Storyline 360: Accessibility Checker Covered Issues
When you create a new Storyline course or edit an existing one, the accessibility checker automatically scans your course content for the covered issues listed in the table below and displays any that apply to the course. You’ll also get clear, actionable guidance on how to fix the issues found. This table will be updated and expanded as we add new covered issues to the accessibility checker. Note that not every issue listed here will appear in every course. Checked Issue Name Description WCAG Criteria Custom alt text added Objects should have custom alternative text (alt text). 1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A) Captions added Audio or video content should have closed captions. 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) (Level A) Skip navigation shortcut enabled The skip navigation shortcut should be enabled. 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks (Level A) Interaction accessible Projects should have drag-and-drop interactions and/or likert scale questions that are accessible. 2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A) Slides advance by user Slides should be set to advance by user. 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable (Level A) Play/pause button enabled The play/pause button should be enabled in the player properties. 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide (Level A) Playback orientation unrestricted The responsive playback settings shouldn't be restricted to a single orientation. 1.3.4 Orientation (Level AA) Text styles defined Text elements should have defined styles, such as heading levels. 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) Background audio pauses when video plays The background audio should pause while learners watch video content on a slide. 1.4.7 Low or No Background Audio (Level AAA) Background audio volume lowers when slide audio plays The background audio volume should lower when the slide audio plays. 1.4.7 Low or No Background Audio (Level AAA) Marker animations disabled Markers shouldn't have animations. 2.3.3 Animation from Interactions (Level AAA) Clickable objects are 24 pixels wide by 24 pixels tall or larger Interactive objects like buttons should meet the minimum size guidance of 24 pixels wide by 24 pixels tall. 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) (Level AA) Accessible video controls enabled The accessible video controls should be enabled. 1.4.2 Audio Control (Level A) Video autoplay disabled Video content shouldn't be set to play automatically. 1.4.2 Audio Control (Level A) Text upgraded Project should use upgraded text. 1.4.12 Text Spacing (Level AA) Accessibility controls enabled The accessibility controls should be enabled. 1.4.4 Resize text (Level AA) Slide title defined Slide titles should have distinctive names. 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A) Slide title distinctive Each slide should have a distinctive title. 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A) Scene title distinctive Each scene should have a distinctive title. 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A) Scene title defined Scene titles should have distinctive names. 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A) Generated captions reviewed AI-generated captions should be reviewed for accuracy. Recommended Font is 12 points or larger Font sizes should be 12 points or larger. Recommended Playback speed control enabled The course playback speed control should be enabled. Recommended Alt text is less than 150 characters Alternative text (alt text) for objects shouldn't exceed the recommended limit of 150 characters. RecommendedStoryline 360: Adding Result Slides
Result slides give learners dynamic feedback at the end of quizzes and surveys. They also send reporting and tracking information to learning management systems, including learners' responses and scores. You can use multiple result slides in a Storyline 360 course and even combine them for a composite score. In this tutorial, we'll look at adding result slides to a project and configuring their properties. Add a Result Slide Choose a Quiz Type Identify the Questions to Be Tracked Enable the Quiz Timer (Optional) Name Your Quiz Define the Passing Score (for Graded Results) Score Only Viewed Questions (Optional) Choose Result Slide Features Format Result Slide Buttons Step 1: Add a Result Slide First, do any of the following: Go to the Home tab on the ribbon, click New Slide, and choose Results. Go to the Slides tab on the ribbon and click Results. In Story View, right-click anywhere in the workspace, scroll to New Slide, and choose Results. In Slide View or Form View, right-click anywhere in the Scenes panel, scroll to New Slide, and choose Results. When the Insert Slide window appears, choose the type of result slide you want to add. Use the filters on the left side of the window to narrow your choices. There are four result-slide types: Graded: Choose a graded result slide when you want to track the score for the quiz. You'll have options to show the learner's score, the passing score, and passed/failed feedback. Survey: Choose a survey result slide for non-graded questions. Blank: Choose a blank result slide when you need to send completion data to an LMS/LRS but want to design the slide from scratch. For example, you might want to disguise it as a summary, thank you, or standard content slide. Combined: Choose a combined result slide when you want to combine multiple quiz results into one final result slide where learners must pass all quizzes to pass the course. Tip: As of June 2022, accessible-by-default templates are available in the gallery of result slide templates in addition to legacy and Content Library 360 templates. Click Insert Slide to add the result slide to your course. The Quiz Settings window appears, as shown below, where you can name your quiz, identify the questions you want to track, define the passing score, enable the quiz timer, and more. Step 2: Choose a Quiz Type Use the drop-down list in the upper left corner of the Quiz Settings window to choose one of these quiz types: Final Assessment: Creates a standard “submit results” trigger on the result slide. This is the default quiz type. A final assessment can be scored and tracked by your LMS/LRS, and it’s automatically added to your LMS/LRS tracking options. Pre-Check: Creates a conditional “submit results” trigger, which depends on the learner passing the quiz. A pre-check quiz can be scored and tracked by your LMS/LRS only if the learner passes. If they fail, the quiz won’t get reported to your LMS/LRS, and the learner has an opportunity to pass another quiz later in the course. Pre-checks are automatically added to your LMS/LRS tracking options. (Even though a failed pre-check doesn’t get reported, the question data still gets submitted to the LMS/LRS. Depending on your LMS/LRS, you might be able to see how a learner responded to a failed pre-check.) Knowledge Check: This quiz type isn’t scored or tracked by your LMS/LRS. Therefore, a “submit results” trigger isn’t created. A knowledge check simply gives the learner an opportunity to test their knowledge and reinforce what they learned. Step 3: Identify the Questions to Be Tracked A result slide can track question slides or other result slides. Use the Calculate results for drop-down list to select one of the following, then mark the boxes for the question slides or result slides you want to track. Questions Use this option to track individual question slides and question draws. Result Slides Use this option to combine other result slides into a final result slide. Then decide how you want to score the combined quizzes, using the scoring options that appear: User must pass each quiz: Require learners to pass each child quiz. If they fail any quiz, then they fail the entire course. Combine points from each quiz: Add the points from all child quizzes together as the final score for the course. Then enter a percentage in the Combined Passing Score field at the bottom of the window. In this scenario, a learner could fail one or more quizzes and still pass the overall course. When combining multiple quizzes into a final result slide, learners will need to visit each of the child result slides in order to complete the course. Otherwise, the course status will be marked incomplete. Step 4: Enable the Quiz Timer (Optional) You can set a time limit for your quiz, using the options in the upper right corner of the Quiz Settings window. Mark the Quiz Timer box, then enter the number of minutes you want to allow for the quiz. Click the stopwatch icon to choose when the timer should start counting down and how you want it to display. (Note: The responsive mobile player always uses the time remaining format.) Learners will see the quiz timer in the upper right corner of the player frame. In the modern player, you can hide the quiz timer by turning off the menus and controls. However, there’s no option to hide the quiz timer in the classic player. Step 5: Name Your Quiz As of August 2022, you can assign unique names to quiz result slides, making it easy to identify the corresponding built-in variables for each quiz. For example, a quiz named Time_Management generates variables such as