Storyline 360: Adding Content Library 360 Icons
Content Library 360 has 20+ million high-resolution photos, illustrations, icons, and videos. You can access them right from Storyline 360, and they’re all royalty-free with no attribution required. In this article, you’ll learn how to add eye-catching Content Library 360 icons to your courses and how to customize them with your own colors and effects. Adding Content Library 360 Icons to Your Course Customizing Content Library 360 Icons Making Icons Accessible Adding Content Library 360 Icons to Your Course Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon and click Icons 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 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 icons 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. Select the icon you want to use and click Insert to add it to your slide. Tip: You can select multiple icons at the same time using Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click, then insert them all at once. Customizing Content Library 360 Icons After importing a Content Library 360 icon into your course, you can customize its colors to match your course design. Just select the icon on the slide, go to the Format tab on the ribbon, and use the style galleries to edit the fill color, outline color, and effects. For example, here’s the same icon with different styles. And if an icon is composed of more than one shape, you can ungroup itand format each shape individually. Just right-click the icon, scroll to Group, and click Ungroup to see all the components that make up the icon. Here's an example of an ungrouped icon. You can tell if an icon is one shape or many by right-clicking it. If the Group option is grayed-out, it’s a single shape. If the Group option is active, it’s composed of multiple shapes. Here’s an example of a multi-shape icon. The original icon on the left has no formatting. The same icon in the middle has been recolored all at once (without ungrouping it). And the same icon again, but this time ungrouped, with specific formatting for each component is on the right. Making Icons Accessible When icons are designed with accessibility in mind, they are more likely to be intuitive and user-friendly for everyone, not just those with disabilities. Here’s how to make your icons accessible: Meet color contrast guidelines. You can use a web-based contrast checker or download a contrast checker tool to test the contrast ratio of your icons (1.4.11 Non-text Contrast). Reduce ambiguity. Use icons that communicate their functions clearly and are widely understood across different cultures and demographics. If you use an icon as a button, provide a text label that matches the icon’s function (2.5.3 Label in Name). Size appropriately. Adjust the size of any interactive icon to at least 44 pixels wide and 44 pixels tall. This ensures your icons are large enough for learners to interact with without error (2.5.5 Target Size). Offer multiple ways to navigate. Icons must be navigable by assistive technologies like screen readers to ensure an inclusive browsing experience (2.1.1 Keyboard). Stay consistent. Reuse the same icon to signify the same meaning. This lets learners know what to expect from each icon (3.2.4 Consistent Identification). Rely on text—not icons—to convey important details. Offer text-based options and make sure each icon has alternative text (alt text) descriptions. Icons that are purely decorative don’t need alt text. Hide them from accessibility tools to prevent unnecessary announcements (1.1.1 Non-text Content). You Might Also Want to Explore: Formatting Shapes, Captions, Text Boxes, and Content Library 360 Icons Ordering, Grouping, Sizing, and Positioning ObjectsStoryline 360: Using Story View
Storyline 360 uses a hierarchical structure of scenes, slides, and layers to organize content. Scenes are the largest organizational units. Each scene contains one or more slides. And each slide can have multiple layers. Story View gives you a big-picture view of your entire project. It's where you manage scenes and the layout of your course. Switching to Story View Working with Scenes Working with Slides Changing the Navigation Order of Scenes and Slides Managing Question Banks Undocking and Redocking Panels Switching to Story View Storyline 360 initially opens in Story View. At any time thereafter, you can switch to Story View by clicking the Story View button in the lower right corner of the screen (near the zoom slider). Another option is to go to the View tab on the ribbon and click Story View. If you're in Slide View, you can also click the Story View tab just below the ribbon. Working with Scenes Every Storyline 360 project has at least one scene. Story View is where you manage scenes, including adding scenes, deleting scenes, and rearranging the slides that appear in those scenes. Setting the starting scene: The starting scene is the first scene learners see when they launch your course. In Story View, the starting scene is identified with a small red flag next to its title. To designate a different scene as the starting scene, do either of the following: Select the scene, go to the Home tab on the ribbon, and click Starting Scene. Right-click the scene and choose Starting Scene. Adding scenes: To add new scenes to your course, do any of the following: Go to the Home tab on the ribbon and click New Scene. Right-click anywhere in the workspace and choose New Scene. Duplicate an existing scene (and all its slides) by selecting the scene and pressing Ctrl+D, or by right-clicking the scene and choosing Duplicate. Renaming scenes: Titles appear at the top of each scene. By default, each is called Untitled Scene, but you can change it by doing either of the following: Double-click the title to open it for editing, type the new name, and press Enter on your keyboard. Right-click the scene and choose Rename. Type the new name and press Enter on your