# Creating custom caption styles

You can create custom caption styles for your Captivate movies with a graphics program, such as Macromedia Fireworks or Adobe Photoshop.

Custom captions must be in BMP (bitmap) format. In general, each Captivate caption has five associated bitmap images.

### Naming custom caption styles

When creating custom caption styles, be sure to follow the correct naming conventions. Each caption style has a unique name, and you must use this name at the beginning of each associated bitmap filename. For example, if you create a new caption style named "Brightblue," the five bitmap images that constitute the new style should be named as follows:

- Brightblue1.bmp—an image with no callouts

- Brightblue2.bmp—an image with a callout to the right or upper right

- Brightblue3.bmp—an image with a callout to the left or upper left

- Brightblue4.bmp—an image with a callout to the lower right

- Brightblue5.bmp—an image with a callout to the lower left

### Storing custom caption styles

You must store all of the bitmap images for a custom caption style in the Captivate Captions folder (located in: C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Captivate\Gallery\Captions). After you add the five new bitmaps to the captions folder, Captivate recognizes the bitmap files as a new caption style. The next time you add a new caption, your new custom style appears in the caption style list, so you can easily select and use the new style.

### Text alignment on custom captions

Sometimes text on custom captions can appear out of alignment. To solve this problem, you must set the left, right, top, and bottom margins. (Procedure)

Each of the five caption styles requires different margin settings because text appears at slightly different places on each caption.

The margin settings are stored in a text file with the extension .fcm. You can use Notepad or WordPad to create or edit FCM files.

#### To change text alignment on a custom caption:

1. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Captivate\Gallery\Captions. All of the caption BMP and corresponding FCM files are located in this folder.

2. Right-click the exact FCM file you need to edit, and select Open with.

3. Select Notepad or WordPad.

4. Edit the following values as necessary:

5. Left Margin is the number of pixels from the left side of the bitmap.

6. Right Margin is the number of pixels from the right side of the bitmap.

7. Top Margin is the number of pixels from the top of the bitmap.

8. Bottom Margin is the number ofpixels from the bottom of the bitmap.

Note: The other settings in the FCM file (that is, Enabled, Corner, MarginX, and Margin Y) do not need to be edited.

5. From the File menu, select Save.

6. A dialog box appears, asking if you want to replace the original file. Click Yes.

7. Close the program (Notepad or WordPad).

### Design tips for custom captions

- Colors: The colors in the caption should not be the same color as the transparent color. The transparent color is determined by the upper left pixel. For example, if the color in the upper left pixel is yellow, everything that is the same color yellow will be transparent in the caption. Also, the caption itself can have a gradient background, but the area around ("behind") the caption, must be a solid color.

- Anti-alias: Do not anti-alias the edges of your captions. Your captions will appear on different screen shots, and the anti-alias might cause a jagged halo effect on some screen shots.