Object Basics


In the previous chapter you discovered how to add an image to a slide. What if you want to use that same image in another Captivate movie? What if you want to have a caption appear when the user rolls a mouse over the image, or to use the same image in a number of different slides in your movie? What if you don't need the object to float in the slide but want to add it to the slide as a background?

These four operations are the basics of working with Captivate objects.

To import objects between movies

1.

Open the movie to which you want to add the objects.

2.

Select File > Import/Export > "Import Slides/Objects from other Captivate projects."

The Import Captivate Project dialog box opens (Figure 4.9).

Figure 4.9. Objects can be imported from one Captivate movie to another using the Import Captivate dialog box.


3.

From the list of movies, select the movie containing the objects you want to add to the currently open movie, and then click Open.

The Import Project dialog box changes to show you all of the slides in the movie you just selected.

4.

Click the Clear All button to clear any selections that have been made.

5.

Select the slide or slides containing the object or objects you may need.

6.

Select objects only from the Import pop-down menu.

The number of objects in that slide is indicated by the number between the brackets (Figure 4.10).

Figure 4.10. You can choose to import the slide or the objects in the slide into a Captivate movie.


7.

Select the target slide from the list in the pop-down menu of the open movie where the objects are destined.

8.

Click the OK button.

A progress bar opens, displaying the progress of the import. It closes when the objects have been added to the Target Slide of the open movie.

Tip

  • Slides containing no objects available for import will have "No objects on slide" directly below the Import pop-down, and none of the Object Import options will be available.


To duplicate an object

1.

Open a movie in the Storyboard View panel.

2.

Double-click the slide containing the object to open the Edit View panel.

3.

Right-click the object and select Duplicate from the context menu (Figure 4.11).

Figure 4.11. Objects on a slide can be duplicated.


A copy of the object is created and placed within the slide. The duplicated object is fully editable without affecting the original object.

To merge objects into a slide

1.

Double-click a slide in the Storyboard View panel, or double-click its thumbnail in the Edit View panel.

The slide opens in the Edit View panel.

2.

Right-click the object to open the context menu.

3.

Select Merge into Background from the pop-down menu.

You will be warned this operation cannot be undone.

4.

Click Yes to complete the merge or click No to stop the merge process.

To add audio to slide objects

1.

Double-click a slide in the Storyboard View panel or its thumbnail in the Edit View panel.

The slide opens in the Edit View panel.

2.

Double-click the object to open the object's Properties dialog box. You can also right-click the object and select Properties from the context menu, or select the object on the slide and click the Properties button on the Main toolbar.

3.

Click the Audio tab to open the audio properties for the object.

4.

If you are using a microphone to capture the audio, click the Record New button to open the Record Audio dialog box. When finished recording, click the Stop button and click OK in the dialog box to return to the object's audio options. (For full details regarding recording audio, see Chapter 2, "Creating Captivate Movies.")

Keeping It Tidy

If you would like to add all of the objects from the source movie but don't want to spread them across multiple slides of the target movie, here is a little trick:

1.

Add a blank slide to the start or the end of the target movie.

2.

Select Import/Export > "Objects from other Captivate Projects."

3.

Select the source movie, and when the Import Slides dialog box displays the source movie's slides, click the Clear All button.

4.

Click the arrow beside the Select All button. A pop-down menu opens.

5.

Select Objects from the menu.

6.

Scroll through the slides of the source movie and set the object destination to the blank slide added to the target movie.

7.

Click OK.


5.

If you are importing a prerecorded sound, click the Import button in the Audio Options dialog box. When the Open dialog box appears, navigate to the folder containing the audio file and double-click the file to add it to the object.

6.

Click OK to close the audio options and to add the sound to the object.



Macromedia Captivate for Windows. Visual QuickStart Guide
Macromedia Captivate for Windows. Visual QuickStart Guide
ISBN: 321294173
EAN: N/A
Year: 2003
Pages: 130

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