Tips for Using Sound Effects in E-Learning
As e-learning developers, we’re always looking for new ways to liven up our content and engage learners. Sound effects can be a great way to do this: they bring content to life and make learners feel like they are part of an experience. Not to mention, it’s never been easier to find free, high-quality sound effects that you can use in your projects. Let’s talk about a few tips to make sure you’re using sound effects wisely and effectively. Proper Rights and Attribution First of all, it’s important to make sure you have the proper rights for the audio clips you’re using. You also need to check that you’re using proper attribution, if required. When you download an audio clip from the Internet, look for the associated Terms of Use (usually there’s a link) and read them carefully. The Terms of Use will indicate if and how you can use the audio clip in question. Consider the Learner Experience You may want to let the learner know on the starting slide that audio is included in the course in case they have their volume turned off. After all, you don’t want them to miss important info and have to restart the course! You may also want to give learners the ability to control the volume of the sound effects and to mute them if they choose. Know Your Audience Should you include funny, whimsical sound effects in a serious e-learning module for accounting professionals? Probably not. That would work better in a gamified course you’re building for new employees that is more playful in nature and casual in tone. Know your audience and topic, and make sure you select sound effects that work well with both. Use Sound Effects Sparingly Once you find sound effects that work well with your material, you might be tempted to add a sound effect to each slide and for each mouse click. That can get annoying really fast…so use them sparingly to make sure they remain effective for the learner. Be Consistent This applies to the type of sound effects you’re using, and also to the quality. Certain sounds work well together, and you should consider the quality and volume of sound effects to ensure they’re all consistent with each other. Keep these tips in mind when you’re adding sound effects to your next course and it’s sure to add that extra oomph your learners will love. If you're looking for sources for free audio, try this roundupby Tom Kuhlmann. Got any tips of your own for using sound effects? Let me know in the comments below. You can always sign up for a fully functional, free 30-day trial of Articulate 360. And don’t forget to post your questions and comments in the forums! We’re here to help. For more e-learning tips, examples, and downloads, follow us on Twitter.Rise 360: Add Text and Media
In Rise 360, blocks are form-based templates, so adding content is as easy as plugging text and media into placeholders. Depending on the blocks you selected, you simply fill out forms with text, images, narration, videos, and embedded web content. Here are tips for working with each type of content. Author Avatars Text Images Audio Videos Web Content Author Avatars You can edit the title and show or hide the author. Under the title, you can hide the author of the content you're editing by clicking the author avatar and selecting Hide Author. If there are multiple authors, you can select which author attribution to display. To hide all author avatars for all a deliverable, select the appropriate option in the Theme > Lesson Headers menu. Text Type your text in the web interface or copy text from external sources and paste it into Rise 360. In most blocks, you can add and edit text in the body of the main window. In some cases, you can use the sidebar—for example, add marker text in the sidebar for labeled graphic blocks. Format text by selecting it and choosing formatting options on the floating toolbar that appears. Or, use the keyboard shortcuts below. Key(s) Function Ctrl+A Select all Ctrl+B Bold Ctrl+I Italicize Ctrl+K Hyperlink Ctrl+S Strikethrough Ctrl+U Underline Ctrl+Z Undo Ctrl+Shift+Z Redo Ctrl+[ Decrease indent Ctrl+] Increase indent When you paste text, Rise 360 retains the source formatting. To paste your text without formatting, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V. You can also restore the default Rise 360 formatting to pasted text by selecting it and clicking the Reset icon. Pro Tip: The default text size for non-heading content is 17pt. Quickly Insert Tables and Lists Available in the sidebar and main window of most blocks that support text,quick insert lets you add tables and lists to blocks with a single click. On a blank line, clickQuick Insert(+). SelectInsert Table,Unordered List, orOrdered Listfrom the row of icons. Images Depending on the block type you’re using, click the camera icon or the Add Images button. Sometimes it’s in the main window; sometimes it’s in the sidebar. Upload images from your computer or search photos and illustrations from 13+ million royalty-free assets in Content Library 360. Rise 360 compresses your uploaded images with virtually no loss of quality. Use high-quality images in your courses and let Rise 360 optimize them for web distribution. After adding an image, click Edit to remove it, replace it, or add alternate text for screen readers. Create Images from Scratch with AI Assistant Turn your ideas into high-quality images! With AI Assistant, you can create images from scratch in no time!Learn how to use AI Assistant to level up your course authoring game. Audio In labeled graphic, process, and timeline blocks, click the