keyboard. Storyline 360 displays scene titles in your course menu. You can remove and rename scene titles in the menu without affecting the scenes in Story View.View this tutorial for details. Renumbering Scenes: You can display scenes in the order you want. In Story View, select a scene and click the Index drop-down arrow to change the number. Storyline 360 then instantly renumbers the scenes. Tips: When you change a scene to the Starting Scene, it also changes the scene's index number to 1. On the other hand, if you change a scene's index number to 1, the Starting Scene flag remains on the original starting scene. When you change the index number of a scene in Story View, Storyline 360 also updates the order in the player menu (unless you've already customized the player menu). Conversely, updating the scene order in the player menu won't change the order in Story View. Deleting scenes: To delete a scene (and all its slides) from your project, do either of the following: Select the scene and press Delete on your keyboard. Right-click the scene and choose Delete. Collapsing and expanding scenes: By default, Story View displays a thumbnail image for every slide in your course. If you have a large course with lots of slides, it can be helpful to collapse scenes to get a better picture of your course layout. To collapse a scene, click the triangle in the upper right corner of the scene. To collapse all scenes at once, right-click anywhere in the workspace and choose Collapse All Scenes. To expand a scene, click the triangle in the upper right corner of the scene. To expand all scenes at once, right-click anywhere in the workspace and choose Expand All Scenes. Moving slides between scenes: You can move slides from one scene to another to better organize your content and change navigation. Just select one or more slides in a scene, then drag them to a different scene. In Story View, lines and arrows indicate the relationship between slides and scenes. Use triggers to customize navigation and create branched scenarios. View the section on changing the navigation orderlater in this tutorial for details. Working with Slides Most of the work involved in building slides will be done in Slide View, but Story View is great for organizing slides, adjusting slide properties, and controlling navigation. Adding slides: To add a slide to your course in Story View, select the scene where you want it to appear, then do any of the following: Press Ctrl+M on your keyboard. Go to the Home tab on the ribbon, click theNew Slide drop-down arrow, and choose a slide type. Go to the Slides tab and choose a slide type. Right-click the scene, scroll to New Slide, and choose a slide type. Duplicate an existing slide by going to the Home tab and clicking Duplicate. Go to the Home tab and click Record Screen to insert a screencast. To learn more about the different types of slides you can create, view Adding New Slides. Renaming slides: Titles appear below each slide. By default, each slide is either called Untitled Slide or uses the text from the title text box on the slide itself. You can change a slide title in Story View by doing either of the following (without changing the actual text on the slide): Double-click the title to open it for editing, type the new name, and press Enter on your keyboard. Right-click the slide and choose Rename. Type the new name and press Enter on your keyboard. Storyline 360 displays slide titles in your course menu. You can remove and rename slide titles in the menu without affecting the text on the slides or the slide titles in Story View. View this tutorial for details. Rearranging slides: To rearrange slides, just click and drag them to a new location. When you drag a slide, a small blue arrow will show you where the slide will be inserted. Release your mouse button to drop it into place. You can also use Shift+Click and Ctrl+Click to select multiple slides at the same time to move them as a group. Slides can be rearranged within the same scene or moved to different scenes. Editing slides: For most slide-specific tasks, you'll switch to Slide View, but some edits can be made in Story View. Access AI Assistant tools When using AI Assistant in Story View, you can create AI-generated quizzes, individual question slides, and summaries. Learn more about AI Assistant. Change the layout Right-click any slide, scroll to Apply Layout, and choose a layout. Or, go to the Home tab on the ribbon, click Apply Layout, and choose a layout. Learn more about slide masters and layouts. Reset the layout If you've modified elements of a slide that are inherited from its master layout, you can always revert back to the original layout. Right-click the slide and choose Reset Slide, or go to the Home tab on the ribbon and click Reset. Change the background Right-click a slide and choose Format Background to add a different fill to the slide's background. Another option is to go to the Design tab on the ribbon and click Background Styles, then right-click one of the styles to apply it to the selected slide(s). Learn more about background designs. Switch to a different design theme Design themes are a quick way to change the background, colors, and fonts throughout your course. Go to the Design tab on the ribbon, right-click any theme, and apply it to the selected slide(s). Learn more about themes. Add a slide transition Select a slide, go to the Transitions tab, and choose a transition from the gallery. If the Effect Options button becomes active, it means you can modify the slide transition by choosing an effect from the drop-down. Learn more about slide transitions. Manage triggers Triggers tell Storyline 360 how to respond when learners interact with your course. Select a slide and use the Triggers panel to add, edit, and delete triggers. Learn more about triggers. Adjust slide properties Use the Slide Properties panel in the lower right corner to change how slides advance, how they