Time_Management.PassPercent and Time_Management.ScorePoints . Use letters, numbers, and underscores to name your quizzes. Spaces, hyphens, and special characters aren't allowed. Quiz names won't show in your published course. They're only visible in your project file. Step 6: Define the Passing Score (for Graded Quizzes) If you're tracking graded questions, enter a percentage in the Passing Score field at the bottom of the Quiz Settings window. Step 7: Score Only Viewed Questions (Optional) As of September 2020, you can allow learners to skip quiz questions without negatively affecting their score by grading only the questions they view. Simply check the box to Only score viewed questions. For example, you might branch learners to different questions based on their answers to previous questions, which means they could skip some questions along the way. Unviewed Questions vs. Unanswered Questions Unviewed questions and unanswered questions are treated differently. When you score only the questions learners view, they won’t be penalized for questions they don’t see. However, if learners visit questions and then skip them without answering, those questions will count against their quiz score. Step 8: Choose Result Slide Features Finally, choose the features you want to display on your result slide. If the Quiz Settings window is open, click OK to close it, then go to the Result Tools—Design tab on the ribbon. Choose from the following features, and click the slide where you want them to appear. You can add features to the base layer of the result slide or to the success/failure layers. For example, you might add a review button to the base layer so learners can review the quiz whether they pass or fail. And you might add a print button to the success layer so learners who pass the quiz can print their results. You could also add a retry button to the failure layer so they can retake the quiz if they fail. Passing Percent Add a placeholder that displays the percentage required to pass. Format the text box any way you like. User Percent Add a placeholder to your slide that displays the percentage the learner achieved. Format the text box any way you like. Passing Points Add a placeholder that displays the number of points required to pass. Format the text box any way you like. User Points Add a placeholder to your slide that displays the number of points the learner earned. Format the text box any way you like. Review Button Add a Review Quiz button to your result slide, which lets learners go back and review the answers they submitted (but they can't change their answers). To give learners visual feedback on their performance, double-click the Review results trigger in the Triggers panel and mark the box to Show correct/incorrect responses when reviewing. To let learners review only the questions they got wrong, mark the box to Review only incorrect questions. Note: The review button is disabled for combined result slides. Print Button Add a Print Results button to your result slide, which lets learners print out a summary of their results. To include the learner's name on the printed report, double-click the Print results trigger in the Triggers panel and mark the box to Prompt the user for their name. Pro Tip: Learners can choose Save as PDF from the print dialog's Destination drop-down list to make the text searchable. Retry Button Add a Retry Quiz button to your result slide, which gives learners an unlimited number of attempts to retake the quiz. (To limit the number of quiz attempts, review this user guide.) If the quiz drew a subset of questions from a question bank, learners will see a different subset of questions each time they retake the quiz. To let learners retry only the questions they got wrong, double-click the Reset results trigger in the Triggers panel and mark the box to Reset only incorrect questions. Note: The retry button is disabled for combined result slides. Tip: You can adjust the passing score and timer settings on the ribbon or in the Quiz Settings window, as described above Step 9: Format Result Slide Buttons You can format buttons on your result slide to match the rest of your course design. Select a button on your slide, go to the Button Tools—Format tab on the ribbon, and make your design selections. You can add icons, change the button style, adjust the colors, and add effects. To learn more about working with buttons, review this user guide. Can I Edit My Result Slide Later? Absolutely! Open your result slide in Slide View. Then go to the Result Tools—Design tab on the ribbon and click Quiz Settings.Storyline 360: Customizing the Text Labels
Customizing the default text for buttons, messages, screen reader instructions, and other player controls is easy. You can even switch your text labels to a different language all at once. Working with Text Labels Customizing Individual Text Labels Saving Custom Text Labels Switching to Another Language or a Set of Custom Text Labels Saving Player Changes Working with Text Labels To customize your text labels, go to the Home tab on the ribbon and click Player. When the player properties appear, click Text Labels on the ribbon. You can customize individual text labels, change all labels to a different language, or switch to a previously-saved set of text labels you created. Customizing Individual Text Labels On the left side of the window, Storyline 360 displays a list of all the text labels you can edit. For any item you want to change, type your preferred text in the Custom Text column. To see your updated text labels in the preview area on the right side of the window, click Update Preview. If you’d like to send all the text labels to someone else to customize or translate, download this spreadsheet, which contains a complete list. Once you have the revised list, you can update the Custom Text column with the new text labels. Don’t Modify Variable References If you’re using 360° images, only modify the actual text in the Custom Text column. Don’t change variable references, such as %count% and %total% . Saving Custom Text Labels When you customize text labels, the changes become part of the current project. If you want to use the same text labels in other courses, do this: Click the Save button to the right of the Language drop-down. When prompted, enter a name for your new set of text labels and click Save. This saves your text labels in Storyline 360’s default location, but you can choose a different location if you need to share them with other developers. If you select a location other than the default, saved text labels won’t appear in the Language drop-down for other courses you build. In that case, you’ll need to use the Load button (the folder icon to the right of the Language drop-down list) to locate the *.xml file and add it to your language library. Switching to Another Language or a Set of Custom Text Labels To switch to a completely different language or a set of custom text labels you previously saved, use the Language drop-down to make your choice. Custom labels appear at the top of the list, and 75 built-in languages appear below that. Here’s a full list of the built-in language options: Afrikaans Albanian Amharic Arabic Armenian Azerbaijani Bangla Bosnian Bulgarian Catalan Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish Dutch English Estonian Filipino Finnish French (Canada) French (France) French (Haiti) Georgian German Greek Gujarati Hausa Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Irish Italian Japanese Kannada Kazakh Kiswahili Korean Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Malayalam Maltese Marathi Mongolian Norwegian Pashto Persian Persian (Afghanistan) Polish Portuguese (Brazil) Portuguese (Portugal) Punjabi Romanian Russia Serbian Sinhala Slovak Slovenia Somali Spanish Spanish (Mexico) Swedish Tamil Telugu Thai Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Uzbek Vietnamese Welsh If you saved a custom label set but don’t see it in the list, you’ll need to browse for it. Click the Load button (the folder icon to the right of the Language drop-down list), then select the custom label set you previously saved. Tip: Storyline 360 adds a language code for screen readers to your published story.html file based on the language you select for your text labels. Saving Player Changes When you click OK to close the Player Properties window, Storyline 360 saves your changes in the current project file. If you’d like to use the same customizations in other projects, click Current Player on the ribbon and choose Save. Enter a name for your custom player if prompted, and click OK. Learn more about the Current Player options. You Might Also Want to Explore: Translating ContentStoryline 360: Hiding the Player Frame for a Chromeless Design
