Creating simple slideshows - is Catalyst the right tool?

I am a photographer and I want to create a slideshow of 100 images or so to promote my business. I was doing this with iDVD and it's simple - but doesn't support HD and has no provisions for a "Ken Burns Effect". I've used iPhoto and it does everything I need, but can't really burn a disk of the slideshow that works on PCs or Macs (that I know of). I am fairly proficient in Photoshop.
Here's my needs:
- drop in a series of photos
- create an order of the slides
- a simple transition between slides (could be just a fade)
- be able to do a manual Ken Burns on each slide (define start position and zoom / end position and zoom). So as that image is displayed it is moving somehow.
- automatically fit the slide duration to a mix of music
- burn a disk of that slideshow in HD (1080p or 720) give it to potential clients - they should be able to pop it into their Mac or PC and be able to play the slideshow just as I created it.
So is this something I can do easily with Catalyst? Is there a tutorial specific for this kind of need? Is there a better app for this kind of thing?

Robert-
If you are looking to create DVD that is viewable on a TV or something that is viewable on a computer? Either way, Flash Catalyst is not the right tool. It might be part of an overall solution, but it might get very messy to develop. I would take a look at what Lightroom might offer, or try asking in a photography forum. They might know a tool that might fit your needs.
Chris

Similar Messages

How to create a custom panel in the right way (without having an empty panel in the file info) ?

Hi Everyone
My name is Daté.
I'm working in the fashion industry as a designer and Design consultant to help fashion brands improving the design workflow by using Adobe softwares and especially Illustrator.
I'm not a developper, but i'm very interested about the possibility to introduce xmp technology to provide more DAM workflows in the fashion industry.
Fashion designers produce a lot of graphical objects in illustrator or Photoshop. Unfortunately they are faced to a big challenge which is about how to manage, search, classify and get this files faster. Of course PDM system or PLM system are used in the Fashion industry to manage data, but for many companies, implemanting this kind of database is very complex.
When i look at what you can do with xmp, it seems to be an interesting way of managing design files, then i started to follow Adobe instruction to try to build a custom panel.
The main idea is to (Theory) :
create custom panels used by fashion designers to classify their design files.
Use Adobe Bridge to search files, create smart collection to make basic reports in pdf and slideshows
Find someone to make a script able to export metadata in xml files
Use indesign and the xml file to generate automatically catalogues or technical sheets based on xmp values
I have created a custom panel by using the generic panel provided by Adobe and i have modified the fields to feet with the terms used in the fashion industry and it works well.
But unfortunately, when i try to create my own custom panel from scratch with Flashbuilder (4.6) and the Adobe CSExtensionBuilder_2 (Trial version), it doesn't work!
Here is the process :
I have installed flashbuilder 4.6
I have download the XMP Fileinfo SDK 5.1 and placed the com.adobe.xmp.sdk.fileinfo_fb4_1.1.0.jar in C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe Flash Builder 4.6\eclipse\plugins
In Flashbuilder, i have created a new project and select xmp Custom panel
The new project is created in flashbuilder with a field with A BASIC Description Field
To generate the panel, right click the project folder and select xmp / Publish Custom Panel
The panel is automatically generated in the following folder : C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\XMP\custom file info panels\3.0\panels
Go to illustrator, Open the file Info
The panel appears empty
The others panel are also empty
The panel is created and automatically placed in the right folder, but when you open it in Illustrator by selecting the File Info option in the File Menu, this custom panel appears empty!!! (only the title of the tab is displayed). This panel also prevent the other panels to be displayed.
When you delete this custom panels from the folder C:\Users\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\XMP\custom file info panels\3.0\panels and go back to the File Info, the other panels display their content properly.
I also try to use the plugin XMP Namespace designer to create my own namespace. this plugin is also able to generate a custom panel, but this one also appears empty in AI or Photoshop.
I try to follow the process described in Adobe xmp documentation many times, but it didn't works.
It seems that many peaople have this issue, but i dodn't find a solution in the forum.
I try to create a trust file (cfg), but it didn't work.
It would be so kind if you can help me to understand why i can't create a custom panel normally and how to do it in the right way.
Thanks a lot for your help,
Best regards,
Daté

