How Can I Add the Secret Sauce to My Storyline 360 Courses?

Want to add the secret sauce to your Storyline 360 e-Learning?

In September, we offered part 2 of our free “Spicing Up Your e-Learning” webinar, cranking up the heat in the Articulate 360 tools yet again with ingredients to make your Storyline 360 e-Learning even more engaging. We loved hearing from everyone in the Q&A panel during the live session, so we wanted to bring a slice of the “Spicing Up Your Storyline 360 Course” webinar to our loyal readers of the blog!

Read on to explore some of the questions that were asked during the live webinar in this edition of The Articulate Trainer.

How Can I Change the Shape of a Photo?

During the “Spicing Up Your Storyline 360 Courses” webinar, we used the Picture Shape feature to create a cool visual effect with a circular photo.

The recipe:

1. First, insert an image.
2. To ensure the shape of our photo is a perfect circle, we want the starting image to be same size in height and width (i.e. square and not rectangular). So, if your image is not a perfect square, use the crop tool so that your photo has the same exact height and width. (Both the crop tool and photo sizing indicators are waiting for you in the Picture Tools tab with your photo selected!)
3. Now that we have a perfect square, let’s switch to a perfect circle by selecting Picture Shape on the Picture Tools tab and then choosing the circular shape.

Tip: While there are other ways of doing this, like drawing a circular shape and then changing the Shape Fill to a Picture, we prefer the first method because it helps us protect the aspect ratio of the image.

Whatever shapes make up your e-Learning templates, we hope this can help you add some new flavors to your design.

How Can I Create a Flip Card?

Another topic we explored during the Storyline 360 webinar: a flip card animation! At a time that we choose, we’ll have a card (…or coin…the sky’s the limit!) appear as though it is flipping over and revealing content on the other side.

The recipe:

1. We start with two objects, with each representing the opposite side of the card.
2. Then, create a transparent object. You might insert a shape, remove the border, and change the fill to 100 percent transparent.
3. Next, group the first side of your card with your new transparent shape. (You can easily group objects by multi-selecting them and pressing Ctrl + G on your keyboard!)
4. Add the “Swivel” Exit Animation to the group.
   

   If you preview your slide at this point, you would notice that the animation actually rotates multiple times. I think we should tweak the recipe a bit so that the card or coin appears to only flip only one time, rather than flipping…and flipping…and flipping…

5. To give the illusion of a single flip, open the group in the Timeline tab (by selecting the “carrot” on the left side) and adjust the timing of the original shape (not the transparent shape) so that it leaves the slide amidst our Exit Animation. This way, the invisible shape will swivel for the full Exit Animation but the visual item will only swivel for a moment (around .25 seconds or so, depending on your design and preferences) before it exits right in the middle of swiveling.
6. Finally, around the same point in the Timeline that the visible shape exits the slide, we’ll insert the content that we want to appear on the opposite side of the flip card. We will position this content on the slide directly over top of the card, and with no animation required, we’ll adjust the timing of this content to be revealed about .25 seconds before the original shape fully disappears.

 

Check it out…now isn’t that flipping great?!

If you enjoy these spicy steps and want to get cooking with them and a handful of additional tips to spice up your Storyline 360 e-Learning, check out the webinar recording and accompanying downloads here!

As always, comment below if you have ideas or questions, and happy developing!

 

 

 

~Ron