Create interactive videos

Last updated on Apr 27, 2021

Interactive videos are videos that support user interaction. These videos play like regular video files, but also include contextual help and inline knowledge checks

What are interactive videos

Interactive videos are non-linear forms of storytelling, which gives the viewer the ability to interact with a video through tools and other interactive elements.

In this way, you can ensure high user engagement and conversion of your intended subject matter into actionable insights. Some of the benefits of interactive videos include:

Interactive videos result in high learner engagement via personalization and assessments
Interactive videos enhance a viewer’s cognitive reasoning
Interactive videos are ideal for learners of all age groups

Interactive videos have long become the de-facto trend in corporate training and for measuring employee engagement quotients. If you want your peers or employees to quickly grasp a complex subject, interactive videos are an answer.

In Captivate, you can make a slide video, a YouTube streaming video, or a cpvc file interactive and include interactive elements on the video. You can insert bookmarks on the video timeline and jump to the marks from any point in the video or the cptx .

An interactive video is only available in HTML5 preview/publish workflows.

From the big button bar, click Interactive Video. You can see the following dialog box.

Make a slide video interactive

To make a slide video interactive,

Create a blank or responsive project (File > New Project> Blank Project or File > New Project > Responsive Project).
To add a slide video to the project, on the toolbar, click Interactive Video or on the big button bar, click Media > Video.
From your computer, choose a video.

Click OK.
Note:
To insert the video on the slide selected in the Filmstrip, click Modify Slide Duration To Accomodate The Video.

To distribute the video among specific slides, click Distribute Across Slides and then specify the slide numbers.

You can insert the same video to another slide or a group of slides in the same project. When a synchronized video is imported into multiple slides, the association between the video and the slides (synchronized video group) is retained internally. Any edits that are made to the video timing are updated in all the slides of the synchronized video group.
Once you have added an mp4 video to your project, you can add interactivity to the video. You can do so in one of the following ways:
- Bookmark: You can add bookmarks to indicate points of interest in the video. Bookmarks can be used to mark a specific location to jump to in a video.
- Overlay slide: Overlay slides direct a viewer to any location in the project after completing an action in the video.

Add a bookmark

On the Timeline, drag the playhead to the time where you want to insert the bookmark.

On the Timeline, a bookmark is denoted by + in a yellow square.

You can also either highlight a bookmark on the Timeline or copy paste the bookmark icon in the text.
On the required time, click the bookmark.

Name the bookmark and click the tick.
From any point in the video, for example, on click of a button, if you want to jump to the bookmark, in the Actions tab in Property Inspector,
- On the action On Success, from the drop-down list, choose the option Jump to Bookmark.
- From the Bookmark drop-down list, choose the bookmark you have created.
Jump to bookmark

Delete a bookmark

On the Timeline, choose the bookmark you want to delete.
To delete the bookmark, click the Trash icon.

Delete a bookmark

Add overlay slides

Add a new dimension of interactivity to recorded or streaming videos with overlay slides in Adobe Captivate. Mark any slide as an overlay slide and insert it anywhere on your video timeline allowing you to add additional interactive layers for improved learner engagement.

Overlay slides in an interactive video direct a viewer to a destination after completing an interaction in the video. For example, after a lesson, a viewer takes a quiz, and depending on the results, the viewer either proceeds further or is taken to another slide with remediation instructions. Such a slide is referred to as an overlay slide.

In Captivate, you can add a content or an in-line knowledge check overlay slide.

To add an overlay slides,

Add a slide. In the slide, add the required content or knowledge check, which your learner must view.
Go to the slide with the slide video and on the Timeline, drag the playhead to the point where you want to add the overlay slides.

Overlay slide marker
On the Overlay Slide dialog, choose the slides you want as overlay slides when the video reaches the point.
Note:
You can only use the following slides as overlay slides:

Content/blank slides

Knowledge Check slides
To insert the selected slide, click Insert.

Note:

If a slide contains a video and an overlay and is previewed in the Edit Video Timing dialog box, the preview does not appear as expected.
After you have added an overlay slide, the slide appears on the Flimstrip , as shown below. The overlay slide now displays a marker, which signifies that the slide is now an overlay slide.

Overlay slide in filmstrip view

As with any slide, you can control the time for which the overlay slide needs to be displayed.

