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jeljohnssp
Known Participant
March 14, 2021
Answered

Cannot get video to play in interactive PDF

  • March 14, 2021
  • 6 replies
  • 3653 views

When I open my interactive PDF to test it I see a warning at the top that says "This PDF content requires Flash Player, which will no longer be suported after December 2020."

 

The video on the page has the "click to activate" message but nothing happens when I click. The video will not play. 

 

Correct answer Frans v.d. Geest

You can still embed and view mp4 video in PDF, however no longer in Flash but through the system, on a Mac with Quicktime for example.
You have to change the preference for this in Acrobat under Media to enable this to work! 


This is from my blog showing this, it is in Dutch however:

http://fvdgeest-dtp.blogspot.com/2020/06/interactive-pdf-en-video-en-geluid-na.html

But, how do you make sure your readers of your pdf do the same on their computers? Do you give them instructions? In short, choose a safer way like a link like others here suggested 😉

6 replies

A
Andrew Jack5E71
Participant
February 21, 2022

Great option, however your blog is in German and unable to understand. 

Frans v.d. Geest
Community Expert
Frans v.d. GeestCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 21, 2022
@Andrew Jack5E71 wrote:

Great option, however your blog is in German and unable to understand. 


come on, don't insult me now, this is Dutch! 😉

 

go to Acrobat Preferences, then 3D and Multimedia (on the left) the change the setting on the right from Flash to something like Quicktime.

Derek Cross
Community Expert
Derek CrossCommunity Expert
Community Expert
March 14, 2021

Diane Burns has an excellent step-by-step online video tutorial on creating Publish Online documents on Linkedin Learning (you can get 30-days free access): https://www.linkedin.com/learning/indesign-publish-online-2?trk=learning-serp_learning_search-card&upsellOrderOrigin=homepage-learning_learning-search-bar_search-submit

 

    A
    Andrew Jack5E71
    Participant
    February 21, 2022

    Your help is truly appreciated Mr. Cross, however, all your suggestions require more money. We pay a hefty monthly fee for the use of the Adobe products and I've searched high and low for support on Adobe. None offer a realistic and free way to create an actual interactie pdf. I've tried everything and the only way my video plays is if you view online with the publish option. This is incredibly frustrating to say the least. 

      Frans v.d. Geest
      Community Expert
      Frans v.d. GeestCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      February 21, 2022

      That is how it works, iPDF is something you can forget for this kind of things, sorry.

      But as said, go to Acrobat Preferences, then 3D and Multimedia (on the left) the change the setting on the right from Flash to something like Quicktime.

      Diane Burns
      Diane Burns
      Inspiring
      March 14, 2021

      Interactive PDFs have many limitations. If appropriate for your case, don't forget about Publish Online. It supports all of InDesign's interactive features, including video, buttons, MSOs, etc. Here are some great examples: http://bit.ly/PubOnCollection

       

        J
        jeljohnsspAuthor
        Known Participant
        March 15, 2021

        Thanks for these!

        Frans v.d. Geest
        Community Expert
        Frans v.d. GeestCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
        Community Expert
        March 14, 2021

        You can still embed and view mp4 video in PDF, however no longer in Flash but through the system, on a Mac with Quicktime for example.
        You have to change the preference for this in Acrobat under Media to enable this to work! 


        This is from my blog showing this, it is in Dutch however:

        http://fvdgeest-dtp.blogspot.com/2020/06/interactive-pdf-en-video-en-geluid-na.html

        But, how do you make sure your readers of your pdf do the same on their computers? Do you give them instructions? In short, choose a safer way like a link like others here suggested 😉

          JonathanArias
          JonathanArias
          Legend
          March 14, 2021

          So in order for it to work each person has to make this change themselves?

          BobLevine
          Community Expert
          BobLevineCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          March 14, 2021
          Yes. This is a user preference as I mentioned originally and why it's fool's errand to even try to work with video in PDF for anything but a very small controlled audience.
            Derek Cross
            Community Expert
            Derek CrossCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            March 14, 2021

            As mentioned, there are issues with including a video in a PDF, one way around it is to have a hyperlink in your Interactive PDF to an external site like a Youtube, or similar, video. Alternatively use a different format, based on HTML5, such as FXL ePub, Publish Online or in5.

              JonathanArias
              JonathanArias
              Legend
              March 14, 2021

              Video in interactive.pdf format does not work. Does it have to be a .pdf? Can it be publish online as delivery method?

              Frans v.d. Geest
              Community Expert
              Frans v.d. GeestCommunity Expert
              Community Expert
              March 14, 2021

              Yes it does, you have to change the Media preference however in Acrobat 😉

              JonathanArias
              JonathanArias
              Legend
              March 14, 2021

              Can it be changed one time to work in both Mac and windows with no issue?

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