Want to turn off all the player features and hide the player frame to give your course a chromeless look? Storyline 360 can help with that! Here’s how. How to Hide the Modern Player How to Hide the Classic Player How to Hide the Modern Player It’s super easy to hide the modern player frame. Just go to the Home tab on the Storyline ribbon, click Player, then set the Menus & Controls option to Off. That’s it! Your course won’t have a player at all. You'll see a solid background color behind your course. You can change the page background color on the Colors & Effects tab in your player properties. When you turn off the menus and controls, it overrides the previous, next, and submit buttons for each slide in your course. And since your slides won’t have any built-in navigation buttons, be sure to add your own custom navigation features, such as buttons, links, or hotspots. How to Hide the Classic Player The Menus & Controls property described above only applies to the modern player. It’s grayed-out for the classic player. You can still hide the classic player frame. It just takes more work than the modern player. Follow these steps. Step 1: Turn Off the Player Features Go to Home tab on the Storyline ribbon and click Player. Go to the Features tab on the ribbon and uncheck all the player options. Step 2: Make the Player Border Transparent Also in the player properties, click Colors & Effects on the ribbon. Click the link to Show advanced color editing. From the Edit item drop-down list, select the following items and make them 100% transparent. Base >> Main Background Base >> Main Border Base >> Slide Background Step 3: Turn Off the Previous, Next, and Submit Buttons for Each Slide By default, each slide in Storyline will either have previous and next buttons or a submit button. You'll need to turn them off to make your player completely invisible. Go to Story View. Press Ctrl+A twice to select all the slides in your course. Uncheck the Prev, Next, and Submit boxes in the slide properties panel, and make sure all the player features are also unchecked. Be sure to add your own custom navigation features to each slide, such as buttons, links, or hotspots.Storyline 360: Choosing Player Colors, Fonts, and Button Styles
Personalize the player frame around your slide content with colors and fonts that complement your course design or match your brand. And if you’re using the modern player, you can also choose a button style—icons, text, or both icons and text. Choose Colors, Fonts, and Button Styles for the Modern Player Choose Colors and Fonts for the Classic Player Choose Colors, Fonts, and Button Styles for the Modern Player Here’s how to customize colors, fonts, and button styles for the modern player. Go to the Home tab on the ribbon and click Player. When the player properties appear, make sure the Player Style is set to Modern. (Learn more about choosing a player style.) Click Colors & Effects on the ribbon, then choose your colors, fonts, and button styles. Customize Player Features Player Theme: Select the built-in Dark or Light player theme with predefined neutral tones when you want your content to be the focus of learners’ attention. Select the Custom option to create your own player theme with colors that match your brand or course design. Page Background Color: When you lock the player size or turn off menus and controls, you’ll have an option to customize the page background color that learners see around the outside of your course. Accent Color: Choose an accent color from the color selector (the default accent color choices come from your theme colors). The accent color is used throughout the modern player to tie it all together. For example, the accent color highlights the current slide in the menu, identifies the selected tab in the sidebar, and shows the progress of the seekbar. Accessibility Focus Colors: Set two accessibility focus colors—one light and one dark—so the focus indicator is visible on any background. The accessibility focus rectangle lets sighted keyboard-only users see which object is currently selected. Font: Choose a player font and font size for the text that appears throughout the player, including the course title, the menu, and navigation buttons. The size percentage defaults to 100%, but you can choose any percentage between 75% and 200%. If your course has video transcripts, the font and font size you select for all player elements also applies to transcript text. Navigation Buttons: By default, navigation buttons display both icons and text—i.e., arrows and text for previous and next buttons as well as text and check marks for submit buttons. You can switch to just icons or text instead. (Navigation buttons will always be icons on smartphones due to the limited screen space.) Tip: To customize the text for navigation buttons, edit the text labels in your player properties. Customize Closed Captions Change the foreground and background colors of your closed captions. Choose a captions font and font size. The size percentage defaults to 100%, but you can choose any percentage between 75% and 200%. Position captions at the bottom or top of the slide. Choose Colors and Fonts for the Classic Player Note: Classic player colors and fonts only work on desktop and laptop computers—except the captions font, which works on all devices, including tablets and smartphones. Explore this interactive demo to know which classic player properties work on mobile devices. Here’s how to customize colors and fonts for the classic player. Go to the Home tab on the ribbon and click Player. When the player properties appear, make sure the Player Style is set to Classic. (Learn more about choosing a player style.) Click Colors & Effects on the ribbon, then choose your colors and fonts. Choose a Color Scheme Choose a built-in color scheme or a custom color scheme that you previously created from the Color scheme drop-down list. The preview pane on the right side of the window will automatically update so you can see how your color scheme looks. Create a Custom Color Scheme Here’s how to create a custom color scheme. Click Show advanced color editing to reveal additional color options. Choose the portion of the player you want to customize from the Edit item drop-down list. (Download this job aid to identify which player colors affect each player element.) Use the color selector to choose a new color. (If you see top and bottom colors, it means the item is a gradient composed of two colors.) To apply transparency to the item you're modifying, enter a percentage in the Transparency field. (Transparency isn’t available for all items.) Repeat steps 2-4 for each player element you want to customize. If you change your mind and want to undo the edits you made, click the Reset button (it looks like a window icon with a backward-pointing arrow). Save a Custom Color Scheme to Reuse It in Other Projects By default, a custom color scheme is only stored in the project file you’re currently working on. If you want to reuse a custom color scheme in other Storyline projects, just click the Save button, give your color scheme a name, and click OK. When you save a custom color scheme, it appears in the Color scheme drop-down list so you can apply it to any Storyline course you create. A saved color scheme is stored in the current project file and in the following directory on your computer: %AppData%\Articulate\Storyline\360\Frames\StoryFrame\ColorSchemes Delete a Custom Color Scheme To remove a custom color scheme, select it from the Color scheme drop-down, then click the Delete button. (Built-in color schemes can’t be deleted.) The deleted scheme will no longer appear in your color choices. However, if you delete a color scheme that's applied to another course, it won't be removed from that course; it'll just be stored in that particular project file. Choose a Page Background Color The page background color appears behind your published course. Learners may see this color around the outside of your player frame. And if you made the base of your player transparent, the page background color will show through the player. Use the Page background selector to choose a color. The color palette comes from your theme colors. If you don't see the color you want, click More Colors to enter a custom color value. Select Your Fonts and Set the Font Size Choose a Player font for the text that appears throughout the player, including the course title, the menu, and navigation buttons. If your course has closed captions, you can also choose a Captions font. And you can increase or decrease the font size for all player elements and closed captions as a single unit by adjusting the Player font size percentage. It defaults to 100%, but you can choose any percentage between 75% and 200%.Storyline 360: Managing a Project’s Assets with the Media Library
