Audio
67 TopicsStoryline 360: Converting Text to Speech
Speed up course development by converting text to speech right in Storyline 360. For example, use the text-to-speech feature to quickly narrate a course for stakeholder review or to localize narration in different languages. You can even choose the voice and language to make sure every word sounds right. Watch this video demonstration, then check out the detailed instructions below. Converting Text to Speech Selecting Languages and Voices Updating Script Changes or Using a Different Voice Generating Closed Captions Replacing Text-to-Speech Narration with Recorded Narration Create Text-to-Speech with AI Assistant Bring narration to life with AI-generated voices that are highly realistic and customizable. Add your script, define voice settings, and let AI Assistant do the rest. Learn how to use AI Assistant to level up your course authoring game. Converting Text to Speech Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and choose Text-to-Speech. When the Insert Text-to-Speech window appears, select a Language from the first drop-down list. This ensures that your words are spoken with the correct pronunciations. Choose a Voice (standard or neural) from the second drop-down list. You can hear what a voice sounds like by clicking the Preview Voice button next to the list. Type or paste your script into the text-entry field. Or, if you want to use your slide notes as your script, just click the Copy from Slide Notes button. You can convert up to 10,000 characters at a time. When using speech synthesis markup language (SSML), you can convert up to 3,000 characters for text and 3,000 for SSML tags. If your script is longer than that, break it into smaller chunks and generate more than one text-to-speech audio clip. Then, place the audio clips back to back on the timeline so they play in sequential order. See below for tips on pronunciation and phrasing. Keep the Generate Closed Captions box marked to add closed captions to your text-to-speech narration. Learn more about text-to-speech closed captions below. Click Insert to complete the process. You must have an internet connection to convert text to speech. If you're offline, Storyline 360 prompts you to connect to the internet and try again. Storyline 360 converts your text to narration, and it’ll appear as an audio clip on the slide’s timeline. The conversion process is fast, but lengthy scripts take longer to convert. Text-to-speech narration works just like other audio clips in Storyline 360, so you can use the built-in audio editor and audio tools to customize it. You can add as many text-to-speech clips as you want. You can even use different voices for different clips, which is great when creating a scene where two or more characters are conversing. Tips for Controlling Pronunciation and Phrasing Don't use abbreviations. Spell out words to make sure they're pronounced correctly. If a correctly spelled word isn't pronounced the way you want, try spelling it phonetically or adding hyphens between syllables—for example, Articulate vs. Articu-late. Use punctuation, such as commas and semicolons, when inserting brief pauses. For longer pauses, convert your text to speech, then open the clip in the built-in audio editor and insert silence where needed. Want more control? As of December 2023, you can use SSML to adjust the speaking rate, modify pronunciation, add pauses, and more. Selecting Languages and Voices Choose from various standard and neural languages and voices to enhance your training. Standard Voices This is the full list of standard voices in Storyline 360, alphabetized and arranged by language. Language Name(s) Arabic Zeina (Female) Chinese (Mandarin) Zhiyu (Female) Danish Mads (Male), Naja (Female) Dutch (Netherlands) Lotte (Female), Ruben (Male) English (Australia) Nicole (Female), Russell (Male) English (India) Aditi (Female), Raveena (Female) English (United Kingdom) Amy (Female), Brian (Male), Emma (Female) English (USA) Joanna (Female), Joey (Male), Justin (Male), Kendra (Female), Kimberly (Female), Matthew (Male), Salli (Female) English (Wales) Geraint (Male) French (Canada) Chantal (Female) French (France) Céline (Female), Léa (Female), Mathieu (Male) German (Germany) Hans (Male), Marlene (Female), Vicki (Female) Icelandic Dóra (Female), Karl (Male) Italian Bianca (Female), Carla (Female), Giorgio (Male) Japanese Mizuki (Female), Takumi (Male) Korean Seoyeon (Female) Norwegian Liv (Female) Polish Ewa (Female), Jacek (Male), Jan (Male), Maja (Female) Portuguese (Brazil) Camila (Female), Ricardo (Male), Vitória (Female) Portuguese (Portugal) Cristiano (Male), Inês (Female) Romanian Carmen (Female) Russian Maxim (Male), Tatyana (Female) Spanish (Latin American) Lupe (Female), Miguel (Male), Penélope (Female) Spanish (Mexican) Mia (Female) Spanish (Spain) Conchita (Female), Enrique (Male), Lucia (Female) Swedish Astrid (Female) Turkish Filiz (Female) Welsh Gwyneth (Female) Neural Voices Starting with the September 2023 update, you can generate realistic, natural-sounding text-to-speech narration with neural voices. This is the full list of neural voices in Storyline 360, alphabetized and arranged by language. This list is updated whenever new voices are added. Language Name(s) Arabic (Gulf) Hala (Female), Zayd (Male) Catalan Arlet (Female) Chinese (Cantonese) Hiujin (Female) Chinese (Mandarin) Zhiyu (Female) Czech Jitka (Female) Danish Sofie (Female) Dutch (Belgian) Lisa (Female) Dutch (Netherlands) Laura (Female) English (Australia) Olivia (Female) English (India) Kajal (Female) English (United Kingdom) Amy (Female), Arthur (Male), Brian (Male), Emma (Female) English (USA) Danielle (Female), Gregory (Male), Joanna (Female), Joey (Male), Justin (Male), Kendra (Female), Kevin (Male), Kimberly (Female), Matthew (Male), Ruth (Female), Salli (Female), Stephen (Male) Finnish Suvi (Female) French (Belgian) Isabelle (Female) French (Canada) Gabrielle (Female), Liam (Male) French (France) Léa (Female), Rémi (Male) German (Austria) Hannah (Female) German (Germany) Daniel (Male), Vicki (Female) German (Swiss) Sabrina (Female) Irish English Niamh (Female) Italian Adriano (Male), Bianca (Female) Japanese Kazuha (Female), Takumi (Male), Tomoko (Female) Korean Seoyeon (Female) New Zealand English Aria (Female) Norwegian Ida (Female) Polish Ola (Female) Portuguese (Brazil) Camila (Female), Thiago (Male), Vitória (Female) Portuguese (Portugal) Inês (Female) Singaporean English Jasmine (Female) South African English Ayanda (Female) Spanish (Latin American) Lupe (Female), Pedro (Male) Spanish (Mexican) Andrés (Male), Mia (Female) Spanish (Spain) Lucia (Female), Sergio (Male) Swedish Elin (Female) Turkish Burcu (Female) Updating Script Changes or Using a Different Voice What if you convert text to speech and then need to update it with script changes? Or what if you want to switch to a different voice later? No problem. Storyline 360 makes it easy to update text-to-speech narration. Right-click your text-to-speech audio track on the slide’s timeline and choose Text-to-Speech from the context menu that appears. Or, select your text-to-speech audio track, go to the Options tab on the ribbon, and click Text-to-Speech. The Insert Text-to-Speech window opens with your original script. Edit the script as needed or choose a different voice—or both. Click Update. Generating Closed Captions Storyline 360 can generate closed captions that are automatically synchronized with text-to-speech