Captivate allows you to create sophisticated graphics with the Designer that is included. This designer is where you will build the design layers and variables to drive the various visual and dynamic data elements that will be used for your broadcast.
- Open the Designer.
- Add a couple of layer of text using the Add Text button above the canvas, type in your desired text and select a font you would like to use from Properties > Layer > Style. Once that's done, adjust your text layer by repositioning or resizing from the canvas. Additional adjustments can be done from Properties > Layer > Motion & Data.
- You can add other visual elements like shape layers from the Add Shape button above the canvas.
- Set the variables you wish to be editable from Properties > Layer > Motion & Data. The Variable Settings section allows you to enable text layers to become variables. Name them according to what you want to see in the Captivate's Layer Properties. For this example, we're making both text fields variables as well as the solid background. We will name the variables Name, Subtitle and Color 1.
For more information, see Designer workspace overview.
This is what the variables will look in the Captivate interface once we are done
For more information, see Create variables in graphics.
3. It's time to set the justification, alignment and text fit modes. This setting can be accessed from Properties > Layer > Style. This will determine how text behaves when your original text in the template is changed though the Titler Live interface. We will set the justification to center on both text layers, set the alignment to Bottom on the top paragraph and to Top on the bottom paragraph. Then we will select the Fit Text to Box fit mode and stretch out the box until we hit the Title Safe margins.
4. Once that's done, you can start animating in your title. Go to the library and select a few transitions. Apply them to the beginning and end of your text layer until you get just the right animation you want for your title. See Add transitions to design layers
5. It's time to optimize our title for performance. This will mean making the graphic as short (duration) as possible while keeping your in and out animations intact. This way, render times are kept to a minimum while taking advantage of Captivate's pause point. For more information, see Create custom graphics with flexible durations.
6. To achieve this, make the beginning transitions as short as it is acceptable and drag the pause point to a point right after the beginning animations are finished, then shorten your design layer's length length to where you just have a few frames of no motion and all required elements on display near the pause point. All design layer durations and animations after the pause point will be treated as an animate out.
7. Time to save your creation. From the Designer, navigate to File > Save to Library > Design. A dialogue box will appear that allows you to name your graphic. Use this name as a reference for easily finding you graphic within the graphics library/library.
Note: Your graphic will now be saved and accessible from the Captivate graphics library. Once you load it, you can change the text and color variables to your liking.