In our hands-on Articulate 360 training, we talk about how Storyline 360 makes it easy to create engaging content. Zoom regions are one of the many compelling slide treatments that we explore in our training sessions, and they provide a simple, sleek, and effective way of drawing your learner’s attention to a specific area on a slide.
Since zoom regions are Timeline-based, we experiment with this aspect of timing when practicing zoom regions in class, and it provides some interesting results! We’re often asked, “What if I start a slide with a zoom region?” We thought we’d tackle that question in the blog together today.
Starting out with a zoom region at the very beginning of a slide is a particularly effective technique to use when showing a location on a map, when trying to illustrate scale, or when you just want to delay content in a new and unique way.
As you can see in our example, the slide will eventually zoom out from the initial focal point, revealing more information and giving the learner a different perspective.
This powerful effect is easy to do! Here’s how…
Step One: Playhead Consideration
Position the playhead at the start of the timeline.
This helps us because objects (like zoom regions) insert wherever the playhead is in the timeline.
Tip: You can click the square stop button in the bottom-left of the Timeline panel to ensure the playhead is at the start.
Step Two: Insert Zoom Region
Now, you’re ready to select Insert | Zoom Region.
The zoom region will now display as a green rectangle on the slide, highlighting the area of focus!
Tip: If you accidentally insert the zoom region at a place other than the beginning of the Timeline, simply select the zoom region object in the Timeline panel and drag it all the way to the left until you hit the starting position.
Step Three: Adjustments
We may want to make a few adjustments at this point. (Be sure the zoom region is selected first, if it’s not already, by clicking on its green outline.)
- Move: You can move the zoom region to your preferred spot on the slide by clicking and dragging from its center.
- Resize: We can resize the zoom region by dragging from its corners. (You may notice you can’t change the aspect ratio of the zoom region any wider or taller, and that’s by design. The zoom region uses the entire slide view when active, so its aspect ratio is based on the aspect ratio of your slide!)
- Timing: You can specify the zoom region timing within the Timeline panel to decide when the zoom region will end/zoom out. (Just be sure to leave the zoom region’s starting position at the very beginning of the timeline here, to execute our desired effect.)
- Speed: Finally, if you so choose, you can adjust the speed at which the zoom region zooms by right-clicking it on the slide (while the zoom region is selected) and selecting Zoom Transition Speed.
Step Four: Slide Transition
Note: Our desired effect won’t work if there’s a transition applied to the slide. Since this zoom region will occur at the start of the slide, we want to make sure the zoom region doesn’t conflict with any animation of a slide transition…which can get wonky!
So, remove any slide transition by navigating to the Transitions tab (with your “Base” slide selected, not a layer) and select None—if not already selected.
We did it! Preview the slide to see your completed effect!
If you need to, you can make any additional adjustments to the zoom region, whether on the slide or in the Timeline panel, at any time.
Other Considerations
We recommend pairing high-resolution photos with zoom regions to ensure the image is crisp and clear when the slide is zoomed in.
Further, consider creating a neat panning effect by placing two zoom regions directly alongside one another in your timeline.
And just like that, you’ve created a stunning effect that adds movement and pizzazz to your project! Feel free to download our project file here to check out the inner workings. Have you used zoom regions in a unique or interesting way? Share your ideas below!
~ Tara
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