Adobe Captivate 4: FMR Editing… Easier Than You Might Think

by Kevin A. Siegel 

Full Motion Recordings (FMRs) are simple to create. In fact, when I teach my Captivate beginner class, students learn how to create them during the first day (long before lunch).

While they're easy to create, I'm not a fan. Before I tell you why I don't like them, let me start by explaining what FMRs are.

When you record screen actions using Captivate's automatic modes (Demonstration or one of the Simulations), clicking your mouse or pressing [Print Screen] on your keyboard results in a screen capture.

However, if you need to capture complex procedures like drawing, moving or resizing an object, you can use Full Motion Recording (FMR). Assuming you have not disabled the FMR mode, and that you are recording a lesson in an automatic recording mode, all you need to do to create an FMR is drag your mouse during the recording process. When you finish the recording process, any slides containing FMR videos will contain a movie camera icon when viewed on the Edit tab. The FMR will play like an animation within your project-a movie within a movie.

If you have disabled FMR mode, you can manually create FMRs by pressing [F9] on your keyboard during the recording process and then dragging your mouse. Pressing [F10] will stop the FMR recording.

OK, so why don't I like FMRs? Because FMRs are demonstrations of concepts, there isn't any interactivity. As far as I'm concerned, watching isn't learning–and FMRs aren't helpful if you want your customer's to learn a process. Instead, eLearning should engage your customer and I recommend you stick with simulations instead of demonstrations.

One more reason I don't like FMRs… you can't easily edit them. Once you've recorded an FMR you're stuck with it–errors and all. Ummm, okay. That was true prior to Captivate 2. But beginning with Captivate 3, there's been an application available called the FMR Editor (it wasn't built into Captivate 3, but it is built into Captivate 4). Want to learn how to use the FMR Editor? Read on…

First, it might be helpful to review a lesson that contained an FMR that was edited. Click here to review the lesson and then return here to learn how the FMR was fixed.

To Edit an FMR

1. Open (or record) a project that contains an FMR.
2. Open the slide containing the FMR.
3. On the Library (Window menu), right-click the FMR and choose Edit with FMREditor.

   

   The FMR will open in the FMREditor.

4. Click the Toggle Mode button to enter Delete Mode (there are two modes… one for Inserting frames, and another for Deleting frames).

   

5. Drag the Playhead to find the location of the frames you want to delete.

   

6. Drag the triangle at the left to point on the Timeline where the action you want to delete appears.

   

7. Drag the second triangle to the area on the Timeline where the action you want to delete ends.

   

8. Right-click between the two triangles and choose Delete Frames (click Yes when prompted).

   

9. Exit the FMR Editor (click Yes when prompted).

   

10. Preview your project and BAM! That pesky FMR has been shown, once and for all, that you are the boss.