Hi -- I am relatively new to Articulate Storyline and am still learning the basics. We are developing several courses that will have several short videos inserted into the slides. My question is what is the bes filet format for the videos that I am inserting. Our video producer needs to know this so we have the correct file types. I also want to make sure that any user of our courses will be able to view the videos.
Good question! I think it's a great idea to know what you can work with before you start, so you have the best results. I'm going to provide some resources here that I think you might find helpful. With Storyline, you're mostly going to want to work with MP4 and SWF files. FLV files are converted to MP4, so if you're considering this file type, it may be best just to start and finish in MP4 format.
If you scroll down to the Media section, you see what formats are supported depending on your preferred output.
Another topic you may want to keep in mind and share with your video producer is the resolution of the videos. If you can, try to make sure the resolution isn't too large, or scaling and quality issues may come up. The default size for Storyline projects is 720 pixels wide by 540 pixels high. If the videos are larger than that, you may need to adjust the story size or edit the videos so that they're not too large (resolution).
Of course, you can now use Articulate Replay to convert a WMV to a MP4. That's what I'm using now instead of FormatFactory.
One issue to be aware of--when Storyline publishes out the MP4, it re-compresses it into a smaller MP4 file than the imported MP4. sometimes, you may lose visual quality. The only workaround to this is go into your published output, find the MP4 with worse quality and replace it with a copy of your original MP4.
Some of us have suggested Articulate give us options for re-compressing MP4, including "No compression." If you agree, submit a feature request. The more voices, the better.
Hi Carmen! Looks like Gerry is assisting you here, but I wasn't sure if your question was asking about what formats Presenter supported? So, just in case:
SWF, FLV, and MP4 are natively supported. Other formats will be automatically converted to MP4.
8 Replies
Hi Kirk!
Good question! I think it's a great idea to know what you can work with before you start, so you have the best results. I'm going to provide some resources here that I think you might find helpful. With Storyline, you're mostly going to want to work with MP4 and SWF files. FLV files are converted to MP4, so if you're considering this file type, it may be best just to start and finish in MP4 format.
Media > How videos are encoded in Storyline
How will you be publishing your course? Compare Storyline's Flash, HTML5 and Articulate Mobile Player output
If you scroll down to the Media section, you see what formats are supported depending on your preferred output.
Another topic you may want to keep in mind and share with your video producer is the resolution of the videos. If you can, try to make sure the resolution isn't too large, or scaling and quality issues may come up. The default size for Storyline projects is 720 pixels wide by 540 pixels high. If the videos are larger than that, you may need to adjust the story size or edit the videos so that they're not too large (resolution).
Let us know if you have any questions, Kirk!
Thanks!
This was very helpful, Thanks Christine!
Hi Lesli. Welcome to the community.
Awesome, I'm glad you found it helpful!
Thanks for taking the time to post. If you have any questions, we have a pretty awesome community.
Have a great day!
Can you recommend free software that will convert a WMV file to MP4 or SWF?
Hi Stephanie,
Have you taken a look at Format Factory (http://www.pcfreetime.com/)? It's been recommended periodically on this forum, and I've used it successfully.
Is it the same for Presenter? MP4 or SWF format?
Of course, you can now use Articulate Replay to convert a WMV to a MP4. That's what I'm using now instead of FormatFactory.
One issue to be aware of--when Storyline publishes out the MP4, it re-compresses it into a smaller MP4 file than the imported MP4. sometimes, you may lose visual quality. The only workaround to this is go into your published output, find the MP4 with worse quality and replace it with a copy of your original MP4.
Some of us have suggested Articulate give us options for re-compressing MP4, including "No compression." If you agree, submit a feature request. The more voices, the better.
Hi Carmen! Looks like Gerry is assisting you here, but I wasn't sure if your question was asking about what formats Presenter supported? So, just in case:
SWF, FLV, and MP4 are natively supported. Other formats will be automatically converted to MP4.
This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.