In the previous article, we discussed what Adobe Captivate is and how it can help you with your eLearning goals. Now, let us discuss the different versions of this Microsoft Window tool from the very beginning up to the latest release. It will show how the very first RoboDemo version evolved to what it is today.
RoboDemo 2
This is the version that started it all in May 2002 through the eHelp Corporation. The very first version fixed the bugs that hindered FlashCam from performing well – this is why it is referred to as version 2.
RoboDemo 3
In the Fall of 2002, again through eHelp Corporation, new features were added like PowerPoint, AVI import, scoring, javaScript options and interactive click and text entry boxes.
RoboDemo 4 (eLearning Edition)
This happened in the Spring of 2003 under the same company. The added features included PowerPoint style interface, text effects that were animated, AutoText Captions, SCORM, question slides, Questionmark Perception support, email attachment publishing and customized capture key.
RoboDemo 5 (eLearning Edition)
The Fall of 2003 brought about this new version by the same company. This version included features like full motion and real time recording, better integration with Flash (via SWF and FLA import), video import, SCORM 1.2., undo, multiple copy-paste ability, grid, filmstrip view, alignment toolbar, shortcut controls,resizing or projects, animated highlights and background audio.
Macromedia Captivate
In October 2004, this eLearning tool got a new name. The features included audio editing, timeline, demo and simulation recording modes, customized questions for quizzes, SCORM 2004, ability to export to Flash MX 2004, Breeze integration and 508 compliance.
Adobe Captivate 2
By October 2006, the new name of this tool finally became Adobe Captivate. The new features of this version included simulation wizard, branching view, skins and menus, support for Flash Video (FLV), zoom, library, output through step by step documentation, PENS, interaction dialog export to Flash 8 and customization options.
Adobe Captivate 3
This version is timelined on July 2007 and it has the Adobe Captivate logo preloader at the start of every simulation. The new features included answer shuffle, audio recording (with preview), automatic rerecording, localization XML import/export (XLIFF), multimode recording, random quizzes, find and replace ability, sequence/hotspot of new question types, PPT import including animation, slide transition effects, and rollover slidelet.
Adobe Captivate 4
This January 2009 version allows collaboration, interaction and extension of Adobe Captivate capabilities with other Adobe products like Photoshop, Bridge, Soundbooth, etc. It is part of the Adobe eLearning Suite and includes new features such as professional project templates, text-to-speech functions, roundtrip PowerPoint workflow, SWF commenting, customized widgets, table of contents and aggregator, variables and advanced actions, Adobe Photoshop layer support and expanded output options.
Adobe Captivate 5
The May 2010 version of Adobe Captivate is different from the previous version because the others were derivative of Captivate 2. This version was actually written from scratch to remove the bugs and limitations in the previous versions. This version allowed developers to publish content through Acrobat.com so it can be used as a quasi-LMS. It includes features like new GUI, built-in animation effects, extended video embedding and control, extended support for Microsoft PowerPoint, object styles and master slides.
Adobe Captivate 5.5
The May 2011 version is available as a stand-alone product or part of the bundle of Adobe eLearning Suite 2.5. The new features include object rotation, shadows and gradients, option for MP4 output, licensing option for pay-as-you go subscription, improved quiz/assessment templates, and option for YouTube publishing.
Adobe Captivate 6
The June 2012 Adobe Captivate version have pre-built widgets, pre-built image, HTML5 support and themes.
Adobe Captivate 7
The June 2013 version has a wide rage available for drag-and-drop components for games, learning modules and quizzes. The conversion of Microsoft PowerPoint projects into HTML5 is also possible and also an interactive library. It also includes the bundled MathMagic equation editor that can be used on both Mac OS X and Windows and also an improved accessibility support.
Adobe Captivate 8
The latest version of Adobe Captivate was made available in May 2014. This software allows the creation of interactive eLearning in a world of multiple devices. That means whatever content you will create will be done in HTML5 and can be delivered in various platforms like mobile devices, via the Internet, desktop and Learning Management Systems. You can author content despite the lack of programming skills. There is an intuitive UI that enables the transformation of PowerPoint presentations into more engaging eLearning materials through interactions, quizzes and voices.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org
