Best zooming approach for test mode simulation of a large area?

Jul 28, 2015

I'm trying to create "test mode" simulations for software and websites whose dimensions are much larger than the desired Storyline canvas output, e.g., the window is full screen 1280 x 1024, but the Storyline canvas output will be 720 x 540 (4:3). Ideally I'd like to zoom in and out as needed, á la Camtasia.

I experimented with using a Zoom region to focus on part of the screen where the learner interaction takes place, but this has the effect of zooming everything, including the feedback dialogs (which are now so large that they don't fit the canvas).

I suspect I'll have to just start with a full-screen capture on slide #1 (to provide context), then cut to the actual simulation sequence, all captured at 720 x 540. I wouldn't bother with any zoom regions at all, but perhaps I could add a zoom region only to slide #1 and hope I can get the dimensions to match the graphic on slide #2 so there isn't a jump cut.)

Am I missing a better technique?

Is there a way to tell Storyline to not zoom certain elements (e.g., feedback dialogs)?

3 Replies
Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Hi Mark,

There isn't a way to stop the zooming on particular elements on a slide - but I did want to share you can change the story size to something other than the default. What you change it to is entirely an author controlled decisions based on the content you'll be share, where it'll be hosted and displayed for users, etc. Mobile devices are where you'll really want to consider the overall sizing and you can read about how to choose the best size here. 

Mark Swanson

Right. I should have clarified that the source content dimensions are likely to be waaayy larger than our target Storyline output size, and have very tiny features. This is a common problem in simulating web sites and software programs. To maintain legibility, I'll have to display the content at the original screen size, so if I can't use zooming, I'll have to capture a portion of the content (scrolling as needed if the active part of the UI is outside the capture boundary). 

Another question: since Test mode apparently doesn't retain the scrolling movement, can I duplicate the captured sequence using View or Try modes (whichever best captures the movement), then paste View/Try mode slides as needed to show the scrolling movement before the next Test slide? (I'm used to Captivate, which automatically retained those movements.) In other words, can I mix and match View/Try/Test modes in a single scene via copy/paste?

Ashley Terwilliger-Pollard

Hi Mark,

View mode or video on a single slide will capture your scrolling method (the latter could be trimmed to just show portions) and you could insert slides in between your other screen recording slides, but you'll need to likely adjust where and how the triggers are set up, to ensure users don't get stuck somewhere if you're changing the built in structure. 

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