I'm new to Storyline so may have missed something key. I'm creating shapes in Illustrator, exporting them as WMF, then inserting them as a picture to Storyline. The results are rasterized. It's even worse with EMF. Suggestions gratefully received!

This is a feature I would love as well. Articulate has been very slow to add new features to Storyline 360. For how expensive it is, the rate of improvement has not been good in my opinion. I have been using it since version 1 and before (presenter etc.) and I am not impressed with what they have offered in terms of upgrades, and new features over the last few years since release. If you look at the game development industry, there are more and more open-source software packages that push the larger companies to improve. Though I like the product and the community, I am afraid they are becoming more and more like Adobe with large fees and very little innovation year over year. My warning would be that all it takes is one good open-source package that competes with Articulate and there could be a mass exodus of developers. I apologize if this sounds negative but I am getting frustrated with the lack of improvement and new features given that I am a sole proprietor and pay for my own software.

Hi Ed. Just chucking my tuppence in, for what it is worth, but the key to getting crisp WMF files imported into Storyline is to blow them up HUGE in whatever vector programme you create the files in, first, before exporting. I generally create my files at 100% and before exporting, blow up to 500% - this results in super crisp images at no extra file size, really flat graphic (no gradients).

Hello everyone, I wanted to pop in to let you know that there was an enhancement included in the latest update to Storyline 360 that you may be interested in: Enhanced: SVG images on PowerPoint slides import into Storyline 360 as native shapes. You can customize their fill colors, line styles, and shape effects. Details here. Just launch the Articulate 360 desktop app on your computer and click the Update button for Storyline 360. Details here.Please let us know if you have any questions, either here or by reaching out to our Support Engineers directly.

Unfortunately I don't believe Storyline currently supports importing vector images. It's bizarre given how the shapes created within Storyline 360 are .svgs. Saying that, someone did post a neat trick on these forums a while back on how you can import custom shapes from Illustrator into Storyline using your clipboard. I can't find the post now, so I'll try my best to explain it: Open Illustrator Copy your graphic/object to your clipboard Open one of your slides in Storyline, then paste from your clipboard(The pasted image might look pixelated and ugly at this point) Right click the pasted picture > Ungroup(Even though it may look like a normal picture in Storyline, it actually allows you to do this for some reason) Storyline will ungroup the components of the image into freeform shapes and empty images. Simply delete the objects you don't need, and keep the freeform shape/s that you want. It's not a perfect solution because it doesn't seem to handle complex graphics very well. But I think it's the best solution until we get official support for vector graphics.

I just wanted to jump into this discussion to share that we just released Storyline 360 (Build 3.57.26407.0) today, which includes the option to import scalable vector graphics (SVGs) to Storyline 360 so images stay sharp when learners zoom in and out. Thank you to everyone who continued sharing how important this feature was in Storyline 360. Now all you need to do is update Storyline 360 in your Articulate 360 desktop app! If you run into any issues, don't hesitate to reach out in this discussion or in a support case.

Vectors (EMF, WMF) rasterized when imported

DiarmaidCollins
Community Member
7 years ago
Hi Mark. Not sure what you mean. Your issue is that the imported EMF file seems to rasterise and produce jagged edges (poor resolution).

This has happened to me in the past and my solution was to simplify my original vector graphic (basically removing gradients/drop-shadows/etc). What this seemed to do was allow Storyline to treat my WMF (try that format as opposed to EMF) as an actual vector image and imported crisp, clean graphic shapes.

BUT, only after I blew the artwork to 400/500% before importing. For some reason, the geometry of the WMF/EMF format creates a whole bunch more extra 'nodes' in artwork. It only looks good when blown up huge then exported.

This is why your artwork looks jagged and rasterised when imported. The bigger the artwork the more nodes the smoother the graphic. The images below show a simple 50px circle illustrator file, followed by 100% scale WMF (note the jagged geometry), a 200% WMF file (loads of nodes) and a 500% WMF (tons of extra nodes).

