We've used Captivate or Articulate Presenter to create all of our software simulations (demos with screenshots). It's Okay, but not cool and modern. The screenshots pace is a bit slow, and the captions to explain the screenshots are a bit boring as well. After a few screenshots, the training get a little boring and tedious.
Have you seen any really cool, sharp, and modern software simulation? I'd appreciate if you could share any.
Just not sure how they did it but I like it. The narrator's voice is a big factor, I'm sure.
Again--hoping that the upcoming Storyline offers us some options here. Little known public fact--many of the folks who worked on Captivate now work for Articulate. And with that experience, and what they then did with Screenr, I'm hoping we have some goodness coming our way.
As for the "presentation and not the tool," that's one of the biggest unfair knocks we sometimes hear here against using Articulate for e-learning. People see SME-produced content that looks like a PPT presentation and they think that's all Articulate software can do. So we have to explain it's not the limitations of the tool, it's the limitations of the tool users.
Thank goodness we have folks here like Tom, Jeanette and David (and other friends here in the forums) stretching our imaginations--and skills.
Can we pull the MP4 recorded by Screenr and clean it up in Captivate?
Thanks for your ideas!
good question.. I had Cap3 all figured out and at my new job they have Cap5 so I am learning it all over again (actually I am steering the company away from Cap towards Articulate... and I am not getting too deep since Storyboard is coming out Anyway... I just downlaoded a Screenr MP4 and dropped it in Cap5. Cap5 won't deal with MP4 so I converted it to FLV (use Adobe Media Encoder OR Articulate Vid Encoder). I then dropped the FLV in the libray and dropped it on a slide. I didn;t get TOOO deep but I did see the "Edit Video Timing" buttin in the properties tab (see screenshot below). I clicked on that and was able to adjust the beginning & ending of the clip. If there is MORE editing functions they were hidden. In fact it would be easier to edit that way in AVE. So technically if your's SME's recorded their video and left you a good start & end spot you could add 1 vid per slide in Cap5 and it would move slide to slide pretty seemlessly.
I have not used Camtasia or any others... but if you could get a mac with ScreenFlow you would be able to very detailed and robust editing. It can take on any type of video (probably not WMV) and you can layer on images and several layers of audio. Granted you can not record simulations with it that record clicks and actions like Cap5 and the upcoming Stoyline BUT if you want to create interesting Screencasts or tutorials it is amazing.
I am done with my soapbox if anyone needs it... Gerry?
I appreciate you taking the time testing how Screenr Mp4 worked with Captivate. It seems to me our SMEs have to be really good in both presentations and voice over, in order for us to re-use it.
Let me pose this question: If most of the SMEs are good at presentations and voiceover with Screenr, will they do away with our eLearning developers?
Love the soapbox stuff Dan. I too have ScreenFlow. In actuality, the Mac version of Camtasia and Screenflow are VEEERY similar. A lot of nice features in each.
Dan, yes the Mac & Windows versions are definitely different. Why? Not really sure. They don't even LOOK the same. The project file extensions are different. They run on different engines. Yip, pretty different. There are some things that the Windows version does as far as how it handles zooming and transitions that the Windows version does that the Mac doesn't and vice versa. Like I said, the Mac version is actually VERY similar to Screenflow.
To join in with JW on the evil side here though, answer this question, how many SME's ARE actually good at presentations and voiceover?? ZINGGGGGG!!! lol. Ok, ok, ok, ok, yah, yah, yah, you do drive the content, but STILL!!
Robert.. that is very strange that they would be so different. I would think the Windows version would try to be just like Screenflow since there isn't much competition on the Windows side.
And good question about the SME stat's.. I would be curious too!!! Then when the SME's take over the instructional design... the "old" ID's can send THEM emails saying.. I have a really simple change, should take long. Can you just take that one word out from the narration of slide 71 and then make the % sign bigger on slide 81, oh then I prefer all the font to be Comic Sans size 19. And can you add page numbers to every slide. Oh.. more bullets please. I like at least 10 per slide. Oh... too many images, can you the Beanies from the Office clipart library? They are very effective... OHH.. and can you also.....
