The Captivate Interface

Before we create a learning project in Captivate, let's take a minute to get used to the different parts of the Captivate screen.

A	Main Stage: The Main Stage is where you'll do the most work. This is where you'll design the slide, adding and laying out objects, shapes, and text.	C	Main Toolbar: Above that is the main toolbar. You can use the commands here to add slides, objects, text, and interactions. You can also save, preview, and publish your project here.
B	Project Tabs: Above the main stage you'll see the current project's file name in a tab. If you have multiple projects open at once, each one will be represented by a tab. Just click a tab to switch to that project.	D	Menu Bar: Above the toolbar is the menu bar. Each menu contains a selection of commands that all relate to the menu's name.

E	Filmstrip Panel: The Captivate window's left pane includes the Filmstrip, which displays thumbnails of all of a project's slides. It's how you select which slide is displayed on the main stage for editing.	G	Timeline: Below the stage will be the timeline. Each object on the slide appears on the timeline as well.
F	Slide Navigation: You can also see which slide you're viewing, and how many slides your project has in total, up next to the menu bar.

Change the Zoom Level

1. Click View on the menu bar.
2. Select Magnification.
3. Select a zoom level.
   

Display the Properties Panel

1. Click the Properties button on the toolbar.
   

The Properties panel shows some information and settings for the current slide or selected object.

Display the Library Panel

1. Click the Library button on the toolbar.
   

The Library pane shows any assets you've imported into the project.

Unlock and Rearrange Panels

Once you've got a sense of the panels available in Captivate, you can start to rearrange them to fit your preferences.

1. Click Edit on the menu bar.
2. Select Preferences.
   
3. Check the Enable custom workspaces / panel undocking checkbox.
4. Click OK.
   

   You'll need to restart Captivate for this to take effect, but once you do, you'll have more freedom to change how these panels appear.

5. Restart Adobe Captivate.
6. Enable a panel.
7. Click and drag a panel to a new location.
   

You can snap a panel to one side of the window, group it with another panel by dragging it to another panel's title bar, or drag it anywhere else to create a free-floating panel.