narration, making your course more accessible. You can add closed captions at the same time you convert text to speech or add them later. Here’s how. Generate Closed Captions When You Convert Text to Speech Keep the Generate Closed Captions box marked to add closed captions at the same time you convert text to speech. Learn how to convert text to speech above. Update Existing Narration with Closed Captions Right-click your text-to-speech audio track on the slide’s timeline and choose Text-to-Speech from the context menu that appears. The Insert Text-to-Speech window opens with your script. Check the Generate Closed Captions box. Click Update. Use the Closed Captions Editor to Add Captions Select your text-to-speech audio track on the slide’s timeline, then go to the Options tab on the ribbon and click Add Captions. When the closed captions editor opens, Storyline 360 automatically generates captions that are synced with your narration. Just click Save & Close on the ribbon. Learn More Creating and Editing Closed Captions with the Built-In Editor Importing Closed Captions for Narration and Videos Replacing Text-to-Speech Narration with Recorded Narration You can use text-to-speech narration during course development and later swap it out with professionally recorded narration, keeping your closed captions intact. Here’s how. Select your text-to-speech audio track on the slide’s timeline and go to the Options tab on the ribbon. Click the drop-down arrow beside Replace Audio. Choose to replace your text-to-speech audio with an audio file from your computer or an audio clip from the media library. Or, record narration with your microphone.7KViews0likes0CommentsStoryline 360: Adding Content Library 360 Videos
Content Library 360 has 22+ million high-resolution photos, illustrations, icons, and videos. You can access them right from Storyline 360, and they’re all available to use in your content for no additional charge. In this article, you’ll learn how to add Content Library 360 videos to your courses. Adding Content Library 360 Videos to Your Course Swapping Out Videos Using Content Library 360 Photos as Video Poster Frames Making Content Library Videos Accessible Adding Content Library 360 Videos to Your Course Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon and click Videos in the Content Library 360 group. (You can also import Content Library 360 videos directly into the media library.) Type a search term in the field at the top of the media browser and press Enter. Tip: The media browser remembers your last search term, previous search results, and the last asset you selected. Zoom in and out while you’re browsing for videos by holding down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and scrolling your mouse wheel. If you want to look for a different type of media after opening the browser, use the drop-down list in the upper right corner to switch to another type: photos, illustrations, icons, or videos. To preview a video before you insert it into your course, hover over it with your mouse, then click the Preview button that appears. Select the video you want to use and click Insert to add it your slide. Tip: You can select multiple videos at the same time using Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click, then insert them all at once. Swapping Out Videos You can swap out one video for another without losing the video properties or triggers you already set up. Below, we describe two ways to do so. Right-Click the Video Right-click any video in your course, scroll to Replace Video, and choose Content Library 360 Videos. The Content Library 360 browser remembers your last search during the current session, so you may need to use the drop-down list in the upper right corner to switch to Videos. Browse for a new video and click Insert. Use Video Placeholders If your course is built with video placeholders, you can delete a video you previously added to a placeholder and add another one in its place. Here’s how: Click the Insert Content Library 360 Video icon in the placeholder. The Content Library 360 browser remembers your last search during the current session, so you may need to use the drop-down list in the upper right corner to switch to Videos. Browse for a new video and click Insert. Using Content Library 360 Photos as Video Poster Frames If you don’t auto-play a video in your course, learners will see the first frame of the video as its placeholder until it begins to play. If you’d like to display a different video placeholder, you can insert a picture file or a Content Library 360 photo. This image is called the video’s poster frame. To use a Content Library 360 photo as a poster frame Right-click the video, scroll to Set Poster Frame, and choose Content Library 360 Photos. The Content Library 360 browser remembers your last search during the current session, so you may need to use the drop-down list in the upper right corner to switch to Photos. Browse for the photo you want to use as the poster frame and click Insert. If you change your mind, just right-click the video again and choose Remove Poster Frame. Making Content Library Videos Accessible Video accessibility fosters inclusivity and boosts comprehension for all learners. Here are a few tips to make your Content Library videos accessible: Turn off autoplay. Video content that autoplays can disrupt learning and interfere with assistive technologies. Adjust video properties to prevent autoplay. (1.4.2 Audio Control). Enable accessible video controls. Turn on the accessible video controls in Storyline 360's modern player for a more inclusive and flexible learning environment. (2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide). Use audio descriptions where necessary. Include audio descriptions that narrate important visual details not conveyed through dialogue. This practice gives learners with visual disabilities access to all the necessary information and allows them to understand the content thoroughly. (1.2.5 Audio Description [Prerecorded]). Keep your language simple. Use plain language in your video content and descriptions. Straightforward and clear language helps your audience easily read and understand the information. Avoid distracting videos. Stick with non-flashing videos. Content that flashes, blinks, or flickers more than three times per second is distracting and can trigger seizures in learners with photosensitive epilepsy. (2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold). You Might Also Want to Explore: Adding Videos from Files, Websites, and Webcams Editing Videos Adjusting Video Properties357Views0likes0CommentsStoryline 360: Adding Videos
