The Logical Blog

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.

June 4, 2024

TechSmith Camtasia: 2024 Version Now Available

TechSmith rolled out Camtasia 2024 today, and our step-by-step book, "TechSmith Camtasia 2024: The Essentials" is not far behind.

New in Camtasia 2024:

A new recording engine for higher frame rate and resolution screen captures
AI-powered dynamic captions. (I saw a demonstration of this, and it's a very cool feature. Powered by AI, every word onscreen can automatically be highlighted as spoken. Meaning, no manually creating closed captions… no importing SRT files.)
New effects
New filters
New transitions
More integrated assets featuring more than 100 million royalty-free images, videos, and audio files

TechSmith also announced three product plans: Camtasia Essentials, Camtasia Create, and Camtasia Pro. The product plans include Camtasia’s AI-assisted Rev, simplifying and speeding up video creation through quick layout and design choices.

“The updates to Camtasia 2024 are focused on further reducing the friction of the editing process and empowering users to unleash their creativity and go beyond what they thought possible with a video editor,” said Tony Lambert, CTO of TechSmith. “As we continue incorporating advanced AI into Camtasia to achieve this, our new product plans are designed to provide customers with the most cost-effective way to select our breadth of new features based on their unique creative needs.”

If you need Camtasia support, training, or mentoring, we've got you covered.

May 30, 2024

Articulate Storyline 360: May 2024 Update Makes 64-Bit Storyline the Default

With the May 2024 Storyline 360 update (Build 3.88.32474.0), the 64-bit version of Storyline 360 is now the default.

According to Jesse Taber, engineering manager for Storyline 360, "Storyline has traditionally been a 32-bit application. The primary difference between 32-bit and 64-bit applications is the amount of system memory they can use. In Windows, 32-bit applications can access, at most, 4GB of memory, while 64-bit applications can access far more memory than any modern consumer-grade PC can accommodate."

Taber went on to state that "The primary benefit of targeting 64-bit processor architecture is the ability to use more system memory. When Storyline 360 opens a project file, it loads it all into memory. Very large projects, particularly those with many rich media assets, can experience issues opening, saving, and publishing in the 32-bit version of Storyline 360. Projects like this should be much more stable in Storyline 360 x64."

"Aside from memory usage, most authors will likely see performance on par with the 32-bit version of Storyline 360. While performance improvements were not a primary driver for creating Storyline 360 x64, we plan to invest more directly in performance improvements going forward," said Taber.

To install the update, start the Articulate 360 app, click the drop-down menu to the right of Storyline 360, and choose Install Update.

If the 64-bit version isn't working, you can easily restore access to the 32-bit version via the Articulate 360 preferences. Open the Articulate 360 desktop app, click the drop-down arrow in the upper right corner, and choose Preferences.

From the Legacy Access area, select Restore 32-bit Storyline 360 and then click the Save button.

May 16, 2024

Articulate Storyline 360: Cloud Backups

Back up. Seriously, back up!

Sorry, I mean backup… as in, back up your projects.

During my Articulate Storyline 360 training vILT classes, I stressed the importance of backup projects. While I love Storyline, projects can get corrupt like any other program. You'll breathe a bit easier if you have a recent project backup. The problem with backups is remembering to create them and/or ensuring the backup is on an external or network drive (it does not do you much good if your backup project is on your hard drive and that drive goes bad… say goodbye to your project and your backup).

Articulate Storyline 360 now offers you free cloud project backups.

To begin, Publish the project and select Review 360.

From the bottom of the Publish dialog box, select Upload project file to Review 360.

Click the Publish button to upload a backup copy of the project to the cloud.

Once the project has been published, click the View Project button.

You can download the cloud copy by selecting Current Version > Download Project File.

Looking for training or mentoring? I'm just an email away if you need help using Storyline 360 or Rise support.

May 6, 2024

Adobe Captivate 12.3: Image Editing Improvements

The 12.3 update Adobe made to Adobe Captivate now provides some helpful image editing features. You learn how to add images to a project early on the first day of my two-day Adobe Captivate training class,

Once you have added an image to a slide, you can change the image focus and crop it via a single screen. What I love about the editing enhancements is that you can see how the edit will appear in multiple views without first having to close the editing screen and preview it in the browser.

To change the image focus, select the Visual Properties panel.

To the right of the Image drop-down menu, click the Edit icon to open the Edit Image options.

From the Image Focus area, select an alignment.

The three previews at the right provide a helpful indication of how the edit will appear on multiple displays.

To crop a Captivate image, at the left side of the Edit image screen, drag one of the corner circles a few inches

The preview area will show you how the cropped image will appear in the different screen sizes.

When finished, click the Save button.

Note: Once you have Adobe Captivate 12 installed on your computer, updates are free. To get the 12.3 update, go to the Help menu and click Check for Updates.

Looking for training or mentoring? I'm just an email away if you need help using Adobe Captivate or Adobe Captivate Classic.

April 25, 2024

Adobe Captivate 12.3: Hip hip hooray for Closed Caption Imports!

Closed captions support hearing-impaired learners by displaying text synchronized with the slide and/or video audio onscreen. Once the closed captions have been added to the Captivate project, learners click a CC button on the Playbar to display them.

On the first day of my two-day Adobe Captivate training class, I teach how to add closed captions to a project manually. This ability has existed in Captivate for years. What wasn't possible was importing the closed captions. I'm happy to report that in Captivate 12.3, you can now import caption files (SRT files). This awesome feature will save you hours of labor.

An SRT is a raw closed caption file containing the text from an audio or video file and the audio timing. Websites like REV (rev.com) allow you to upload audio and video files and receive downloadable SRT files for as little as $1.50 per minute of audio. You import the SRTs into Captivate, and, like magic, your captioning work is done.

Here is an example of an SRT that I added to a video in my project. Notice the time stamps that have been added to the file. You do not need to know how to add these time stamps; they are added automatically when the SRT file is created.

To import the SRT file, select a slide video, or if the audio has been added to the slide, click the Audio icon at the right of the Captivate window.

Click the Import Captions button, open the SRT file, and… you're done!

If you need Captivate support, help is just an email away.