Record Audio microphone icon, then click either Start Recording or Upload a file. You can also add a multimedia audio block on its own. Click Edit to open the sidebar. Choose either Upload or Start Recording. The maximum file size for each audio file you upload to Rise 360 is 5 GB. After adding audio, click Edit to remove or replace it. Mac Users: Safari must be updated to the latest versionfor audio recording support. Alternately, use Google Chrome or Firefox when you need to record narration in Rise 360. Videos In blocks that support videos, click the camera icon and choose Upload media. Sometimes the camera icon is in the main window; sometimes it’s in the sidebar. We recommend using high-quality videos with a 16:9 aspect ratio for the best results. Rise 360 compresses videos so they have smaller file sizes for web distribution while maintaining high quality. The maximum file size for each video you upload to Rise 360 is 5 GB. After adding a video, click Edit to remove or replace it. Tip: You can also import screencasts you create withReplay 360 and Peek 360. Web Content In blocks that support embedded media, click the camera icon and choose Embed from web. Sometimes the camera icon is in the main window; sometimes it’s in the sidebar. Just paste the URL or embed code for the web content you want to use—for example, a YouTube video or an interactive graphic. You can even use parameters for embeddedYouTube andVimeo videos. Note: Videos in embedded web content don't pause when the learner switches to another tab or scrolls away from the content. To enable auto-pause, you must upload the video as a file, as detailed in the previous section. We use Embedly to embed rich media in Rise 360 courses, which means you can use videos, images, documents, and other media from over 400 content providers, such as YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, and Scribd.See the complete list of supported content providers here. If there’s an error or your web content doesn’t display, see these articles for tips: Embedded Content Is Missing or Blank How to Fix Invalid Embed CodeAudio Interviews with E-Learning Challenge Heroes #461
Interviews with E-Learning Challengers#461: Challenge | Recap 🏆 Challenge of the Week This week, your challenge is to create an audio podcast or interview on the value of working out loud and showing your work in the E-Learning Challenges. You can share your examples using any app or platform. In the past, designers have used Rise 360, Storyline 360, SoundCloud, and Vimeo to host their examples. OPTIONAL: After sharing your example, summarize your answers on your blog, LinkedIn, orcommunity forums. Podcast Interview Questions The following list of questions should be enough to help you get started. You can choose any number of questions to use in your demo. If you only have time for one question, great! If you want to do more, great! Advice for Others Community Aspect What advice would you give to someone just starting the challenges? How can new designers make the most of the experience? What are some best practices for giving constructive feedback? How can designers balance challenges and client work? Why would you recommend participating to other designers? What has the community support and interaction meant to you? Have you collaborated with other designers or made connections? How has being part of the community impacted your design work? What types of examples or topics would you like to see in the future? How could the challenge experience be improved or evolved? Favorite Challenge Example Design Process Which challenge example are you most proud of and why? What example did you find the most creative or innovative? Which example required the most effort or was the biggest challenge? Is there an example you wish you could redo or improve? What feedback on your favorite example helped you grow as a designer? How do you come up with ideas for the weekly challenges? What is your typical process for creating a challenge example? How do you decide which authoring tools or interactions to use? How much time do you usually spend on creating an example? Do you have a dedicated workspace or tools for e-learning design? Inspiration Learning Experience Which other designers' examples inspire you the most? Are there any examples that made you think, "I wish I had done that!"? How have the challenges exposed you to new techniques or authoring tools? Have you incorporated ideas from the challenges into real client projects? What tips would you give for overcoming creative blocks when working on challenges? What have been the biggest lessons or takeaways from participating? How have the challenges helped you improve as a designer? What skills have you developed further through the challenge process? How has feedback from the community benefited you? What keeps you motivated to participate week after week? Benefits of Showing Your Work Time Spent on Examples Why is it important for designers to share examples publicly? How has sharing your work benefited you professionally? What lessons have you learned from getting feedback on your examples? How do you decide what examples to share publicly or keep private? Have you ever collaborated after connecting over shared work? Which platforms or channels have been most effective for showcasing your work examples? How do you balance sharing enough work to benefit your career while protecting intellectual property? What is the breakdown of time (ideation, building, testing, etc.)