However, you cannot delete or add other objects, and in most cases you can’t replace the object in one state.
Notice in Figure 6 that you can have object states in ActivePresenter, as you can in Captivate and Storyline (and to some degree in Lectora). See Figure 5.įigure 5: ActivePresenter dialogs and panels Other features of note The dialogs in ActivePresenter are intuitive and similar those you find in Storyline, Lectora, and Captivate with panels that can stay up or be dismissed.
They are used mainly for animating objects but are not limited to such. The additional timelines do not activate automatically: you use events and actions to make them work. However, you can create as many timelines as you wish on any slide, and name them as well. The TimelineĪctivePresenter has a timeline (Figure 3) that you can use to have objects appear and disappear from the stage or canvas. Many you’ll recognize some if you’re already a Captivate, Storyline, or Lectora user. Let’s touch on some of the major features in ActivePresenter. There are also several samples, some of which are responsive, that you can watch and download to build upon.Īt the bottom of the dialog, you also have ready access to lots of ActivePresenter tutorials on YouTube, a link to the support center, and a wealth of preferences, seen in Figure 2.įigure 2: The preference dialogs Major features Just as in Captivate and Storyline, you can also:įinally, as you can in Captivate and Lectora, you can also create a:
Last month I compared ActivePresenter’s software simulation features with those of Adobe Captivate and Articulate Storyline.
The product is updated often with new features enhancements and the manual is updated each time the product is.
There’s no need, though, because ActivePresenter comes with a full 387-page user manual PDF that you can open from its help menu.
This review is based on the pro version and it contains so many features that it would be impossible to cover them all in one review. You can see which features are included in each version here. You can also download a full trial version with no expiration date that will include a watermark in your exported projects.
There is a free version, a standard version that costs $199 US and a pro version priced at $399 US. Its creator, Atomi Systems, is based in Hanoi, Vietnam, and its price point is very attractive.
It is available to be installed in both Windows and on Mac OS X and editions are available in English, French, Polish, Vietnamese, Russian, and German. So how did I not discover ActivePresenter until two months ago, when it is already up to version 8? In fact, it first came out in 2008. I like to think that I am familiar with most authoring tools.