Captivate 2017 - Can we generate training manuals/guides

I don't bash on your explanation. If you print an interactive pdf you get just .... one slide, the first one. That is the only comment I gave on your solution about printing.

If a training manual means a digital eLearning course, your soltuion is fine. That is what I wrote in my answer. Howevern it is not a solution for a classical manual which is by definition static. All Captivate courses will have to be uploaded to a LMS or a webserver to realize a complete manual.  For that reason I would like to mention that another solution could be found by using the TechCom suite, which has both RoboHelp, Framemaker and Captivate included. For sure a complete solution for any training manuals, whether interactive, digital or in print.

Adobe Technical Communication Suite (July 2017 release)

Let us wait for more details from the OP, to see if she is talking about an interactive manual or a classical manual with screenshots.

I am hesitating with an answer, because I understand your question maybe wrongly.

Previous answer was about creating interactive tutorials. You have to ignore the recommendation about creating a pdf, because that will be an interactive pdf, needing to use the Flash plugin player for Adobe Reader. It will not print handouts, for that purpose you would need to use File, Print and sorry to say so, would not recommend that at all.

As a professor I have been creating lot of courses, also for software apps. For the printed version I did not use Captivate at all, but a combination of InDesign or Framemaker, while taking screenshots with SnagIt. Don't understand me wrongly, I am a big fan of Captivate, use it for everything except for creating printed output. I used to embed Captivate tutorials in InDesign to produce an interactive pdf, but due to the announced EOL for Flash Player, this work flow is presently not to be recommended neither.

My apologies if my understanding of your question is not correct.

Hello Tejas,

A big YES to what you are asking for. So you could easily take screen shots of anything on your computer screen and you can also easily import all of those screenshots into Captivate and create a presentation with captions, audio, video,etc. No problem!

I have a few different ways that you can work with Captivate.

You can create a video simulation recording whatever you do on your screen and your audio or

You can create a "Software Simulation" which is the original version of recording the screen from Captivate, however this version to save space, fakes the video, and ONLY uses screenshots with a moving mouse and audio to simulate video. So what this means is that everytime you CLICK Captivate will take a NEW screenshot of the the application that you are working on! You can also set it up to add Captions that aid a user along in clicking in the right spot (but you can just use those captions to print it out).

PRINTING - so after you do a quick simulation, having Captivate capture all your screens, then you can Publish this file and select SWF.(File>Publish)
we dont want the SWF, but under the SWF option there is a checkbox "Print to PDF" woo hoo!

Its going to be too easy!

hope this helps!

cheers,

mark