Hi Sunil,
After many trial, i realize the problem was not coming from the trust file, but from the way i have created the custom panel.
There is 2 different ways, the first described below is not working whereas the second is fine :
METHOD 1 :
I have downloaded the XMP-Fileinfo-SDK-CS6
In the XMP-Fileinfo-SDK-CS6 folder, i copied the com.adobe.xmp.sdk.fileinfo_fb4x_1.2.0.jar plugin from the Tools folder and i pasted it in the plugind folder of Flashbuilder 4.6
The plugin install an XMP project
In Flashbuilder 4.6 i have created a new project (File / New /Project /XMP/XMP Custom Panel)
A new xmp project is created in flashbuilder.
You can publish this project by right clicking the root folder and selecting XMP / Publish Custom Panel
The custom file info panel is automatically published in the right location which is on Mac : /Users/UserName/Library/Application Support/Adobe/XMP/Custom File Info Panels/3.0 or /Users/UserName/Library/Application Support/Adobe/XMP/Custom File Info Panels/4.0
Despite the publication of the custom file info panel and the creation of a trust file in the following location : "/Library/Application Support/Macromedia/FlashPlayerTrust", the panel is blank in Illustrator.
I try this way several times, with no good results.
METHOD 2 :
I have installed Adobe CSExtensionBuilder 2.1 in Flash Builder
In FlashBuilder i have created a new project (File / New /Project /Adobe Creative Suite Extension Builder/XMP Fileinfo Panel Project)
As the system display a warning about the version of the sdk to use to create correctly a custom file info, I changed the sdk to sdk3.5A
The warning message is : "XMP FileInfo Panel Projects must be built with Flex 3.3, 3.4 or 3.5 SDK. Building with Flex 4.6.0 SDK may result in runtime errors"
When i publish this File info panel project (right click the root folder and select Run as / Adobe illustrator), the panel is published correctly.
The last step is to create the trust file to display the fields in the panel and everything is working fine in Illustrator.
The second method seems to be the right way.
For sure something is missing in the first method, and i don't understand the difference between the XMP Custom Panel Project and the XMP Fileinfo Panel Project. Maybe you can explain it to me.
So what is the best solution ? the right sdk to use acording to the creative suite (the system asks to use 3.3 or 3.5 sdk for custom panels, so why ?)
I'm agree with Pedro, a step by step tutorial about this will help a lot of peaople, because it's not so easy to understand!!!
Sunil, as you belong to the staff team, can you tell me if there is :
A plugin or a software capable to extract the XMP from llustrator files to generate XML workflows in Indesign to create catalogues
A plugin to allow indesign to get custom XMP in live caption
A plugin to allow Bridge to get custom XMP in the Outputmode to make pdf or web galeries from a smart collection
How can you print the XMP data with the thumbnail of the file ?
Thanks a lot for your reply.
Best Regards
Daté

I need to know the right tools and java technology

Please help,I need to know the right tools and java technology to support what I need.
I had background programming in Assembly,C++,Visual Basic,SAP/ABAP 4.
All I can say, programming is about logic, now we are very helped building program using objects.
I'm very interest to SAP tech, where all screens, programs, reports are resides on tables, this is the real dynamic!
CUrrently I'm eager to do the same technic with java. I'm new to java....
What I know the J2EE is the core for me to start is it right? I was very interest with the Client-Server Tech. How can I impelemet this with Java?
I'm a bit confuse with so many java solutions. There is Java Applets, Swing, Java AWT, JavaBeans, etc...
I don't know what is the best if I want my Presentation/Client Application will run within browser (not standard html, using like windows gui). What should I do to make business logic objects, how to invoke it within the gui. how to make installation package whenever clients connect to the http server.
if you have a pointer to do it please let me know.... I'm very appreciate all your response...
Best regards,
Lucky Pangemanan

I'd say - don't get carried away with the heavyweight frameworks. Don't use EJB if Hibernate and/or Tomcat will do the job. There's a danger of winding up using a bulldozer to crack a wallnut.
What people mean by "J2EE" varies a fair bit.
Start with Tomcat, which has the virtue of being free. Try some JSPs and servlets.
Use Applets to do client side presentation only if you must; Applets create an installation overhead on end-users, and some of them can't cope, while others may not have the necessary installation permissions on their office machines. They are pretty rarely needed, IMNSHO, most client-side behaviour is better handled with html and JavaScript.

Double click on the left arrow on the tab bar creates a New Tab at the right hand end.