37 Replies
Hi, Dan
Can we pull the MP4 recorded by Screenr and clean it up in Captivate?
Thanks for your ideas!
Just not sure how they did it but I like it. The narrator's voice is a big factor, I'm sure.
Again--hoping that the upcoming Storyline offers us some options here. Little known public fact--many of the folks who worked on Captivate now work for Articulate. And with that experience, and what they then did with Screenr, I'm hoping we have some goodness coming our way.
As for the "presentation and not the tool," that's one of the biggest unfair knocks we sometimes hear here against using Articulate for e-learning. People see SME-produced content that looks like a PPT presentation and they think that's all Articulate software can do. So we have to explain it's not the limitations of the tool, it's the limitations of the tool users.
Thank goodness we have folks here like Tom, Jeanette and David (and other friends here in the forums) stretching our imaginations--and skills.
Hey, what's that about putting false gods before you . . .
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. 
good question.. I had Cap3 all figured out and at my new job they have Cap5 so I am learning it all over again (actually I am steering the company away from Cap towards Articulate... and I am not getting too deep since Storyboard is coming out
I have not used Camtasia or any others... but if you could get a mac with ScreenFlow you would be able to very detailed and robust editing. It can take on any type of video (probably not WMV) and you can layer on images and several layers of audio. Granted you can not record simulations with it that record clicks and actions like Cap5 and the upcoming Stoyline BUT if you want to create interesting Screencasts or tutorials it is amazing.
I am done with my soapbox if anyone needs it... Gerry?
Dan
Hi, Dan
I appreciate you taking the time testing how Screenr Mp4 worked with Captivate. It seems to me our SMEs have to be really good in both presentations and voice over, in order for us to re-use it.
Let me pose this question: If most of the SMEs are good at presentations and voiceover with Screenr, will they do away with our eLearning developers?
Love the soapbox stuff Dan. I too have ScreenFlow. In actuality, the Mac version of Camtasia and Screenflow are VEEERY similar. A lot of nice features in each.
So Robert... is the Mac Camtasia & Windows Camtasia different??? (besides the Mac versions crashes less
JW, YES.. we are dispensable heroes :) SME's will one day rule the world... muuauauauahahahaha!
Dan, yes the Mac & Windows versions are definitely different. Why? Not really sure. They don't even LOOK the same. The project file extensions are different. They run on different engines. Yip, pretty different. There are some things that the Windows version does as far as how it handles zooming and transitions that the Windows version does that the Mac doesn't and vice versa. Like I said, the Mac version is actually VERY similar to Screenflow.
To join in with JW on the evil side here though, answer this question, how many SME's ARE actually good at presentations and voiceover?? ZINGGGGGG!!! lol. Ok, ok, ok, ok, yah, yah, yah, you do drive the content, but STILL!!
To continue the "evil" side of the discussion, the Adobe TV tutorials are hosted by SMEs who are both knowledgeable and polished speakers.
Robert.. that is very strange that they would be so different. I would think the Windows version would try to be just like Screenflow since there isn't much competition on the Windows side.
And good question about the SME stat's.. I would be curious too!!! Then when the SME's take over the instructional design... the "old" ID's can send THEM emails saying.. I have a really simple change, should take long. Can you just take that one word out from the narration of slide 71 and then make the % sign bigger on slide 81, oh then I prefer all the font to be Comic Sans size 19. And can you add page numbers to every slide. Oh.. more bullets please. I like at least 10 per slide. Oh... too many images, can you the Beanies from the Office clipart library? They are very effective... OHH.. and can you also.....
AARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!
Those are the new Hybrid SME's home grown by Adobe
Ahhhh yes, the hybrids. A 21st century sort of SME!!
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