behave when revisiting them, and which player controls they display. Learn more about slide properties. Duplicate, rename, or delete slides Right-click any slide, then choose Duplicate, Rename, or Delete. Changing the Navigation Order of Scenes and Slides By default, scenes and slides follow a linear order, but you can add branching with triggers. To branch from one scene to another, click the chain link icon at the bottom of the scene, then choose Link to Slide or Link to Scene. To branch from one slide to another, select the slide and double-click the Jump to next slide trigger in the Triggers panel. When the Trigger Wizard appears, select the slide to which you want to branch and click OK. Managing Question Banks A question bank is a group of questions from which you draw slides to create dynamic quizzes throughout your course. A question draw is a special slide in your course that pulls questions from a bank when the learner reaches the slide. A question draw can be a subset of questions from a bank or an entire bank, and it can even be randomized. To manage question banks in Story View, go to the Home tab on the ribbon and click Question Banks. You can create a new draw from a question bank, create a new question bank, or manage existing question banks. Existing question banks will also be listed by name. Every project has one question bank by default, called Question Bank 1, but you can add more. For details, refer to the user guides about managing question banks and question draws. Tip: You don't have to use question banks to create quizzes. If you prefer, you can add individual question slides directly to your course just like other slides. View Adding Form-Based Questions and Adding Freeform Questions. Undocking and Redocking Panels Here's a helpful tip: You can undock panels and move them to another monitor if you need more room to work. Just click the title of a panel—such as Triggers or Slide Properties—and drag it to a new location. To redock a panel, click the Redock button in the panel's upper right corner. To redock all panels at the same time, go to the View tab on the ribbon and click Redock All Windows. To learn more about working with the Storyline 360 interface, view this user guide.Storyline 360: Adding Form-Based Questions
Storyline 360 has 20 types of graded and survey questions. They're form-based, which makes them quick and easy to assemble. (If you'd like more flexibility to create your own interactive questions, see Adding Freeform Questions.) Insert a Question Slide Enter Question Text and Answer Choices Customize Question Properties Create Form-Based Questions with AI Assistant Want to create form-based questions even more easily? AI Assistant can help you generate form-based questions in no time! Learn how to use AI Assistant to level up your course authoring game. Step 1: Insert a Question Slide Here's how to insert a form-based question slide into your course: First, do any of the following to open the Insert Slide window: Press Ctrl+Q. Go to the Home tab on the ribbon, click New Slide, and choose Graded Question or Survey Question. Go to the Slides tab on the ribbon and click Graded Question or Survey Question. In Story View, right-click anywhere in the workspace, scroll to New Slide, and choose Graded Question or Survey Question. In Slide View or Form View, right-click anywhere in the Scenes panel, scroll to New Slide, and choose Graded Question or Survey Question. When the Insert Slide window appears, use the search field at the top and the filters along the left edge to locate the question you want to add.The slide browser includes built-in templates as well as professionally-designed Content Library 360 templates. Choose from 11 types of graded questions and 9 types of ungraded survey questions. Graded Question Types Survey Question Types True/False Likert Scale Multiple Choice Pick One Multiple Response Pick Many Fill-in-the-Blank Which Word Word Bank Short Answer Matching Drag-and-Drop Essay Matching Drop-down Ranking Drag-and-Drop Sequence Drag-and-Drop Ranking Drop-down Sequence Drop-down How Many Numeric Hotspot When you click a thumbnail image for a slide, the right side of the window shows a description of that question type. Click Insert Slide to add it to your project. Tip: You can insert multiple questions at the same time by holding down the Ctrl key or the Shift key while clicking thumbnail images. Step 2: Enter Question Text and Answer Choices When you insert a question slide, it'll open in Form View. Type your question into the field at the top of the window and the answer choices below it. For many graded question types, you must also indicate which answer is correct—just select the radio button or check box for the correct response(s). Step 3: Customize Question Properties After inserting a form-based question, you can customize several of its attributes, including shuffling of answer choices, feedback, branching, score, and number of attempts. To learn how, see Working with the Question Editor. If your form-based questions have check boxes or radio buttons, you can format them to match your course design. See these user guides for details: Working with Check Boxes Working with Radio ButtonsStoryline 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 importor 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. 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 byconverting 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 ToolsStoryline 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. 