With Firefox 29.0.1 double clicking on either the left or right hand arrows in the tab bar creates a new tab at the right hand end of the tab bar. This is annoying behaviour that violates standards around UI design single click and double click. A double click should extend the behaviour of the single click rather than doing something completely different (opening a new tab). An example would be , in Word a single click selects a word, a double click selects the sentence and a triple click selects the paragraph. Note that this is a separate issue from double clicking on the tab bar itself to create a new tab.
When there are more tabs on the tab bar than will fit in the viewport the tabs scroll sideways so show the tab in use. I can click the left and right arrows at the ends of the tab bar to scroll the bar in that direction to bring a tab that I want to select into view. I believe that double clicking the left arrow would scroll the bar fully right, exposing the left-most tab. Double clicking the right arrow would scroll the bar fully left exposing the right-most tab.
This is a logical and expected extension of the behaviour of the single click. Single click - scroll once (seems to be about three tab's worth), double click - scroll all the way.
At the moment, if I want to scroll to the left-most tab I have to click the arrow slowly and carefully until I reach it. I used to single click rapidly on the left arrow until the tabs stopped scrolling without having to count how many clicks. It's possible that my rapid single clicks were actually double clicks. Nevertheless, the tab bar would stop scrolling when it reached the end.
Now the behaviour is really annoying and unexpected. A double click on the left arrow scrolls the tabs fully right and then fully left and creates a New Tab at the right hand end. Ditto the right hand arrow in the opposite direction.
While I can (maybe) see that value of a double click on the tab bar itself creating a new tab, double clicking one of the scroll arrows should not produce a new tab.
Double clicks on the tab arrows should scroll the tab bar fully to that end. If the tab bar is already fully scrolled to that end then additional clicks (single, double and triple...) should be ignored.
I like the idea of opening a new tab to the right of the one that currently has focus. This should be a right click context menu option.

That shouldn't happen if you click the scroll buttons on the tab bar.
A double-click should act as page up/down and move a full screen and a triple-click should move to the far left (first tab) or the far right (last) tab.
Start Firefox in [[Safe Mode|Safe Mode]] to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.
*Switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance
*Do NOT click the Reset button on the Safe Mode start window
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Safe+Mode
*https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes

SUBINACL - the right tool for the job?

Here is the scenario:
DomainA and DomainB
Full Trust both ways
Windows File Share in DomainA. Created a windows server in DomainB. Used Quest Migration Manager to migrate users and groups from DomainA to DomianB, keeping SID history. Xcopied files from DomainA server to DomainB server, keeping the permissions from DomainA.
Now, the Trust will be broken and we need to change the permissions from [email protected] to [email protected] Thousands of shares and permissions, so can't do manually. So far I have tried SUBINACL in the following context:
Subinacl /noverbose /output=e:\ntfs_perms.txt /subdirectories e:\Share
and then
Subinacl /playfile e:\ntfs_perms.txt
This changed some of the permissions to DomainB, but removed a lot of permissions.
Is this the right tool to use for this? Is this the right syntax for this scenario?
Thanks!
Mike

Hi,
Sorry for the delay reply.
It seems like you have enabled the SID history.
Based on my experience, after we completing the migration, sIDHistory should be removed from migrated principals to minimize management complexity. Microsoft has provided a sample script and
Powershell command to remove SIDHistory.
So, please first confirm if the migration process completed or not, then plan to remove the SIDhistory.
How To Remove SID History With PowerShell
http://blogs.technet.com/b/ashleymcglone/archive/2011/11/23/how-to-remove-sid-history-with-powershell.aspx
Before we do this, please backup the system state to making any important change to avoid any risk. After clearing the SID history, please try to run the subinacl command to check if it
works.
Regards.
Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help. If you have feedback for TechNet Support, contact [email protected]

Created a circular shape using the elipse tool, how to change color?

This is a basic quesiton I know, but I'm lossed.
So I created a simple oval shape using the elipse tool, and the color is black. How can I change the color?

What setting did you use in the Options Bar: Shape Layers, Paths, Fill Pixels?
In the first case it would be easiest to change the color, simply double-click the resultant Solid Color Layer’s icon in the Layers Panel and select a new color in the Color Picker.

Process triggered by file upload - is GP the right tool?

Hello All,
I have a process I need to model that starts with a file upload from the user, followed by some manipulation of the file by some web services.
Is GP the right tool for modeling that process?
After completing the file upload action, how can I access the the uploaded file on the server?
Do I need to implement the file upload handling with Webdynpor?
Thanks!
Yossi

Yossin,
Based on your requirement, the GP process would be to use File Input CO followed by Web Service CO (in that order). Consolidate the output param of File Input CO (which is the File Structure) to the input for the Web Service CO (which is also a structure). I dont think you need to save the file to the local drive. The web service should be able to consume the uploaded file (which resides in the process context).
Thanx,
Mahesh

Adobe AIR for Video Wall project - the right tool?

