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February 14, 2025

TechSmith and Subscriptions

I'm seeing plenty of chatter about TechSmith's recent subscription model and how it relates to perpetual licenses (if you have Camtasia 2024 installed) and access to subscription software should the subscription lapse. Here's what TechSmith says about this issue on their FAQ page:

"A perpetual license allows you to use the software version for as long as the device's operating system remains compatible with the software after a one-time purchase but only includes updates and support for a limited time.

"A subscription license, on the other hand, provides access to the software for a specific period. With a subscription license, you pay a recurring fee to continue using the software and receive all new versions, updates, and support. If you stop paying the subscription fee, you lose access to the software. All 2025 and later versions will be subscription licenses.

"This transition does not mean Camtasia and Snagit will become cloud-based software. Both products will remain desktop clients and can be downloaded the same as before. We do not require sign-in (login) to access our software. The subscription model provides a more continuous delivery of updates and new features. However, this transition does enable us to offer optional AI and cloud-based workflows, which complement your use of Camtasia and Snagit."

"While internet access is not required continuously, it is necessary for initial activation and then once every 90 days to maintain product functionality.

"Customers will always have access to previously purchased perpetual versions, with continued support per our support policy."

February 14, 2025

Adobe Captivate 12: Auto-Advance Slides

In older versions of Adobe Captivate, slides automatically advanced from one to the next. If you wanted a slide to pause for learner engagement, you had to add an interactive component, such as a button or click box. This version of Captivate is as different from Captivate Classic as night is from day.

To make a Captivate 12 slide auto-advance, add a bookmark to the Timeline and set its action to go to the next slide.

This short video demonstrates the process.

If you need Adobe Captivate training, mentoring, or development support, we can help.

February 12, 2025

TechSmith Camtasia 2025: AI Noise Removal

Until today, the ability to remove static throughout a Camtasia project was a pipe dream. With the release of Camtasia 2025, knocking out static is as simple as using the AI Noise Removal tool on Timeline media.

For training on TechSmith Camtasia or Audiate, check out my training options.

January 22, 2025

TechSmith Camtasia: Two Transitions to Timeline Media?

I received the following email from a student who attended my TechSmith Camtasia Certificate training program: Is it possible to apply two different transitions at the start and end of the same track?

Great question! Camtasia does not allow multiple transitions to be applied to a single object simultaneously. Each object on the timeline can have only one transition applied to its start and one to its end.

If you try to apply a second transition to the same part of an object, the new transition will replace the existing one.

To create the appearance of multiple transitions on the same object, you can use a workaround:

Split the Object: Use the Split tool (S) to divide the object into smaller segments.
Apply Different Transitions: Add a different transition to each segment to create a multi-transition effect.

January 22, 2025

Adobe Captivate 12.5 Released: AI Voices, Branding Blocks, and a new Interactive Widget Added

You can learn about the Captivate 12.5 enhancements in Sharath Ramaswamy's article: Adobe Captivate 12.5: Pioneering a New Era of AI-Driven eLearning. While I appreciate Sharath's article, let’s be honest—AI voices are an expected feature at this point and should not be touted as pioneering.

Frankly, this update is a major disappointment for me, especially considering it's now 2025. Captivate Classic is scheduled to sunset in 2027, and at Adobe's current pace, I don't see how this version will gain the necessary enhancements in just two years.

No PowerPoint integration.
No upgrade path for Classic projects.
No adequate replacement for Slide Masters (layouts).
The free assets are laughable. Seriously, Adobe? Captivate users: search for "cats," "puppies," or "meeting" in the Assets window, and you'll find next to nothing. How are these assets supposed to help beyond the characters? Anyone?

I’ll continue updating my Captivate 12 book to support this new version, but I can't help wondering—why isn't this version called Captivate 13? Where’s the substance? Where’s the excitement? What’s the holdup, Adobe? Meanwhile, Articulate is dominating, and what was once an excellent, groundbreaking tool is being left behind. This is just sad.

January 14, 2025

Camtasia Audiate: Using AI to Create Voiceover Scripts, Text-to-Speech Audio, and Avatars

TechSmith's Camtasia Audiate has revolutionized how creators approach audio and video content production. With its intuitive interface and powerful features, Camtasia Audiate goes beyond traditional audio editing to provide AI tools for generating voiceover scripts, text-to-speech audio, and lip-synched avatars.

