Recording audio while creating a movie

Captivate lets you record an audio track at the same time you record a new Captivate movie. This can be a very efficient way to create a full-featured movie quickly.

In the process below, the steps explain how to record audio while creating a Captivate movie about an application. The process is similar if you create a Custom size or Full screen Captivate movie.

To record audio and a new Captivate movie at the same time:

  1. Open the application you want to record. (You must do this before recording.)

  2. Prepare your recording equipment. If necessary, see Equipment for recording audio and Recording audio tips.

  3. Open Captivate.

  4. On the Start Page, click Record or create a new movie.  

The New movie options dialog box appears.

  1. Select Application and click OK.

The Recording window appears.

  1. In the Record specific window pop-up menu, select the application to record.

  2. Select Record narration.

  3. (Optional) Click Options to set a wide variety of recording options, including the capability to automatically capture screen shots and automatically generate text captions.

  4. (Optional) If necessary, change the size and position of the window. You can resize the window by selecting one of the sizing handles on the red frame and dragging it. To change the location of the window, move the mouse over the red frame until a four-point arrow appears, and then drag the entire window to a new position. You can also click Snap red recording area to fit select window to quickly change the size of the recording area to match the size of the application.

  1. When you finish setting options, click Record.

If this is the first time you are recording audio, a dialog box appears asking if you would like to test audio levels. Click Yes to calibrate the recording device for optimal recording. Follow the instructions and when you finish, click OK.

  1. Captivate begins recording the onscreen action.

Use the application as if you were demonstrating your actions to someone. If you have sound enabled on your computer and the option is activated, you will hear a camera shutter sound when screen shots are captured.

Note: When recording an onscreen action, it is best to perform the action more slowly than you would normally. For example, if you are recording keyboard action, type text in slowly.

  1. When you finish recording, press the End key (or other designated key) to end recording.

The slides are generated and your new movie appears in Storyboard view. The audio files you recorded are assigned to the correct slide and saved as individual MP3 files. You can view the files in the Audio Library.

Tip: If you need to pause recording, press the Pause/Break key. To restart recording, press the Pause/Break key again.

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