I need to decide whether Adobe AIR is the right tool for a Video Wall project. The Video wall would be one of only 4 installations.
It would need good offline capability.
The application would play back both canned video as well as twitter feeds.
The other option is to go all HTML with perhaps the Canvas element to display video, graphics.
I'm biased towards using Flash, AIR but am open to new ideas.
What are the pros, cons of each approach?

Pros of the Adobe route would be a little more control and reliability. You can easily go fullscreen, preload other videos easily in the background and display them on the hardware GPU decoded StageVideo (with the right video card, almost all of them at this point). Twitter feed loading would have some robust error handling to assure it goes smoothly but if you need offline capability you'll need some canned material for the feeds in that situation.
HTML can go fullscreen but the caveat would be drawing your twitter feed over the video at that point. Because it's fullscreen I don't believe you can have your text over it from a <video> element but you'd need to use <canvas>'s fullscreen and actually mux the text into the video.
The long haul of Adobe's roadmap clearly states video and games are the future of FP and AIR. I've done tons of kiosks in Flash and AIR, many of which just act as a video wall, attracting people to very large screens. I've had nothing but success doing this. I'd only even approach HTML5 if you have some reason to desire to put this on the web, and even then, Flash is still fine in that situation too.

Is SSAS the right tool to replace SAS Enterprise Guide?

I am in the process of studying the feasibility of replacing one of our custom built SAS Data Warehouse with Microsoft BI/DW stack.
I have one specific question that I hope someone here who knows both SSAS and SAS Enterprise Guide can tell me. Feature by feature, in what extent can SSAS replace SAS
Enterprise Guide?
To those who has less knowledge of SAS Enterprise Guide, it is a client app that let power users query against database tables/views and apply various statistical analysis
to the data then output (print/email/save) the result (grid/chart/etc.).
To name a few of these statistical analysis,
Under Describe, there are Distribution Analysis; One-Way Frequencies; and Table Analysis;
Under ANOVA: t Test; One-way ANOVA; Nonparametric One-way ANOVA; linear Models; Mixed Models.
Under Regression: Linear; Nonlinear; Logistic and Generalized Linear.
Under Multivariate: Correlations; Canonical Correlation; Principal Components; Factor Analysis…
And if SSAS along is not enough, what else are needed?
Thanks!

Hi Hommer,
Based on your description, you said that “SAS Enterprise Guide is a client app that let power users query against database tables/views and apply various statistical analysis to the data then output (print/email/save) the result (grid/chart/etc)”. Since
we are not expert about SAS Enterprise Guide, we cannot give you an exact conclusion. However what we can give you is that there are many adventures of SQL Server Analysis.
High Performance.
During cube processing SSAS will pre-calculate and physically stores aggregations of facts. Therefore, when the query is fired SSAS does not have to calculate the outcome from the underlying details but can take the values directly from the stored aggregations.
High Security
You can use the security setting to give end-users access to only those parts (slices) of the cube relevant to them.
Multiple Access/Frontend-tools
End users can use Microsoft Excel as a power full front-end tool on top of the cube. Besides that the same cube can at the same time be used as a data source for SSRS and SharePoint (KPI-) Web Parts.
For analytical applications, performance management, or just about anything with a KPI, Analysis Services is the perfect companion for SQL Server. These are complementary databases that do different things well. Using the right tool for the right job will
make development faster and usability easier.
Reference:Analysis Services Features and Tasks
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Charlie Liao
TechNet Community Support

Creator the right tool for applets?

Hi.
beeing new to Sun's Java Studio Creator I would like some opinions whether the Creator is the tool to use if use cases mainly focus on applets that get their data via WebServices.
My main use case would be an applet with a tree-control showing a lot of machine tools and an area that displayes some charts. Charts would be rendered by a 3rd party component. The Applet should talk to a WebService exchanging XML-Data.
I just don't know if Creator is the right tool for that.
Many thanks in advance,
Christian

Hi.
beeing new to Sun's Java Studio Creator I would like
some opinions whether the Creator is the tool to use
if use cases mainly focus on applets that get their
data via WebServices.
I just don't know if Creator is the right tool for
that.
Many thanks in advance,
Christian 
Personally, I would opt for Net Beans 5.0 beta 2 for this type of scenario. The IDE is much better suited for Swing and AWT type of applications. In addition, it has some impressive layout managers for Swing.

What's the right tool to use to migrate forms modules.?

