Is this the wrong tool for the job?

Hello -
I am trying to create a pdf slideshow, to demonstrate what screenshots of a web-application will look like.
I'm confused how to handle the page sizes, since, while a screenshot may indeed be comparable to a landscape piece of paper, a web page may have a more vertical, portrait look because of the scrolling.
Do I make all the pages portrait, let's say legal size?
And only use the portion of the paper that I need?
but that would look totally weird during my pdf presentation.....
OR.... do I create individual Indesign Documents, setting the size as necessary for the content.
Convert them to jpgs, and then simply insert them as images into my slideshow????
sorry if I'm not being clear
appreciate any guidance
Marion

hi folks
Yes, I think I am mocking up.
I think part of my problem is that I'm doing 2 different things at once:
1.  creating mock-ups to save as jpgs, to insert as images at a website - either the full thing (shrunk down) or a cropped portion of it
The website is demonstrating what a possible web application would look like and do
2.  creating a pdf slideshow presentation, to show people in person, more detail of what the application would look like and feel like.
Based on both of your responses, I think I'm best served by creating separate documents, and creating a book.
So the question is:
can I stay working in inches, since that's more comfortable for me?
or am I better served to do the learning curve, and work with 1024x768?
thanks!

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    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.
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    4. Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a "Malware Removal Tool" (MRT). MRT runs automatically in the background when you update the OS. It checks for, and removes, malware that may have evaded the other protections via a Java exploit (see below.) MRT also runs when you install or update the Apple-supplied Java runtime (but not the Oracle runtime.) Like XProtect, MRT is effective against known threats, but not against unknown ones. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.
    5. The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they are not, and never will be, complete protection. Malware is a problem of human behavior, not machine behavior, and no technological fix alone is going to solve it. Trusting software to protect you will only make you more vulnerable.
    The best defense is always going to be your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "Trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and Internet criminals. If you're better informed than they think you are, you'll win. That means, in practice, that you always stay within a safe harbor of computing practices. How do you know when you're leaving the safe harbor? Below are some warning signs of danger.
    Software from an untrustworthy source
    ☞ Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, doesn't come directly from the developer’s website. Do not trust an alert from any website to update Flash, or your browser, or any other software. A genuine alert that Flash is outdated and blocked is shown on this support page. Follow the instructions on the support page in that case. Otherwise, assume that the alert is fake and someone is trying to scam you into installing malware. If you see such alerts on more than one website, ask for instructions.
    ☞ Software of any kind is distributed via BitTorrent, or Usenet, or on a website that also distributes pirated music or movies.
    ☞ Rogue websites such as Softonic, Soft32, and CNET Download distribute free applications that have been packaged in a superfluous "installer."
    ☞ The software is advertised by means of spam or intrusive web ads. Any ad, on any site, that includes a direct link to a download should be ignored.
    Software that is plainly illegal or does something illegal
    ☞ High-priced commercial software such as Photoshop is "cracked" or "free."
    ☞ An application helps you to infringe copyright, for instance by circumventing the copy protection on commercial software, or saving streamed media for reuse without permission. All "YouTube downloaders" are in this category, though not all are necessarily malicious.
    Conditional or unsolicited offers from strangers
    ☞ A telephone caller or a web page tells you that you have a “virus” and offers to help you remove it. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
    ☞ A web site offers free content such as video or music, but to use it you must install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "downloader," "extractor," or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one.
    ☞ You win a prize in a contest you never entered.
    ☞ Someone on a message board such as this one is eager to help you, but only if you download an application of his choosing.
    ☞ A "FREE WI-FI !!!" network advertises itself in a public place such as an airport, but is not provided by the management.
    ☞ Anything online that you would expect to pay for is "free."
    Unexpected events
    ☞ A file is downloaded automatically when you visit a web page, with no other action on your part. Delete any such file without opening it.
    ☞ You open what you think is a document and get an alert that it's "an application downloaded from the Internet." Click Cancel and delete the file. Even if you don't get the alert, you should still delete any file that isn't what you expected it to be.
    ☞ An application does something you don't expect, such as asking for permission to access your contacts, your location, or the Internet for no obvious reason.
    ☞ Software is attached to email that you didn't request, even if it comes (or seems to come) from someone you trust.
    I don't say that leaving the safe harbor just once will necessarily result in disaster, but making a habit of it will weaken your defenses against malware attack. Any of the above scenarios should, at the very least, make you uncomfortable.
    6. Java on the Web (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related, despite the similarity of the names) is a weak point in the security of any system. Java is, among other things, a platform for running complex applications in a web page, on the client. That was always a bad idea, and Java's developers have proven themselves incapable of implementing it without also creating a portal for malware to enter. Past Java exploits are the closest thing there has ever been to a Windows-style virus affecting OS X. Merely loading a page with malicious Java content could be harmful.
    Fortunately, client-side Java on the Web is obsolete and mostly extinct. Only a few outmoded sites still use it. Try to hasten the process of extinction by avoiding those sites, if you have a choice. Forget about playing games or other non-essential uses of Java.
    Java is not included in OS X 10.7 and later. Discrete Java installers are distributed by Apple and by Oracle (the developer of Java.) Don't use either one unless you need it. Most people don't. If Java is installed, disable it—not JavaScript—in your browsers.
    Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java on the Web can't be trusted. If you must use a Java applet for a task on a specific site, enable Java only for that site in Safari. Never enable Java for a public website that carries third-party advertising. Use it only on well-known, login-protected, secure websites without ads. In Safari 6 or later, you'll see a padlock icon in the address bar when visiting a secure site.
    Stay within the safe harbor, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can practically be. The rest of this comment concerns what you should not do to protect yourself.
    7. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" (AV) or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they are all worse than useless. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use one of the free security apps in the Mac App Store—nothing else.
    Why shouldn't you use commercial AV products?
    ☞ To recognize malware, the software depends on a database of known threats, which is always at least a day out of date. This technique is a proven failure, as a major AV software vendor has admitted. Most attacks are "zero-day"—that is, previously unknown. Recognition-based AV does not defend against such attacks, and the enterprise IT industry is coming to the realization that traditional AV software is worthless.
    ☞ Its design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere. In order to meet that nonexistent threat, commercial AV software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.
    ☞ By modifying the operating system, the software may also create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.
    ☞ Most importantly, a false sense of security is dangerous.
    8. An AV product from the App Store, such as "ClamXav," has the same drawback as the commercial suites of being always out of date, but it does not inject low-level code into the operating system. That doesn't mean it's entirely harmless. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so will corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.
    An AV app is not needed, and cannot be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful, if at all, only for detecting Windows malware, and even for that use it's not really effective, because new Windows malware is emerging much faster than OS X malware.
    Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else. A malicious attachment in email is usually easy to recognize by the name alone. An actual example:
    London Terror Moovie.avi [124 spaces] Checked By Norton Antivirus.exe
    You don't need software to tell you that's a Windows trojan. Software may be able to tell you which trojan it is, but who cares? In practice, there's no reason to use recognition software unless an organizational policy requires it. Windows malware is so widespread that you should assume it's in every email attachment until proven otherwise. Nevertheless, ClamXav or a similar product from the App Store may serve a purpose if it satisfies an ill-informed network administrator who says you must run some kind of AV application. It's free and it won't handicap the system.
    The ClamXav developer won't try to "upsell" you to a paid version of the product. Other developers may do that. Don't be upsold. For one thing, you should not pay to protect Windows users from the consequences of their choice of computing platform. For another, a paid upgrade from a free app will probably have all the disadvantages mentioned in section 7.
    9. It seems to be a common belief that the built-in Application Firewall acts as a barrier to infection, or prevents malware from functioning. It does neither. It blocks inbound connections to certain network services you're running, such as file sharing. It's disabled by default and you should leave it that way if you're behind a router on a private home or office network. Activate it only when you're on an untrusted network, for instance a public Wi-Fi hotspot, where you don't want to provide services. Disable any services you don't use in the Sharing preference pane. All are disabled by default.
    10. As a Mac user, you don't have to live in fear that your computer may be infected every time you install software, read email, or visit a web page. But neither can you assume that you will always be safe from exploitation, no matter what you do. Navigating the Internet is like walking the streets of a big city. It can be as safe or as dangerous as you choose to make it. The greatest harm done by security software is precisely its selling point: it makes people feel safe. They may then feel safe enough to take risks from which the software doesn't protect them. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.

