confusing for the user....right?
Love the suggestion though.
Much thanks!
If each new chunk started with something new, like the appearance of a clickable object on the slide, possibly not.
If you do go that route, be sure to advance when media completes. If you advance when timeline ends, and there are buffering issues, the end of the video segment will be cut off. I learned this the hard way; I am in the process of changing 150 modules to advance on media completes.
Sounds good! Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try it.
Oh boy! Converting 150 modules...... Good luck!
Hi Alyssa, I have a question. If you disable the video controls and enable the player seekbar, will the player seekbar control the video (i.e. ff or rewind)? Or will the video and slide timing still be separate? Thx
Hi Susan,
Great question! It depends on the type of content you are using. If the video is embedded into Storyline from a local file, it will automatically be synchronized with the slide and controlled by the timeline. Enabling the Player seekbar will allow you to control the video.
If a video is embedded into Storyline from a Website (like YouTube), the video will play independently of the slide and is not controlled by the timeline/seekbar.
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