How to record software simulations in Adobe Captivate Classic

Select File > Record New Software Simulation. The recording window appears.

Click Screen Area or Application.

Select this option if you want to specify the application which you want to record as part of your project. In the Select Application menu, select the application that you want to record and select one of the following:

Custom Size Select this option if you want to customize the dimensions of the recorded project. You can choose from a list of standard sizes, or define a custom size. The selected application is automatically resized to fit inside the boundaries of the recording area. Best practice is to have a clear idea of the dimensions of the project before you start recording it.

Application Window Select this option if you want to record the entire application window. The dimensions of the application are not altered. The recording rectangle is resized to fit the application.

Application Region Select this option if you want to record defined areas in an application. For example, if you are recording a window that has 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.

Select this option when you want to capture all events that occur within an area on the screen.

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 size window.

Full Screen Select this option if you want to set the size of the recording window to the size of your monitor 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. Recording in this mode can potentially produce large projects and output file sizes due to the large screen resolution on monitors.

Click Automatic or Manual in the Recording Type area. For more information, see Automatic recording, and Manual recording.

Choose the appropriate recording mode from the following:

• Demo
• Assessment
• Training
• Custom

Demo: If you want to demonstrate a procedure or feature, choose the Demo mode. This can be produced as a video, where user interaction may not be possible. In the Demo mode, Captivate Classic adds text captions using labels. This mode is ideal if you want to show a quick software concept to someone, but you don’t expect the person to follow along and actually perform the steps being demonstrated. 

Assessment: This mode is used to test your learner's understanding of the procedure being demonstrated. You can set scores and the number of attempts of a user in this mode. When you choose this mode, Captivate Classic adds click boxes and text entry boxes on each mouse click.

The Assessment mode includes Click Boxes (to make the lesson interactive) and Failure Captions (to help the user who clicks in the wrong place or performs the wrong step) by default. This mode is ideal when teamed with a Demonstration.

Training: This mode involves the learners' simulations. The learners try the steps of the procedure shown in the simulation, and then move to the next slide. If you record a slide in the Training Mode, Captivate Classic adds click boxes based on the mouse clicks, generates text entry boxes, and also provides failure and hint captions to each one.

Custom: Use this mode if you need a combination of features available in other modes. In this mode, Captivate Classic does not add any object by default.

Do one or all the following:

• Select a panning mode if you want the recording window to follow your movements across the screen. For more information, see Panning.

• If you are adding commentary during recording, select the type of audio input.

• To change the default settings that Adobe Captivate Classic uses when recording, click Settings at the bottom of the recording options. For more information on customizing recording preferences, see Set recording preferences.

Click Record.

If you have selected Manual recording, press Print Screen (Windows) or Command+F6 (Mac) every time you want to take a screenshot during the procedure.

Press End key (in Windows) or Cmd + Enter (Mac OS) when you have completed recording.

Set the shortcut keys for starting and ending a recording (Edit > Preferences > Keys (Global)).

Open the project in which you want to record additional slides.

Click Slides > Software Simulation or Video Demo.

In the Record Additional Slides dialog box, select the slide after which you want the recorded slides to be inserted and click OK.

The recording window appears.

Set the recording options and click Record.

Create a responsive project (File > New Project > Responsive Project or press Ctrl+H).

On the toolbar, click Modify > Rescale project.

In the Rescale Project dialog, change the width to 2048 pixels and height to 1080 pixels.

Add a software simulation slide and start recording.

Once you finish recording, you can see a blue rectangle on your simulation slides.

The rectangular focus area represents the minimum supported device size, pan to the entire slide on the device to see the remainder of the screen.

To preview the visible area on the slide in different devices, choose any device from the Preview in drop-down list.

For example, the visible area in an iPhone 7 Plus is shown below. The area in white is what you can see in the device. Pan to the slide to view the area outside the area in white.