However, if one's artwork contains any degree of complexity such as gradients/drop shadows, the the mechanics/benefits of the WMF/EMF file format are basically null and void. One is better off treating the artwork as a PNG/JPEG/Bitmap file.

Anyway, that's just my experience with the issue. I thought that might help.
- MarkDiGiacomo-a
  Community Member
  7 years ago
  I appreciate your effort, D, but despite my understanding of resolution dynamics, the issue here is that SL is not treating an EMF as a vector object. It has rasterized it and badly. So a jpeg/png gets the job done at high res, sure, but that's not the aim of this thread. If you're overcompensating (your image) to the degree you state in order to get the EMF to work, it's because it's just rasterized and you're making it huge to 'deal' with the poor compression.
DiarmaidCollins
Community Member
7 years ago
Hi Mark. No worries. Obviously the real issue here is that while Articulate state that EMF/WMF file importation is supported it very clearly isn't. Crystal basically makes that point in her post above.

My point (coming from a print/publishing background), and this holds true for innumerable programmes out there, not necessarily just Storyline, is that vector graphics that incorporate things such as drop shadows or gradients often encounter rendering issues when imported into assorted programmes - admittedly not as much nowadays, but still frequently enough. Believe it or not, I don't think I ever got a custom WMF file to render correctly into any Word document I had the misfortune to design/build/edit.

So, obviously the question in this case is how to try and make the WMF/EMF file format work as much as possible within Storyline, and the workarounds are kind of outlined above. It's not perfect, flawless or effortless, but it does work if one follows the basic steps.

Those steps do produce a crisp scalable graphic that Storyline recognises as a distinct shape (not just a rasterised rectangle).

The file is not rasterised. It is an actual shape.
LeslieMcKerchie
Staff
7 years ago
We'd love to take a look at any example EMF/WMF files.

You're welcome to share them here in the forum thread or reach out here privately if needed.
GenevièveJacque
Community Member
7 years ago
Ok so finally. It does the trick when importing the file, but when publishing. Yeeeeesh. (And there's no gradiant in my .EMF files.)

I really feel that EPS and EMF is not supported as announced.

Meanwhile, I'll continue building my course with EMF and hope that when we'll publish it, the problem will be solved in an update...!
AshleyT-Pollard
Staff
7 years ago
Hi Geneviève,

If you're able to share these examples with our Support Team - we'd love to take a look.
GenevièveJacque
Community Member
7 years ago
Sent!
LeslieMcKerchie
Staff
7 years ago
Thanks Geneviève :)
DiarmaidCollins
Community Member
6 years ago
Hi Leslie. That's rather gratifying, being honest!

It would be even more awesome if we were able to import SVGs directly, like images, etc, due to the workaround of having to import an SVG into Powerpoint, save, then import the PP file into a scene, just to get the icon/shape.

But, it does work and has opened up a rather nice route to getting beautiful vector objects into Storyline.
AlyssaGomez
Staff
6 years ago
Hi there Ray!

Scalable vector graphics (SVGs) on PowerPoint slides become native shapes when you import the slides into Storyline 360.

Once imported, you can resize the shapes without diminishing their quality, and you can customize their fills, outlines, and effects using Storyline’s drawing tools.

We added support for this feature in Storyline 360 Build 3.27.18751.0, so be sure you're using the latest update!
GerryWasiluk
Community Member
6 years ago
Hi, Alyssa!

Is direct import of SVG images possibly in the pipeline for future consideration? (Please, please, please with triple sugar and whipped cream on the top. :) ;) )

I ask because I have a complex process diagram done in Visio by a client for a course I'm currently working on--and so I did the SVG export from Visio and then did the PowerPoint import and then import into SL360 and the results were not what I expected. And not acceptable to the client.

Looked like the issue was PowerPoint's "translation" of some gradient fills in the SVG to flat, colored fills (as the SVG opens correctly in other graphics programs supporting SVG). I hoping you folks could do "better than what PowerPoint did" with direct SVG support. :)

Thanks!