Adobe Captivate uses a default set of preferences for panning and other settings when recording or creating projects. You can customize these preferences using the various options available in the Preferences dialog box.
Panning
Use panning when you want the recording window to follow the movement of your mouse pointer across the screen. Panning helps you capture events across a large screen even when the recording window is smaller than the size of the screen.
The following panning options are available in Adobe Captivate:
- Automatic Panning
- The recording window automatically moves along with the pointer whenever you move the mouse during recording.
- Manual Panning
- You must manually move the recording window to the area where the next event takes place. In all other respects, It is like the automatic panning option.
Set global recording preferences
Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). In the Preferences dialog box, select Settings from the Recording menu.
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
Narration |
Records audio as you record the project. You cannot enable camera sounds or keyboard tap sounds when you have chosen narration for a project. |
Actions in real time |
Record actions using their actual speed. |
Camera sounds |
A “camera shutter” sound is played whenever a screenshot is captured during recording. It is helpful to turn on this sound so you know exactly when a screenshot is captured, especially when using the autorecording feature. The camera sound is not included in the finished project. |
Keystrokes |
Records keyboard actions like typing text on the screen. Adobe Captivate records keyboard input, but does not create a slide for every character that is typed. |
Hear keyboard tap sounds |
Determines whether keyboard press sounds are audible during recording. The keyboard press sounds are not included in the finished project. |
Recording Window |
The red border of the recording window is not displayed during recording. |
Task Icon |
Hides the task icon during recording. This option is available only on Windows. |
System Tray Icon |
Hides the system tray icon during recording. This icon is the small Adobe Captivate icon that is displayed in the system tray in the lower-right corner of the computer screen. Use this option if you do not want to record the icon when recording the project. |
Move new windows inside recording area |
Adobe Captivate automatically moves any new window during recording into the recording window. Use this option when recording an application in which many dialog boxes open as you use the application. |
Drag and drop actions |
Adobe Captivate switches automatically to video mode when recording drag-and-drop actions. |
Mouse Wheel Actions |
Adobe Captivate switches automatically to video mode when recording mouse movements. |
Set video recording preferences
Adobe Captivate automatically captures some actions in the video mode during autorecording. You can choose to disable this feature in the Preferences dialog box. You can also set options to optimize the size of the video SWF file and set the color mode for the video file.
Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). In the Preferences dialog box, select Video Demo from the Recording menu.
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
Show mouse in Video Demo Mode |
Displays mouse movements when the video is played. |
Working folder |
Location of the generated temporary video file on your computer. |
Change keyboard shortcuts for recording
Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS).
In the Preferences dialog box, select Keys - (Global) from the Recording menu.
Click inside the field that you want to change.
Type the keyboard shortcut.
Set Preferences for the different modes
Some of the options for recording modes are disabled in Adobe Captivate. The reason for disabling the options is based on the logic for recording in that mode. However, you can still enable some of the options if you have a special requirement.
Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS).
In the Preferences dialog box, select Modes from the Recording menu.
In the Mode menu, select the recording mode you want to customize. Then, choose the objects you want to be inserted automatically during recording:
Option |
Description |
|---|---|
Add Text Captions |
Automatically creates captions based on user and system actions performed during autorecording. The text captions use the labels in the application to describe a step. For example, if the user clicks File in the menu bar, a text caption with the text, “Select the File menu” is created automatically. |
Convert Tool Tips To Rollover Captions |
Automatically converts any tool tips on the screens you are capturing to rollover captions. Tool tips are small floating text windows that appear when the mouse hovers over buttons. This option is not selected by default for any of the recording modes. |
Use Smart Shapes Instead of Captions |
Inserts the specified smart shape for captions. |
Show Mouse Location And Movement |
Displays mouse movements during autorecording. |
Add highlight boxes on click |
Automatically adds a highlight box around the area where the mouse is clicked. |
Add Click Boxes On Mouse Click |
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Automatically Add Text Entry Boxes For Text fields |
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Change recording defaults for objects
Adobe Captivate uses a default set of styles when inserting objects such as text captions and highlight boxes during recording. You can change these default settings using the Preferences dialog box.
Select Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Captivate > Preferences (Mac OS). In the Preferences dialog box, select Defaults from the Recording menu. Change the styles for the objects as required.
To create a new object style, click Create New Style and create a new style in the Object Style Manager.
