Publish to Video Quality

[mojoriding]

Hi All,

Newbie to Captivate, but, loving the experience & learning curve:)

I am struggling with the video quality when publised to video in Captivate 2019, Mac. I want to show a software demonstration and when I record the software demonstration within captivate the quality is accceptable. However, when I use a HD quality MP4 via insert video in a slide and then publish to video the quality is not acceptable.

Within Captivate the file sizes seem resonable to me but the publish to video quality drops wth an external video.

Option 1 - Recorded in software demo:

• Captivate file size 40 MB
• Publishend to Video 15 MB
• Video image is clear

Option 2 - Insert video in slide, project rescales to desktop scale.

• Captivate file size 57 MB
• Publishend to Video 9 MB
• Video image is not clear for use.

Trying to re-purpose videos that have been created already and hopefully there is a fix. If not would have to re-shoot the video demos.

Thanks in advance

Mo

[Lilybiri]

One of the first changes i do when installing Captivate is setting to 32-bit under Preferences, Recording, Video Demo.  It is also valid for FMR slides (which will be converted to MP4) in Software Sim, Demonsration mode. It is not clear to me what you used at all. I never use the Software sim, demo mode anymore, always prefer Video Demo for better quality and edit possibilities in the Editor.

You want to keep the exisiting video. Maybe try to enhance its quality in the Adobe Media Encoder which is packaged with Captivate. 

[mojoriding]

Hi Lilybiri,

I was trying to use existing videos and, work with them. I will change the settings and re-run & record them within captivate as a video demo, hopefully I can edit them as I wanted.

Thanks, sure this route will work.

Regards Mo

[fremo101]

Hi

I am about to start a demo of our system and will publish it to MP4. It is much easier for me to capture as a simulation and add audio per slide and then publish to MP4. Is there any negative of building the project this way to recording it as a Vide Demo? Does it impact size, quality?

Please advise

[Lilybiri]

Quality of the video will be lower with a software sim in Demo mode. Moreover FMR slides, although converted to mp4 as well can lead to issues.  I understand it seems (and is) less time consuming with the slide-based approach but if quality is important, use Video Demo please. That is what I do. Or at least replace the FMR slides by cpvc slides, which is also a painful workflow.

[fremo101]

Thanks Lilybiri - If I do software simulation the video file size is more than double the size of recording as a video demo - talking the published mp4 - how so and is there a way to reduce the size of the mp4 without affecting the quality. Thank you

[Lilybiri]

Have see that in your original question but honestly, have no idea. One possible cause are the FMR slides which are converted to MP4? Do you have the same difference in output file size when you have a software demo where FMR slides are avoided?

[fremo101]

I did a test and recorded two exact sequences - no FMR in the simulation and a video demo and the file size of the simulation converted to video is double! 

[Lilybiri]

I never checked it, interesting obser';vation. May already have told so, but I never use Software sim, Demo mode when i want to publish to mp4. My reasons are the better quality, non-destructive editor and you now provided me with another rreason.

[fremo101]

Would a video playback error 0xc10100be be as a result of an FMR slide? 

Thanks

[Lilybiri]

It is for sure an error linked mostly to mp4 files. It could be because the conversion from FMR to MP4 is not working as wanted.  Something reported by several users, not however consistent. That is the reason I recommend to replace the FMRs by cpvc-slides. You could check, by hiding temporarily the FMR slides and see if you get the same error.

[fremo101]

I did exactly that and still get the error. I was speaking with Adobe Technical support today and they got me to change the layouts file in elearning Assets and ever since then I am getting the error. It seems to create a new layouts folder. They also got me to rename another file. Can you recommend anything else I can try? 

[Lilybiri]

Hmmm... deleting the Layouts means that they suspect the included Themes to be corrupted. By deleting that folder, a new copy from the Gallery will be installed. I wonder why this would solve a software sim error? Must have missed something, but I don't see the link because software sims use the Blank master slide, and have proprietary object styles. But mp4 problem?

Which was the other file or folder? Also in eLearning assets? 

[fremo101]

I cant see it now but it was marked 11.0 and I had to change it to 11.0.old. I dont know if the Support person understood what my issue was but now its caused this latest MP4 issue and it was publishing to video before so I cant work out what else I did. I did add a background music file but since deleted it - thinking that was the issue. 

[fremo101]

Lilybiri - I just published the same file to html5 to test it and got an error stating Manifest file not found. What is this?

[fremo101]

Maybe its the SCORM file. 

[Lilybiri]

Did you set up Reporting? Manifest file is needed when you publish to a SCO. But you wanted to publish to a mP4, why would you have set up Reporting?

You are on 11.5?  Since you are talking about 11_0, which was a folder in Public documents for that version. That folder has Sample projects, some tutorials and icons for the hotspots in 360 slides. Don't understand link with output to MP4 at all. 

[fremo101]

I was just testing the file would run as html5 on the LMS incase I cant get Video to work. Yes it may have been an 11.5 file I ahd to change to old. I cant recall exactly which file it is.

[fremo101]

Lilybiri - I unchecked the SWF compression options as per the recommendations in this post and my video published and now works. I am not sure if this is what fixed it but hoping I wont have anymore difficulties.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/captivate/captivate-not-publishing-mpeg-4-video-s-or-uploading-to-you...

Thanks for all your help

[Lilybiri]

That is a Help document from 2011! 

Why would a SWF setting have consequences when you publish to HTML5? Biggest mystry I encountred since more than a decade.

[fremo101]

That’s exactly what I asked Support today and he had some reason why it did🤷‍:female_sign:I certainly hope it wasn’t just a lucky break as I have not completed the video yet.

[Lilybiri]

Only link is again with the FMR slides. This would mean that they are first converted to SWF (with compression if it is turned on) and then converted to mp4. Problem occurs when the SWFs are compressed with that option. That should have been fixed, I fixed it by replacing FMR slide by Video Demo slides which don't have to be converted and lead to better quality.