Changing Slide image after a motion record

[JimiZach]

Ok So here is the deal. I setup to record a demonstartion. After Captivate records a motion record e.g., me scrolling the windown down, The slide after, is an image of the window before I was scrolling. So it looks like I scroll down and then the screen jumps back to the top of the page. This is happening everytime there is a motion record or I scroll in the window. I would just delete the slide but it has the mouse movement on it. After the mouse clicks the next slide jump to the correct image of the window after the scroll. Does that make sense. Any idea on how to fix this. I just upgraded from Captivate 1 to 3.

[Captiv8r]

Hi again

I would just delete the slide but it has the mouse movement on it.

Keep in mind that mouse movement is simply a slide attribute. You are able to change where the mouse stops on the slide after if you need to.

Cheers... Rick

[JimiZach]

Sorry I guess I wasn't completely clear. On the slide after the scroll you should see the mouse moving and then clicking a drop box. However since the slide after the scroll is an image of the window before the scroll, you see the mouse moving to click a drop box but it is on the top of the browser page not the bottom. It should be the bottom because I scrolled down. once the mouse clicks, on the wrong part of the page, the slide jumps to the correct part of the window but the drop box is already down. I have no slide before the drop box is clicked. Sounds really confusion I wish I could show you what it looks like. does that make any more sense?

[Captiv8r]

Hi again

Okay, I think I have it. Naturally, fixing things up after recording has been done is always more difficult and involved than just having it as part of the recording, no?

So here's the deal. When you are recording, after a full motion segment, make sure you have the screen appearing as you want and tap the print screen key to force Captivate to grab the screen. Then proceed.

For now, one thing you may wish to do is to use something like SnagIt to capture the area being clicked in the state before the drop down. Then paste that area on the slide as an Image. Position it accurately, then right-click and merge it into the background to update the background image so it looks proper.

Just a thought... Rick

[JimiZach]

Ya thats what I was thinking is my only other option and tried that and is plays "ok". Just makes me not very excited about the upgrade to 3 since I never had this issue with Captivate 1 and would have never upgraded if I knew. However, I take it this is not a glitch and most users do not experience this? Maybe I will try to reinstall. Because if I have to do this everytime I scroll in a window, that is just annoying and I won't use it. I really do appreciate your help though and extremely fast response. Sorry that is why I posted twice didn't realize I would have this kind of turn around time. lol Thanks again.

[Captiv8r]

HI JimiZach

I'm guessing you didn't download and test the eval?

Cheers... Rick

[JimiZach]

You mean use on the trial before purchase? Well no the decision was already made by the powers that be to purchase it lol, so I guess no real skin off my back. I am on the trial now just waiting for the discs to arrive. Just couldn't imagine the software would come out with such a major flaw that was not previously there. I mean the main purpose for Capitvate more or less main is to record your screen as you see it, and for me it is not. Are you saying a lot of people having this issue with 3? Just feel like something else is wrong, I would say user error, and that is what I expected, but I have used Captivate for a while with no issues and loving the software. Sorry kind of venting a bit. lol

[Newsgroup_User]

> Are you saying a
> lot of people having this issue with 3?

The issue you describe is one of several I have had with both Captivate 2
and 3, where the capture is less than perfect. It costs me a lot of time
fixing these things, as the projects I work with are created by others and
passed me for clean-up and delivery.

Don't get me wrong - Captivate does a fantastic job, but weird capture
features are tarnishing its value.

Maybe the next version will fix things :-)

Steve

[Cazzamau]

Hi
I'm still using version 1 and am experiencing similar problems when trying to animate a web-based (drupal) application. I thought it might be to do with the pauses between a click action and the resultant part of the page appearing. I also hoped that upgrading might fix it. Seems not.

I've tried using MadCap Mimic (latest version) and have the same problem. However, in Mimic you can copy and paste mouse trajectories to different slides, so can move them (and all the other relevant boxes/dialogs) across to the next slide. Am I correct in saying that you can't copy and paste mouse trajectories in Captivate?

[Captiv8r]

Hi Cazzamau and welcome to our community

You are correct in saying that mouse movements cannot be copied and pasted. The way Captivate works, the mouse movements are simply slide attributes. So... in a sense, the same things can be accomplished. Just in a different way. You insert a slide and may then enable mouse movement. From there, you configure where the mouse should stop. (Start point is determined by where it stopped on the slide before).

Hopefully that helps some... Rick

[CatBandit]

Hi JimiZach, Mr. Howard, Captiv8r, Cazzamau, and others,

The original reported problem was with the static slide before or after a dynamic (full-motion, or *FM*) slide, in that it does not *transition* into or out of the full-motion activity. If I am correctly reading the problem, this is nearly always easily fixed - or more accurately, avoided.

Let's assume a scrolling action is going to trigger a FM capture during your recording. You know exactly when this will occur because it is a part of your storyboarding (design considerations prior to recording), right? So ... build the following into that storyboard, aka recording script.

Immediately prior to the scrolling action, move the mouse to the point you want to begin the scroll; carefully bring the mouse to a smooth stop, then press PRTSCR (or its substitute) to force a screen capture with the mouse stationary at the *beginning* position.

After you hear the camera sound or see the tray icon *red flash* to indicate a successful screen capture, immediately begin - and complete - your SMOOTH scrolling action. It is very important that you not jump or jerk at this point. If you are under 18 years old you are probably used to moving the mouse at the speed of light, so you might even want to have an older person do this part for you. (C'mon, that was funny...)

Immediately after the dynamic action is completed - and before moving the mouse even a tiny fraction of an inch - press PRTSCR once more, to force capture of a static slide - with the mouse in the exact position it occupied at the end of the scrolling or other dynamic action.

If you train yourself to do this every time there is to be a dynamic action in your movies, I think your problems will be eliminated, or at the least, decreased a considerable amount.

Hope this helps in the future, even if it is not much comfort for problems that already exist.

regards~
Larry