Hi.
I'm in doubt deciding which might be the right tool to use to migrate forms modules from 6i to 10g.
The obvious choice seems to be Forms Migration Assistant. However I found Metalink Note: 201344.1 which clearly states :
"We recommend to use ifcmp90 as there may arise some issues due to the migration assistant ifplsqlconv90. ifcmp90 upgrades the 6i fmb to 9i fmb whereas ifplsqlconv90 upgrades obsolete plsql , such as built-ins like set_alert_property. So it is advisable to use the ifcmp90 instead"
I have a newer version of FMA and i've done some test and it compiles and upgrades forms modules, but does not generate fmx files. So i conclude one should user FMA first and later generate fmx files either one by one or batch compile.
Please any comments are welcome ....!

Hi,
correct. You use FMA first and then compile the FMX files. You can also use the Forms builder environment to perform the migration, but FMA is more convenient to use.
Frank

Using Director to create an interactive animated comic? Advice to know if Director is the right tool

Hi all, I am looking for advice regarding interactive animated comics.I am creating animated comic sequences using After Effect,
but I would like to introduce an extra layer by adding interactivity in the mix (branching story for example).
I believe Director can do that, but I want to be sure it is the right software before I start digging in too much.
My main question is about portability (standalone, web and IOS/Android) and to have a pipeline which is futur proof. Is Director really going to move on and survive the next few years? Is Adobe Edge (still in beta) not going to take it's place? How versatile is Director to export for different platform?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Thomas

still valid discussion at: http://forums.adobe.com/thread/838351 (Dean´s answers)

Newbie needs to buy the right tool

I need to select a web authoring tool. I am very familiar
with the Adobe Creative Suite CS2 and Production Studio products.
Adobe GoLive is part of Creative Suite so I have that application
now. But I fear that with Adobes acquisition of Macro Media GoLive
may go the way of PageMaker.
I’m looking to learn the tool/s that will allow me to
best complete my work – not just the easiest tool. I am
currently creating multimedia training DVDs and associated print
materials. I’m looking at moving into areas of web-based
training/tutorials, and other emerging technologies –
podcasts, mobile devises etc. Fortunately money really isn’t
an object so I can get what I need. The question is what do I need?
Right off the bat I need the tool that will best set me up
for my first foray into the world of simple web-publishing. My
first project is an information website with a main page and two
sub-pages and links to other web resources.
Where should I start?

From what you've said, I would take a look at
Adobe/Macromedia Dreamweaver
8.

Is Captivate 4 the right tool for my purposes?

