Forum Discussion
Creating a Spotlight
If anyone is wondering how to create a spotlight effect in Storyline 360, here is a YouTube video that helped me!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be2T95BMVjc
Essentially, you have to
1) make the primary image the background using format background - fill as picture
2) add shape over top - black with transparency to create dark box
3) add another shape over the section you want to spotlight. Go to format shape and make the fill "background fill". This will essentially allow the box to cut through anything underneath.
Now you can move the shape anywhere you please and it will "highlight" the background underneath while keeping the rest of the screen in the dark.
Previous E-learning heroes discussions said to use the frame or donut shape to create this, but that didn't work for me - mainly because the opening was always centered and sometimes I needed to highlight sections in a corner or on a side.
Hope this helps!
14 Replies
Thanks for popping in to share, Brooke :)
I followed that tutorial, it works on the preview but as soon as I publish the course I lose the effect. Any solution?
Thanks
Hi, Alessio, and welcome to E-Learning Heroes! ✨
Which version of Storyline are you using? I followed the tutorial using Storyline 360 (latest build 3.50.24668.0), and it worked both when previewing and publishing.
Are you working from a local hard drive? Working on a network drive can cause erratic behavior.
If possible, can you share your .story file here so we can take a look at what's going on?
Hi there, I'd like to be able to do this, but in part of a screen recording, I can't quite do it using these steps? I really would like to be able to do this
Hi Emmanual, and welcome to the E-Learning Heroes community! ✨
When I attempt the steps on my end in Storyline 360, it works as expected.
What specific step are you getting stuck on, and what happens?
I look forward to helping you work through this!
For your other inquiry, please refer to my colleague's responses here.
Hi there, and thanks for the warm welcome!
I should specify that I am wanting to use the spotlight effect during a video recording that has been inserted as a single slide.
When I try to "1) make the primary image the background using format background - fill as picture" it just inserts white
Thanks,
Manny
Hi Manny,
Do you have a project file that you can share with us so we can take a closer look at why formatting the background isn't working as expected? If you're more comfortable sharing your project file in private, you can reach out to our support team here so we can continue troubleshooting the issue through a support case.
I'm curious to know what image file are you using as the primary background image in your slide.
- Is this an image file taken from a frame from the video?
- When you use other image files as the background, does it still display as white?
Looking forward to your response!
Hi there,
I might hold off on progressing this enquiry for a while. I am very new to Articulate and also have some unexpected work pressures at the moment and I think I need to become more familiar with the product so if I am still stuck in future I am can more intelligently articulate what I've done and what is occurring. I really appreciate all the help I've been given and I may ask again in future. Thanks again for everyone who has taken the time to respond.
Is there no other way to spotlight than the video provided above? When doing Live screen recordings this really isn't doable. When in PP it allows you to spotlight using the Articulate tab but then REFUSES to carry over to Storyline.
I use Camtasia for creating this effect or others for screen recording.
I know a lot of people doing this however to pay for both applications will be a challenge. This issue has been raised since 2013 on the community making me think Articulate aren't taking feedback properly.
Hi Josh!
I just wanted to pop in and share that we are tracking a feature request to support Spotlight Animation in Storyline 360!
I've linked this discussion to the feature report and will provide updates as soon as we have news to share. If you'd like to stay up to date, please bookmark our Feature Roadmap.
Hi,
Is there any time frame on this? It is something I have seen people comment about for a few years now. I have a big project to which this is causing problems so a rough timescale would be beneficial.
