Yep, I'm recently new to Storyline (am typically a Captivate user) and have had to do many searches to learn the software. I have to say the forums have saved my bacon a number of times! But, sadly too often, like with this feature, requests were made years and years ago but there's still no resolve. I'm definitely a +1 on this!
+1 for this feature. Please add this. Transitioning from PowerPoint and this is sorely missed. Thank you.
Would also like to add that if you currently copy-and-paste a shape or image with custom points from PowerPoint, Storyline 360 will completely freeze and become unusable.
I've updated our report to reflect the number of authors who are requesting this feature.
Jonathan, I'd like to take a look at your project to see what is causing this snag! Would you mind sharing the .story file with me? If you're comfortable with that, here's my private upload link.
Hi Lauren, thank you for updating the report and thanks for offering to take a look at the problem files.
Unfortunately (and typically!), I have just tried to recreate the problem I was having and am unable to replicate it. I am using the exact same method and files as yesterday but it's working as intended. I haven't even 'turned it off an on again' as you might think would resolve the problem! I will gladly share the problem files with you anyway, if you still want to take a look, but currently seem to be having no issue.
+1 for this. The possibilities this would open up would greatly help Storyline in the graphic design department. We need to be able to edit the points of a shape. How hard is that? Storyline mimics powerpoint in so many ways, but this is lacking.
Coming from Captivate, I am used to being able to customise freeform shapes as I often would use these as hotspots (outline and highlight a specific area of an image when the user interacts with it). Surprised it hasn't been implemented yet!
I'm having the issue that Mike Bethany describes above: I can't figure out how to close a shape so that it doesn't have little ends sticking out. And, yes, being able to move the points is much needed.
You can double-click at the end of making a freeform shape to close the path. It's worth leaving the last straight section of the path to be the part that's closed by Storyline. That way, instead of double-clicking at the same point where you started, Storyline builds the final line of the shape for you without any extra points.
I would definitely like to see this feature added. Surely it's quite a fundamental part of drawing shapes, that you can edit them afterwards? I'm currently building an application that involves lots of shaped freeform hotspots to go over an underlying graphic and text. I'm now doing foreign language versions where some of the text behind the original freeform shape is now longer in another language. This means having to recreate the freeform shape from scratch and copy all the associated triggers, instead of what could have been a simple tweak to the original shape.
This wouldn't be too big a deal but I have to do this on 19 slides containing around 8 - 10 shapes each.
Shucks, I spent an hour trying to figure it out. In Captivate I can hold down the alt key and drag a shape point to a new position, and in my Adobe PS, Illustrator, I can also do so. I'm trying to show my company's computer screen on an image of a person sitting at the computer. The screenshot needs to have the angle changed to make this work elegantly.
Aukalen is unfortunately right. This has been a feature request for many years now, so it looks like it is never going to be added!!!! You can do regular shapes, squares, rectangles, circles etc, but anything complex there is no functionality for.
Not sure why anyone is surprised that this has never been addressed. Isn't that what we now expect from Articulate?
My suggestion is to draw what you want in PowerPoint, edit the points if you need to, then SAVE AS PICTURE and bring in to SL as a WMF file. Then you can import this to SL360, ungroup it and you can at least change the colours and outline.
65 Replies
Hi Kelli,
Thanks for reaching out! I want to confirm that we currently have a feature request we're tracking for this, and I'm happy to add you to the list!
I appreciate you taking the time to share how you worked around it, though!
+1 to adding this feature!
Please +1 my request for this feature.
Yep, I'm recently new to Storyline (am typically a Captivate user) and have had to do many searches to learn the software. I have to say the forums have saved my bacon a number of times! But, sadly too often, like with this feature, requests were made years and years ago but there's still no resolve. I'm definitely a +1 on this!
+1 for this feature. Please add this. Transitioning from PowerPoint and this is sorely missed. Thank you.
Would also like to add that if you currently copy-and-paste a shape or image with custom points from PowerPoint, Storyline 360 will completely freeze and become unusable.
Hello everyone!
I've updated our report to reflect the number of authors who are requesting this feature.
Jonathan, I'd like to take a look at your project to see what is causing this snag! Would you mind sharing the .story file with me? If you're comfortable with that, here's my private upload link.
Hi Lauren, thank you for updating the report and thanks for offering to take a look at the problem files.
Unfortunately (and typically!), I have just tried to recreate the problem I was having and am unable to replicate it. I am using the exact same method and files as yesterday but it's working as intended. I haven't even 'turned it off an on again' as you might think would resolve the problem! I will gladly share the problem files with you anyway, if you still want to take a look, but currently seem to be having no issue.
Hi Jonathan!
If you run into the issue again, I'm happy to take a look at the project! Here's a secure upload link.
+1 for this feature!
+1 for this feature!
+1 for this. The possibilities this would open up would greatly help Storyline in the graphic design department. We need to be able to edit the points of a shape. How hard is that? Storyline mimics powerpoint in so many ways, but this is lacking.
+1 for this feature
+1 for this.
+1 for this feature.
Coming from Captivate, I am used to being able to customise freeform shapes as I often would use these as hotspots (outline and highlight a specific area of an image when the user interacts with it). Surprised it hasn't been implemented yet!
I'm having the issue that Mike Bethany describes above: I can't figure out how to close a shape so that it doesn't have little ends sticking out. And, yes, being able to move the points is much needed.
+1 Please!
+1 as well.
You can double-click at the end of making a freeform shape to close the path. It's worth leaving the last straight section of the path to be the part that's closed by Storyline. That way, instead of double-clicking at the same point where you started, Storyline builds the final line of the shape for you without any extra points.
Thank you for this answer.
+1 for this too.
I would definitely like to see this feature added. Surely it's quite a fundamental part of drawing shapes, that you can edit them afterwards? I'm currently building an application that involves lots of shaped freeform hotspots to go over an underlying graphic and text. I'm now doing foreign language versions where some of the text behind the original freeform shape is now longer in another language. This means having to recreate the freeform shape from scratch and copy all the associated triggers, instead of what could have been a simple tweak to the original shape.
This wouldn't be too big a deal but I have to do this on 19 slides containing around 8 - 10 shapes each.
Yes! Thank you, Lee.
Shucks, I spent an hour trying to figure it out. In Captivate I can hold down the alt key and drag a shape point to a new position, and in my Adobe PS, Illustrator, I can also do so. I'm trying to show my company's computer screen on an image of a person sitting at the computer. The screenshot needs to have the angle changed to make this work elegantly.
Your best option is to work in Illustrator and export your work as SVG. Then import to Storyline.
Aukalen is unfortunately right. This has been a feature request for many years now, so it looks like it is never going to be added!!!! You can do regular shapes, squares, rectangles, circles etc, but anything complex there is no functionality for.
Not sure why anyone is surprised that this has never been addressed. Isn't that what we now expect from Articulate?
My suggestion is to draw what you want in PowerPoint, edit the points if you need to, then SAVE AS PICTURE and bring in to SL as a WMF file. Then you can import this to SL360, ungroup it and you can at least change the colours and outline.
To edit the points, you need to go back to PPT.