In this user guide, you'll learn how to enhance your Storyline 360 courses with videos from files, websites, and webcams. (To add videos from Content Library 360, see this user guide.) Adding a Video from a File Adding a Video from a Website Adding a Video from a Webcam Making Videos Accessible Adding a Video from a File Note: Videos will be automatically synchronized with the slide and controlled by the timeline. Here’s how to insert a video from a file: First, do either of the following: In Slide View, go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click the Video drop-down arrow, and choose Video from File. Or, simply drag a video file from your computer and drop it on your course slide. In Form View, go to the Home tab on the ribbon, click the Media drop-down arrow, and choose Video from File. Browse to the video you want to use and click Open. MP4 videos are natively supported in Storyline 360. The following file formats get converted to MP4 in Storyline 360: 3G2 3GP ASF AVI DV M1V M2V M4V MOV MPE MPEG MPG QT WMV Tip: If your video placeholder is hard to see because it shows up as a white, black, or transparent rectangle in Storyline 360, right-click it and choose Set Poster Frame. Then browse for an image file to use as the video placeholder. Adding a Video from a Website Storyline 360 makes it easy to embed videos that are hosted on popular websites such as YouTube and Vimeo. Note: Website videos play independently of the slide and aren’t controlled by the timeline. In Slide View, go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click the Video drop-down arrow, and select Video from Website. Copy the video embed code from the hosting website and paste it into the Insert Video from Website box. Click Insert. Adding a Video from a Webcam Pro Tip: You can also record webcam videos in the media library using the same recording process described below. Just skip the first step. You can record videos with your webcam. Here’s how: Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click the Video drop-down arrow, and select Record Webcam. Before you begin recording, click Show device settings to choose the webcam/microphone you want to use (if you have more than one) and set the video size. Click the red Record button to begin recording. When you've finished recording, click the Stop button. If you'd like to preview your recording before inserting it into your project, click the Play button. To redo your recording, click the X to delete the current recording, then click the Record button to start over. When you're ready to insert the recording into your project, click OK. Making Videos Accessible Video accessibility fosters inclusivity and boosts comprehension for all learners. Here are a few tips to make videos accessible: Turn off autoplay. Video content that autoplays can disrupt learning and interfere with assistive technologies. Adjust video properties to prevent autoplay and enable playback speed control. (1.4.2 Audio Control). Enable accessible video controls. Turn on the accessible video controls in Storyline 360's modern player for a more inclusive and flexible learning environment. (2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide). Use closed captions. Closed captions help all learners fully engage with and comprehend your content. You can import or create closed captions right in Storyline 360. Position captions at the top or bottom of your slides and customize the foreground and background colors to maximize readability. (1.2.2 Captions [Prerecorded]). Provide synchronized video transcripts. Synchronized video transcripts can be automatically generated from closed captions. Transcripts should include descriptions of narration, sound effects, and other audiovisual elements. (1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative [Prerecorded]). Use audio descriptions where necessary. Include audio descriptions that narrate important visual details not conveyed through dialogue. This practice gives learners with visual disabilities access to all the necessary information and allows them to understand the content thoroughly. (1.2.5 Audio Description [Prerecorded]). Keep your language simple. Use plain language in your video content and descriptions. Straightforward and clear language helps your audience easily read and understand the information. Avoid distracting videos. Stick with non-flashing videos. Content that flashes, blinks, or flickers more than three times per second is distracting and can trigger seizures in learners with photosensitive epilepsy. (2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold). You Might Also Want to Explore: Adding Content Library 360 Videos Editing Videos Adjusting Video Properties2.3KViews0likes0CommentsQuizmaker 360: Adding Content Library 360 Videos
Content Library 360 has 22+ million high-resolution photos, illustrations, icons, and videos that you can access right from Quizmaker 360. All assets are available to use in your quiz for no additional charge. In this article, you’ll learn how to add Content Library 360 videos to your quizzes. Adding Content Library 360 Videos to Your Quiz Swapping Out Videos Using Content Library 360 Photos as Video Poster Frames Adding Content Library 360 Videos to Your Quiz Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon and click Videos in the Content Library 360 group. Type a search term in the field at the top of the media browser and press Enter. (Tip: The browser remembers your last search term during the current session.) Zoom in and out by using the zoom slider in the lower left corner or by holding down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and scrolling your mouse wheel. And if you want to look for a different type of media after opening the browser, use the drop-down list in the upper right corner to switch to another type: photos, illustrations, icons, or videos. To preview a video before you add it to your quiz, click the Preview button that appears when your mouse hovers over a video thumbnail. Select the video you want to use and click Insert to add it your slide. You can select multiple videos at the same time using Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click, then insert them all at once. Swapping Out Videos You can swap out one video for another and keep your video properties intact. Here are two ways to do so. Right-Click the Video Right-click any video in your quiz, scroll to Change Video, and choose Content Library 360 Videos. When the Content Library 360 browser opens, browse for a new video and click Insert. Use Video Placeholders If your quiz is built with video placeholders, you can delete a video you previously added to a placeholder and add another one in its place. Here’s how: Click the Insert Content Library 360 Video icon in the placeholder. When the Content Library 360 browser opens, browse for a new video and click Insert. Using Content Library 360 Photos as Video Poster Frames If you don’t auto-play a video in your quiz, learners will see the first frame of the video as its placeholder until it begins to play. If you’d like to display a different video placeholder, you can insert a picture file or a Content Library 360 photo. This image is called the video’s poster frame. To use a Content Library 360 photo as a poster frame: Right-click the video, scroll to Set Poster Frame, and choose Content Library 360 Photos. When the Content Library 360 browser opens, choose either Photos or Illustrations from the file-type drop-down list in the upper right corner. Browse for the image you want to use as the poster frame and click Insert. If you change your mind, right-click the video again and choose Remove Poster Frame. You Might Also Want to Explore: Adding Videos from Files, Websites, and Webcams Editing Videos Adjusting Video Properties46Views0likes0CommentsPresenter 360: Adding Content Library 360 Videos
