SWF File only producing audio, not visual

[CaitlinSmith]

I have used a third party tool to create short videos that were produced as shock wave files. I then uploaded the recordings as media on several Engage tabs. When I go to preview the videos, I can hear the audio, but the screen remains black. I have played with this for hours and have still not been able to figure out the issue.

Any ideas on what I could be doing wrong or how to troubleshoot?

[Justin]

This best practices article is for Presenter '09 but most of it applies to Engage as well.

[CaitlinSmith]

Thanks for your fast reply Justin. In the end, I am actually going to add this Engage presentation to a Presenter project. I will review the article and see if I can get this straightened out. If not, I'll post a new message!

[CaitlinSmith]

Ok, I checked out the best practices document and downloaded the Swiff player. My SWF plays just fine in Swiff. However, I am still only receiving audio when I play the files through Engage (and in Presenter when I add an Engage presentation as a tab).

Any other thoughts on what could be the cause? Perhaps a flash update? I have tried to play the presentation on multiple PCs throughout my office, so I know it's not a machine specific issue.

[Justin]

What software are you using to create the movies?

[CaitlinSmith]

Camtasia.................................

[daveperso]

You want to make sure that you don't use the Express Show template in Camtasia. Go for the Legacy template or else one of the others and just include the main SWF or FLV file. The Express Show template adds a player to the beginning of the file and is not compatible with Articulate.

[CaitlinSmith]

I am not using a template. I am only producing one clip at a time, it's very basic.

[daveperso]

Hi Caitlin,

I wasn't aware it was possible to use Camtasia without using a template so I had another look!

The only way I could see in Camtasia 5 to avoid choosing a template was to use the Production Presets, in which case the templates are set automatically. Both the Blog Preset and the Web Preset use the Express Show template by default and this would cause problems. (You can see if you are using the Express Show template by launching your video outside Articulate and seeing if you have the "YouTube" type player to start your movie.)

Rather than use the Production presets, go for the Custom Production Settings.

Which version of Camtasia are you using? This article below for Camtasia 5 may help. Camtasia 6 is pretty similar except there is now no option to export to FLV.

Using Camtasia With Articulate Presenter

[CaitlinSmith]

I find this curious because I always use the same method, and have successfully produced other Articulate Engage presentations with Camtasia recordings. I will take a look at the article and see if I can make sense of what to do. I also have a customer support request in, so maybe someone there will have others ideas as to what is the cause.

Thanks for your help!