Here’s an overview of how I used Camtasia Audiate to create a voiceover script, the voiceover audio, and an avatar in mere minutes.

Script Generation

One of Audiate's most notable features is its ability to create a voiceover script based on your prompt. Whether you’re drafting a training module, a marketing video, or a podcast episode, Audiate simplifies the process. By combining AI-driven text generation with user-friendly editing tools, creators can quickly draft, refine, and finalize scripts within Audiate.

To begin, start Audiate and then click the Generate button.

Type the general subject you'd like Audiate to create. In this instance, I am making a training video about the differences between English and Western saddles. I set the Type to Training and the Style to Enthusiastic, but you'll find many other options in the drop-down menus.

I clicked Generate Script, and a surprisingly well-written script was created a few seconds later. Note that the script was written with AI, so you must review the information for accuracy. Also, because only content created by a human can be copyrighted, the AI-generated script is not eligible to be copyrighted. (If you want to learn more about copyright and training materials, see my book on Amazon.)

I loved how the AI script kept the wording informal, even adding the quip, "So, let's saddle up and get started."

Text-to-Speech

TechSmith Audiate stands out with its advanced text-to-speech (TTS) capabilities, offering content creators a seamless way to generate lifelike voiceovers directly from written scripts. This feature is particularly valuable for developers who want high-quality audio without recording their voice. Here’s what makes Audiate’s text-to-speech functionality a game-changer:

Natural-Sounding Voices: Choose from various lifelike voice options to match the tone and style of your project.
Customizable Delivery: Adjust speech pace, emphasis, and intonation to create engaging and dynamic audio.
Instant Feedback: Hear real-time previews of your text-to-speech output, allowing quick adjustments.
Multilingual Support: Generate voiceovers in multiple languages, expanding your content’s reach to global audiences.

To generate text-to-speech, I clicked Generate to open the screen below. Then, I clicked the Generate Audio tab.

I made a selection from the Preset drop-down menu, selected English as my Language, and selected Ana as the Voice. Then, I clicked Generate Audio. The resulting audio file was awe-inspiring. Gone are the days when text-to-speech agents sounded okay but not quite lifelike. Audiate's voices truly make it difficult to tell if I'm listening to a human or an AI voice.

Avatars

In addition to scripts and audio, Audiate enables creators to create avatars on the fly and incorporate them into their projects, adding a visual element to their narratives.

Why would you use an avatar?

Anonymity and privacy: Consider an avatar if using actual employees or representatives pose anonymity and privacy concerns.
Staff changes: Account for future video updates. Utilize an avatar to prevent re-recording videos or entire series in the event of a staff change.
Bridge cultural differences and language barriers: Avatars can promote effective cross-cultural communication by using translations or culturally appropriate representations. Companies can select diverse and inclusive avatars representing their customers across various locales.
Quick video generation and future-proof your content updates: Use avatars in your video to avoid hours of recording setup and video editing and help your team scale their video creation.
Recording Environment: Consider avatars if you do not want to appear on camera or may not have a setup available to record quality video. Avatars provide studio-quality results with a clean shot every time.

Audiate's Avatar features include:

A Library of Avatars: Choose from several built-in avatars.
Real-Time Lip Sync: Avatars sync perfectly with your audio, providing a realistic and engaging presentation.
Cross-Platform Compatibility: Export avatar-enhanced videos and import the videos into any program that supports video integration.

To create my avatar, I once again clicked the Generate button and then clicked Generate Avatar. While both male and female avatars are available, hats off to Audiate for remembering that I selected a female voice and thus only displaying female avatars.

I selected an avatar and clicked Generate. While a message appeared that it would take 15 minutes to create my avatar, the process only took about 7 minutes.

While the avatar's facial expressions change somewhat as the recording plays, you won't see body movements or gestures. It's best to keep your voiceover audio and avatar segments short to avoid learner apathy and/or distraction.

The last step is to export the video as a standalone file or directly into Camtasia.

Here's the AI video I created with both Camtasia and Audiate.

If you're looking for Camtasia training or mentoring, I've got you covered with vILT and more. Here's a link to learn more about Camtasia Audiate: https://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/audiate/.

