Tag: elearning development

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Upgrade to the New Adobe Captivate: Reuse Your Captivate Classic Projects Without Rebuilds

Comparison of Classic Captivate 2019 and New Captivate interfaces showing faster progress and time saved.

You’ve already built the project. The question is: can you use it in Captivate 13.1 without rebuilding everything?

The short answer: yes—but expect some cleanup.

If you’re importing Adobe Captivate Classic (CpC) projects into Captivate 13.1, two things will almost always need your attention: click boxes and fonts. Handle those correctly, and you’ll save hours (or days) of redevelopment.

What to Expect During Import

The import process itself is straightforward. Open Captivate 13.1 and import your CpC project.

Here’s what typically comes through without issue:

  • Slide structure
  • Images and most visual assets
  • Text content (though not always styled correctly)

Where things get challenging is interactivity and formatting.

Fix #1: Replacing Click Box Functionality

Click boxes don’t translate cleanly into Captivate 13.1. After import, you may notice:

  • Interactions that no longer respond
  • Navigation that’s broken
  • Invisible or non-functional clickable areas

The Fix

Rebuild those interactions using supported objects:

  • Replace click boxes with buttons or interactive components
  • Reassign actions (Next Slide, Jump to Slide, Show/Hide, etc.)
  • Reconnect any logic tied to the original interaction

This step is manual, but it’s also a chance to simplify and modernize your design.

Fix #2: Updating Fonts Project-Wide

Font issues are common after import and can make your project look inconsistent.

What You’ll See

  • Fonts that don’t work as expected
  • Mismatched text styles
  • Layout shifts caused by font changes

The Fix

Update fonts globally instead of slide by slide:

  • Select a standard font for the project
  • Apply it across all slides
  • Review headings, captions, and interactive text for consistency

A quick global update can dramatically improve the final look.

Want to see the process?

Here’s a YouTube video that demonstrates the import process from Adobe Captivate Classic to Adobe Captivate.

Bottom Line

You don’t need to rebuild your Captivate Classic projects from scratch—but you do need a plan.

Focus on:

  • Replacing click box interactions
  • Standardizing fonts

Do that, and your legacy content can transition cleanly into Captivate 13.1.

Ready to Work Faster in Captivate?

If you’re using Captivate regularly, hands-on training can dramatically shorten your development time and improve your output.

👉 Explore Adobe Captivate training from IconLogic:
https://www.iconlogic.com/instructor-led-training/software-title/captivate.html

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ADOBE CAPTIVATE 2019: Copy/Paste Appearance
I've long trumpeted the benefits of using Object Styles in Adobe Captivate. However, there may be times when you don't want to work with styles but still want to quickly apply an object's formatting to other objects. In that case, you'll love Captivate's copy and paste appearance feature.
 
Before I show you how to use the copy/paste appearance feature, let me review Object Styles (using styles is truly the most efficient way to work in Captivate). If you'd like to follow along with the steps below, create a blank project in Captivate 2019 (update 11.5) and draw a few shapes similar to the image below.
 
 
On the Properties Inspector, notice that the shapes are all using the Default Smart Shape Style.
 
 
Using the Properties Inspector, change the appearance of one of your shapes (for instance, change the fill color).
 
 
On the Properties Inspector, notice the plus sign to the left of the style name. The plus sign indicates a formatting override. The change you made to the object is not part of the object style and the formatting was not applied to any other objects using the same style.
 
To update the style, go to the menu across from Style Name on the inspector and choose Save changes to Existing style.
 
 
Every object on every slide using the style gets updated instantly. That's cool stuff. However, if you want to format multiple objects and you don't want to use Object Styles, this next technique is for you.
 
Select and format a shape (use the Properties inspector to change the fill, color, stroke, etc).
 
 
Select the shape you just formatted and choose Edit > Copy Appearance (or right-click and choose Copy Appearance).
 
 
Select another shape and choose Edit > Paste Appearance (or right-click and choose Paste Appearance).
 
The selected shape is instantly formatted to match the previous object. You can use this technique to format multiple slide objects, even across project slides. If you'd like to see a video demo of this process, you'll find it on my YouTube channel.
 
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Looking for Captivate training? Check out these live, instructor-led classes.
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Kevin Siegel is the founder and president of IconLogic, Inc. He has written hundreds of step-by-step computer training books on applications such as Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Adobe RoboHelp, Adobe Presenter, and TechSmith Camtasia. Kevin spent five years in the U.S. Coast Guard as an award-winning photojournalist and has three decades’ experience as a trainer, publisher, technical writer, and eLearning developer. Kevin is a Certified Master Trainer (CMT), Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+), Certified Online Professional Trainer (COTP), and a frequent speaker at trade shows and conventions.