? How do you estimate time required for different example types? What strategies do you use to work efficiently with limited time? How have regular challenges helped you get faster at development? Do you set aside dedicated time or fit it in around client work? What has been your most time-consuming example and why? How do you balance depth/quality vs. time invested for portfolio pieces? 🧰 Resources Check out the previous audio challenges to get an idea of ways to present your audio interview: Audio Interviews with E-Learning Designers #364: Challenge | Recap Podcast Interviews with E-Learning Designers #266: Challenge | Recap Instructional Design Podcasts #67: Challenge | Recap ✨ Share Your E-Learning Work Comments: Use the comments section below to link your published example and blog post. Forums: Start a new thread and share a link to your published example. Personal blog: If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We'll link to your posts so your great work gets even more exposure. Social media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can follow your e-learning coolness. 🙌 Last Week’s Challenge: Before you click record on this week’s challenge, check out the creative toggle button examples your fellow challengers shared over the past week: Toggle Buttons in E-Learning RECAP #460: Challenge | Recap 👋 New to the E-Learning Challenges? The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I’ll update the recap posts to include your demos. Learn more about the weekly e-learning challenges in this Q&A post. 📆 Upcoming Challenges Challenge #462(05.17): Click. Hover. Drag. SeeELC144for a general idea of what we're doing. 🚨2024 Articulate User Conference Call for Proposals We’re now accepting proposals for this year’s in-person user day conference co-hosted at DevLearn in Las Vegas.Learn more about the proposal process.Storyline 360: Adding Audio
In this user guide, we'll explore several ways to add audio to Storyline 360 courses. Choosing Default Playback and Recording Devices Importing Audio Files Recording Narration Converting Text to Speech Adding Background Audio Controlling Background Audio With Triggers Using the Background Audio Volume Variable Importing Slides from Other Content Sources Making Audio Accessible Create Sound Effects with AI Assistant Add a layer of realism to your audio content with AI-generated sound effects. Learn how to use AI Assistant to level up your course authoring game. Choosing Default Playback and Recording Devices Before you importor record narration, you'll want to choose your default playback and recording devices. Go to the Insert tab on the Storyline ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and choose Options. Select a speaker for your default playback device. Select a microphone for your default recording device and set your recording volume. Click OK to save your changes. Importing Audio Files First, do either of the following: In Slide View, go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and select Audio from File or Media Library. In Form View, go to the Question tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and select Audio from File or Media Library. Browse to the audio file you want to insert and click Open. Storyline 360 supports these file formats: AAC AIF AIFF M4A MP3 OGG WAV WMA Recording Narration First, do either of the following: In Slide View, go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and select Record Mic. In Form View, go to the Question tab on the ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and select Record Mic. The Record Microphone window opens. If you have a script you want to use, click the Narration Script button, which reveals the text from the Notes panel. (Learn more about adding slide notes.) When you're ready to begin recording, click the red Record button. When you've finished recording, click the Stop recording button. You can preview your recording using the Play/Pause and Rewind buttons. If you need to record your narration again, just click the Record button to start over. If you want to delete your narration altogether, click the Delete button. If you change your mind about recording narration and would prefer to import audio instead, click the Import audio file button. Browse to the audio file you want to insert and click Open. If you want to edit the audio you just recorded, click the Edit audio button to launch the built-in audio editor. Learn more about editing audio. Click the Save button to add the newly recorded audio to your project. (Also, be sure to save your overall project file to retain the changes you just made.) Converting Text to Speech Speed up course development byconverting text to speech right in Storyline 360. For example, use the text-to-speech feature to quickly narrate a course for stakeholder review or to localize narration in different languages. You can even choose the voice and language to make sure every word sounds right. In Slide View, go to the Insert tab on the Storyline ribbon, click the Audio drop-down arrow, and choose Text-to-Speech. When the Insert Text-to-Speech window appears, select a Language from the first drop-down list. This ensures that your words are spoken with the correct pronunciations. Then choose a Voice from the second drop-down list. You can hear what a voice sounds like by clicking the Preview Voice button next to the list. Type or paste your script into the text-entry field. Or, if you want to use your slide notes as your script, just click the Copy from Slide Notes button. Tip: You can convert up to 10,000 characters at a time. If your script is longer than that, break it into