Content Library 360 has 22+ million high-resolution photos, illustrations, icons, and videos that you can access right from PowerPoint. All assets are available to use in your presentation for no additional charge. In this article, you’ll learn how to add Content Library 360 videos to slides in your Presenter 360 courses. Note: Content Library 360 videos can be added to slides but not to the player sidebar. Go to the Articulate tab on the PowerPoint ribbon and click Videos in the Content Library 360 group. Type a search term in the field at the top of the media browser and press Enter. (Tip: The browser remembers your last search term during the current session.) Zoom in and out by using the zoom slider in the lower left corner or by holding down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and scrolling your mouse wheel. To preview a video before you add it to your course, click the Preview button that appears when your mouse hovers over a video thumbnail. Select the video you want to use and click Insert to add it your slide. When the video properties window appears, make your selections, as described below, and click OK. Property Description Show video Decide whether you want the video to display on the slide or in a separate browser window. Play video Choose to play the video automatically or only when learners click it. Show video controls Mark this box to add player controls to the video so learners can play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward. Start video ___ seconds into slide Decide when you want the video to play. By default, it'll play as soon as learners reach the slide. If you'd prefer to wait a certain number of seconds before playing the video, enter a number in the field provided. Do not compress video at publish Mark this box if you don’t want the video to be compressed in your published course. Video quality may be higher, but the published output will also be larger. Uncheck the box to compress the video in your published course. It’ll be optimized for web playback, resulting in smaller file sizes. This is especially helpful for learners with slow internet connections. This property is available for MP4 videos created with baseline, main, or high profiles. If it’s grayed out, it means the video is another file type or profile, in which case the video will be compressed in your published course. Alternate text Enter a brief description of the video. Screen readers will read the description to your learners. Download our free accessibility e-book for tips on writing good alt text.45Views0likes0CommentsStoryline 360: Adjusting Video Properties
Storyline 360 lets you adjust these properties for an embedded video: How loud it is in relation to your overall course Where it gets displayed and when it plays Whether it has its own player controls Whether it's compressed What its alt text and closed captions are How it's arranged with other objects on the slide and what size it is To access video properties, click once on the video you want to edit, then go to the Options tab on the ribbon. Working with Video Options Preview Play the selected video on the slide stage. Click the button again to stop it. Video Volume Change the relative volume of your video. Low lowers the volume to 50% of the original. Medium sets the volume at 100%, meaning the original volume doesn’t change. This is the default option. High raises the volume to 150% of the original. Mute silences the video. This option isn't available for website videos. Edit Video Edit the video. When the built-in video editor opens, you can trim and crop to show only the portions you want, adjust the volume, brightness, and contrast to improve quality, and add a logo or watermark for branding. To learn more about using the video editor, review this user guide. This option isn't available for website videos. Show Video Choose to display the video in the slide or a new browser window. Play Video Choose one of these options to decide when you want the video to start playing. (This property will be grayed out if you display the video in a new browser window—see above.) Automatically plays the video as soon as the slide's timeline reaches the start of the video object. For more details on working with the timeline, review this user guide. When clicked plays the video when learners click it. From trigger plays the video when a specific event has occurred, such as clicking a button. To learn more about triggers, review this user guide. This option doesn't apply to website videos. Generally, learners need to click web videos to play them. Some browsers still allow web videos to autoplay (if the autoplay feature is enabled in your embed code), but the trend is for browsers to prevent media from autoplaying. Video Controls If you're using the modern player, enable accessible video controls and pick a dark or light theme color for them. Choose Show none to omit accessible video controls. If you're using the classic player, choose Below video from the drop-down to add a separate legacy playbar to the video, so learners can play, pause, rewind, and fast forward it. Choose None to omit the separate playbar for the video. This option isn't available for website videos. Compression Choose Automatic from the drop-down to have Storyline 360 compress your video files when you publish. Choose None if you don’t want to compress your video files. Video quality will be higher, but the file will also be larger. This feature is only available for MP4 videos created with baseline, main, or high profiles. All other video files will be compressed when published. Add Captions Edit Captions This button will change depending on whether your video already has captions. Click it to open the closed captions editor, where you can fine-tune imported captions or quickly add new ones with the help of caption placeholders already synced with your video. Import Export Delete Use these buttons to import, export, and delete closed captions. Review this user guide for details. Arrange Arrange the video with other slide objects using the Bring Forward, Send Backward, and Align drop-down. Size Size the video on the slide using the Height and Width fields. Enter values in pixels. The aspect ratio of your video will be maintained—when you change one value, the other value will automatically change for you. Additional Right-Click Options for Working with Videos You can access several more video options by simply right-clicking a video placeholder. Group Group a video with other objects on the slide. This is useful if you want to rotate a video. Although videos can't be rotated by themselves, they can be rotated when they're grouped with another object. Bring to Front Send to Back Arrange your video with other objects on the slide. Preview Video Play the video on the slide stage. Click anywhere outside the video to stop it. Edit Video Edit your video in the built-in video editor. This option isn't available for website videos. Change Embed Code Modify the embed code. This option only pertains to website videos. Replace Video Swap out the original video without losing your video properties. Choose a Video from File, browse Content Library 360 Videos, select a video from the Media Library, or Record a webcam video. Export Video Export the video from Storyline 360. It saves as an MP4 file. Show in Media Library View the video in the media library. Set Poster Frame Assign a placeholder image to your video. Choose a Picture from File or browse royalty-free Content Library 360 Photos. This is especially useful if you've configured your video to play only when learners click it. The poster frame will be visible to learners until they click it to play the video. To remove the poster frame, right-click the video again, and select Remove Poster Frame. Export Frame as Picture Export a frame of the video as an image from Storyline 360. It saves as a PNG file. Rename Change the default name (Video 1, Video 2, etc.) assigned to videos in Storyline 360. Another way to rename videos and other objects is to use the timeline. Size and Position Specify an exact size and position for your video. To learn more about the Size and Position window, review this user guide. Accessibility Open the Size and Position window directly to the Accessibility tab where you can add alt text and closed captions. You Might Also Want to Explore: Adding Videos Editing Videos1.8KViews0likes0CommentsRise 360: Add Text and Media
