Author: Veronica B

Melbourne Power Launch: March 2019 Open Course

Melbourne Power Launch: March 2019 Open Course

Melbourne, we’re running a special-event Power Launch Open Course. It’s now accepting individual enrolments for March 2019 dates.

Always Tops for Teams

For over 3 years, Storyline Training has delivered on-site training to corporate teams.

From lawyers to fire fighters, we’ve helped heaps of folks discover how to harness the power of e-learning to efficiently and effectively spread their wisdom. Across Australasia to South East Asia, we’ve been busy teaching teams what we know best: Storyline!

kuala lumpur was fun for all
Kuala Lumpur was fun!

…but What About the Indy Pros?

Over the years, though, we’ve received many expressions of interest from individuals too.

Some are already in L&D and looking for new ways to effectively do their job. Others are developers looking to expand their technical skill set. Small teams often want something they can join in on rather than be the sole students. Then, there are one-person teams who do it all and recognise how Storyline can simplify how they work. For many, corporate team training is unfeasible… but an open course: that would work.

So, where and when can these good folk enrol for top-shelf Storyline Training?

Until now, the answer has been… well, we’ve not really had a good answer. But we have been working on a solution…

Now: Enrol in Melbourne’s Power Launch

Good news, y’all! For the first time, Storyline Training is offering an open course in Melbourne, now ready for enrolment—specifically for individuals and small teams.

It’s set to run in Melbourne on 21 & 22 March 2019. It’s going to be facilitated by the fantastic Storyline Training lead (and Articulate e-learning Super Hero) Veronica B.

And you can be part of it.

Melbourne's own power launch station
Under the clocks at… um, actually… scrap that. Let’s meet at this great computer lab I know…

Ready to Enrol?

Go ahead and book your place!

To secure your seat in the sessions, payment is required.

I have more questions, who can I ask?

Send us a message online, or speak with Veronica on 0416 374 563.

Add & Edit Closed Captions directly in Storyline 360

Add & Edit Closed Captions directly in Storyline 360

These days, we can use Storyline 360 to add closed captions to online interactions.

With this terrific accessibility feature, you can:

  • create your own captions for any video or audio file inserted into Storyline
  • edit closed caption files created in another application, in Storyline

Here’s a video to walk you through it:

As accessibility concerns get more widely recognised, this nifty feature is sure to be appreciated. The team at Storyline Developer say that accessibility is moving up the priority list for many organisations—both for commercial projects and internal training programs.

Thankfully, the folks at Articulate have made their closed captions solution super easy!

Back in the dark ages, developers needed third-party software to make closed captions work. That was okay, but Storyline now does it all. That handily simplifies the e-learning development process, and the list of apps needed by developers.

Want more?

Storyline Training can bring your team up to speed with all things Storyline. Contact us today!

360 Content Library Extras, Part 2: New Template & Characters

360 Content Library Extras, Part 2: New Template & Characters

The Articulate 360 Content library has some new additions, including:

  • new characters
  • a new e-learning template

The new content was made available with the latest update. Of course, that included software tweaks too. Actually, one of those was significant: let’s look at that as well…

New Characters: Meet Paulina & Gail

Articulate have added two new characters to the 360 Content Library. That makes for a cast of 47 photographic characters you can use in your productions! That’s pretty deep talent pool. And, it’s an excellent resource for something that comes included with your software subscription.

Here are the new suspects:

Introducing Paulina and Gail
Paulina just watched the Night King throw a spear.
Gail thinks she just felt a drop of rain.

New Template: Inspire

Also added to the Content Library: a new template.

‘Templates in Storyline 360 are slick pre-made layouts. They let you easily present your e-learning in an appealing way with a cohesive aesthetic. Good ones can speed up your development process a lot.

This new template is called ‘Inspire’.

The new 'Inspire' template.
Inspired yet?

And Another Thing: Tables!

Tables! The same update that heralded the new content additions also finally added tables!

Crazy as it seems, prior to this update, Storyline offered no way to put a table onto a slide. Now, at long last, it’s easy and effective to add a table from within Storyline itself.

Adding tables is a bit off-topic here. So, we’ve written up a separate post about how to add and edit tables in Storyline.

That’s a Wrap

More characters, a new template and the practical ability to insert a table. The Articulate 360 package seems to be an ever-expanding resource. I for one welcome our new inspiring overlords

Remember! For team training at your premises, be sure to check out our Storyline courses.

Import Closed Captions (CC) files to Storyline 360

Import Closed Captions (CC) files to Storyline 360

The March update of Articulate Storyline 360 added a much-requested capability: the ability to add Closed Captions (CC) to e-learning projects.

Articulate 360 updates regularly bring bug fixes, but it’s when they include new features that they really deserve the buzz. Well, this update brought new things to Storyline 360, and they’re immediately useful.

We’ve already covered the expanded content library. Now, let’s look at the new way to handle closed captions/subtitles.

Closed captions: must-have for e-learning accessibility

Closed captions are like subtitles. They let learners read voice-overs and narration as on-screen text. Some learners want or need closed caption instead of voice-over. Others might use closed captions as well as listening to voice-over.

Not everyone wants closed captioning, but many do. It’s best practice to include it as an option that learners can switch on or off as they like.

For some learners, closed captions are a top priority. The hard of hearing have an obvious need. Also, ESL speakers often find it makes things easier to follow. So, closed captions have become integral to the development of accessible e-learning.

