Types of recording

[community_help]

This question was posted in response to the following article: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/captivate/cp/using/WSedb8e841cbc0b7967769476c127b80cac4c-8000.html

[Jörg_Wagner]

It would be very helpful to discuss the difference between "Record new Software Simularion" and "Record new Video Demo". AFAIS this is done nowhere in the manual.

[Lilybiri]

Jörg,

If you choose 'Record new Video Demo' you end up with a real video, which means 'no interactivity'. You can edit the video (limited to trimming, splitting, transitions, zooming/panning), add some objects like text captions, voice overs (if not recorded during capture), images but the user will only be able to watch, the way YouTube videos are watched in a passive way. The video will typically be published to MP4. Here is one of my examples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3nKi-DB6Fw&feature=plcphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3nKi-DB6Fw&feature=plcp

If you choose 'Record new Software Simulation', Automatic you have the choice to create a Demo, Training Simulation and/or Assessment Simulation. Custom option is also possible. Then the typical work flow of Captivate will start: creating static slides when something changes, adding interactivity (depending on the type of simulation of course) like places to click, indications, Success/Failure messages, places to type in text for the user. The Automatic way will switch to Full Motion Recording (not the same as video demo) when necessary: to show the movement of a mouse or to show Drag&Drop. It is now in Captivate 6 also possible to insert Video recording slides (like the video demo) in such a simulation, because that will result in a better video quality than the old FMR. The result of a Software simulation will normally NOT be a video, but a SWF or an interactive PDF or an EXE file. And this is interactive. I have no software simulations on my blog (although I create a lot of them) but here is an example of an interactive SWF:

http://lilybiri.posterous.com/playtime-with-audio-and-widgets

Another important difference is that editing static slides (in the Software Simulations) is a lot easier and has much more possibilities than the video editor offers for Video Demo.

I hope this explains a little bit better than the Help what is the goal for both. I prefer largely the Interactive Software Simulations, will even mostly use Training and/or Assessment simulations. Having the user 'do' something offers a better learning experience IMO (I'm a teacher since eons) than just watching. Same reason why I quit doing pure lectures without engaging students really, but switched to problem based learning whenever possible. But Video demo can be very useful when showing short 'How-to-do' workflows, and it allows me to publish some ideas on YouTube for other CP-users.

Lilybiri

[gem17]

Great response lilybiri!

[danks1]

I created a demonstration but I now need that same demonstration available in training mode. Is there a way, once the the recording is complete, that I can update the demonstration to training?

Thanks!

[Lilybiri]

Yes you can, but it is pretty much work. To see what you have to do, compare the settings for Demonstration mode and Training Simulation mode in Preferences, Recording, Modes.

Deleting the text captions, mouse objects is not that hard. But you have to replace all typing objects by TEB's and configure those - to me that is the toughest part. Then you have to add click boxes  where the highlight boxes are (with Hint/Failure captions).

Lilybiri

[nakana75]

Hi Lilybiri...I may be having a brain freeze here, but what are TEBs?  Thanks for the help!

[RodWard]

Text Entry Boxes