# Adding captions

You can used captions to "talk" to users or to point out specific items on a slide. It is easy to add a caption to a slide and to edit the caption so it looks exactly the way you want.

#### To add a caption:

1. Open a Captivate movie.

2. Double-click on the slide to which you want to add a caption.

3. From the Insert menu, select Text Caption.

The Caption Properties dialog box appears.

4. On the Text Caption tab, set the following properties:

   Caption type: Click the drop-down arrow to select a caption type. Each caption type is named and a small thumbnail image shows what the caption looks like.

   Font: Click the drop-down arrow to select a font for the caption.

   Size: Click the drop-down arrow to select a font size for the caption text.

   Color: Click the color box to select a font color for the caption text.

   Caption style: Click one of the five caption types. Many of the caption styles contain captions with directional callouts so you can select a caption that points in the most appropriate direction.

   Display options: If you want, set additional display options such as bold, italic, or underlined text, and text justification.

   Type caption text here: Enter the caption text exactly as you want it to appear.

   Apply properties to all captions in the movie: Select this option to apply the changes you made on this tab to all captions in the movie. Properties applied to all captions are caption style, font type, font size, font color, and transition. Text and text properties (bold, center, and so on) and display time are not applied to all captions, but remain as set for each individual caption.

5. Click the Options tab and set the following options:

   ### Timing

   Display time [#] seconds: Specify the total number of seconds the caption should appear.

   Appear after [#] seconds: Specify the number of seconds that should pass before the caption appears on the slide.

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

   ### Transition

   Effect: Click the drop-down arrow and select a transition effect for the caption. Select a fade in or fade out option, or select No transition.

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

6. If you want to add audio
   to the caption, click the Audio tab.

7. When you finish, click OK.

The caption appears on the slide.

8. Size and drag the caption as you like.

Tip: If you add a transparent caption, avoid using bold text. Regular text appears clearer than bold text on most monitors.