As time goes on, more companies are expecting closed captions to be a part of the e-learning they use. The ability to embed closed captions is a high priority—or even a pre-requisite—for many e-learning clients. Organisations that have formal mandates to meet broad accessibility standards demand it. This includes government departments, public education providers and more.

If you’ve never worked with CC before, it can seem a bit daunting. Luckily, there are tools available that make it pretty quick and easy. Here’s how you can do it with Storyline.

New CC capability in Storyline

Now, you can use Storyline to add Closed Captions to video and audio files.

To do this, you’ll need to first create a CC file, such as a .srt file. You can do this using captioning services like YouTube or Amara for free, or any number of paid services.

Then, all you need to do is insert a video or audio file onto a slide and access the CC tools from the Audio Tools > Options or Video Tools / Options tab. Simpy click the Add Caption button, find your CC file and insert it. Your video or audio file is now captioned.

Of course, you can remove the CC file if you change your mind, and you can even choose the font you’d like the subtitles to appear in. To do this, open the Player Properties, select Colors & Effects and select the Caption font of your choosing.

See it in action, from start to finish

Below is a quick demo video of how I added CC to a video in one of my projects.

It explores the formal info about closed captions in Storyline and shows how to:

  • use Amara to create and download a CC file
  • add Closed Captions to a video inside Storyline
  • customise the Closed Captions font.

BONUS: Download the template from the video

It’s got nothing to do with closed captions, but…

…if you like what you see in that video, we’ve already released the Storyline template it uses. It’s freely available. You’re welcome to download the template file for your personal use.

Free Storyline template file, as used in the closed captions example video
Download the freebie

NB: This post refers to closed captioning features unveiled in the March 7, 2017 (Build 3.4.10330.0) update of Storyline 360. As of August 2017, there’s even more you can do with closed captions/subtitles. For more advanced info about Storyline’s even-newer closed-caption editing capabilities check out our more recent post.

What’s next?

The March 7 update was the third significant upgrade to the Articulate 360 suite in under four months. (Yes, there have been five updates so far, but two of those were really just bug-fixes.) Already, Articulate is improving the value-proposition of the package, and they’re not showing signs of stopping. At the same time as subtitling capability was unveiled, they also added a stack of new assets to the Storyline content library. I reckon we should expect more sooner rather than later.

As the 360 suite matures, each batch of new features meshes nicely with those that came before. Storyline Training news gives you key run-downs of the newest features as they arrive. Our intensive courses give you access to the bigger picture. With Storyline Training courses, you’ll be set to develop professional-level e-learning within hours and days.

360 Content Library Extras, Part 1: New Assets & Cast Members

360 Content Library Extras, Part 1: New Assets & Cast Members

The March 2017 Articulate 360 update brings welcome expansion of the Articulate 360 Content Library. This and other recent tweaks have refined all of the 360 apps. But e-learning developers are currently abuzz about how the new features are used in Storyline 360.

There are two big ticket items in the new update. From a pure capability standpoint, top spot goes to the new closed captions features. Then, there’s the convenience stakes. There, the gong goes to the expanded Content Library. We’ll look at the latter here and now.

If you like video, press play below to see lead Storyline trainer Veronica B explore the new content.
For the write-up, scroll past the vid and read on.

What’s new in the Articulate 360 Content Library?

When Storyline 360 launched, its new content library was a head-turner. It simplified the process of sourcing royalty and attribution-free graphic assets. It made it even easier to insert them into your e-learning projects. Best of all, it all happens right in Storyline 360. The entire thing is included with the subscription.

Articulate’s rolling updates are making Content library better and better. The March 2017 update brings new characters and something new: royalty-free photos and other convenient graphic assets.

New characters

This update gave us three new characters: William, Sheila and Nora. Now, anyone with a 360 subscription can use these folks in their e-learning for free!

William, Sheila and Nora are new characters in the Storyline content library.
Will is a full arm-fold kinda guy. Sheila prefers a choral clasp. Nora = sensible shoes.

Royalty-free graphic assets: photos, illustrations, icons and videos

Content Library has also received a stack of new graphical assets, including:

  • photos
  • illustrations
  • icons and
  • videos.

There are thousands of high resolution photos to search through. From office environments, to animals, to construction sites to medical equipment, most search terms will bring up results. And, if you’re course uses an illustrated style, there are also thousands of illustrations on offer.

Now that square-edged buttons are taken for granted, Articulate gives us a heap of new icons. Slowly but surely, they’re building in variety. As the library continues to evolve, customisation will get easier. As developers use it to its full extent, we’ll get greater variation and truly customised e-learning interfaces.

There are plenty of HD videos too. You’re not going to get a clip of a Zac Efron explaining your exact topic, but there is a wide selection of vision to choose from. The available clips will be good as moving backgrounds. They’ll also add flair in all sorts of contexts.

Now, it's easy to add video to your e-learning project via the Storyline content library
If you like time-lapse clouds, you’re in for a real treat

What’s next?

The March 7 update was the third significant upgrade in under four months. (In total, there have been five updates so far, but two of them were just bug-fixes.) You can tell that the developers are trying to improve their value-proposition. They seem to be heading in the right direction. Thankfully, it looks like they’ve still got momentum.

As the 360 suite matures, each batch of new features meshes nicely with all that came before. While our Storyline Training news can keep you up to date with new releases, more comprehensive guidance is available in the Storyline Training courses. They are designed to rapidly improve your team’s e-learning capability. The sessions can be customised to measure, delivered on site and facilitated by one of Australia’s leading e-learning experts.

Get in touch any time to learn more.