smaller chunks and generate more than one text-to-speech audio clip. Then place the audio clips back to back on the timeline so they play in sequential order. If you'd like to add closed captions to your text-to-speech narration, mark the Generate Closed Captions box in the upper right corner. Learn more about text-to-speech closed captions. Click Insert to complete the process. Storyline 360 will convert your text to narration, and it'll appear as an audio clip on the slide's timeline. The conversion process is fast, but lengthy scripts will take longer to convert. Learn more about working with text-to-speech narration. Adding Background Audio Set the right tone for your course with a background playlist that keeps learners engaged. Learners can toggle background audio on and off as they prefer. Here's how to add background audio to your course. Go to the Insert tab on the Storyline ribbon and click the Audio drop-down arrow. Then hover over Background Audio and choose Create Playlist. When the Background Playlist window appears, click the plus sign drop-down arrow, and select Audio from File or Media Library to upload your audio. Learn more about background audio. Controlling Background Audio With Triggers As of November 2023, you can control the background audio for each slide using triggers to play, pause, or stop the playlist. For example, you might want the audio to play when learners click a button. Here's how to create a background audio trigger. After you've added background audio, click the Create a new trigger icon in the Triggers panel, or go to the Insert tab on the ribbon and click Trigger. Select a media action (play, pause, or stop), then fill in the related parameters, such as the playlist and object. Choose when you want the action to happen. Optional: You can add conditions to your trigger so it only occurs in certain circumstances. Note: If you pause or stop the background audio and then jump to another slide, the background audio won't play on that slide. If you want the background audio to play on another slide, create a trigger that plays the background audio when that specific slide's timeline starts. Using the Background Audio Volume Variable As of November 2023, you can customize the background audio experience even further. Fine-tune the volume with this built-in percentage-based variable: Player.BackgroundAudioVolume : The volume of the background playlist in percentage Using the background audio volume variable is easy—it works like any other variable in Storyline 360. Learn more about working with variables. Importing Slides from Other Content Sources When you import slides into Storyline from Microsoft PowerPoint,Quizmaker, or other Storyline projects, audio resources from the external content are also imported and available for editing. You can also import Engage interactions, but their audio resources can't be edited in Storyline 360. Making Audio Accessible Audio accessibility promotes inclusivity and enhances comprehension for all learners—especially for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, have cognitive disabilities, or are non-native speakers of the course language. Check out these tips for making audio accessible: Let learners explore content at their own pace with an adjustable playback speed. Speed control allows learners to slow down content, making it easier to understand. Closed captions help all learners fully engage with and comprehend your content. You can import or create closed captions right in Storyline 360. Position captions at the top or bottom of your slides and customize the foreground and background colors to maximize readability. Provide text transcripts that include both the speech and non-speech sounds for any audio content. To display transcripts, you can use text boxes, layers, markers, or slide notes. Use plain language in your audio content and descriptions. Straightforward and clear language helps your audience easily read and understand the information. If you have background audio, enable the background audio toggle. Giving the option to mute background tracks reduces distractions and helps assistive technologies navigate content effectively. Plus, the “Lower background audio volume when slide audio plays” setting is enabled by default for accessibility. You Might Also Want to Explore: Editing Audio Using the Audio ToolsStoryline 360: Managing a Project’s Assets with the Media Library
Manage all the assets for your project in one place with the media library. It keeps track of images, characters, audio clips, and videos in your course, so you can easily add, remove, replace, reuse, and export them. See every slide and layer where an asset is used and jump to each location instantly. You can even edit assets with third-party apps and save your changes directly to Storyline. Watch this video demo, then check out the details below. Opening the Media Library Importing Assets into the Media Library Searching, Sorting, and Filtering Assets Renaming Assets Previewing Assets Managing Alternative Text Managing Closed Captions Adding Private Notes to Assets Jumping to Asset Locations in Your Project Using Assets on Slides and Layers Replacing All Instances of an Asset Replacing a Single Instance of an Asset Editing Assets in Third-Party Apps Reimporting Updated Assets Opening an Asset’s Original Folder Location Exporting Assets Deleting Assets Opening the Media Library The media library is always close at hand. Here are three ways to open it: Go to the View tab on the Storyline ribbon and click Media Library. Right-click an asset on any slide in your project and choose Show in Media Library. Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon, click the drop-down arrow below Picture, Video, or Audio, and then choose Media Library. (Using this method, the media library will automatically close after you insert an asset into the slide.) Across the top of the media library, you’ll see asset tabs, a search field, and filtering options. There’s an asset list on the left side of the window that includes metadata for each asset. And the details pane on the right lets you preview assets, jump to each location where assets are used in your project, and manage assets (insert, replace, edit, export, and delete). You can keep the media library open as you work in the Storyline editor. You can even move the media library to a separate monitor so it’s always available while you’re building your course. Importing Assets into the Media Library There are two ways to add assets to the media library. One is to build slides using the Storyline ribbon, and the other is to import assets directly into the media library. Use the Storyline Ribbon to Insert Assets and Slides When you use the Insert tab to add images, characters, audio clips, and videos to slides in your project, those assets automatically appear in the media library so you can reuse them later. (Tip: Icons don’t show in the media library.) And when you use the Slides tab to import slides from other sources, such as Content Library 360 and PowerPoint, assets on those slides automatically appear in the media library too. (Note:Screen recordings don't show in the media library. You can find your screen recordings by going to the Slides tab on the ribbon and clicking the Record Screen drop-down arrow.) Use the Import Buttons in the Media Library You can import assets directly into the media library, so they’re available later when you need them. Click the Import button in the upper right corner of the media library to add new assets. If the media library is empty, you can also click theAdd button on each asset tab to import assets. Import images from your computer or Content Library 360. Import photographic and illustrated characters from Content Library 360. Import audio files from your computer or record narration with a microphone. Import videos from your computer or Content Library 360, or record videos with a webcam. Tip: You can select multiple media files at the same time using Ctrl+Click or Shift+Click, then insert them all at once. Is the media library compatible with other versions of Storyline? The media library is fully compatible with Storyline 360 build 3.22.17236.0 and later. It’s also compatible with Storyline 3 and earlier versions of Storyline 360 if you don’t import assets directly into the media library. To maintain compatibility with these versions of Storyline, add assets to your project via the Insert and Slides tabs on the ribbon, and your assets will automatically appear in the media library. In other words, you can manage assets in the media library and maintain compatibility. You just can't import assets directly into the media library. For example, after adding an image to your project via the Insert tab on the ribbon, you can reuse, replace, andedit that image in the media library. Your project file will still be compatible with Storyline 3 and earlier versions of Storyline 360. Searching, Sorting, and Filtering Assets Let’s examine how assets are organized in the media library and how to find what you need. Switch Asset Tabs Use the asset tabs across the top of the media library to manage images, characters, audio clips, and videos. The media library remembers which asset tab you had open when you last saved a Storyline project and displays that same tab the next time you open the media library. Search Use the search field at the top of the window to find a specific asset by name. The search field is contextual, so it searches only the assets for the tab that’s currently selected (images, characters, audio, or video). The search results are dynamic and update as you type. Pro Tip: Give your assets recognizable names andkeywords to make searches quick and easy. Filter By default, the media library displays all the assets for your entire project. You can narrow your focus to a specific scene, slide, or question bank by using the drop-down list in the upper right corner to filter your assets. Sort You can sort the asset grid by any column, such as asset names or modified dates. Click a column header to sort by that column. Click it again to reverse the sort order. Renaming Assets Rename images, characters (and poses), audio clips, and videos in the media library so they're organized and easily searchable. In the media library, double-click an asset name to make it editable. Type a new name, then press Enter or Tab. When you rename an asset in the media library, the new name displays in the timeline panel everywhere that asset appears in your project. Previewing Assets Select an asset in the list on the left side of the media library, then use the details pane on the right to preview it. When you’re working with an image or a character, hover over the preview image to zoom and pan around it. You can also click the preview image to see a larger version of it. It’ll fill the media library window. Click it again to close the asset. When you’re working with an audio clip or a video, click the play/pause button to preview the asset. Pro Tip: You can make the preview area in the details pane smaller when you need more room to work with the notes field. Hover over the