This posting should not be misunderstood as bad mouthing Captivate 4. For the most part, I really appreciate Adobe products and have invested a significant amount of personal money into many Adobe products over the years.
My current role involves designing a course curriculum using Adobe Captivate 4 and Adobe Connect Pro. Unfortunately, I am becoming increasingly concerned that I may be using the wrong tool, at least, in regards to developing all parts of a lesson. Perhaps my workflow will improve if I develop the front facing portion of my lessons with Lectora, and use Captivate solely for creating software simulations?
Because I have already spent a lot of time building my first lessons, and I have a subscription to Adobe Connect Pro, I would rather solve the issues I listed, rather than start over.
My question is... are my issues based on my lack of knowledge with Captivate 4, or am I experiencing real issues with this product? If it is my lack of knowledge, please tell me how to solve my issues.
At this point, I would like to give kudos to Rick Stone (known as Captiv8r) for all his help as a hired consultant. I highly recommend his services. Without him, I probably would not have gone as far as I have with Captivate.
Please correct or comment on the followin…
Minor annoyances
-    Too easy to accidentally move objects. Double clicking on a small graphic or a text caption can easily cause it to move or change size slightly. No way to lock their position only (e.g. lock text position but still allow editing).
-    Text caption boxes mysterious maximize (vertically) from time to time.
-    Grouping of objects is not possible.
-    Previewing “From this slide – F8” does not take into account (or initialize) persistent graphics (or otherwise) on the first slide or template; this results in missing objects when doing a quick preview.
-    Item names/variables are unwieldy. I have a number of graphics which I re-use throughout a lesson. I want to give each of them common names, such as ico_jobaid, img_core_splash, etc. Unfortunately, I cannot use identical names throughout a lesson. Each page requires a unique name for every object. This results in an item name like ico_interactive.png (as it is named in the library), appearing as TImageItem681 and TImageItem680 (copied twice) on a slide.
This is common for every object and makes it difficult to control objects.
Major issues
-    Occasionally I insert a graphics that can’t be made visible.
-    .cp file size seems to continuously increase in size, despite removing unused resources.
-    Text bullet issues (ending bullets occasional show up as a larger size)
-    Roll-over slidlets do not work as intended in AS3 mode. I must preview or publish in AS2.
-    Recording Software Simulations!
Captivate 4 allows recording of simulations in up to four modes (Demonstration, Training, Assessment, and Custom). Unfortunately, it appears to record these simulations are separate and distinct recordings. This is a problem because call-outs and other edits must be repeated for each simulation. Other simulation tools record once and can be edited once for passive and/or interactive viewing.
-    Buttons! Multiple buttons/text captions on a slide.
If I want to place multiple buttons on a slide, I must follow these steps to make these buttons/captions work properly. This is an unreasonable amount of work in order to use buttons on a single slide.
Step 1 - Determine the frame value. Note: It seems that if the frame value is not included, the lesson will move to the next slide, after clicking one button. Another caveat is that adding or removing slides may change the correct frame value.
1. Click Insert from the top menu,
2. Select Standard Objects,
3. Select Text Caption,
4. Click the Insert Variable button,
5. Select System from the Variable Type pull-down menu,
6. Select rdinfoCurrentFrame from the Variables pull-down menu.
7. Position the text caption appropriately on the screen. You may need an appropriate pause inserted in order to see the value.
8. Click Preview and select Project from the pull-down menu (or Click F4),
9. Step through slide show to the slide where rdinfoCurrentFrame text variable was inserted and record the displayed value.
Step 2 – Insert Button control
1. Click Insert from the top menu,
2. Select Standard Objects,
3. Select Button,
4. Choose appropriate button and button options (skipping steps),
5. Click Ok,
6. Position button appropriately.
Step 3 – Setting up advanced actions.
1. Click Project from top menu,
2. Select Actions,
3. Click the Advanced Actions tab,
4. Click the Edit / Create Action Pull down menu and select Create a New Action…,
5. In the new action name: text box, type action name (i.e. but_core_console),
6. Double click twice on Add Statement (sometimes it doesn’t behave as it should),
    – this feature seems error prone.
7. Double click twice on Statement (in red),
8. Select Standard Action from pull-down list,
9. Select Show from pull-down list,
10. Select object name (text caption) you wish to show,
11. Repeat (if necessary),
12. Select hide and the element name you wish to hide and repeat as necessary,
13. Double click twice on Add Statement (sometimes it doesn’t behave as it should)
– this feature seems error prone.
14. Double click twice on Statement (in red),
15. As the last step, select Assignment from pull down list,
16. Select rdcmndGotoFrame from pull down list,
17. Select Value from pull-down list,
18. Enter the frame value (as determined Step 1),
19. Click Save.
For the next buttons,
1. Click the Duplicate button,
2. Edit the New action name: name appropriately,
3. Edit the information in the Advanced actions for the this action. (skipping steps)
4. Click Save.
Repeat as necessary!
Configuring buttons
1. Double click on first button,
2. In the section, “If the user clicks on the button”,
    click on “On success” pull-down menu and select, “Execute advanced action”.
3. Click the Action pull-down menu and select the appropriate named action.
Repeat as necessary.
-    Building buttons for several slides will create a large number of advance actions. Even though these advanced actions are only applicable to a single slide, they are viewable from any slide in a lesson. The number of actions (or advanced actions) quickly adds up in a complex lesson.
-    Cannot find a way to edit the default look (object positioning/object sizes) of a quiz. The only attribute that seems changeable is the font size.
Lock ups and crashes
-    Double clicking on a .cp file will often result in Captivate freezing at the start up screen.
-    Captivate crashes and sometimes predictably, especially where animations are inserted.
I am using both a Windows 7 64 bit and a Windows Vista 32 bit OS. I have tried the following options with seemingly no difference: RUN AS Admin, XP Compatibility mode
Examples from Windows Applications log:
The program AdobeCaptivate.exe version 4.0.1.1658 stopped interacting with Windows and was closed. To see if more information about the problem is available, check the problem history in the Problem Reports and Solutions control panel. Process ID: 16f0 Start Time: 01ca623e805d8f30 Termination Time: 81
The program AdobeCaptivate.exe version 4.0.1.1658 stopped interacting with Windows and was closed. To see if more information about the problem is available, check the problem history in the Problem Reports and Solutions control panel. Process ID: 1654 Start Time: 01ca622b67764380 Termination Time: 70

