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Captivate Classic vs Adobe Captivate

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Captivate

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  1. Captivate User Guide
  2. Get to know Captivate
    1. What's new in Adobe Captivate
    2. Adobe Captivate System Requirements
    3. Download Adobe Captivate
    4. Frequently Asked Questions
  3. Adobe Captivate releases
    1. Adobe Captivate 13
      1. Adobe Captivate (13.0) release notes
    2. Adobe Captivate 12
      1. Adobe Captivate 12 summary
      2. Adobe Captivate (12.6 update) release notes
      3. Adobe Captivate (12.5 update) release notes
      4. Adobe Captivate (12.4 update) release notes
      5. Adobe Captivate (12.3 update) release notes
      6. Adobe Captivate (12.2 update) release notes
      7. Adobe Captivate (12.1 update) release notes
  4. Project setup
    1. Slide navigator
    2. Project dimensions
    3. Set preferences
      1. General preferences
      2. Generative AI preferences
      3. Project preferences
      4. Quizzing preferences
    4. Themes
    5.  Configure URL access for Adobe Captivate features
  5. Import from PowerPoint
    1. Import PowerPoint presentations into Captivate
    2. Work with text on imported slides
    3. Work with shapes on imported slides
    4. Add media to imported slides
    5. Add interactions and animations to imported slides
  6. Generative AI in Captivate
    1. Generative AI overview
    2. Generate text 
      1. Generate text overview
      2. Write effective prompts for text generation
      3. Generate text using quick prompts
      4. Generate text using custom prompts
      5. Provide feedback to improve text generation
    3. Generate images
      1. Generate image overview
      2. Generate images using prompts
      3. Choose image content type - Photo or Art
      4. Use reference images for Composition and Style
      5. Best practices for effective image generation
      6. Provide feedback to improve image generation
    4. Generate avatar
      1. Generate avatar overview
      2. Customize the avatar
      3. Create transcripts for avatar narration
      4. Generate avatar narration
      5. Provide feedback to improve avatar generation
    5. Generate transcripts
      1. Generate transcripts overview
      2. Generate transcripts for closed captions
      3. Best practices to use transcripts effectively
  7. Add and edit text
    1. Add text to a project
    2. Add Adobe fonts to a project
    3. Add quotes
  8. Add and edit images
    1. Add images to a project
    2. Edit the background image on a slide
    3. Add SVGs to a project
  9. Add and edit media
    1. Add videos to a project
    2. Add and edit audio
    3. Add audio for widget interactions
    4. Add closed captions
    5. Add web objects to a project
  10. Interactive components
    1. Add a button
    2. Add an input field
    3. Add a radio button group
    4. Add a dropdown
    5. Add a checkbox
    6. Variables in Adobe Captivate
  11. Create quizzes
    1. Add a Multiple-choice question
    2. Add a True or false question
    3. Add a Match the column question
    4. Add a Short answer question
    5. Add a Sequence question
    6. Add question pools and random question slides
    7. Import questions as CSV
  12. Add widgets
    1. Add a Card
    2. Add Tabs
    3. Add a Certificate
    4. Add a Carousel
    5. Add a Hotspot
    6. Add Drag-and-Drop
    7. Add a Timeline
    8. Add Click to Reveal
    9. Add an Accordion
  13. Interactions and animations
    1. Add interactions to a project
    2. Create interactive video with overlay
    3. Create a slide-level interaction
    4. Create an object-level interaction
    5. Add animations to a project
    6. States in Adobe Captivate
  14. Enhance your e-learning project
    1. Add padding to content blocks and components
    2. Add a header to a project
    3. Add a footer to a project
    4. Create a long scroll project
    5. Add a conversation slide
    6. Add characters to your Adobe Captivate project
    7. Assets in Captivate
  15. Simulation projects
    1. Simulation overview and setup
    2. Demo mode
    3. Training mode
    4. Assessment mode
    5. Full-motion recording
  16. Timeline and TOC
    1. Timeline panel in Adobe Captivate
    2. Table of Contents in Adobe Captivate
  17. Review and collaborate
    1. Share for review
    2. Create and manage reviews
    3. Add review comments and collaborate
    4. FAQs and Troubleshooting guide for sharing projects for review   
  18. Preview and publish
    1. Preview your project
    2. Publish your project
  19. Accessibility
    1. Create accessible eLearning content in Adobe Captivate
    2. Make a slide accessible
    3. Make slide objects accessible
    4. Make an interactive component accessible
    5. Make a widget accessible
    6. Make a quiz accessible
    7. TOC and Playbar accessibility
  20. Design options in Adobe Captivate
    1. What are design options?
    2. Parts of a design option
    3. Create custom design options
    4. Modify a custom design option
    5. Export a custom design option
    6. Import a custom design option
  21. Additional resources
    1. Top How-tos in Captivate
    2. Captivate Classic vs Adobe Captivate
    3. Upgrade older Captivate projects to the latest version
    4. Create and deploy Captivate packages in Admin Console