lower boundary of the preview area, then click and drag the boundary to resize the preview area. Managing Alternative Text The media library makes managing alt text so easy. Select any image, character pose, or video in the asset grid on the left, then enter alt text in the details pane on the right. That’s it! Alt text will be updated wherever the asset is used throughout your course. You can add different alt text to each instance of an asset using the Size and Position window. When you do that, the media library displays a drop-down list in the details pane with all versions of alt text for the selected asset and how many times each is used in your course. If an asset has multiple alt texts and you want to make them all the same, you can do that too. Just select the alt text you want to use from the drop-down list (shown above), then click the Apply to All button next to it. Managing Closed Captions Easily manage closed captions for all of your project’s audio clips and videos in the media library. You can see, at a glance, which assets have closed captions. The media library displays caption icons for assets that have captions and dots for assets that don’t. Add Closed Captions to an Asset Click the dot in the asset grid (the dot changes to a plus sign when you hover over it), or click the Add captions button in the details pane. Then choose how you want to add captions from the menu that appears. You can add captions using the built-in editor, or you can import captions from a file that was created elsewhere. Manage Closed Captions for an Asset After adding closed captions to an asset, you can edit, replace, export, or delete them. Just click the caption icon in the asset grid or the Edit captions button in the details pane. Then choose an action from the menu that appears. If an asset is used more than once in your project and has different captions for each instance, the media library displays multiple caption icons in the asset grid and a drop-down list in the details pane, as shown below. To manage multiple captions for the same asset, click the captions icon in the asset grid, select the captions you want to work with, and then choose an action from the menu that appears. Or, select the captions you want to work with from the drop-down list in the details pane, click the Edit captions button beside it, and then choose an action. When an asset is used multiple times in your project, you can quickly apply the same closed captions to all instances of the asset by clicking the Apply to all action on the menu shown above. What a timesaver! Adding Private Notes to Assets Want to add notes to an asset? It’s easy! Select an asset in the media library and enter your notes in the details pane (up to 2,147,483,647 characters). Notes are only stored in your Storyline project file and visible in the media library. They don’t get published with your course, so learners won’t see them. Here are some ideas for using the notes field: Keep track of copyright, source, and attribution details. Enter keywords to help you find assets later. (Notes are searchable.) Store transcripts for videos and audio clips. Describe how assets are to be used. This is helpful when you’re creating a template or working on a project with other e-learning developers. (Articulate 360 Teams subscribers can create a library of shared team slides in Storyline 360. When you share slides with your team, notes in the media library get shared too.) Pro Tip: You can make the notes field bigger by shrinking the preview area. Hover over the lower boundary of the preview area, then click and drag the boundary to resize the preview area. Jumping to Asset Locations in Your Project Want to know how many times you used a particular asset in your course? And how to quickly find every location of that asset in your project? The media library makes it so easy! Select the asset in the list on the left side of the media library, then use the details pane on the right to find its use count and location data. Click the left and right arrows to cycle through the carousel of asset locations. Each location displays the slide number, slide title, and a description of the location, such as base layer, slide layer, or object state. Click the magnifying glass icon to jump directly to the location of the asset in your project. Unused Media Library Assets Get Uploaded with Storyline 360 Team Slides Articulate 360 Teams subscribers can collaborate on projects by creating a library of shared team slides that the whole team can access right from Storyline 360. When you share slides with your team, all media library assets get shared too, including assets that aren’t used anywhere in your project. This is a great way to share assets with your team. For example, you might import company logos, product videos, and other brand elements into the media library so your team has quick access to them as they’re building courses. When you download team slides into an existing project, only the assets used on those slides get imported into your project. On the other hand, when you start a new project using team slides, all the assets that were originally shared with those slides get imported into your project, including unused assets. Using Assets on Slides and Layers Reuse media library assets as often as you’d like throughout your course. Here’s how: Go to the slide or layer where you want to insert a media library asset. Select an asset in the list on the left side of the media library. (Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple assets at the same time.) If an