Adding images

Images can add a new dimension to Captivate movies. There are a variety of ways to incorporate images into projects including using them as logos, splash screens, pointers, backgrounds, buttons, and more. (This topic provides instructions for adding an image to a slide–if you would like to add a large image as an actual slide, see Inserting images as slides.)

Tip: Captivate contains a gallery that has buttons, sounds, and animations (in SWF format) for you to use in your projects. By default, the gallery is stored in the following location when you install Captivate: C:\Program Files\Macromedia\Captivate\Gallery.

To add an image:

  1. Open a Captivate movie.

  2. In Storyboard view, double-click the slide to which you want to add an image.

  3. From the Insert menu, select Image.

The Open dialog box appears.

  1. Select an image from the list or browse to a new location for a different image. Click Open.

The New image dialog box appears.

  1. Set properties and options as required:

  2. Image tab

    Transparency: This option defines the transparent quality of the image file. Select a value between 0-100% with a low number resulting in a very dim version of the image and a higher number displaying a brighter image.

    Transparent background: This option lets you define non-rectangular images by making their background color transparent. For example, you can add round buttons to a Captivate movie using this option.

    Preview: Displays the image. If you make changes, such as edited the transparency number, the preview will reflect the changes.

    Reset to original size: Select this option to revert back to the original size of the image.

    Change image: Select this option to display the Open dialog box and navigate to a different image. Select a new image, click OK, and the new image is added to your slide. This feature can be useful if you are testing different formats of the same image (e.g., GIF, JPEG, or BMP) to see which one looks best on the slide.

    Apply properties to all image boxes on all slides: Select this option to apply the changes you made on this tab to all the images in the movie.

  3. Options tab

    Display time [#] seconds: Specifies an exact amount of time, in seconds, for the image to appear.

    Appear after [#] seconds: Displays the image after the slide has been displayed for the selected number of seconds.

    Display for rest of movie: Select this option to display the image on this slide and keep displaying the image until the end of the movie.

    Effect: Use the drop-down box to select a transition effect for the image (e.g., Fade in only or No Transition).

    In [#] seconds: Specifies the amount of time for the image to fully fade into view.

    Out [#] seconds: Specifies the amount of time for the image to completely disappear from view.

    Apply effect to all image boxes in the movie: Select this option to apply the changes you made on this tab to all images in the movie.

  4. Audio tab

    : Click to play the audio file.

    : Click to stop playing the audio file.

    : Click to remove the audio file from the image.

    Edit: Displays the Edit Audio dialog box. This dialog box lets you edit the audio file in a variety of ways, such as inserting silent periods and adjusting the volume.

    Audio: Displays the name of the audio file, if any, associated with the image.

    Record new: Click to open the Record Audio dialog box. (Recording audio requires some basic equipment.)

    Import: Displays the Import Audio dialog box. This dialog box lets you browse to an audio file and import it.

    Select Existing: Click to open the Audio Library. The Audio Library lists all audio files that are already part of the currently open Captivate movie.

    Fade in [#] seconds: Specifies the number of seconds for the audio to fade in to full volume.

    Fade out [#] seconds: Specifies the number of seconds for audio to fade out to silence.

  1. Click OK.

Tip: You can create a watermark image using a transparency trick. Just insert an image and set the transparency to 50%. This works very well with many company logos.

Related Topics