The only one that can answer that question is yourself ;o)
I wrote my comments and suggestions with red text here. My company uses Captivate to develop courses and so far we have been very happy with Captivate. Earlier we used Flash to develop courses, but the development time was very long so Captivate has allowed us to speed up the development process with 2-300%. We still use Flash quite a lot to build interactions etc. and import these into Captivate to add extra features.
We did look at a variety of tools when we wanted to find an alternative to Flash but at that time (we started with Captivate 2) we found that the best option was indeed Captivate. I regularly check up on competing products and there are some interesting alternatives available now but they are not as advanced as Captivate imho.
When that is said. Captivate is (and has always been) full of weird bugs and things that aren't working properly. This is extremely annoying but we have learned to work our way around most of them. It also seems that the stability of Captivate varies greatly from installation to installation. We are 8 people in my department all working with Captivate. Our computers are all the same and the OS is a corporate standard. Despite this some people here have some weird problems with Captivate that I never experience. I can't explain why it happens (and neither can they) but it could be the installation or it could be the way people work. An example is "missing/corrupt" Captivate files. We have always been working directly on a network drive. This is something that is often recommended against doing because it can cause corrupt Captivate files. The interesting thing is that I have never once experienced a corrupt Captivate file even though i have opened, worked on and saved many thousands of them from/to our network drive. One of my colleagues had around 20 occurences of corrupt Captivate files in the same timespan and from the same network drive.
The biggest problem in Captivate is the quiz module in my opinion. The quiz module is probably the most important when we talk about E-learning development tools and that is where Captivate is the weakest. You can't really customize your quizzes, there isn't enough different question types and interaction types, you can't use video but worst of all - it is unstable and buggy. Users can get stuck in a quiz without being able to move forward or backwars, the review quiz is buggy etc.
One thing I often see with Captivate developers is that they try and do everything in Captivate. While most things are possible to do in Captivate then it might no be the best solution. Some things can be created in Flash and imported into Captivate saving you tons of time and grief and in the end give you a much better end-product. I know that everyone doesn't have access to a Flash programmer, but then you can buy your way out of the problem.
If you are looking for a tool where you can have full control of everything in your courses then the only real solution is Adobe Flash. This will allow you to build the courses exactly as you please but it comes at a big price. It gets way more complex to create courses, which results in longer development times and updating your existing course becomes much more difficult and time consuming.
Minor annoyances
-    Too easy to accidentally move objects. Double clicking on a small graphic or a text caption can easily cause it to move or change size slightly. No way to lock their position only (e.g. lock text position but still allow editing).
Doesn't really bother me but I guess it's different from person to person. You could just click on the object in the timeline instead to avoid moving the object.
-    Text caption boxes mysterious maximize (vertically) from time to time.
I never experienced that.
-    Grouping of objects is not possible.
I agree that this could be handy on slides with many objects.
-    Previewing “From this slide – F8” does not take into account (or initialize) persistent graphics (or otherwise) on the first slide or template; this results in missing objects when doing a quick preview.
Yes but if Captivate was to take into account everything that happened earlier than previewing from this slide you might as well click preview project (F4).
-    Item names/variables are unwieldy. I have a number of graphics which I re-use throughout a lesson. I want to give each of them common names, such as ico_jobaid, img_core_splash, etc. Unfortunately, I cannot use identical names throughout a lesson. Each page requires a unique name for every object. This results in an item name like ico_interactive.png (as it is named in the library), appearing as TImageItem681 and TImageItem680 (copied twice) on a slide.
I think this is the same in any application.. The whole idea of naming objects is that they have a unique name to be identified and manipulate later. I do however agree that the default naming in Captivate sucks. If the resource is named ico_interactive.png in the library, then Captivate should name it slide1_ico_interactive.png as the object name. It would make it easier and quicker to identify the correct resources.
Major issues
-    Occasionally I insert a graphics that can’t be made visible.
I never experienced that with properly configured graphics. Sure you can have problems if you insert a CMYK image or a 300 dpi image, but if you use RGB 72dpi images then it works fine. (at least it always have for me).
-    .cp file size seems to continuously increase in size, despite removing unused resources.
True but I never really experienced this as a problem. In Captivate 3 it could really get out of hand, but in CP4 it's much better. Alternatively create a blank Captivate file with the same dimensions and copy/paste your slides into that. (Don't know how it will behave with all your advanced actions though).
-    Text bullet issues (ending bullets occasional show up as a larger size)
It is because you have a different font size on the last line of the caption. Just do a CTRL-A to select all the text and select the proper font size. Alternatively adjust the default font and size to what you want in Captivate to avoid this in the future.
-    Roll-over slidlets do not work as intended in AS3 mode. I must preview or publish in AS2.
Didn't know that - you should probably report it as a bug if you haven't done so already.
-    Recording Software Simulations!
Captivate 4 allows recording of simulations in up to four modes (Demonstration, Training, Assessment, and Custom). Unfortunately, it appears to record these simulations are separate and distinct recordings. This is a problem because call-outs and other edits must be repeated for each simulation. Other simulation tools record once and can be edited once for passive and/or interactive viewing.
Agree - this is rather annoying.
-    Buttons! Multiple buttons/text captions on a slide.
From what I understand you have a whole bunch of buttons on a slide and then when the user clicks on one it shows some text / image? If that is the case then yes it will be a tedious process to build all this. I don't know if it would be easy in any other applications though (surely most of the other Rapid E-learning tools won't even be able to do it). Perhaps it would be better to rethink the way you build the course. Can't you use rollover captions / images instead?
Another alternative is to build these "interactions" in Flash and then import them into Captivate. Basically you would need to build a couple of different templates where you would be able to reuse the Flash framework and only change images/text in Flash and then importo it into Captivate.
-    Cannot find a way to edit the default look (object positioning/object sizes) of a quiz. The only attribute that seems changeable is the font size.
This is a major handicap in Captivate and one of the reasons why we don't use Captivate quizzes in our courses. We build all our course in Captivate (and add Flash and other interactions) but we always use a Flash Quiz. The Captivate quiz is simply too ugly and unstable. We deploy courses to 35.000 people worldwide so stability is our number one priority and sadly Captivate quizzes don't offer that at this point.
Lock ups and crashes
-    Double clicking on a .cp file will often result in Captivate freezing at the start up screen.
I never had that problem. I use Win XP, Vista 64-bit and Win7 64-bit.
-    Captivate crashes and sometimes predictably, especially where animations are inserted.
I am using both a Windows 7 64 bit and a Windows Vista 32 bit OS. I have tried the following options with seemingly no difference: RUN AS Admin, XP Compatibility mode
My regular development PC runs Windows XP Pro. I never have any problems here. On Vista 64-bit I have a ton of problems, but Captivate didn't crash or lock up - it simply didn't perform the actions I wanted it to do. So far on Windows 7 I haven't encountered any crashes or problems. However there is no doubt that Captivate 4 was designed with Win XP in mind and Vista and Win7 are not native platforms for it.
/Michael
Visit my Captivate blog with tips & tricks, tutorials and Widgets.