  • Is Keynote the right application for the job?

    I have a job that requires integrating an audio soundtrack with some slides. The difference between this presentation and a normal slide presentation is that most of the information is in the soundtrack (it's a lecture, with some slides as visual aids). The amount of time in which the slides need to appear is relatively brief; in fact it's a fraction of the soundtrack's run-time.
    I have time index information that specifies where the slides should appear in the presentation. For example, there will be two minutes of soundtrack with a blue background, and then a slide will appear for 5 minutes while the soundtrack discusses its content. Then the slide should disappear into blue background for 10 minutes, then another slide for 3 minutes, then background for 20 minutes, then another slide...and so on.
    In other words, the soundtrack must play continuously, interspersed with occasional slides at specific times for specific durations, with blue background in between. I want to export the entire presentation as an integrated audio+video file and burn it to DVD. I already have the soundtrack as an .aiff file in Logic Pro 7.2, and I will have the slides as high-quality JPEG files. I don't own a Keynote license. I do have a QuickTime Pro license. I've played with this in Microsoft PowerPoint enough to determine that it's not the right tool for the job.
    I've looked at Keynote's Help documentation, and it's not immediately apparent how to start with an audio soundtrack and simply insert slides at specific times, for specific durations. Can I accomplish that in Keynote, or is there another application that would be better suited to the task?
    Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer.

