Add interactions and animations to imported slides

Learn how Adobe Captivate converts PowerPoint animations during import, supports customization, and enables enhanced interactivity for imported objects to boost learner engagement.

Introduction

Animations and interactions help draw learner attention and guide focus within a course. They also increase engagement by turning static slides into dynamic experiences. For example, you can:

• Use customized buttons created from shapes to navigate between content or quiz slides.
• Add callout shapes with important notes or hints that appear on a trigger, such as a click or hover.
• Animate key objects (for example, highlighting a process step) to emphasize critical information at the right time.

How Captivate handles PowerPoint animations

After you import a PowerPoint presentation into Adobe Captivate, supported animations are converted to Captivate animations. Basic entrance and exit effects are preserved, but most advanced animations, triggers, and interactive options are not imported. As a result, your slides retain their general animated behavior, but complex effects and interactions must be recreated manually in Captivate.

Learn more about the full list of supported animations in Captivate.

Supported and unsupported PowerPoint animations

Captivate supports a limited set of PowerPoint animations. Effects without direct equivalents are either ignored or replaced. Some timing adjustments are applied automatically during import.

Supported animations

• Basic entrance and exit effects such as Fade, Wipe, Fly In/Out, Zoom, Swivel, and Bounce.
• A limited set of emphasis animations, if Captivate has a matching effect.
• Multiple emphasis animations can be imported, provided Captivate supports them.
• First entrance/exit animation per object is imported; subsequent entrance/exit animations are ignored.

Partially supported animations

Triggers are not imported directly, but Captivate adjusts timing as follows:

• After Previous: Animation plays after the preceding animation completes.
• On Click: Animation is timed either at slide enter or immediately after the previous animation.
• With Previous:  Animation starts along with the preceding animation.
• Complex timing: Sequencing may be preserved in simple cases, but advanced options are not.

Unsupported animations

• Motion paths.
• Color-based or sound-based animations.
• Advanced effects (for example, Random Bars, Scale Out, 3D effects).
• Rewind triggers.
• Grouped text animations.
• After-animation options beyond basic timing.

Summary of imported animations

Expand each tab below to view how PowerPoint animations are mapped to Captivate animations. This helps ensure consistency when importing presentations and customizing animations post-import.

Note that Exit animations in Captivate behave similarly to Entrance animations but in the opposite direction, allowing for seamless transitions out of view.

Customize animations after import

Once you've imported a PowerPoint presentation into Adobe Captivate, you can:

• Edit and refine existing animations to closely replicate the original PowerPoint effects.
• Add new animations to objects that were not animated in PowerPoint, enabling richer and more engaging learner experiences.

Captivate provides complete control over animation properties such as direction, duration, and timing, allowing you to customize each object’s behavior to suit your instructional design goals.

Extending animations and interactions

Beyond simply preserving imported animations, Captivate allows you to:

• Add animations to objects that did not initially have any in PowerPoint.
• Insert new objects (such as shapes, buttons, or images) and apply animations or interactive triggers.
• Enhance learner engagement by combining imported slide elements with Captivate’s native animation and interaction capabilities.

Examples of adding animations and interactions

Since PowerPoint buttons and interactive triggers are not preserved during import, you can use shapes in Captivate as interactive objects. For example, you can convert a shape into a navigation button, apply animations, and assign interactions.

Set states on interactions

You can assign different visual states to objects based on user interactions to enhance feedback and usability. Adobe Captivate provides built-in states such as Hover, Visited, Selected, and Disabled. These states help indicate progress or interaction status. Alternatively, you can create and apply custom states tailored to your course design. When creating a custom state, give it a clear and descriptive name to ensure consistency and ease of use.

Using states effectively provides learners with visual cues, improves accessibility, and makes the course more intuitive and user-friendly by guiding them through their learning journey.

Add audio to interactions

You can make your eLearning courses more engaging and intuitive by adding audio cues to object interactions. These cues provide instant feedback. For example, confirming a selection, indicating progress, or signaling task completion. They help learners stay oriented and motivated while enhancing interactivity, accessibility, and overall user experience through multimodal guidance.