Adobe Captivate Core Skills: Level 1 (Live Online)

Overview

Master the core Adobe Captivate skills needed to create compelling interactive eLearning content. This course teaches you to develop soft-skills lessons from scratch, record and produce software demonstrations, and build interactive training simulations that engage learners and deliver measurable results.

Essential Captivate Skills and Content Creation

You'll learn to control the mouse pointer and add standard eLearning objects, including text captions, images, characters, eLearning Brothers assets, and highlight boxes. The course covers recording, importing, and editing audio to enhance the learner experience and adding interactivity through click boxes, buttons, and text entry fields. If you've created content in Microsoft PowerPoint, you'll discover how to import existing presentations directly into Captivate, extending your investment in previous work.

Publishing for Multiple Devices and Formats

You'll learn to publish projects in both SWF and HTML5 formats so your content can be uploaded to web servers and consumed on virtually any device, including iPad, iPhone, and other mobile platforms. The course emphasizes creating accessible, responsive eLearning that reaches your audience wherever they learn.

Target Student and Prerequisites

This course is appropriate for beginners and anyone self-taught on Captivate basics. Experienced users often benefit from this core skills course to fill knowledge gaps. Basic computer and file management skills are required, including the ability to locate, copy, and open files; create folders; arrange, resize, minimize, and maximize windows; start and exit programs; manage multiple programs simultaneously; and switch between open applications.

Course Outline

Preface: Planning and Designing eLearning

Education through visual design
RoboDemo to Captivate evolution
Planning eLearning projects effectively
eLearning development phases and workflow
Budgeting considerations for projects
Project size and display resolution planning
Designing slides in Captivate for impact
Font selection for eLearning effectiveness

Module 1: Exploring Captivate Interface

Build comfort with Captivate's interface before moving to advanced features. You'll start Captivate, open existing projects, and explore the application's layout and capabilities.

Explore finished Captivate projects
Zoom and magnify content for detailed work
Navigate through the project structure
Explore and reset the workspace
Preview complete projects

Module 2: Creating New Projects and Soft Skills Content

Discover the two eLearning types Captivate supports: software simulations and soft skills lessons. You'll create soft skills lessons with multiple slides, text, images, and navigation buttons, allowing learner-paced progression.

Create blank projects for content development
Add images to slide placeholders
Insert and format text buttons
Disable click sounds for professional audio

Module 3: Recording Demonstrations and Simulations

Master Captivate's recording functionality, covering demo, assessment, training, and custom recording modes for creating realistic software demonstrations and interactive simulations.

Rehearse scripts before recording
Review and configure recording settings
Explore multiple recording modes
Record using various modes for different outcomes
Create custom simulations tailored to content
Record demonstrations with panning capabilities
Manually record screen activity

Module 4: Adding Captions, Styles, and Timing

After recording, refine your lessons by adding text captions, setting object styles, and controlling slide and object timing for optimal learner engagement.

Insert and edit text captions
Edit default caption styles for consistency
Change callout types for visual variety
Control slide timing for pacing
Control object timing for sequenced reveals
Check spelling for accuracy
Align slide objects for professional appearance

Module 5: Working with Images and Smart Shapes

Enhance lessons by adding images and shapes, manipulating them effectively, and managing project assets. Learn to incorporate Photoshop documents with layers into your Captivate projects.

Insert, resize, and restore images
Transform images for creative effects
Use the library for asset management
Manage unused project assets
Crop and rename images
Remove background colors from images
Insert characters and eLearning assets
Insert cloud callout shapes
Create image masks for precision
Delete and modify slide backgrounds
Work with Photoshop layers
Create image slideshows for visual variety

Module 6: Controlling Pointers, Paths, Boxes, and Adding Interactivity

Tame the mouse pointer during demonstrations and add basic interactivity through buttons and interactive elements to engage learners.

Control mouse pointer effects
Edit mouse paths for accuracy
Clone object styles for efficiency
Insert highlight boxes to focus attention
Insert image buttons for navigation
Control object appearance timing

Module 7: Creating Rollovers and Zoom Areas

Enhance interactivity by adding rollovers that encourage learner exploration and zoom areas that grab attention for important details.

Insert rollover captions for additional information
Insert rollover images for visual reveals
Insert rollover slidelets for complex interactions
Insert zoom areas to highlight important sections

Module 8: Adding Professional Audio

eLearning with voiceover audio and sound effects is significantly more effective than content without audio. Learn to add, edit, record, and convert audio for maximum impact.

Import audio onto slide objects
Import background audio for atmosphere
Add slide notes for narrator guidance
Calibrate the microphone for quality recording
Record slide audio for voiceovers
Import audio files from external sources
Edit audio files for clarity
Insert silence for pacing
Convert text to speech for accessibility

Module 9: Incorporating Video, Animation, and Effects

Add Flash video to lessons and apply animation and special effects for visual interest and learner engagement.

Insert Flash video into eLearning lessons
Set Flash video properties and playback
Add animation to slides for visual interest
Insert text animation for emphasis
Apply effects to slide objects
Apply free-fall effects for dynamic visuals
Edit effect timing for pacing

Module 10: Building Interactivity and Engagement

Convert passive demonstrations into highly engaging interactive experiences that keep learners actively involved.

Hide the mouse pointer when appropriate
Replace phrases for customization
Insert click boxes for learner interaction
Insert text entry boxes for knowledge checks

Module 11: Importing and Leveraging PowerPoint Content

Maximize your investment in existing PowerPoint presentations by importing them directly into Captivate and enhancing them with interactive elements.

Import PowerPoint slides into projects
Resize objects and apply changes to all
Round-trip edits between PowerPoint and Captivate
Synchronize with source presentations
Rescale projects for different display sizes

Module 12: Introduction to Assessment and Quizzing

Captivate offers robust quizzing capabilities. Learn to set up, create, and edit question slides for knowledge assessment.

Edit quizzing object styles for consistency
Set quiz preferences and scoring
Insert question slides for assessment
Insert knowledge check slides for feedback

Module 13: Publishing and Distribution

Complete your project by publishing in optimal formats for your audience, including SWF and HTML5 outputs. Learn to add table of contents elements and implement ideal publishing settings.