In Rise 360, blocks are form-based templates, so adding content is as easy as plugging text and media into placeholders. Depending on the blocks you selected, you simply fill out forms with text, images, narration, videos, and embedded web content. Here are tips for working with each type of content. Author Avatars Text Images Audio Videos Web Content Author Avatars You can edit the title and show or hide the author. Under the title, you can hide the author of the content you're editing by clicking the author avatar and selecting Hide Author. If there are multiple authors, you can select which author attribution to display. To hide all author avatars for all a deliverable, select the appropriate option in the Theme > Lesson Headers menu. Text Type your text in the web interface or copy text from external sources and paste it into Rise 360. In most blocks, you can add and edit text in the body of the main window. In some cases, you can use the sidebar—for example, add marker text in the sidebar for labeled graphic blocks. Format text by selecting it and choosing formatting options on the floating toolbar that appears. Or, use the keyboard shortcuts below. Key(s) Function Ctrl+A Select all Ctrl+B Bold Ctrl+I Italicize Ctrl+K Hyperlink Ctrl+S Strikethrough Ctrl+U Underline Ctrl+Z Undo Ctrl+Shift+Z Redo Ctrl+[ Decrease indent Ctrl+] Increase indent When you paste text, Rise 360 retains the source formatting. To paste your text without formatting, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V. You can also restore the default Rise 360 formatting to pasted text by selecting it and clicking the Reset icon. Pro Tip: The default text size for non-heading content is 17pt. Quickly Insert Tables and Lists Available in the sidebar and main window of most blocks that support text, quick insert lets you add tables and lists to blocks with a single click. On a blank line, click Quick Insert (+). Select Insert Table, Unordered List, or Ordered List from the row of icons. Images Depending on the block type you’re using, click the camera icon or the Add Images button. Sometimes it’s in the main window; sometimes it’s in the sidebar. Upload images from your computer or search photos and illustrations from 14+ million assets in Content Library 360. Rise 360 compresses your uploaded images with virtually no loss of quality. Use high-quality images in your courses and let Rise 360 optimize them for web distribution. After adding an image, click Edit to remove it, replace it, or add alternate text for screen readers. Create Images from Scratch with AI Assistant Turn your ideas into high-quality images! With AI Assistant, you can create images from scratch in no time! Learn how to use AI Assistant to level up your course authoring game. Audio In labeled graphic, process, and timeline blocks, click the Record Audio microphone icon, then click either Start Recording or Upload a file. You can also add a multimedia audio block on its own. Click Edit to open the sidebar. Choose either Upload or Start Recording. The maximum file size for each audio file you upload to Rise 360 is 5 GB. After adding audio, click Edit to remove or replace it. Mac Users: Safari must be updated to the latest version for audio recording support. Alternately, use Google Chrome or Firefox when you need to record narration in Rise 360. Videos In blocks that support videos, click the camera icon and choose Upload media. Sometimes the camera icon is in the main window; sometimes it’s in the sidebar. We recommend using high-quality videos with a 16:9 aspect ratio for the best results. Rise 360 compresses videos so they have smaller file sizes for web distribution while maintaining high quality. The maximum file size for each video you upload to Rise 360 is 5 GB. After adding a video, click Edit to remove or replace it. Tip: You can also import screencasts you create with Replay 360 and Peek 360. Web Content In blocks that support embedded media, click the camera icon and choose Embed from web. Sometimes the camera icon is in the main window; sometimes it’s in the sidebar. Just paste the URL or embed code for the web content you want to use—for example, a YouTube video or an interactive graphic. You can even use parameters for embedded YouTube and Vimeo videos. Note: Videos in embedded web content don't pause when the learner switches to another tab or scrolls away from the content. To enable auto-pause, you must upload the video as a file, as detailed in the previous section. We use Embedly to embed rich media in Rise 360 courses, which means you can use videos, images, documents, and other media from over 400 content providers, such as YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, and Scribd. See the complete list of supported content providers here. If there’s an error or your web content doesn’t display, see these articles for tips: Embedded Content Is Missing or Blank How to Fix Invalid Embed Code1.8KViews1like0CommentsStoryline 360: Adding Audio
In this user guide, we'll explore several ways to add audio to Storyline 360 courses. Choosing Default Playback and Recording Devices Importing Audio Files Recording Narration Converting Text to Speech Adding Background Audio Controlling Background Audio With Triggers Using the Background Audio Volume Variable Importing Slides from Other Content Sources Making Audio Accessible Create Sound Effects with AI Assistant Add a layer of realism to your audio content with AI-generated sound effects. Learn how to use AI Assistant to level up your course authoring game. Choosing Default Playback and Recording Devices Before you import or record narration, you'll want to choose your default playback and recording devices. Go to the Insert tab on the Storyline ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and choose Options. Select a speaker for your default playback device. Select a microphone for your default recording device and set your recording volume. Click OK to save your changes. Importing Audio Files First, do either of the following: In Slide View, go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and select Audio from File or Media Library. Or, simply drag an audio file from your computer and drop it on your course slide. In Form View, go to the Question tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and select Audio from File or Media Library. Browse to the audio file you want to insert and click Open. Storyline 360 supports these file formats: AAC AIF AIFF M4A MP3 OGG WAV WMA Recording Narration First, do either of the following: In Slide View, go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and select Record Mic. In Form View, go to the Question tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and select Record Mic. The Record Microphone window opens. If you have a script you want to use, click the Narration Script button, which reveals the text from the Notes panel. (Learn more about adding slide notes.) When you're ready