    Brian:
    If I correctly understand the effect you've described, I imagine that would be VERY annoying. However, in the test presentation I made in iMovie, that's not exactly what I experienced. I added the soundtrack first, and then I placed the slide images where I wanted them. Initially, I did notice that I couldn't just jump ahead and place an image all the way at the end of the soundtrack file without iMovie adjoining it to the last image's segment on the timeline, but that was easy to fix. Once the image was in the timeline, I just dragged it all the way to the end of the soundtrack. After that, I could place images anywhere I wanted.

  • I will give $100 to the person who can solve this problem once and for all.

    I'm not even kidding, dude. We can do PayPay, I'll mail you a check, whatever you want. That is how frustrating this is, that is how badly I want it fixed, and that is how much overtime I've worked lately thanks to being shorthanded at my place of biz-nass. I'm an hombre of my word, so if you actually come up with a solution that works, the cheddar will be yours. Okay let's hit it.
    It's the skipping thing. First 10-12 seconds of a song - every song - will play fine, then iTunes skips, stutters, and basically does the god **** hokey pokey and shakes it all about. It happens most notably with songs that I double-click to play, but I'm pretty much noticing it on any song now after a transition is made. I've been using iTunes for ages and this didn't happen until the upgrade to 7.3. I have poured over these forums for nearly a week, tried every solution offered (even offered one of my own that actually worked for maybe four days before the whole thing started up again) and NOTHING. To save us all some time, here's what I've tried:
    - Downgrading. I'll admit I didn't do this correctly at first. I didn't remove everything according to the support guidelines, but I went down to version 6.05 and that did nothing to quell the skipping. I upgraded back up to 7.3 because hey, why not, and attempted the remaining trial fixes. I have since removed both iTunes and Quicktime, step my step according the the guidelines, and not only have I downgraded to my current running version of 7.2, I put both of the programs on my F drive (as opposed to the default C drive), my gigantic bonus internal drive where I typically keep nothing but my giganto music library. I thought putting the app on the same drive as the music might fix things. I thought wrong. Dead wrong. Dead diddly dum iddly wrong.
    - Quicktime settings. My settings for Quicktime have always been in safe mode with the output size at 16 bits. So when I saw this "fix" I just rolled my eyes. I used to have that dealio back in the dizzle when iTunes would just get all static-y and skip when I'd open other programs or even just minimize it, so that fix worked for that, but it's nothing compared to this. In simpler terms, that fix is like Superman, and this skipping? The kryptonite. Actually that's probably not a great metaphor, but we've got a ways to go and this is going to get mucho boring if I don't throw some chuckles out there. Ready for fix three? Giddy up!
    - Turn off cross-fade? It's never been on. I never really got the appeal of that, and also I think it resulted in some minor skipping back in the d. I also attempted similar fixes like turning off the equalizer, messing with the volume, closing last.fm, REMOVING an old album art retrieval program from back before iTunes got its **** together with album art, ANYTHING that might interfere with playback was turned off, removed, b-slapped, and sent crying home to its moms. Nada.
    - Recreating my library. This was the fix I offered someone else, because it actually did the trick for a few days. After an entire night spent reimporting 73 gigs worth of music, it played fine, but I did lose a ton of album art, playcounts, etc, so you can imagine how ****** I was when this wound up not being a permanent fix. I was beyond ******. I was livid. But I was taught in the dojos of my youth to channel my anger into productivity, and instead of sculpting a lovely bonsai tree, I set out to fix this pup once and for all.
    - That darn anti-virus! This was the final fix I tried, even though I wasn't using any of the culprit programs listed in the forums as causes of the skipping, and even those offering this as a solution confessed it was pretty hit or miss. But having tried everything else, having resorted to playing my music on MediaMonkey of all things, I figured I'd give it a shot. I used (reason for the past-tense forthcoming) AVG Anti-Virus, Lavasoft AdAware and something called Spyware Doctor that I think just came bundled with XP. I removed all of them. I had just done a virus scan recently to see if that's what was causing this, so I figured I'd be okay until I could redownload them after this fix wound up not working. And it didn't work, so there's that.
    There may be a couple of fixes I've tried that I'm forgetting now, since I'm delirious after spending practically every night for the past week trying to fix this problem, while my girlf, Heather, sits and laughs at me while watching Clark and Michael on her MacBook. In fact, she's laughing at the $100 offer as I type this, but I assure you, if you offer a solution that works, the money is as good as yours. If you come up with a workable solution, I'll have to test and make sure it isn't temporary like the recreating my library thing, but I won't leave you hanging once I'm satisfied that it's fixed for good. I know it's unorthodox, perhaps illegal in some states, but I'm desperate here, peeps. The ball is in your court, and I beg you not to give up the rock.
    Gateway E-2000 Windows XP

    I think the problem lays with Last.fm. I had the same exact problem as you. In your processes screen, end the task "lastfmhelper.exe" Last.fm still scrobbles. The tracks don't skip, although I notice there is still a bit of a lag in the first part of the song - but if you can deal with that, no skipping. I think you will have to end that task everytime you boot up your computer, or uninstall last.fm completely until they fix it; it is a bug in their software, as opposed to iTunes.

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