Quick Tip: Creating a Circle Mask for Videos

Wanted to share a quick tip to make a circle mask for your videos. This is helpful when you want to integrate external animation videos into your elearning, but want them to be circular rather than rectangular - particularly helpful if you want to add a small animated design element (rather than an instructive video). These steps assume familiarity with both SnagIt and Storyline. Screenshots attached!

How to:

1. Create a colored rectangle (that fills the whole slide) and a white circle in Storyline. Your animation will display through the white circle area after we cut it out.

2. Screenshot the rectangle/circle composition with Snagit. In Snagit, select fill tool as "transparent" (the grey checkers) and fill in the circle. Adjust the size of your screenshot to match your Storyline story size in pixels (to check dimensions in Storyline, go to Design -> Story Size). You now have your appropriately sized mask. 

3. Insert png to Storyline slide. (You can delete the shapes from before). Import your video and send video to back. Voilà!