to begin recording, click the red Record button. When you've finished recording, click the Stop recording button. You can preview your recording using the Play/Pause and Rewind buttons. If you need to record your narration again, just click the Record button to start over. If you want to delete your narration altogether, click the Delete button. If you change your mind about recording narration and would prefer to import audio instead, click the Import audio file button. Browse to the audio file you want to insert and click Open. If you want to edit the audio you just recorded, click the Edit audio button to launch the built-in audio editor. Learn more about editing audio. Click the Save button to add the newly recorded audio to your project. (Also, be sure to save your overall project file to retain the changes you just made.) Converting Text to Speech Speed up course development by converting text to speech right in Storyline 360. For example, use the text-to-speech feature to quickly narrate a course for stakeholder review or to localize narration in different languages. You can even choose the voice and language to make sure every word sounds right. In Slide View, go to the Insert tab on the Storyline ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and choose Text-to-Speech. When the Insert Text-to-Speech window appears, select a Language from the first drop-down list. This ensures that your words are spoken with the correct pronunciations. Then choose a Voice from the second drop-down list. You can hear what a voice sounds like by clicking the Preview Voice button next to the list. Type or paste your script into the text-entry field. Or, if you want to use your slide notes as your script, just click the Copy from Slide Notes button. Tip: You can convert up to 10,000 characters at a time. If your script is longer than that, break it into smaller chunks and generate more than one text-to-speech audio clip. Then place the audio clips back to back on the timeline so they play in sequential order. If you'd like to add closed captions to your text-to-speech narration, mark the Generate Closed Captions box in the upper right corner. Learn more about text-to-speech closed captions. Click Insert to complete the process. Storyline 360 will convert your text to narration, and it'll appear as an audio clip on the slide's timeline. The conversion process is fast, but lengthy scripts will take longer to convert. Learn more about working with text-to-speech narration. Adding Background Audio Set the right tone for your course with a background playlist that keeps learners engaged. Learners can toggle background audio on and off as they prefer. Here's how to add background audio to your course. Go to the Insert tab on the Storyline ribbon and click the Audio drop-down arrow. Then hover over Background Audio and choose Create Playlist. When the Background Playlist window appears, click the plus sign drop-down arrow, and select Audio from File or Media Library to upload your audio. Learn more about background audio. Controlling Background Audio With Triggers As of November 2023, you can control the background audio for each slide using triggers to play, pause, or stop the playlist. For example, you might want the audio to play when learners click a button. Here's how to create a background audio trigger. After you've added background audio, click the Create a new trigger icon in the Triggers panel, or go to the Insert tab on the ribbon and click Trigger. Select a media action (play, pause, or stop), then fill in the related parameters, such as the playlist and object. Choose when you want the action to happen. Optional: You can add conditions to your trigger so it only occurs in certain circumstances. Note: If you pause or stop the background audio and then jump to another slide, the background audio won't play on that slide. If you want the background audio to play on another slide, create a trigger that plays the background audio when that specific slide's timeline starts. Using the Background Audio Volume Variable As of November 2023, you can customize the background audio experience even further. Fine-tune the volume with this built-in percentage-based variable: Player.BackgroundAudioVolume : The volume of the background playlist in percentage Using the background audio volume variable is easy—it works like any other variable in Storyline 360. Learn more about working with variables. Importing Slides from Other Content Sources When you import slides into Storyline from Microsoft PowerPoint, Quizmaker, or other Storyline projects, audio resources from the external content are also imported and available for editing. You can also import Engage interactions, but their audio resources can't be edited in Storyline 360. Making Audio Accessible Audio accessibility promotes inclusivity and enhances comprehension for all learners—especially for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, have cognitive disabilities, or are non-native speakers of the course language. Check out these tips for making audio accessible: Let learners explore content at their own pace with an adjustable playback speed. Speed control allows learners to slow down content, making it easier to understand. Closed captions help all learners fully engage with and comprehend your content. You can import or create closed captions right in Storyline 360. Position captions at the top or bottom of your slides and customize the foreground and background colors to maximize readability. Provide text transcripts that include both the speech and non-speech sounds for any audio content. To display transcripts, you can use text boxes, layers, markers, or slide notes. Use plain language in your audio content and descriptions. Straightforward and clear language helps your audience easily read and understand the information. If you have background audio, enable the background audio toggle. Giving the option to mute background tracks reduces distractions and helps assistive technologies navigate content effectively. Plus, the “Lower background audio volume when slide audio plays” setting is enabled by default for accessibility. You Might Also Want to Explore: Editing Audio Using the Audio Tools2.8KViews0likes0CommentsStoryline 360: Enrich Audio Narrations with Classic or AI-Generated Text-to-Speech
Course authors have long relied on the classic text-to-speech feature in Storyline 360 to create quick audio narration for their e-learning content and speed up course development. However, even with the neural voice options that have been added to the standard ones, the voices in the classic text-to-speech feature can sound robotic, making for a less natural and engaging learner experience. Now, AI-generated text-to-speech is changing the game. The newest addition to your authoring toolkit, AI Assistant’s text-to-speech gives you access to incredibly lifelike, AI-generated voices that are hard to distinguish from a real human voice. So will you keep using the classic version or embrace the brave new world of AI text-to-speech technology? