Month: December 2017

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TECHSMITH CAMTASIA: Delete vs. Ripple Delete

by Kevin Siegel, COTP, CTT
 
Deleting a portion of an object on the Camtasia Timeline (a few seconds from the end of a video for example) is simple: drag the red in- and/or green out-point on either side of the Playhead, right-click, and then choose Delete. However, after deleting the selection from the Timeline media, you’ll typically be left with a gap. If left unaddressed, the gap (otherwise known as dead air), will result in a black screen when the lesson is seen by your eLearners.
 
In the image below, notice that there is an item on the Timeline to the right of a video I'd like to edit. I've already made a selection with the in- and out-points.
 
 
The next step for most people is to right-click the selection and choose Delete.
 
 
Deleting a selection works of course, but there's a gap left between the edited object and the next object on the Timeline (dead air).
 
 
As an alternative to simply Deleting (and getting a gap), this is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of an often overlooked Camtasia feature: Ripple Delete (the option is just below Delete in the menu).
 
 
By Ripple Deleting, the dead air isn't an issue because the item to the right of the edited object automatically slides left and fills the gap on the Timeline.
 
 
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Looking to learn how to create eLearning in any of the top development tools (including Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, and TechSmith Camtasia)? Check out these live, online, and highly interactive classes.
 
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Kevin Siegel, CTT, COTP, is the founder and president of IconLogic. Following a career in Public Affairs with the U.S. Coast Guard and in private industry, Kevin has spent decades as a technical communicator, classroom and online trainer, public speaker, and has written hundreds of computer training books for adult learners. He has been recognized by Adobe as one of the top trainers world-wide.
 
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MICROSOFT POWERPOINT QUICK TIP: Smoothly Animate with Morph

by AJ Walther, COTP

Raise your hand if this is you. You want to animate something on a slide and then on the next slide, you want that same object to do something else.
 
The problem is that you used motion paths to move this item from Point A to Point B on Slide 1 and then on Slide 2 you want that object to appear in the exact spot it ended on Slide 1 before it does something else. And getting that item in that exact spot is a total pain in the you-know-what.
 
 
Sure, there are ways to do this. In fact, I wrote an article about this very thing many moons ago: Perfecting the Motion Path. There are also add-ins you can download that will make quick work of this, but one that I downloaded may or may not have been the cause of my software acting glitchy and crashing, so I uninstalled it just to be safe. But, let's keep it real: ain't nobody got time for that.
 
A new PowerPoint 2016/365 transition might just solve this problem. Using the Morph transition, objects from one slide can smoothly transition to whatever spot you place them on the next slide. 
 
Let’s use these birds as examples. 
 
 
They’re love birds and they just want to sit together on the same branch. 
 
 
And then they want to say via speech bubble how in love they are.
 
 
All I need to do for this to work is:
 
  1. Create a slide with the birds on opposite branches
  2. Duplicate the slide
  3. Move the birds together on the second slide
  4. Add the morph transition between the two slides
  5. Either add a third slide or use an “appear” animation for the speech bubble 
I'm including two versions of the animation below (just in case your email software doesn't play one or the other). The first one below is an animated gif. A video of the animation is next.
 
 
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Looking to learn the best ways to use PowerPoint in your eLearning initiatives? Check out my live, online, and highly interactive classes.
 
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AJ Walther, COTP, is IconLogic's Chief Creative Officer (CCO), a seasoned online trainer, eLearning graphic designer, and author of both "PowerPoint 2007: The Essentials" and "PowerPoint 2008 for the Macintosh: The Essentials." AJ made her own interdisciplinary studies major, focusing on writing and art. Her combined expertise in PowerPoint, graphic design, and writing allows her to bring a unique skillset to the eLearning community.