asset has multiplealt texts and closed captions, select the ones you want from the drop-down lists in the details pane. Click the Insert button at the bottom of the details pane to add the asset(s) to the current slide or layer. You can also use the Storyline ribbon to add media library assets to your course. Go to the slide or layer where you want to insert a media library asset. Select the Insert tab on the ribbon and click the drop-down arrow below Picture, Video, or Audio. Then choose Media Library. Select an asset in the list on the left side of the media library. (Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple assets at the same time.) If an asset has multiplealt text and closed captions, select the ones you want from the drop-down lists in the details pane. Click the Insert button at the bottom of the details pane to add the asset(s) to the current slide or layer. Replacing All Instances of an Asset The media library makes it brilliantly simple to replace every instance of an asset with another asset all at once. First, select an asset from the list on the left side of the media library. Or, right-click an asset on a slide in your course and select Show in Media Library. Then click the Replace button at the bottom of the details pane and choose a replacement option. Here are your options, depending on the type of asset you’re replacing. Image: Replace an image with a picture file from your computer or a Content Library 360 photo. Character: When you replace a character, the Content Library 360 character browser automatically opens where you can choose another character, expression, and/or pose. For photographic characters, you can replace individual poses, but you can’t replace an entire character group and all of its poses simultaneously. For illustrated characters, you can replace individual poses, or you can swap an entire character group and all of its poses with another illustrated character all at once. Audio: Replace an audio clip with an audio file from your computer or by recording narration with your microphone. Video: Replace a video with a video file from your computer or a Content Library 360 video, or by recording a video with your webcam. Replacing a Single Instance of an Asset You can replace all instances of an asset as described above, or you can replace a single instance of an asset without changing the others. Here’s how. Replace an Image Right-click the image in your course and scroll to Replace Picture. Then choose to replace the image using a picture file from your computer, a Content Library 360 photo, or an image in the media library. (If you use the media library, select a new image and click Replace Image in the details pane.) Here’s another way to replace an image: Select the image in your course and go to the Format tab on the Storyline ribbon. Click the drop-down arrow beside Replace Picture and choose one of the replacement options. Replace a Character Right-click the character in your course and scroll to Replace Pose. Then choose to replace the character using the Content Library 360 or the media library. (If you use the media library, select a new pose and click Replace Character in the details pane.) Another way to replace a character is to use the Character Tools—Design tab on the Storyline ribbon. Replace an Audio Clip Right-click the audio clip on the timeline (or right-click the speaker icon next to the slide) and scroll to Replace Audio. Then choose to replace the audio clip using an audio file from your computer, an asset in the media library, your microphone, or text-to-speech conversion. (If you use the media library, select a new audio clip and click Replace Audio Clip in the details pane.) Here’s another way to replace an audio clip: Select the audio clip in your course and go to the Options tab on the Storyline ribbon. Click the drop-down arrow beside Replace Audio and choose one of the replacement options. Replace a Video Right-click the video in your course and scroll to Replace Video. Then choose to replace the video using a video file from your computer, a Content Library 360 video, a video in the media library, or your webcam. (If you use the media library, select a new video and click Replace Video in the details pane.) Editing Assets in Third-Party Apps You’re going to love how easy it is to edit assets. Use the media library to open assets in third-party apps, such as Photoshop, and then save your changes directly to Storyline. This is called round-tripping, and it’s a huge timesaver! Edit Images Select an image in the asset list on the left side of the media library. Click the Edit button (pencil icon) at the bottom of the details pane and choose an app from the list of image editors installed on your computer. When the app opens, edit the image as you’d like. Save your changes and close the app. You’ll see that your edits were automatically saved to Storyline and all instances of the image in your project have been updated. The process for saving edited images to Storyline could be different, depending on the image editor you're using. Inmany editors, you only need to click the save button. In some editors, you have to save or export the image to the temp folder for your Storyline project and overwrite the original image. (The editor should automatically take you to the temp folder.) And in other editors, you might have to save a new version of the image, and then replace the original image in the media library with the new one. Edit Audio Clips Select an audio clip in the asset list on the left side of the media library. Click the Edit