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Record software simulations in Adobe 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 Adobe Captivate
    1. Generative AI overview
    2. Generative AI FAQs
    3. Generative credits
    4. 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
    5. 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
    6. 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
    7. 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

In the all-new Adobe Captivate, a software simulation is an eLearning course that simulates the behavior of a software application or system. Using Adobe Captivate, you can create a software simulation by capturing your actions on the screen as you interact with the software application or system. Adobe Captivate can record your mouse clicks, keyboard inputs, and other actions and then use them to create an interactive simulation.

Adobe Captivate allows you to simultaneously create software simulations in three modes:

  • Demo: Demonstrate a software procedure. The user isn't required to perform any action.
  • Assessment: Test the user's knowledge of a procedure. Only inform the user if the step was incorrectly carried out.
  • Training: Guide a user through a procedure. The user must perform the steps in a procedure but with guidance at every step.

Launch software simulation

Launch Adobe Captivate welcome screen and select New simulation.

Note

For macOS users, you must grant adequate permissions to run simulations.

Navigate to System Settings > Privacy & Security, and add permissions for:

  • Accessibility
  • Input Monitoring
  • Screen Recording

Grant permission to Adobe Captivate application.

Adobe Captivate welcome screen showing New project and New simulation options with orange highlight around New simulation, left sidebar with Home, Your projects, and Learn menu items, and Featured templates section below.
Start creating your software simulation by selecting New simulation from the Adobe Captivate Home screen welcome interface.

In the simulation dialog, configure the following options:

  • Fullscreen capture: Select this option if you want to set the size of the recording window to the size of your computer screen. The entire computer screen is treated as the recording window. If you work on dual monitors, you can choose the monitor that you want to use for recording. 
  • Application window: Select this option if you want to record the entire application window. The dimensions of the application aren't altered. The recording rectangle is resized to fit the application.
  • Custom size: Select this option if you want to record your project using a specific dimension. You can choose from a list of standard sizes or create your own custom-sized screen.
Simulation launcher in Adobe Captivate showing full screen, application window, and custom size options.
Before starting your simulation, choose the appropriate recording window size, full screen, application window, or custom dimensions.

Recording pod

When you start a software simulation, a recording pod appears in the bottom right corner of the screen by default. You can move this pod anywhere on the screen, and it will not interrupt the recording. The red blinking dot    indicates that a recording is in progress.

Adobe Captivate recording pod interface showing controls for play/pause, stop, capture screenshot, and cancel during simulation recording.
When creating a software simulation, the recording pod appears in the bottom right corner of the screen. It features a red blinking dot to indicate active recording and controls to manage the recording process.

The recording bar includes the following buttons:

  • Play/pause: pause the recording and resume the recording.

  • Stop: End the recording or use shortcut keys for the same purpose: cmd + Return (macOS) or End (Windows). 

  • Capture screenshot: Capture a screenshot while a recording is in progress. Select the   icon on the recording pod to capture the current screen. The screenshot is added as a simulation slide in the current project. You can download it as a PNG file, which is saved in the same location as your project.  

  • Cancel: Aborts the recording.

Preferences

Click the gear icon to launch the Preferences panel.

Captions language: Select a language from the dropdown. The language you select controls the text that appears in the text captions are automatically created during the recording process.

Audio options

  • Audio input device: Select a microphone or any other input device.
  • Audio virtual driver: Select the virtual device that gets audio data from the default output. This is a macOS-only option.
  • Narration: Records audio as you record the project. The Narration option allows you to record a voice narration at the same time you record the lesson.
  • System Audio: System Audio allows you to record any sounds your computer makes, such as audio associated with a video you're recording or the sound an error message makes.
  • Camera Sounds: A “camera shutter” sound plays when the simulation captures a screenshot during recording. It's helpful to turn on this sound to know exactly when a screenshot is captured. The finished project doesn't include the camera sound.
  • Keystrokes: Records keyboard actions like typing text. Adobe Captivate records keyboard input but does not create a slide for every typed character.
  • Keyboard tap sounds: If you've selected Keystrokes, you can choose to include the keyboard taps in the project.

Hide

  • Recording window: The border of the recording window isn't displayed during recording.
  • System tray icon: Hides the system tray icon during recording. This icon is the small Adobe Captivate icon that is displayed in the system tray in the lower-right corner of the computer screen. Use this option if you don't want to record the icon when recording the project.
  • Taskbar icon: Hides the task icon during recording.

Others

  • Move new windows inside the recording area: Adobe Captivate automatically moves any new window during recording into the recording window. Use this option when recording an application in which many dialog boxes open as you use the application.

Smoothen movements for

  • Drag and drop options: Adobe Captivate switches automatically to video mode when recording drag-and-drop actions.
  • Mouse wheel actions: Adobe Captivate switches automatically to a video mode when recording mouse movements.
Adobe Captivate simulation preferences panel showing settings for modes, with Demo mode selected and options for instructions, mouse behavior, and highlight boxes.
The Simulation Preferences panel allows you to configure different recording modes (Demo, Assessment, or Training) and customize settings for each mode, including instruction captions, mouse behavior, and interactive elements.

The table lists all the keyboard shortcuts that you can use while creating a simulation.

Keyboard shortcuts table showing hotkeys for software simulation recording, including commands for play/pause, stop recording, and capturing screenshots.
Table of keyboard shortcuts available during software simulation recording in Adobe Captivate, helping users control recording operations without interrupting the capture process.

Select Demo, Assessment, or Training in the Mode dropdown.
 
