Ending multiple elements in timeline area all at same time

[Noel_Griffiths]

I am working with Captivate 4.

I often add multiple text boxes (for example) to a slide that start at different times but I need them all to disappear at exactly the same time.

The "sync with playhead (to appear)" is a nice option to ensure text boxes elements appear at the right time, but it is not so easy to get multiple text boxes elements lined so all disappear at the same time. It would be a nice feature if there was a "sync with playhead (to end)" that would align the end of each element in the timeline area with the playhead set at the point you want them to no longer be visible, to quickly/easily get accurate removal.

Meantime, I have tried increasing the view of the timeline area to maximum view, but even so, sometimes I find it virtually impossible to line up all the text box elements so they all end at exactly the same time. Some just flately refuse to line up at the same point of others.

Any ideas / thoughts / suggestions where I am going wrong?

Noel

England

[Captiv8r]

Hi Noel

I'm not sure what you are trying to accomplish, but one way to ensure things all end up at the same time is to configure them so they end when the slide ends. Basically you configure them to display for the rest of the slide. Then you would adjust the overall play time of the slide itself and their end points would self adjust. An easy way to do this would be to select one or more of the objects and press the keyboard shortcut of Ctrl+E (E is for "Extend").

Another cheesier approach would involve leaving the end times staggered and simply staging a Highlight box or an Image to appear and cover them all up at the time it appears. This would provide the illusion that they were all disappearing at once.

Cheers... Rick

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[Noel_Griffiths]

Hi Rick,

Let me explain a little more. For example I have a slide that is 60 seconds long.

5 secs in I add one text box, then another at 10 secs, then another at 15 secs.

All remain on the slide. Then at 20 secs I add a 4th (and last) text box which runs for 10 secs.

Now I want all 4 text boxes to disappear at the 30 sec mark....with the slide having 30 more secs to run for other items.

It is the lining up the "end" of all 4 text box elements in the timeline that is not always easy...

There is no option to tell the element to disappear at "30 secs", so only way is to "line them all up" with each other at the end point.

And that is where i have problems sometimes....

Noel

[Captiv8r]

Hi again

Okay, I understand. But I have to admit that 60 seconds is an incredibly long time for a single slide. I've never had a slide or a reason for a slide to be longer than maybe 10 seconds at the longest.

I'm thinking that for your situation the best approach would be to use the Highlight box to cover them up at the same time. This would allow you to stage them as close as you can from the ending point perspective, then as the Highlight box fades into view and totally covers them, they would then have the illusion that they were ending at identical times. Note that you would need to configure the Highlight box with 0% transparency, no border and make it match the slide background color.

Sometimes we have to consider creative approaches to odd problems.

Cheers... Rick

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[Noel_Griffiths]

Hi Rick, You do surprise me when you say a slide of 60 seconds is long.

FYI...I create a single slide recording of a page from our track/trace website which has a lot of information on it.

I then add and remove text boxes, callouts etc to explain the different applications etc on the single website page.

Of couse once I start to record "simulations", the slides are much shorter based on actual actions being taken, but to best explain a "home page" (for example)..working with a single screen shot and adding removing text boxes with audio is what I do quite a lot.

I do use the Highlight box 0% transparency a lot...but dont think it is better option in my situation here.

Thanks as always for great help/comments.

Noel

England.

[Lilybiri]

Hello,

Sorry to pop in, as a 'maths' lover. Why don't you do some simple calculations and time each Text Caption for this specific duration:

TC1 has to appear at 5sec and disappear at 30sec, so has to stay for 25sec

TC2 has to appear at 10 sec and disappear at 30sec, so has to stay for 20sec

etc

Hereby a screenshot of the Options for TC1

Lilybiri

[Noel_Griffiths]

Hi Lilybiri,

I do also use that option every so often...it just means spending that little bit longer on each slide, especially as start and end times are never on an exact full second, usually part of a second. I thought either I was missing the quick and easy way to do it (like as with sync with playhead to start things, there might have been an option to select all TC's and state the exact end time of all regardless of their starting time), or maybe someone had come up with a quick and easy workaround.

Thanks for your popping in...always good to hear another view.

Noel