Manage all the assets for your project in one place with the media library. It keeps track of images, characters, audio clips, and videos in your course, so you can easily add, remove, replace, reuse, and export them. See every slide and layer where an asset is used and jump to each location instantly. You can even edit assets with third-party apps and save your changes directly to Storyline 360. Watch this video demo, then check out the details below. Opening the Media Library Importing Assets into the Media Library Searching, Sorting, and Filtering Assets Renaming Assets Previewing Assets Managing Alternative Text Managing Closed Captions Adding Internal Notes to Assets Jumping to Asset Locations in Your Project Using Assets on Slides and Layers Replacing All Instances of an Asset Replacing a Single Instance of an Asset Editing Assets in Third-Party Apps Reimporting Updated Assets Opening an Asset’s Original Folder Location Exporting Assets Deleting Assets Opening the Media Library The media library is always close at hand. Here are three ways to open it: Go to the View tab on the ribbon and click Media Library. Right-click an asset on any slide in your project and choose Show in Media Library. Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click the drop-down arrow below Picture, Video, or Audio, and then choose Media Library. (Using this method, the media library will automatically close after you insert an asset into the slide.) Across the top of the media library, you’ll see asset tabs, a search field, and filtering options. There’s an asset list on the left side of the window that includes metadata for each asset. The details pane on the right lets you preview assets, jump to each location where assets are used in your project, and manage assets (insert, replace, edit, export, and delete). You can keep the media library open as you work in Storyline 360 or move it to a separate monitor so it’s always available while you’re building your course. Importing Assets into the Media Library There are several options for adding assets to the media library. Explore them below. Drag Assets From Your Computer Directly Onto a Slide or Into the Media Library When you drag media from your computer directly onto a slide or into the media library, those assets automatically appear in the media library. Note that icons don’t show in the media library. Use the Ribbon to Insert Assets and Slides When you use the Insert tab to add images, characters, audio clips, and videos to slides in your project, those assets automatically appear in the media library. When you use the Slides tab to import slides from other sources, such as Content Library 360 and PowerPoint, assets on those slides automatically appear in the media library too. Note that screen recordings don't show in the media library. You can find your screen recordings by going to the Slides tab on the ribbon and clicking the Record Screen drop-down arrow. Use the Import Buttons in the Media Library You can import assets directly into the media library, so they’re available later when you need them. Click the Import button in the upper right corner of the media library to add new assets. If the media library is empty, you can also click the Add button on each asset tab to import assets. Import images from your computer or Content Library 360, or generate images with AI Assistant. Import photographic and illustrated characters from Content Library 360. Import audio files from your computer, record narration with a microphone, or generate audio with AI Assistant. Import videos from your computer or Content Library 360, or record videos with a webcam. Tip: You can select multiple media files at the same time using Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click, then insert them all at once. Searching, Sorting, and Filtering Assets Let’s examine how assets are organized in the media library and how to find what you need. Switch Asset Tabs Use the asset tabs across the top of the media library to manage images, characters, audio clips, and videos. The media library remembers which asset tab you had open when you last saved a project and displays that same tab the next time you open the media library. Search Use the search field at the top of the window to find a specific asset by name. The search field is contextual, so it searches only the assets for the tab that’s currently selected (images, characters, audio, or video). The search results are dynamic and update as you type. Pro Tip: Give your assets recognizable names and keywords to make searches quick and easy. Filter By default, the media library displays all the assets for your entire project. You can narrow your focus to a specific scene, slide, or question bank by using the drop-down list in the upper right corner to filter your assets. Sort You can sort the asset grid by any column, such as asset names or modified dates. Click a column header to sort by that column. Click it again to reverse the sort order. Renaming Assets Rename images, characters (and poses), audio clips, and videos in the media library so they're organized and easily searchable. In the media library, double-click an asset name to make it editable. Type a new name, then press Enter or Tab. When you rename an asset in the media library, the new name displays in the timeline panel everywhere that asset appears in your project. Previewing Assets Select an asset in the list on the left side of the media library, then use the details pane on the right to preview it. When you’re working with an image or a character, hover over the preview image to zoom and pan around it. You can also click the preview image to see a larger version of it. It’ll fill the media library window. Click it again to close the asset. When you’re working with an audio clip or a video, click the play/pause button to preview the asset. Pro Tip: You can make the preview area in the details pane smaller when you need more room to work with the notes field. Hover over the lower boundary of the preview area, then click and drag the boundary to resize the preview area. Managing Alternative Text You can manage alt text in the media library. Select an image, character pose, or video in the asset grid on the left, then enter your text in the details pane on the right. Alt text will be updated wherever the asset is used throughout your course. You can add different alt text to each instance of an asset using the Size and Position window. However, the media library will only display the alt text of the asset. When an asset is used multiple times in your project, you can apply the same alt text to all instances of the asset by clicking the Apply to all button in the media library. Generating Alt Text with AI Assistant Quickly generate alt text by clicking the Generate alt text button below the text field. Learn more about generating alt text from the media library. Managing Closed Captions You can manage closed captions for all of your project’s audio clips and videos in the media library. In the Captions column, assets with captions display caption icons, whereas assets without captions show dots. Add Closed Captions to an Asset Click the dot in the asset grid (the dot changes to a plus sign when you hover over it), or click the Add captions button in the details pane. Then choose how you want to add captions from the menu that appears. You can add captions using the built-in editor, or you can import captions from a file that was created elsewhere. Generating Closed Captions with AI Assistant Add captions fast by clicking the Generate captions button in the Captions tab on the right. Learn more about generating captions from the media library. Manage Closed Captions for an Asset After adding closed captions to an asset, you can edit, replace, export, or delete them. Just click the caption icon in the asset grid or the Edit captions button under the Captions tab. Then choose an action from the menu that appears. Adding Internal Notes to Assets Want to add notes to an asset? Select an asset in the media library and enter your notes in the details pane (up to 2,147,483,647 characters). Notes are only stored in your project file and visible in the media library. They don’t get published with your course, so learners won’t see them. Here are some ideas for using the notes field: Keep track of copyright, source, and attribution details. Enter keywords to help you find assets later. (Notes are searchable.) Store transcripts for videos and audio clips. Describe how assets are to be used. This is helpful when you’re creating a template or working on a project with other e-learning developers. (Articulate 360 Teams subscribers can create a library of shared team slides in Storyline 360. When you share slides with your team, notes in the media library get shared too.) Jumping to Asset Locations in Your Project Want to know how many times you used a particular asset in your course? And how to quickly find every location of that asset in your project? The media library makes it so easy! Select the asset in the list on the left side of the media library, then use the details pane on the right to find its use count and location data. Click the left and right arrows to cycle through the carousel of asset locations. Each location displays the slide number, slide title, and a description of the location, such as base layer, slide layer, or object state. Click the magnifying glass icon to jump directly to the location of the asset in your project. Unused Media Library Assets Get Uploaded with Storyline 360 Team Slides Articulate 360 Teams subscribers can collaborate on projects by creating a library of shared team slides that the whole team can access right from Storyline 360. When you share slides with your team, all media library assets get shared too, including assets that aren’t used anywhere in your project. This is a great way to share assets with your team. For example, you might import company logos, product videos, and other brand elements into the media library so your team has quick access to them as they’re building courses. When you download team slides into an existing project, only the assets used on those slides get imported into your project. On the other hand, when you start a new project using team slides, all the assets that were originally shared with those slides