DEMO MODE SETTINGS
 
Instructions
  • Add comment boxes: Automatically creates captions based on user and system actions performed during recording. The text captions use the labels in the application to describe a step.

Mouse

  • Show mouse location and movement: Displays mouse movements during recording.
  • Add highlight boxes on click: Automatically adds a highlight around the area where you click the mouse.

Assessment mode settings

Instructions

  • Add comment boxes: Automatically creates captions based on user and system actions performed during recording. The text captions use the labels in the application to describe a step.

Mouse

  • Show mouse location and movement: Displays mouse movements during recording.
  • Add highlight boxes on click: Automatically adds a highlight around the area where you click the mouse.

Clickbox

  • Add clickboxes on mouse click: Select to add click boxes when a learner clicks the mouse during an assessment.
  • Success caption: Select to display the success caption when a learner clicks the correct option.
  • Failure caption:  Select to display the failure caption when a learner clicks the incorrect option.
  • Hint caption: This option remains disabled because hints do not appear for learners during an assessment.
  • Limit attempts to: Enter the number of attempts for a learner to click on an area in the assessment. If the learner exceeds the number of attempts, they view the failure caption.
  • Show hand cursor on the clickbox: Select to display the cursor as a hand on the click box during the assessment. 

Editbox

  • Automatically add edit boxes for text fields: Select to display an edit area during the assessment when a learner enters text in a text field.
  • Success caption: Select to display the success caption when a learner enters the correct text in the field.
  • Failure caption:  Select to display the failure caption when a learner enters an incorrect text in a field.
  • Hint caption: This option remains disabled.
  • Limit attempts to: Enter the number of attempts for a learner to enter an answer in a text field during an assessment.

Training mode settings

Instructions

  • Add comment boxes: Automatically creates captions based on user and system actions performed during recording. The text captions use the labels in the application to describe a step.

Mouse

  • Show mouse location and movement: Displays mouse movements during recording.
  • Add highlight boxes on click: Automatically adds a highlight around the area where you click the mouse.

Clickbox

  • Add clickboxes on mouse click: Select to add click boxes when a learner clicks the mouse during a training.
  • Success caption: Select to display the success caption when a learner clicks the correct option.
  • Failure caption:  Select to display the failure caption when a learner clicks the incorrect option.
  • Hint caption: Select to display a hint to the learner.
  • Limit attempts to: Enter the number of attempts for a learner to click on an area in the training. If the learner exceeds the number of attempts, they view the failure caption.
  • Show hand cursor on the clickbox: Select to display the cursor as a hand on the click box during the training. 

Editbox

  • Automatically add edit boxes for text fields: Select to display an edit area during the assessment when a learner enters text in a text field.
  • Success caption: Select to display the success caption when a learner enters the correct text in the field.
  • Failure caption:  Select to display the failure caption when a learner enters an incorrect text in a field.
  • Hint caption: Select to display a hint to the learner.
  • Limit attempts to: Enter the number of attempts for a learner to enter an answer in a text field during a training.
Simulation preferences panel showing options for demo mode settings, including instructions, mouse behavior, and highlight box configuration.
The preferences panel allows you to configure how instructions, mouse movements, and comment boxes appear during demo mode simulation recordings.

Size

In the Size dropdown, select the window size for the simulation. The options are:

  • Desktop (1440x1080)
  • 1080p HD (1920x1080)
  • 720p HD (1280x780)
  • Apple iPad (768x1024)
  • Custom (1728x1118)- If you select this option, you can specify custom values for the width and height of the recording.
  • Select App Region: Select this option if you want to record defined areas in an application. For example, if you're recording a window with three frames, the recording window snaps to individual frames when the mouse moves over them. The dimensions of the application are not altered. The recording rectangle is resized to fit the defined area in the application.

Narration

Select the microphone with which you want to narrate during recording. You can select the built-in microphone on your machine or use an external microphone.

If you want to include system audio in your simulation, select the checkbox Record System Audio. System audio refers to the audio from your computer's speakers. For example, audio associated with YouTube videos or the sound you hear when error messages pop up in some applications. Adobe Captivate lets you capture or record system audio while recording a software simulation or a video demo. You can also add system audio to a slide after creating a project by recording or importing.

Panning

Panning helps you capture events across a large screen even when the recording window is smaller than the size of the screen. 

Select a panning mode if you want the recording window to follow your movements across the screen. 

The following panning options are available in Adobe Captivate: 

  • Automatic Panning: The recording window automatically moves along with the pointer whenever you move the mouse during recording.
  • Manual Panning: You must manually move the recording window to where the next event occurs. In all other respects, it's like the automatic panning option.

In the following sections, you'll learn more about the three Simulation types, Demo, Assessment, and Training.

Add simulation to an existing project

  1. Open an existing project.

  2. Select Capture in the left toolbar. Select Software Simulation.

    The left toolbar shows the Simulation option selected with the Software Simulation button highlighted, displaying the simulation launcher dialog for adding to an existing project.
    Integrate new simulations into existing projects by accessing the Simulation menu and then executing the simulation workflow.

  3. The simulation launcher displays. Select the type of simulation- Demo, Assessment, or Training.

  4. Select the Record button.

After you record the simulation, the simulation project is added to the existing project.

When the size of the recording is less than 1366 * 768, Captivate captures a snapshot inside the pre-determined standard size. When the size of the recording is greater than 1366 *768, Captivate creates a slide equal to the size of the snapshot.

Watch a video

More like this

Learn about each simulation mode in Adobe Captivate in detail:

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