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T
this is nuts
New Participant
February 5, 2014
Question

Captivate doesn't import animations with PowerPoint?

  • February 5, 2014
  • 5 replies
  • 8609 views

I just started using Captivate 7 (on a Mac with OS 10.9) and when I opened a new project from a PowerPoint presentation (Microsoft Office 365 2011 for Mac) the content on the Captivate slides is incomplete.  Text and images are missing from many of the slides.  If I eliminate any effects, such as builds or text color changes, the slides import just fine.  But Captivate 7 is supposed to support those effects.  How do I fix this?

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5 replies

amcquade
amcquade
New Participant
August 6, 2014

I'm trialling Captivate 8 on a mac and the jury is definitely out. There seems to be a big gap between whet Adobe say it can do, and what it can actually do. I am trying to figure out the best way to import animations/builds from powerpoint and map them to audio. I'm using the method outlined above by rita6130 (thanks for that) but it seems a little long winded compared to the likes of articulate and even the old adobe connect. can anyone confirm if this workaround is this still the best way to time builds to audio when importing from powerpoint? It seems very protracted for such an expensive product. It would also be great to know if there's a tutorial on timing builds to audio. I notice over 1200 people have looked at this thread so it must be a massive issue for users. I would bet that many e-learning designers use powerpoint as their base and need a publishing product that fits neatly with it. This is not neat its very clunky compared to articulate.

RodWard
RodWard
Community Expert
August 7, 2014

The reality is that the whole PowerPoint import thing is NOT the ideal way to build e-learning with Captivate.  The import process does NOT convert the PPT objects into equivalent Captivate objects which you can then drag around on the timeline to synch with audio easily.

Using PPT as your content starting point forces you into that convoluted workflow where you have to keep going back into PPT's editing environment to change timing.

If you REALLY want to leverage the power that Captivate has, your developers need to bite the bullet and learn to create their content from the ground up in Captivate.  It has far fewer limitations that way.

sapphiregraphics1
sapphiregraphics1
Known Participant
February 11, 2014

Is upgrading out of the question? Perhaps you should load the trial version of Captivate 7 and see if it does a better job. (I'd try it on a Windows box if I were you.) I've been quite happy with the way Captivate 7 (Windows) converts the PowerPoint animations so far.

A
azvlr
Participating Frequently
February 11, 2014

As far as I know I'm using 6.01, so that is making a bit more sense. I will try calling them again. Thank you, Rod for clearing some things up.

A
azvlr
Participating Frequently
February 10, 2014

I am having the same issue. I created a Powerpoint presentation with some animations that took a long time to set up. I have selected High Fidelity and Linked when I initially created the Captivate file. But, in Captivate, my animations just run with a mind of their own. I don't have any options anywhere to adjust the timing of when they appear. Very frustrated that it is this complicated and I'm on a deadline. Please help!!!

    Captiv8r
    Captiv8r
    Brainiac
    February 10, 2014

    Hi there

    If the animation timing is crucial to the success, you may wish to simply configure Captivate to record a video demo and have it record the PPT as it plays,

    Short of that, you will likely find yourself very frustrated with Captivate as it works with imported content.

    Cheers... Rick

    A
    azvlr
    Participating Frequently
    February 10, 2014

    Thanks for the speedy reply, Rick. Perhaps I'm confused about something. If I record a video demonstration, what will happen when my learners get to the quiz portion of the lesson. How will they be able to interact? The quiz interaction is absolutely key to this project.

    rita6130
    rita6130
    Inspiring
    February 5, 2014

    I am using Captivate 6 and I have no issues with bringing in animations from power point.  I do not use "High Fidelity" and my animations time out great. 

    Here is my process: 

    I add the animation in power point

    Then import the presentation into Captivate 

    Then I record the audio so I know the timing of the animation

    I edit the audio as needed

    Then I note when I want the items to animate with the audio

    With the timings I go back to power point and add them in to the animations under timings.  It is important to mark them with previous or they don't come in correctly

    Then I use update to bring the animation timings back into Captivate

    I have never had an issue with missing text or graphics so I can't help there.

      sapphiregraphics1
      sapphiregraphics1
      Known Participant
      February 5, 2014

      I'm not sure if it works exactly the same on Mac, but on PC's you have to select "High Fidelity" before you import from the "Convert Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations" screen, otherwise the animations don't come across. Have you tried that yet?

      T
      this is nutsAuthor
      New Participant
      February 5, 2014

      Thank you for the suggestion but I don't have the "High Fidelity" option in my "Convert Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation" screen.  The only option I see is whether or not I want to link the Captivate presentation to the PowerPoint file or embed it.

      rita6130
      rita6130
      Inspiring
      February 5, 2014

      You  might need to make sure it is linked and that it advances automatically.  By default on mouse click is set on.  Change that setting on import and you won't have to click to animate the slide.

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