get imported into your project, including unused assets. Using Assets on Slides and Layers Reuse media library assets as often as you’d like throughout your course. Here’s how: Go to the slide or layer where you want to insert a media library asset. Select an asset in the list on the left side of the media library. (Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple assets at the same time.) Click the Insert button at the bottom of the details pane to add the asset(s) to the current slide or layer. You can also use the ribbon to add media library assets to your course. Go to the slide or layer where you want to insert a media library asset. Select the Insert tab on the ribbon and click the drop-down arrow below Picture, Video, or Audio. Then choose Media Library. Select an asset in the list on the left side of the media library. (Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple assets at the same time.) Click the Insert button at the bottom of the details pane to add the asset(s) to the current slide or layer. Replacing All Instances of an Asset The media library makes it brilliantly simple to replace every instance of an asset with another asset all at once. First, select an asset from the list on the left side of the media library. Or, right-click an asset on a slide in your course and select Show in Media Library. Then click the Replace button at the bottom of the details pane and choose a replacement option. Here are your options, depending on the type of asset you’re replacing. Image: Replace an image with a picture file from your computer or a Content Library 360 photo. Character: When you replace a character, the Content Library 360 character browser automatically opens where you can choose another character, expression, and/or pose. For photographic characters, you can replace individual poses, but you can’t replace an entire character group and all of its poses simultaneously. For illustrated characters, you can replace individual poses, or you can swap an entire character group and all of its poses with another illustrated character all at once. Audio: Replace an audio clip with an audio file from your computer or by recording narration with your microphone. Video: Replace a video with a video file from your computer or a Content Library 360 video, or by recording a video with your webcam. Replacing a Single Instance of an Asset You can replace all instances of an asset as described above, or you can replace a single instance of an asset without changing the others. Here’s how. Replace an Image Right-click the image in your course and scroll to Replace Picture. Then choose to replace the image using a picture file from your computer, a Content Library 360 photo, or an image in the media library. (If you use the media library, select a new image and click Replace Image in the details pane.) Here’s another way to replace an image: Select the image in your course and go to the Format tab on the ribbon. Click the drop-down arrow beside Replace Picture and choose one of the replacement options. Replace a Character Right-click the character in your course and scroll to Replace Pose. Then choose to replace the character using the Content Library 360 or the media library. (If you use the media library, select a new pose and click Replace Character in the details pane.) Another way to replace a character is to use the Character Tools—Design tab on the ribbon. Replace an Audio Clip Right-click the audio clip on the timeline (or right-click the speaker icon next to the slide) and scroll to Replace Audio. Then choose to replace the audio clip using an audio file from your computer, an asset in the media library, your microphone, or text-to-speech conversion. (If you use the media library, select a new audio clip and click Replace Audio Clip in the details pane.) Here’s another way to replace an audio clip: Select the audio clip in your course and go to the Options tab on the ribbon. Click the drop-down arrow beside Replace Audio and choose one of the replacement options. Replace a Video Right-click the video in your course and scroll to Replace Video. Then choose to replace the video using a video file from your computer, a Content Library 360 video, a video in the media library, or your webcam. (If you use the media library, select a new video and click Replace Video in the details pane.) Editing Assets in Third-Party Apps You can use the media library to open assets in third-party apps, such as Photoshop, and then save your changes directly to Storyline 360. Edit Images Select an image in the asset list on the left side of the media library. Click the Edit button (pencil icon) at the bottom of the details pane and choose an app from the list of image editors installed on your computer. When the app opens, edit the image as you’d like. Save your changes and close the app. You’ll see that your edits were automatically saved to Storyline 360 and all instances of the image in your project have been updated. The process for saving edited images to Storyline 360 could be different, depending on the image editor you're using. In many editors, you only need to click the save button. In some editors, you have to save or export the image to the temp folder for your project and overwrite the original image. (The editor should automatically take you to the temp folder.) And in other editors, you might have to save a new version of the image, and then replace the original image in the media library with the new one. Edit Audio Clips Select an audio clip in the asset list on the left side of the media library. Click the Edit button (pencil icon) at the bottom of the details pane and choose an app from the list of audio editors installed on your computer. When the app opens, edit the audio clip as you’d like. Depending on the specific audio editor you’re using, you might not be able to save your changes directly to Storyline 360. You usually need to publish or export audio from the editor first, and then replace the existing audio clip in the media library with the updated audio file. Edit Videos Select a video in the asset list on the left side of the media library. Click the Edit button (pencil icon) at the bottom of the details pane and choose an app from the list of video editors installed on your computer. When the app opens, edit the video as you’d like. Depending on the specific video editor you’re using, you might not be able to save your changes directly to Storyline 360. You usually need to publish or export video from the editor first, and then replace the existing video in the media library with the updated video file. Why is the Edit button grayed out for characters? Characters can’t be edited in third-party apps. However, you can replace one pose with another. You can even swap out an entire illustrated character group and all its poses for another illustrated character. And when you’re working with a character on a slide or layer (outside of the media library), you can use the formatting tools on the ribbon to change its brightness, contrast, picture effects, crop, and more. Reimporting Updated Assets The media library recognizes when there’s a newer version of an asset’s original source file on your computer—for example, when it’s edited outside of Storyline 360. When that happens, a yellow dot appears to the left of the file name in the asset list and a notification appears in the details pane, as shown below. If you want to replace the asset in your project with the newer version, click the Reimport button in the details pane. It’s that easy! Opening an Asset’s Original Folder Location You can open an asset’s original folder location right from the media library. This can be helpful when you need to edit the asset outside of Storyline, or you have similar images on your computer and aren’t sure which one you used in your project. Select an asset in the list on the left side of the media library, then click the Open Folder button at the bottom of the details pane. The folder will open and the source asset will be selected for you. Why is the Folder button grayed out? There are a few reasons why the Folder button might be grayed out or inactive. The original asset or folder was renamed, moved, or deleted. The asset was imported with a slide from another source, such as Content Library 360 or PowerPoint. The asset is a photographic or illustrated character. Exporting Assets Use the media library to export assets so you can reuse them in other projects. Export Images When you export images from the media library, they keep their original file formats and sizes. Select one or more images in the asset list. (Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple images.) Click the Export button in the lower right corner of the media library. Choose the folder where you want to save your image(s). Export Characters When you export photographic characters from the media library, they’re saved as high-quality PNG images. Illustrated characters are saved as EMF vector images. Click the triangle to the left of a character to reveal its poses. Select one or more poses in the asset list. (Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple poses.) Click the Export button in the lower right corner of the media library. Choose the folder where you want to save your character(s). Export