In just two days of this hands-on, instructor-led Adobe Captivate training course, you will gain the essential skills that will get you up and running. You will learn to use Adobe Captivate to capture screen shots on your computer and quickly turn them into interactive e-Learning video lessons, complete with images, captions, rollovers, clickable areas, typing areas, and sound effects.

Certification:

This course prepares you to earn the Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) designation. Becoming an ACE means you have demonstrated a professional level of proficiency with one or more Adobe software products. To become an ACE, you must pass one or more product-specific proficiency exams and agree to the ACE terms and conditions.

What You'll Learn

• Recording Demonstrations and Assessments
• Work with FMRs, Panning, and Image Slideshows
• Work with Text Captions and the Timeline
• Work with Images and Drawing Objects
• Work with Pointers, Buttons, Highlight Boxes, Rollovers, and Zoom Areas
• Work with Audio, Animation, and Flash Video
• Convert Demonstrations into Simulations

Who Needs to Attend

Beginner and intermediate Adobe Captivate 4 users who want to create software demonstrations and interactive simulations

Prerequisites

Familiarity with basic computer terminology

Follow-On Courses

• Adobe Photoshop CS5 Fundamentals: An Introduction to Photoshop

Course Outline

1. E-Learning and Captivate 

As your class ramps up, you won't just learn how to start Captivate and click each tool, you'll begin the process of creating e-Learning lessons from the ground up. You'll learn not only how to create effective e-Learning but why those lessons will be effective.

• E-Learning Concepts
• Planning e-Learning Projects
• Explore the Captivate Interface
• Create and Manage Workspaces
• Preview a Project
• Use the Zoom Features

2. Recording Demonstrations and Sims 

Recording your desktop actions is one of Captivate's key features, and you'll cover the hottest recording modes: demo, assessment, training, and custom.

• Rehearse a Script
• Edit Recording Settings
• Set Recording Keys
• Record a Demonstration
• Record an Assessment
• Record a Training Simulation
• Record a Custom Simulation

3. Captions, Styles, and Timing 

Once you've recorded your lessons, the real work begins. You will learn how to add text captions, set object styles, and control the timing of slides objects.

• Duplicate a Slide and Hide the Mouse
• Insert, Resize, and Move Text Captions
• Modify Text Caption Properties
• Edit the Default Caption Style
• Reset an Object Style
• Change an Object's Position and Size
• View the Timeline
• Change a Slide's Display Time
• Use the Timeline to Set Object Display Times
• Show/Hide Timeline Objects
• Use the Properties Panel to Control Timing
• Set Mouse Properties
• Check Spelling
• Align Slide Objects

4. Images and Drawing Objects 

Adding images to your project will enhance the lesson. In this section, you will learn how to add images, manipulate them, and manage them.

• Change Slide Background Quality
• Insert and Delete Slides
• Insert an Image
• Set Image Size and Slide Position
• Use the Library
• Manage Unused Project Assets
• Crop an Image
• Create an Image Watermark
• Control Image Timing and Transition
• Work with Image Stacks
• Add a Visual Click and Sound
• Draw a Line

5. Pointers, Buttons, and Highlight Boxes 

If you've created a demonstration, that pesky mouse can sometimes have a mind of its own. You'll learn how to tame that wild mouse, and then you'll learn how to add some basic interactivity to a lesson via buttons.

• Modify the Mouse Pointer
• Edit Slide and Object Display Times
• Insert a Text Button
• Set a Button's Timing and Options
• Work with Image Buttons
• Insert and Format a Highlight Box

6. Rollovers and Zoom Areas

• Insert a Rollover Caption
• Insert a Rollover Image
• Insert a Zoom Area
• Insert and Format a Rollover Slidelet
• Format the Rollover Area
• Add a Caption and Image to a Rollover Area

7. Audio 

E-Learning lessons that contain voiceover audio and sound effects are more effective than lessons that do not. Learn how to add, edit, and record audio, and learn how to convert text to speech.

• Add Audio to a Slide Object
• Add Background Audio
• Add a Slide Note
• Calibrate a Microphone
• Record a Narration
• Import Voice Narrations
• Edit an Audio File
• Insert Silence
• Convert Text to Speech

8. Flash Video, Animation, and Effects 

Enhance your e-Learning lessons with Flash, animation, and other special effects.

• Insert Flash Video
• Set Flash Video Properties
• Add Animation to a Slide
• Insert Text Animation
• Apply a Fly-In Effect to a Text Caption
• Apply a ZigZag Motion Path

9. Click and Text Entry Boxes 

Interactive e-Learning is generally thought to be more effective than passive demonstration videos. During this section, learn how to convert a demonstration video into a highly engaging, interactive affair.

• Hide the Mouse
• Replace Phrases
• Insert a Click Box
• Insert a Text Entry Box

10. Question Slides 

Captivate sports some robust quizzing tools. You'll learn how to set up, create, and edit question slides.

• Edit Quizzing Object Styles
• Set the Quiz Preferences
• Insert a Question Slide
• Format a Question Slide
• Add an Image to a Question Slide
• Paste as Background

11. Publishing 

No project is finished until it's published. Learn the best publishing format to use for the widest audience. Learn how to add a TOC to your lessons and the best settings for publishing to Flash (SWF).

• Link to a Web Site
• Apply a Skin
• Edit and Save a Skin
• Delete a Skin
• Create a TOC
• Add a Loading Screen
• Publish a Flash (SWF)
• Publish Word Handouts
• Export Captions
• Perform a "Round Trip"