August 29, 2024

Articulate Storyline 360: Rescue Corrupt Projects

When I teach my vILT Storyline 360 classes, I tell my students to avoid editing the project file over a network drive. Because Storyline projects are a package of assets, those assets can get lost when the project is opened and edited over a network. To avoid the possibility of a corrupt project, always edit the .story files locally (on your local drive) and back up the project files to a network drive. (Or use the backup feature available when you publish to Articulate Review 360.)

I frequently hear from Storyline developers who either didn't know about the network issue, forgot, or IT requires developers to work off the network. Sooner or later, this message will appear when attempting to open the corrupt project:

If you receive the message above, the file is likely corrupt, and there is little you can do to fix it. However, all is not lost. It is possible that an earlier version of your project is on your local drive. Here's how you can save the day.

Open your hard drive in Windows Explorer
Open Users > your user name
Select the View tab and, from the Show/hide group, enable Hidden Files
Open the AppData folder
Open the Roaming folder
Open the Articulate folder
Open the Storyline folder
Scan the contents of Storyline folder for a tmp file that starts with the name of the corrupt project.
Copy the newest version of the tmp file to your desktop
Change the file extension of the copy on your desktop from .tmp to .story.
Double-click the .story file to open it in Storyline.

Stay off that network, and all will be right with the world!

August 21, 2024

Adobe RoboHelp: Consistent Image Sizes

I recently had a student from one of my vILT RoboHelp classes ask how they could quickly control the size of multiple images for an entire project. Her supervisor wanted several images displayed at 50% of their original height and width.

This is a reasonably simple task via CSS.

To begin, open the assets folder and open your project CSS. In the example below, I opened the default css that comes with every new RoboHelp project.

Create a New Style.

In the Class area, type a name. In the example below, I've named my new style Images. Note that the same name will automatically be added to the Selector area.

Click the Done button.

With the new style open, open the Layout category. Because my student wanted the images 50% smaller than the original, I set the Height and Width to 50%.

Save the project.

Open a topic with an image or import an image into a topic.

At the far right of the RoboHelp window, click Styles.

Select the image in the topic and click your Images style from the list of styles.

Use the style on as many images throughout the project as appropriate.

To change the size of the images using the Images style, go back to the CSS file and edit the Images styles. After saving the CSS file, all images using the Images style will instantly update.

August 4, 2024

Adobe RoboHelp: Creating a TOC for Word and PDF Output

You can easily include a TOC for your RoboHelp online output by opening the default TOC and adding sections and pages as needed. The TOC works fine when you output Frameless or HTML5 content. However, if you output Word or PDF content, the default TOC will not work. What's the deal?

There are two types of TOC available in RoboHelp: Online and Book. The default TOC is an online TOC and only works with online output (Frameless, HTML5). If you want to output a Word doc or a PDF and include a TOC, you must create a Book TOC and add the TOC as "front matter."

Here's how to create a TOC for Word and/or PDF output and add the required front matter:

Select Table of Contents from the list of categories at the left of the Author tab.

Click the New Table of Contents icon.

In the New Table of Contents dialog box, select Book TOC and then click the Done button.

Add sections and pages to the TOC as you would normally do.

From the top of the new TOC, click the Insert Front Matter icon and choose TOC page.

Select the Output tab, select Output Presets, and then click the New Preset icon.

Choose Word from the Type drop-down menu, give the layout an appropriate name, and click the Done button.

With the Word preset open, specify an output path.

On the Contents tab, select your Book TOC from the Table of Contents drop-down menu.

Save the project and then output the Word content.

You will likely see two Word alerts. The first one allows Word to create the TOC from the RoboHelp project. Click Yes.

The second alert allows you to ensure the entire TOC is accurate. Select Update entire table and then click OK.

The TOC is added to the Word output.

Are you looking for RoboHelp training or mentoring? We've got you covered.

August 1, 2024

Adobe Captivate: Slide Video vs. Video

When adding media blocks to an Adobe Captivate version 12.3 project, you have two options: Slide Video and Video. You can go with one or the other, but you cannot add both to a slide.

So when should you choose Slide Video vs Video?

Go with Slide Video if you only need one video on the slide. The video will play automatically for learners based on when you set it to appear on the Timeline.

Insert a Video if you need one to three videos on the slide. The videos will not play automatically when you go with the Video option. Learners must start the videos by clicking a play icon on the video's player.

Are you looking for Captivate training or mentoring? We've got you covered with live training, recorded training, and one-on-one mentoring.