Audio Clips When you export audio clips from the media library, they’re saved as MP3 files. Select one or more audio clips in the asset list. (Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple clips.) Click the Export button in the lower right corner of the media library. Choose the folder where you want to save your audio clip(s). Export Videos When you export videos from the media library, they’re saved as MP4 files. Select one or more videos in the asset list. (Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple videos.) Click the Export button in the lower right corner of the media library. Choose the folder where you want to save your video(s). Learn More About Exporting Assets from Storyline 360 While this user guide focuses on using the media library, there are more ways to export assets from a Storyline 360 project. Deleting Assets You can delete assets from the media library if they aren’t used anywhere in your project. Just select an asset in the list on the left side of the screen and click the Delete button in the lower right corner of the details pane. (The button will be grayed out if the asset is in use.) Want to delete multiple assets at the same time? Ctrl+click or Shift+click the assets you want to delete, and then click the Delete button. Why do some assets disappear from the media library when I delete them from slides? Great question! It depends on how you added the assets to your project. When you add an asset to a slide using the ribbon, the asset automatically appears in your media library. And if you later delete the asset from the slide, it also disappears from the media library. However, when you import an asset directly into the media library, it’ll remain in the library until you delete it. If the asset’s use count is zero, you can use the Delete button to remove it from the media library.Storyline 360: Choosing a Player Style (Modern or Classic)
The player is the frame around your slide content that holds navigation features, such as the menu and seekbar. In Storyline 360, you can choose the classic or modern player. Here's how. Switching Between the Modern and Classic Player Styles Comparing the Modern and Classic Player Styles Switching Between the Modern and Classic Player Styles You can switch between the modern and classic players. Go to the Home tab on the ribbon, click Player, then choose a style from the Player Style drop-down list. New projects automatically use the modern player, but you can switch to the classic player. Projects created before the modern player was introduced will continue to use the classic player, but you can switch to the modern player at any time. Comparing the Modern and Classic Player Styles We’ll explore the modern and classic player styles below, and this article provides more details. How Modern and Classic Players Look The modern player gives desktop and mobile learners a unified experience that’s consistent across all devices, while the classic player looks different on desktop computers and mobile devices. The modern player also makes customizing colors easy. Select a built-in theme or create your own theme, then choose an accent color from the color selector. The classic player requires more effort for color customization. How They Behave on Mobile Devices and Desktop Computers Both player styles are responsive on tablets and smartphones, giving learners the best viewing experience on every screen size and orientation. The sidebar collapses, browser chrome is eliminated, and player controls are mobile-friendly. This gives your slide content more room to shine. On desktop computers, the modern player scales smoothly to completely fill learners’ browsers by default, while the classic player doesn’t. Both player styles have the option to lock the player size or let it adjust to learners' browsers. How the Player Features Work The modern player style boasts more exclusive player features, as described below. Modern Player Classic Player Enable or disable the play/pause button and seekbar independently. Enable or disable the play/pause button and seekbar as a single unit. Make the seekbar conditional so learners can't skip ahead until they've completed each slide. The classic player doesn't have a conditional seekbar. The seekbar appears across the bottom of the screen on all devices and orientations except smartphones in landscape mode. On smartphones in landscape mode, the seekbar is a circular indicator that travels around the play/pause button. When a slide is paused or it finishes playing, the seekbar changes to a line across the bottom of the screen. The seekbar appears across the bottom of the screen on desktop computers and tablets/smartphones in portrait mode. The seekbar is a circular indicator that travels around the play/pause button on tablets and smartphones in landscape mode. The logo appears on desktop computers and tablet devices. Due to limited screen real estate, it doesn't show on smartphones. You can add alt text to your logo so it's accessible to screen readers and other assistive technologies. The logo appears on desktop computers but not tablets or smartphones. The classic player doesn't support logo alt text. You can choose to collapse the sidebar by default, allowing learners to expand it when they need it. On small screens, the sidebar automatically collapses to give your content more room. The sidebar is always expanded on desktop and laptop computers. It’s always collapsed on mobile devices. Topbar tabs are always on the side of the player opposite the sidebar. If your sidebar is on the left, your topbar tabs are on the right. And if your sidebar is on the right, your topbar tabs move to the left. On small screens where there isn’t enough room to display topbar tabs, they’ll collapse into a drop-down menu represented by three dots. To see your topbar tabs, click the dots. You can have topbar tabs on both the right and left sides of the player. On tablets and smartphones, topbar tabs automatically collapse into the responsive mobile player. To see your topbar tabs, just click the menu icon (☰). Quickly turn off all modern player features for a chromeless look by flipping a switch. Turning off all player features for a chromeless design takes more work than the modern player. Details here. Choose a style for navigation buttons. Previous, next, and submit buttons can be icons, text, or both icons and text. Due to limited space on smartphones, they’ll always be icons On desktop and laptop computers, navigation buttons are always text. On tablets and smartphones, they’re always icons. By default, the modern player scales smoothly to completely fill learners’ browsers on every device and screen size. You also have the option to lock the player size or let it adjust to learners' browsers. Details here. Plus, you can add a player toggle to let learners view courses in full-screen mode. You can only lock the player size or let it adjust to learners’ browsers. Details here. Let learners explore at their own pace by choosing a course playback speed between 0.25x and 2x. The classic player doesn't support speed control. The light and dark themes of the modern player meet and exceed WCAG Level AA guidelines for visual contrast and color by default. Details here. Or, you can define a custom background and accent color instead. You can make the classic player meet contrast guidelines by manually customizing the colors of each player component. Choose colors with a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 or higher. Customize your course start page with an image. The classic player doesn’t support cover photos. However, the course start page matches the top and bottom colors you set for Base>Main Background. Increase or decrease the font size for closed captions and player features independently. You can also choose the foreground and background colors and placement of your captions. Increase or decrease the font size for closed captions and player features as a single unit. Choose two colors—one light and one dark—for the accessibility focus indicator so it's visible against any background. Choose a single color for the focus rectangle. If your course has background audio, learners can turn it on or off via the accessibility controls. The classic player supports accessibility controls. However, it doesn't support background audio. All modern player features are supported on desktop computers and mobile devices. All classic player features are supported on desktop computers, and most are supported on mobile devices.Storyline 360: Creating and Editing Closed Captions With the Built-in Editor