button (pencil icon) at the bottom of the details pane and choose an app from the list of audio editors installed on your computer. When the app opens, edit the audio clip as you’d like. Depending on the specific audio editor you’re using, you might not be able to save your changes directly to Storyline. You usually need to publish or export audio from the editor first, and thenreplace the existing audio clip in the media library with the updated audio file. Edit Videos Select a video in the asset list on the left side of the media library. Click the Edit button (pencil icon) at the bottom of the details pane and choose an app from the list of video editors installed on your computer. When the app opens, edit the video as you’d like. Depending on the specific video editor you’re using, you might not be able to save your changes directly to Storyline. You usually need to publish or export video from the editor first, and thenreplace the existing video in the media library with the updated video file. Why is the Edit button grayed out for characters? Characters can’t be edited in third-party apps. However, you canreplace one pose with another. You can even swap out an entire illustrated character group and all its poses for another illustrated character. And when you’re working with a character on a slide or layer (outside of the media library), you can use the formatting tools on the ribbon to change its brightness, contrast, picture effects, crop, and more. Reimporting Updated Assets The media library recognizes when there’s a newer version of an asset’s original source file on your computer—for example, when it’s edited outside of Storyline. When that happens, a yellow dot appears to the left of the file name in the asset list and a notification appears in the details pane, as shown below. If you want to replace the asset in your project with the newer version, click the Reimport button in the details pane. It’s that easy! Opening an Asset’s Original Folder Location You can open an asset’s original folder location right from the media library. This can be helpful when you need to edit the asset outside of Storyline, or you have similar images on your computer and aren’t sure which one you used in your project. Select an asset in the list on the left side of the media library, then click the Open Folder button at the bottom of the details pane. The folder will open and the source asset will be selected for you. Why is the Folder button grayed out? There are a few reasons why the Folder button might be grayed out or inactive. The original asset or folder was renamed, moved, or deleted. The asset was imported with a slide from another source, such as Content Library 360 or PowerPoint. The asset is a photographic or illustrated character. Exporting Assets Use the media library to export assets so you can reuse them in other projects. Export Images When you export images from the media library, they keep their original file formats and sizes. Select one or more images in the asset list. (Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple images.) Click the Export button in the lower right corner of the media library. Choose the folder where you want to save your image(s). Export Characters When you export photographic characters from the media library, they’re saved as high-quality PNG images. Illustrated characters are saved as EMF vector images. Click the triangle to the left of a character to reveal its poses. Select one or more poses in the asset list. (Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple poses.) Click the Export button in the lower right corner of the media library. Choose the folder where you want to save your character(s). Export Audio Clips When you export audio clips from the media library, they’re saved as MP3 files. Select one or more audio clips in the asset list. (Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple clips.) Click the Export button in the lower right corner of the media library. Choose the folder where you want to save your audio clip(s). Export Videos When you export videos from the media library, they’re saved as MP4 files. Select one or more videos in the asset list. (Ctrl+click or Shift+click to select multiple videos.) Click the Export button in the lower right corner of the media library. Choose the folder where you want to save your video(s). Learn More About Exporting Assets from Storyline 360 While this user guide focuses on using the media library, there are more ways to export assets from a Storyline project. Click here for details. Deleting Assets You can delete assets from the media library if they aren’t used anywhere in your project. Just select an asset in the list on the left side of the screen and click the Delete button in the lower right corner of the details pane. (The button will be grayed out if the asset is in use.) Want to delete multiple assets at the same time? Ctrl+click or Shift+click the assets you want to delete, and then click the Delete button. Why do some assets disappear from the media library when I delete them from slides? Great question! It depends on how you added the assets to your project. When you add an asset to a slide using the Storyline ribbon, the asset automatically appears in your media library. And if you later delete the asset from the slide, it also disappears from the media library. However, when youimport an asset directly into the media library, it’ll remain in the library until you delete it. If the asset’s use count is zero, you can use the Delete button to remove it from the media library.