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 Private 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 Storyline 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. And 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 the Storyline editor. You can even move the media library to a separate monitor so it’s always available while you’re building your course. Importing Assets into the Media Library There are two ways to add assets to the media library. One is to build slides using the Storyline ribbon, and the other is to import assets directly into the media library. Use the Storyline 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 so you can reuse them later. (Tip: Icons don’t show in the media library.) And 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: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 theAdd button on each asset tab to import assets. Import images from your computer or Content Library 360. Import photographic and illustrated characters from Content Library 360. Import audio files from your computer or record narration with a microphone. 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. Is the media library compatible with other versions of Storyline? The media library is fully compatible with Storyline 360 build 3.22.17236.0 and later. It’s also compatible with Storyline 3 and earlier versions of Storyline 360 if you don’t import assets directly into the media library. To maintain compatibility with these versions of Storyline, add assets to your project via the Insert and Slides tabs on the ribbon, and your assets will automatically appear in the media library. In other words, you can manage assets in the media library and maintain compatibility. You just can't import assets directly into the media library. For example, after adding an image to your project via the Insert tab on the ribbon, you can reuse, replace, andedit that image in the media library. Your project file will still be compatible with Storyline 3 and earlier versions of Storyline 360. 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 Storyline 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 andkeywords 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 The media library makes managing alt text so easy. Select any image, character pose, or video in the asset grid on the left, then enter alt text in the details pane on the right. That’s it! 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. When you do that, the media library displays a drop-down list in the details pane with all versions of alt text for the selected asset and how many times each is used in your course. If an asset has multiple alt texts and you want to make them all the same, you can do that too. Just select the alt text you want to use from the drop-down list (shown above), then click the Apply to All button next to it. Managing Closed Captions Easily manage closed captions for all of your project’s audio clips and videos in the media library. You can see, at a glance, which assets have closed captions. The media library displays caption icons for assets that have captions and dots for assets that don’t. 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. 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 in the details pane. Then choose an action from the menu that appears. If an asset is used more than once in your project and has different captions for each instance, the media library displays multiple caption icons in the asset grid and a drop-down list in the details pane, as shown below. To manage multiple captions for the same asset, click the captions icon in the asset grid, select the captions you want to work with, and then choose an action from the menu that appears. Or, select the captions you want to work with from the drop-down list in the details pane, click the Edit captions button beside it, and then choose an action. When an asset is used multiple times in your project, you can quickly apply the same closed captions to all instances of the asset by clicking the Apply to all action on the menu shown above. What a timesaver! Adding Private Notes to Assets Want to add notes to an asset? It’s easy! 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 Storyline 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.) Pro Tip: You can make the notes field bigger by shrinking the preview area. Hover over the lower boundary of the preview area, then click and drag the boundary to resize the preview area. 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.) If an asset has multiplealt texts and closed captions, select the ones you want from the drop-down lists in the details pane. 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 Storyline 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.) If an asset has multiplealt text and closed captions, select the ones you want from the drop-down lists in the details pane. 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 Storyline 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 Storyline 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 Storyline 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’re going to love how easy it is to edit assets. Use the media library to open assets in third-party apps, such as Photoshop, and then save your changes directly to Storyline. This is called round-tripping, and it’s a huge timesaver! 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 and all instances of the image in your project have been updated. The process for saving edited images to Storyline could be different, depending on the image editor you're using. Inmany 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 Storyline 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. You usually need to publish or export audio from the editor first, and thenreplace 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. You usually need to publish or export video from the editor first, and thenreplace 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 canreplace 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. 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 project. Click here for details. 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 Storyline 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 youimport 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.