Create and edit closed captions and subtitles right in Storyline 360 with the built-in editor. Fine-tune imported captions or quickly add new ones with the help of caption placeholders that are already synced with your audio and video content. And here's a bonus! Storyline 360 automatically generates synchronized video transcripts from closed captions. Opening the Closed Captions Editor Exploring the Editor Understanding Caption States Previewing Media and Captions Tabbing Back and Forth Between Caption Placeholders Adding or Editing Text in Caption Placeholders Speeding Up Your Workflow for Adding Closed Captions Formatting Caption Text Using Keyboard Shortcuts Adjusting the Timing and Duration of Caption Placeholders Inserting New Caption Placeholders Deleting Captions Splitting Captions Importing Captions Exporting Captions Translating Captions Closing the Editor and Saving or Discarding Your Changes Showing or Hiding the Closed Captioning Button on the Player Using Triggers to Turn Closed Captions On and Off Opening the Closed Captions Editor Use any of the following methods to open the closed captions editor: Select your media, go to the Options tab on the ribbon, then click Add Captions or Edit Captions. The button will change depending on whether your media clip already has captions. Right-click your media and choose Add Captions or Edit Captions from the context menu. Right-click your media, select Accessibility from the context menu, then click Add Captions or Edit Captions in the window that appears. Follow these steps to open the closed captions editor from the media library. Caption Placeholders Are Created for You If your media clip doesn’t already have captions, the closed captions editor will automatically analyze the audio track to detect units of speech and add caption placeholders to the timeline that are synchronized with your content. All you need to do is type your captions in the placeholders. Background music can interfere with the auto-generated caption placeholders, so you might need to tweak the timing of captions, add more caption placeholders, or split captions into smaller chunks. Note: The closed captions editor works with all narration and videos, except website videos. Exploring the Editor Explore this image of the closed captions editor and the numbered list below it for an overview of the interface. The sections that follow provide details on each feature. # Feature Description 1 Ribbon Commands Use the ribbon to: Preview your media and captions Jump back and forth between caption placeholders Insert new caption placeholders Delete caption placeholders Split caption placeholders Import captions Generate captions Export captions 2 Video Stage When you’re working with a video, it'll display on the video stage. When you’re working with an audio clip, the video stage disappears and the audio waveform fills the editor. 3 Closed Captions Preview As you type captions into the placeholders at the bottom of the editor, they’ll display on the video stage or audio waveform so you can see how they’ll look in your published output. 4 Timeline and Playhead The timeline shows the duration of your media, and the blue playhead travels along the timeline as you preview your video and audio content. 5 Audio Waveform The audio waveform is a visual representation of the audio track in your media. If there’s no video component for your media, the audio waveform will expand to fill the stage. 6 Caption Placeholders Caption placeholders are where you type and format text. You can also adjust the timing and duration of caption placeholders. If your media clip doesn’t already have captions, the closed captions editor will automatically analyze the audio track to detect units of speech and add caption placeholders to the timeline that are synchronized with your content. All you need to do is type your captions in the placeholders. Caption placeholders have four states, so you know what to expect when creating and editing captions. See the next section to learn about caption states. 7 Time Values The status bar shows you the current position of the playhead on the timeline, the start time of the selected caption placeholder, and the end time of the selected caption placeholder. 8 Zoom Slider Use the zoom slider in the lower right corner to zoom the timeline, audio waveform, and caption placeholders in and out when you need to make precise edits or get a big-picture overview. Understanding Caption States Caption placeholders have four states as described in this table. State Appearance Example Unselected caption placeholder without text Solid light gray Unselected caption placeholder with text Dark gray with white text Selected caption placeholder (with or without text) Blue with white text Caption placeholder in edit mode Dark gray with blue outline, white text, and blinking cursor The closed captions editor may behave differently, depending on the current state of a caption. See the following sections for details. For example, if no captions are in edit mode when you preview, playback will continue to the end of the timeline unless you pause it. However, if a caption is in edit mode when you preview, playback will stop at the end of the caption placeholder. And if you resume playback while the caption is still in edit mode, it'll start from the beginning of the current caption placeholder and stop again at the end. This helps you create captions one at a time, letting you hear a clip as many times as you need while typing. Previewing Media and Captions To preview the entire video or audio track, move the playhead to the beginning of the timeline—before the first caption placeholder—then click the Play button on the ribbon or press Enter on your keyboard. Drag the seekbar on the ribbon or the playhead on the timeline to scrub back and forth through the video or audio track. To preview just one caption, click inside the placeholder so it’s in edit mode. Playback will start as soon as you click inside it and stop when it reaches the end of the caption. To pause the preview, click the Pause button on the ribbon or press Enter. Caption placeholders that have text will display on the video stage or audio waveform during preview. (The size of a caption box and the point at which text wraps could change, depending on the size of the Closed Captions Editor window.) Tabbing Back and Forth Between Caption Placeholders Press the Tab key on your keyboard to jump to the beginning of the next caption, and press Shift+Tab to jump to the beginning of the previous caption. Or, click the left and right arrows on the ribbon to move back and forth between captions. If no captions are in edit mode when you navigate between them, the playhead will simply move to the previous or next caption, but the media won’t start playing until you tell it to. If a caption placeholder is in edit mode when you jump to another caption, the new caption placeholder will also switch to edit mode so you can immediately start typing. Tip: By using the Tab key to move through caption placeholders in edit mode and pressing Enter to play/pause media, you never have to take your hands off the keyboard while typing captions, speeding up your workflow. Adding or Editing Text in Caption Placeholders To add or edit caption text, simply click inside a caption placeholder and begin typing. You can also paste text from external sources, such as text files or Word documents. When you click inside a caption placeholder, it switches to edit mode and your media automatically begins playing. If you need to pause it, just press Enter. To resume playback, press Enter again. If you need to add a line break to a caption, press Shift+Enter. Speeding Up Your Workflow for Adding Closed Captions By using keyboard shortcuts, you can quickly add closed captions to a video or audio track in Storyline 360. Here’s how: When you open the closed captions editor, the playhead will be positioned at the beginning of the first caption placeholder, and it'll be in edit mode. Press Enter to start playing your video or audio track, then begin typing text for the first caption based on what you hear. Playback will stop at the end of the placeholder so you have time to finish typing the caption. If you need to hear it again, just press Enter and it'll start over from the beginning of the placeholder. You can also use Enter to pause playback. Press Tab to move to the next caption placeholder. It'll switch to edit mode, and your media will being playing. Simply type what you hear. Playback will stop at the end of the placeholder so you have time to finish typing the caption. If you need to hear it again, just press Enter and it'll start over from the beginning of the placeholder. You can also use Enter to pause playback. Repeat step 2 to add captions, one placeholder at a time, until you reach the end of the timeline. Formatting Caption Text Bold, Italic, and Underline: Closed captions in Storyline 360 can have bold, italic, and underline formatting. Just select the text you want to format, then use the floating toolbar to make your selections. Or, use these keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+B = Bold Ctrl+I = Italicize Ctrl+U = Underline Colors, Font, Font Size, and Position: You can choose the foreground and background colors, font, size, and position of your captions in the player properties. Learn more. Voice Tags: The closed captions editor doesn’t support voice tags, but you can identify speakers by typing their names with colons before their statements. (Press Shift+Enter to add a line break between speakers.) For example: Adam: E-learning is powerful. Lucy: And it’s transforming lives every day. If you import a caption file that has voice tags, the tags will be converted to the speakers’ names followed by colons, as shown above. Using Keyboard Shortcuts Work faster in the closed captions editor with these keyboard shortcuts. Key(s) Function Enter Play and pause media Shift+Enter Add a line break when typing text into a caption placeholder