When you preview the project, you can see the overlay slide contents when the video reaches to the point where the overlay slide has been inserted.

Note:

On iOS devices, you cannot play a streaming video when an overlay is on the zeroth second on the Timeline.

Note:

Video Slides are not supported as overlay Slides.

Replace an overlay

On the Timeline of the video, mouse over the point where you had inserted the overlay slide.

Overlay slide point
You have two options:
- Replace - Replace the overlay slide with another.
- Unlink - Detach the overlay slide from the point in the Timeline.

Make YouTube streaming video interactive

Amplify video-based learning by easily adding interactivity to videos, by importing a video from YouTube, and drive up learner engagement.

To add YouTube stream to the project, on the big button bar, click Interactive Video.

Choose the option YouTube Video.
After importing the video, on the Property Inspector for the video, you can modify the start and the end times of the video.

Start and end times

Note:

When you modify the start and end times, the Timeline gets adjusted accordingly. The new start time now start at zero on the Timeline.
Add overlays and bookmarks as required.

Make Vimeo streaming video interactive

Interactive video enhancements

In Update 2 of the 2019 release of Captivate, you can add interactivity to videos imported directly from Vimeo. This goes a long way to amplify video-based engagement to your videos and empower your learners to substantially reduce their learning curve.

To insert a streaming video from Vimeo, follow the steps below:

Launch a project in Captivate.
To add Vimeo stream to the project, on the big button bar, click Interactive Video.

Choose the option Vimeo Video.
In the URL field, enter the Vimeo URL.
After importing the video, on the Property Inspector for the video, you can modify the start and the end times of the video.

Start and end times

Note:

When you modify the start and end times, the Timeline gets adjusted accordingly. The new start time now start at zero on the Timeline.

Insert Bookmarks to the Vimeo video

Now that the video has been inserted in the project, you can start the process of adding interactive features to the video. You can start by adding bookmarks.

Bookmarks allow you to divide your course into smaller modules and make the navigation across modules easy.
Bookmarking enables you to revisit certain content by bypassing the normal flow of content.
You can bookmark important points in the video, which learners can seek based on their interaction with the course.

To insert a bookmark,

Use the play icon in the bottom-left corner of the Timeline panel to play the slide.
Pause the video at the point where you want to insert a bookmark.

The current location of the red Playhead is where you want to add the first bookmark. To do so, turn your attention to the Playhead in the Timeline panel. As shown on the following screenshot, two extra layers have been added to the Timeline:

There are also two extra buttons on the Playhead: a little square with a + sign to add a Bookmark at the Playhead location, and a little diamond with a + sign to add an Overlay Slide at the Playhead location.

Click the square with a + sign to add a Bookmark at the current location of the Playhead.

Create Bookmark

The bookmark has been added to the video. Drag the bookmark, if you want to place it at any other point in the video.
Add another slide and add one button on it. In the Property Inspector, go to the actions panel, you will see jump to bookmark. Select the jump to Bookmark action. You can see the list of all bookmarks added in the video.

Assign an appropriate bookmark to this button. On preview, when you click the button, the video starts playing from the point/frame where bookmark is there.

Jump to Bookmark
Similarly, you can delete a bookmark. On the Timeline, choose the bookmark you want to delete. To delete the bookmark, click the Trash icon.

Delete Bookmark

Insert Overlay slides to the Vimeo video

In the 2019 release of Captivate, you could insert only one overlay slide. In Update 2, you can choose multiple overlay slides. You can select multiple slides to be linked at the same point on the Timeline.

To insert overlays,

Navigate to the Timeline and drag the Playhead to the position where you wish to add the overlay slides. Click Insert Overlay.

Insert Overlay
Choose the slides to be used as overlays.

Choose Overlay Slides
After inserting the Overlay slides, you can navigate to the Timeline and see the slides. Use the next and forward buttons to view the slides on the Timeline.

Previous and next buttons
You can go to any other position on the Timeline and add another overlay slide.
If you wish to move the position of the Overlay Slide, you can drag and drop it at any other position on the Timeline.
To replace the overlay slide, hover over the Overlay marker and click the Replace Overlay Slide icon.

Replace Overlay Slide
If you want to remove the Overlay slide, hover over the Overlay marker, and then click Unlink Overlay Slide. This will remove the overlay from your video.

Unlink Overlay Slide

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