Overview

Adobe Captivate has consistently been a tool for developing interactive e-learning content. The launch of the all-new Captivate offers users a redesigned experience with improved features and a more efficient workflow. This article will delve into the key differences between Adobe Captivate Classic and the all-new Captivate, shedding light on how the evolution impacts content creators and instructional designers. 

Adjust the slider to contrast the visual differences and interface improvements between the two versions of Captivate. The image on the left represents Captivate Classic, while the image on the right showcases the all-new Captivate.

Captivate Classic
All new Captivate

Table of differences

Point of difference

Captivate Classic

Adobe Captivate

File type

.CPTX file

.CPT file

User interface

The classic version offers a familiar and traditional user interface with menus, panels, and toolbars.

The latest version boasts a modern user interface with a sleeker design, a more intuitive layout, and contextual menus for enhanced efficiency.

Responsive design

While responsive design capabilities are present in the classic version, they can be perceived as intricate, requiring significant manual adjustment to ensure compatibility across various devices.

The new Captivate simplifies responsive design by introducing content blocks that are adaptive to different screen sizes. This enhancement helps create courses for various devices and improves the overall user experience.

Interactive learning

In the classic version, interactive elements require extra customization to reach the desired levels of engagement. Basic interactions like quizzes and click-through slides are available, but crafting more intricate interactions can present challenges.

The latest version elevates interactive learning experiences with enhanced features such as interactive video overlays and scenarios.

Type of users

It is ideal for experienced users who prefer granular control over a wide array of features.

Users of any experience level who need responsive design, a focus on accessibility, and faster workflows will benefit from features such as pre-built templates, simplified interactions, and a more intuitive editing process.

Generative AI usage

No

Yes. Generate text, images, transcripts, and avatar narration using generative AI. Learn more about Generative AI in Adobe Captivate.

Import from PowerPoint

Yes

Yes

Video demo

Yes

No*

3600 VR courses

Yes

No*

Question pools & random questions

Yes

Yes

Visual design capabilities
  • Manually adjust layouts and move objects
  • Slide-based content
  • Rich media asset library
  • Readymade layout slides and design options
  • Long scroll + slide-based content
  • Rich media asset library

Import questions as CSV

Yes

Yes

Customizable closed captions

Yes

Yes

Quick start projects

Yes

Yes

Customizable smart shapes

Yes

Yes. Applies to projects imported from PowerPoint and Simulation projects.

Image editing

Yes

Yes. Responsive by design for multiple device views.

Widgets

The functionality is not available out-of-the-box and would require custom development, which necessitates Adobe Flash (no longer supported).

The following features are available: Card, Hotspot, Drag and Drop, Tabs, Carousel, Timeline, Click to Reveal, and Certificate.

Learning interactions

Yes

Yes. They can also be customized using widgets

Sharing and Collaboration

Requires installation of reviewer app for commenting and collaboration.

The Share for Review feature facilitates seamless collaboration between eLearning content creators and project reviewers. Reviewers receive notifications by email, can access project slides, post comments, and offer crucial feedback directly in the browser, all without installing Captivate or any other application.

Resize Project

The size of the slides in the project can be customized.

The new Captivate emphasizes responsive design, ensuring that your project adapts seamlessly to various screen sizes (desktops, tablets, or phones) and eliminating the need for manual adjustments. It allows you to modify the width and height of a content block, which then scales proportionally to preserve the responsive design across different devices.
Note

Features denoted by an asterisk '*' are not yet available in the current version of Adobe Captivate.

Adobe, Inc.

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