Tab Jump to the beginning of the next caption placeholder Shift+Tab Jump to the beginning of the previous caption placeholder Esc Exit edit mode for the current caption placeholder and switch to a blue selected state Ctrl+A Select all the text in a caption placeholder Ctrl+B Bold Ctrl+C Copy Ctrl+I Italicize Ctrl+U Underline Ctrl+V Paste Ctrl+X Cut Ctrl+Y Redo Ctrl+Z Undo Left Arrow If the playhead is at the beginning or end of a caption placeholder and the placeholder is in a selected state, the left arrow key moves the placeholder .25 seconds to the left on the timeline (or less than that if it bumps up against the previous caption placeholder). Otherwise, the left arrow key moves only the playhead .25 seconds to the left on the timeline. Right Arrow If the playhead is at the beginning or end of a caption placeholder and the placeholder is in a selected state, the right arrow key moves the placeholder .25 seconds to the right on the timeline (or less than that if it bumps up against the next caption placeholder). Otherwise, the right arrow key moves only the playhead .25 seconds to the left on the timeline. Shift+Left Arrow If the playhead is at the beginning or end of a caption placeholder and the placeholder is in a selected state, this shortcut moves the placeholder .5 seconds to the left on the timeline (or less than that if it bumps up against the previous caption placeholder). Otherwise, this shortcut moves only the playhead .5 seconds to the left on the timeline. Shift+Right Arrow If the playhead is at the beginning or end of a caption placeholder and the placeholder is in a selected state, this shortcut moves the placeholder .5 seconds to the right on the timeline (or less than that if it bumps up against the next caption placeholder). Otherwise, this shortcut moves only the playhead .5 seconds to the right on the timeline. Alt+Left Arrow When a caption placeholder is selected, shorten its duration by .25 seconds. Alt+Right Arrow When a caption placeholder is selected, lengthen its duration by .25 seconds (or less than that if it bumps up against the next caption placeholder). Shift+Alt+Left Arrow When a caption placeholder is selected, shorten its duration by .5 seconds. Shift+Alt+Right Arrow When a caption placeholder is selected, lengthen its duration by .5 seconds (or less than that if it bumps up against the next caption placeholder). Ctrl+Left Arrow This shortcut moves the playhead to the beginning of the current caption placeholder or the end of the previous placeholder, whichever is closest. This shortcut doesn’t work when a caption placeholder is in edit mode. Ctrl+Right Arrow This shortcut moves the playhead to the end of the current caption placeholder or the beginning of the next placeholder, whichever is closest. This shortcut doesn’t work when a caption placeholder is in edit mode. Ctrl+Mouse Wheel Zoom the timeline in and out Adjusting the Timing and Duration of Caption Placeholders To adjust the timing of a caption, simply drag the placeholder left or right along the timeline. To change the duration of a caption, drag either end of the placeholder along the timeline to shorten or lengthen it. You can also use several arrow keyboard shortcuts in the table above to tweak the timing and duration of caption placeholders. Inserting New Caption Placeholders Although the closed captions editor does its best to create caption placeholders for you that are already synced with your content, there may be times when you need to manually add a caption placeholder to the timeline. Click any space on the timeline that isn’t already occupied by a caption placeholder. The blue playhead will move to that position on the timeline. Then click Insert Caption on the ribbon. New captions are four seconds long by default—unless there isn’t enough space to fit a four-second placeholder, in which case it'll fill the available space. You need at least half a second of empty space on the timeline to insert a new caption placeholder. If there isn’t enough space, the Insert Caption button will be grayed out. Deleting Captions There are three ways to delete a specific caption: Select the caption placeholder and press Delete on your keyboard. Select the placeholder and click Delete Caption on the ribbon. Right-click the placeholder and choose Delete from the context menu. To delete all captions at once, click Delete Captions on the ribbon, then click Yes on the confirmation message. Splitting Captions You can split a caption into two placeholders when you need more control over timing and duration. Just select the placeholder and click Split Caption on the ribbon. Or, right-click the placeholder and choose Split Caption from the context menu. The original placeholder will split evenly in half. And if it has text, the text will split where the cursor is located—everything before the cursor will move to the first placeholder; everything after the cursor will move to the second placeholder. Exception: If the playhead is at the beginning of the caption and the placeholder is in a blue selected state, all the text will move to the first placeholder after being split. Importing Captions If you already have captions typed in a document, you can import them via the closed captions editor. Note that this replaces all the existing captions for your video or audio track. Click Import Captions on the ribbon. Click Yes when asked to confirm that you want to replace the existing captions. Browse to the SRT, SBV, SUB, or VTT file you want to import and click Open. You can also import caption files without opening the closed captions editor. See this user guide for details. Generating Captions If you haven’t prepared caption files to import, you can generate captions with AI Assistant. Plus, you can review and approve captions before publishing to ensure accuracy. Learn more about generating, reviewing, and approving AI-generated captions. Exporting Captions Export closed captions when you need to use them in another project, edit them with a different app, or save a backup copy. Click Export Captions on the ribbon, choose a location where you want to save the caption file, then click Save. When you export captions from the closed captions editor, it generates a VTT file. Translating Captions Export the captions file for each video or audio track in your course, translate it, then import it back into Storyline. Here’s how: If the closed captions editor is open, click Export Captions on the ribbon and save the file to your computer. You can also export captions without opening the closed captions editor. Just select the video or audio track, go to the Options tab on the Storyline ribbon, and click Export. Open the captions file in a text editor or a translation program, replace the captions with translated text, and save the file with your changes. In Storyline, select the video or audio track again, go to the Options tab on the ribbon, and click Import to bring the translated captions back into your course. Closed captions aren’t included when you export text strings from your course for translation. Closing the Editor and Saving or Discarding Your Changes To save your changes, click Save at the bottom right of the Closed Captions Editor window. To discard your changes, click the X in the upper right corner or click Cancel at the bottom right of the Closed Captions Editor window. Showing or Hiding the Closed Captioning Button on the Player The closed captioning button on the course player is enabled by default, but you can disable it if you plan to build your own custom controls. Learn more. Using Triggers to Turn Closed Captions On and Off If the closed captioning button is enabled on your course player (see above), learners can toggle captions on and off whenever they want. However, you can also control captions via triggers. Learn more.Storyline 360: Using the Format Shape/Format Picture Window
Storyline 360 lets you control an object’s fill, line color, line style, and shadow. If you’re working with a picture, you can also control its image attributes and coloring. And if the object contains text, you can control the text attributes. Just open the Format Shape/Format Picture window and make your selections. Accessing the Format Shape/Format Picture Window Select the object you want to customize, then use any of the following methods to access the formatting window. (For shapes, captions, and text boxes, it's called the Format Shape window. For pictures, screenshots, and characters, it's called the Format Picture window.) Press Ctrl+Enter on your keyboard. Go to the Format tab on the ribbon, then click the arrow in the lower right corner of the Shape Styles or Picture Styles group. Right-click the object, then choose Format Shape or Format Picture. You can also access the formatting window from some of the ribbon items by clicking “more" options. For example, if you're changing the weight of a shape's outline, just click More Lines to open the Format Shape window. Exploring the Formatting Options When the Format Shape/Format Picture window appears, use the tabs on the left side of the window to set your options. Explore these user guides to learn how to use the formatting options on each tab: Fill Formatting Line Color Formatting Line Style Formatting Shadow Formatting Picture Formatting Text Box Formatting