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each to help you decide which option to choose for your next project. Classic Text-to-Speech Storyline’s classic text-to-speech has evolved significantly over the years. In particular, the introduction of neural voices empowered authors to create more realistic and natural-sounding narrations. Here’s an overview of when classic text-to-speech may be the best choice to elevate your audio content. You need certain languages. Classic text-to-speech allows you to create narrations for diverse audiences with support for multiple languages in standard and neural voice. In addition, some of these languages—including Icelandic, Welsh, Catalan, and Irish—are only currently available in classic text-to-speech. You need full SSML support. Unlike AI-generated text-to-speech, classic text-to-speech offers full speech synthesis markup language (SSML) support. This allows you to fine-tune narrations by adjusting the speaking rate, modifying pronunciation, adding pauses, and more to boost clarity and interest. You have reservations about using AI. Not everyone is ready to embrace new technologies like generative AI, and even some organizations have restrictions on using AI-powered tools. Outside of these specific circumstances, however, the overall quality of classic text-to-speech voices may not be sufficiently natural, especially for more complex or nuanced content. Want to judge for yourself? You can hear classic text-to-speech in action by playing the narrations below. Standard Voice Your browser does not support the audio element. Neural Voice Your browser does not support the audio element. AI-Generated Text-to-Speech AI Assistant’s text-to-speech feature takes voice narration to the next level, using generative AI technology to create highly realistic voices. You can customize the voices to fit your content needs, making the experience feel more personal and engaging to your learners. Here’s an overview of when AI text-to-speech may be the best option for bringing your narrations to life. You need certain (other) languages. AI Assistant allows you to broaden your reach with support for up to 32 languages, depending on the model used to generate narration—including some with multiple accents and dialects. The table below lists 11 languages you can only find in AI text-to-speech. Bulgarian Croatian Filipino Greek Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Malay Slovak Ukrainian Vietnamese You want an easier process. AI Assistant’s intuitive interface helps you quickly generate narration in any supported language. Simply select a voice and enter a script—AI Assistant handles the rest. Even though the voice description may note a specific accent or language, AI Assistant still generates narration in the language used in your script. You need highly customizable voices to create a personalized audio experience. AI Assistant lets you control everything, from adjusting the balance between steadiness and randomness to determining how closely the AI should adhere to the original voice when attempting to replicate it. Click here to learn how to customize AI-generated voices. You want to impress your learners with lifelike, context-aware voices. AI Assistant’s text-to-speech adapts to the tone, emotion, and nuances of your content or script. Here’s an example of a text-to-speech narration created using an AI-generated voice. AI-generated Voice Your browser does not support the audio element. That said, AI text-to-speech has its own drawbacks. For example, because the underlying models don’t support SSML phoneme tags, AI text-to-speech has limited SSML options, as mentioned above. If you have special terminology or pronunciation, indicating that can be harder without full SSML support. And while AI text-to-speech does support the break tag <break time=“1.5s” /> if you want to manually control pacing, note that an excessive number of break tags can potentially cause instability. In addition, AI text-to-speech offers a huge variety of options but no specific guidance on which voices work best for a given language. Finding just the right voice can require a lot of experimentation—that may be time you don’t have. Pro tip: Keeping a reference list of voices that work for specific languages in your courses can help for your next project. Choose What Works For You AI-generated voices clearly have the edge over classic text-to-speech options on voice quality. However, if you (or your organization) are still on the fence about adopting generative AI in your content creation process or have specialized needs, classic text-to-speech is still there to help you create engaging audio interactions. You get to decide what sounds right for your learners—and for your own content and workflow.684Views0likes0CommentsAI Assistant: Producing Highly Realistic Audio
As a course author, you want to do more than just present information—you want to create multi-sensory e-learning experiences that resonate with learners. Using sound creatively can help you get there. AI Assistant’s text-to-speech and sound effects features let you create highly realistic AI-generated voices and sound effects for more immersive and accessible content. Available only in Storyline 360, these features can be accessed from the Insert Audio dropdown in the AI Assistant menu within the ribbon. Find them under the Home or Insert tab when you’re in slide view or from the AI Assistant side panel as quick action buttons for added convenience. Bring Narration to Life with AI-generated Voices If you’ve ever used classic text-to-speech, you probably wished the voices sounded less, well, robotic. AI Assistant’s text-to-speech brings narration to life with contextually aware AI-generated voices that sound more natural—and human! Check out the difference in quality between a standard voice, neural voice, and AI-generated voice by playing the text-to-speech examples below. Standard Voice Your browser does not support the audio element. Neural Voice Your browser does not support the audio element. AI-generated Voice Your browser does not support the audio element. To get started, click the Insert Audio icon in the AI Assistant menu to open the Generate AI Audio dialog box. A library of AI-generated voices—which you can filter by Gender, Age, and Accent—displays under the Voices tab. The voices also have descriptions like “deep,” “confident,” “crisp,” “intense,” and “soothing” and categories that can help you determine their ideal use cases, from news broadcasts to meditation, or even ASMR. Find these qualities under the voice’s name, and use the play button to preview the voice. Currently, there are 52 pre-made voices to choose from, and you can mark your favorites by clicking the heart icon. This way, you can easily access your preferred voices without having to scroll through the list. Toggle the View option to Favorites to find all your favorite voices, or In project to see voices used in the current project. Once you’ve decided on a voice, click the button labeled Use to switch to the Text-to-Speech tab. Your chosen voice is already pre-selected. Next, enter your script in the text box provided or click the add from slide notes link to copy notes from your slide. The script can be a maximum of 5,000 characters. For accessibility, select Generate closed captions—AI Assistant will generate closed captions automatically. Adjust the Voice Settings Unlike classic text-to-speech, the AI-generated voices in AI Assistant’s text-to-speech can be customized for a tailored voice performance. The Model setting lets you choose between the Multilingual v2 model—highly stable, exceptionally accurate, lifelike speech with support for 29 languages—and Turbo v2.5 model—slightly less stable but 300% faster with support for 32 languages. Play the following samples to listen and compare the voices generated by each