Noob needs help re offline desktop db app - is FB the right tool?

Hi,
Thanks in advance for reading, and being patient with my long-winded-noobiness!
I am a self taught (read as: big gaps in my knowledge!) independent web designer/developer, with experience in developing PHP/mySQL database web-apps - both with DW, and by hand-coding. I've been approached by a potential client asking if I could build a simple CRUD desktop application, and am trying to figure out if I can leverage my existing knowledge in doing so. It's something I know I could develop in a snap for the web, but I'm left realizing I don't know the first thing - or even where to begin learning the first thing! - about desktop software development. I'm hoping Flash Builder might be just the ticket for me (I'm not sure if the client will want to wait around while I learn JAVA!!), since I already own and am familiar with CS5. I've been going over all the documentation, tutorials, etc. that I can get my hands on, but am finding my brain a little overwhelmed and frazzled, so I'm hoping one of you wonderful folk might be able to offer a simple answer!
Can I use Flash Builder / Flex to develop a strictly offline, local desktop CRUD application, but one which connects to a (local) mySQL database (ideally with PHP, since that's what I already know) - without the end-user having to separately install a local server?
If not, any suggestions? As well as Flex, I've been looking into Java (but am finding the learning curve quite steep), and Filemaker Pro 11 Advanced (which allows you to create a runtime - but I'm finding it a bit restrictive, and would rather not have any Filemaker branding on the finished product),
In case you're wondering why I don't just convince the client to create a web-app instead, the data stored would be of a sensitive nature, and the main target demographic is baby-boomers, many of whom are still very wary of the interwebs
Thank you so much for any help you can offer!
Cheers,
David

Actually, I would think that Flex would be ideal using AIR with a SQLite database (the database is built in to AIR apps). However, if you've not done programming with Flex before, I won't trivialize the learning curve you have ahead of you. If you haven't already done so, go through Flex in a Week or get the latest Training from the Source for Flex 4 and get comfortable with the Flex workspace and programming environment. You'll like come to love it but it's a bit different than PHP. It would be an easier transition, I think, if you had a heavy background in JavaScript or Java so that you felt comfortable using OOP programming techniques. If you already structure your PHP programs with OO principles, it'll be an issue of getting used to the language and, if I were guessing, that might take you a month or two. That's my 2 cents worth.

Creating simple slideshows - is Catalyst the right tool?

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