model. Multilingual v2 Your browser does not support the audio element. Turbo v2.5 Your browser does not support the audio element. The setting for Stability controls the balance between the voice’s steadiness and randomness. The Similarity setting determines how closely the AI should adhere to the original voice when attempting to replicate it. The defaults are set to 0.50 for the stability slider and 0.75 for the similarity slider, but you can play around with these settings to find the right balance for your content. Additional settings include Style exaggeration, which amplifies the style of the original voice, and Speaker boost, which enhances the similarity between synthesized speech and the voice. Note that if either of those settings is adjusted, generating your speech will take longer. Note: Some voices in the Multilingual v2 model tend to have inconsistent volume—fading out toward the end—when generating lengthy clips. This is a known issue with the underlying model, and our AI subprocessor for text-to-speech is working to address it. In the meantime, we suggest the following workarounds: Use a different voice Switch to the Turbo v2.5 model Increase the voice’s stability Manually break your text into smaller chunks to generate shorter clips Do I Need to Use SSML? AI Assistant has limited support for speech synthesis markup language (SSML) because AI-generated voices are designed to understand the relationship between words and adjust delivery accordingly. If you need to manually control pacing, you can add a pause. The most consistent way to do that is by inserting the syntax <break time="1.5s" /> into your script. This creates an exact and natural pause in the speech. For example: With their keen senses <break time="1.5s" /> cats are skilled hunters. Use seconds to describe a break of up to three seconds in length. You can try a simple dash - or em-dash — to insert a brief pause or multiple dashes for a longer pause. Ellipsis ... will also sometimes work to add a pause between words. However, these options may not work consistently, so we recommend using the syntax above for consistency. Just keep in mind that an excessive number of break tags can potentially cause instability. Multilingual Voices Expand Your Reach Another compelling benefit of AI-generated text-to-speech is the ability to bridge language gaps, allowing you to connect with international audiences. With support for up to 32 languages depending on the model—including some with multiple accents and dialects—AI Assistant’s text-to-speech helps your content resonate with a global audience. All you have to do is type or paste your script in the supported language you want AI Assistant to use. (Even though the voice description notes a specific accent or language, AI Assistant will generate the narration in the language used in your script.) Note that some voices tend to work best with certain accents or languages, so feel free to experiment with different voices to find the best fit for your needs. The table below provides a quick rundown of supported languages. Available in Multilingual v2 and Turbo v2.5: English (USA) English (UK) English (Australia) English (Canada) Japanese Chinese German Hindi French (France) French (Canada) Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Portuguese (Portugal) Italian Spanish (Spain) Spanish (Mexico) Indonesian Dutch Turkish Filipino Polish Swedish Bulgarian Romanian Arabic (Saudi Arabia) Arabic (UAE) Czech Greek Finnish Croatian Malay Slovak Danish Tamil Ukrainian Russian Available only in Turbo v2.5: Hungarian Norwegian Vietnamese Create Sound Effects Using Prompts Sound effects that align with your theme and content can highlight important actions or feedback, like clicking a button or choosing a correct answer, offering a more engaging and effective e-learning experience. With AI Assistant’s sound effects, you can now use prompts to easily create nearly any sound imaginable. No more wasting time scouring the web for pre-made sounds that may cost extra! Start creating high-quality sound effects by going to the AI Assistant menu in the ribbon under the Home or Insert tab. Then, click the lower half of the Insert Audio icon, and choose Sound Effects. (You can also access it from the Audio dropdown within the Insert tab. Simply select Sound Effects under the AI Audio option.) In the text box, describe the sound effect you want and choose a duration. You can adjust the Prompt influence slider to give AI Assistant more or less creative license in generating the sound. Since AI Assistant understands natural language, sound effects can be created using anything from a simple prompt like “a single mouse click” to a very complex one that describes multiple sounds or a sequence of sounds in a specific order. Just note you have a maximum of 450 characters to describe the sound you want to generate. Play the following audio samples to listen to sound effects created using a simple prompt and a complex one. Your browser does not support the audio element. Prompt: A single mouse click Your browser does not support the audio element. Prompt: Dogs barking, then lightning strikes You can also adjust the Duration—how long the sound effect plays—up to a maximum of 22 seconds. For example, if your prompt is “barking dog” and you set the duration to 10 seconds, you’ll get continuous barking, but a duration of two seconds is one quick bark. Adjusting the Prompt Influence slider to the right makes AI Assistant strictly adhere to your prompt, while sliding it to the left allows more free interpretation. Some Pro Terms to Know Using audio terminology—specialized vocabulary that audio experts use in their work—can help improve your prompts and produce even more dynamic sound effects. Here are a few examples: Braam: A deep, resonant, and often distorted bass sound used in media, particularly in trailers, to create a sense of tension, power, or impending doom. Whoosh: A quick, swooshing sound often used to emphasize fast motion, transitions, or dramatic moments. Impact: A sharp, striking noise used to signify a collision, hit, or sudden forceful contact, often to highlight a moment of action or emphasis. Glitch: A short, jarring, and usually digital noise that mimics a malfunction or distortion, commonly used to convey errors. Foley: The process of recreating and recording everyday sound effects like movements and object sounds in sync with the visuals of a film, videos, or other media. Here’s something fun to try! Generate a 3-second sound effect using the prompt “studio quality, sound designed whoosh and braam impact.” Increasing the duration may produce better sound effects but will also create more dead air towards the end. Pro tip: Onomatopoeias—words like “buzz,” “boom,” “click,” and “pop” that imitate natural sounds—are also important sound effects terms. Use them in your prompts to create more realistic sound effects. Video Tutorials Want to learn more before getting started? Check out our video tutorials for additional guidance on using AI Assistant to generate text-to-speech and sound effects. Create AI-generated Text-to-Speech Create AI-generated Sound Effects Articulate 360 Training also has additional video tutorials on using other AI Assistant features. Use AI Assistant features in Rise 360 Use AI Assistant features in Storyline 360 You must be logged in to your Articulate 360 account to watch the videos. Don’t have an account yet? Sign up for a free trial now!7KViews13likes0Comments