Fluition has a number of easily accessible features that allow for the rapid creation of interactive multimedia presentations. There are many powerful features that offer complete control over all of the elements in a presentation. These features are available through windows, menu options and keyboard commands.
Windows display the majority of information about the various aspects of the design of a presentation. Some windows contain a "more" or "less" indicator. By toggling the "more or less" indicator, the window will show or hide more options. The various windows in Fluition are treated equally in both type and stacking order. To bring a window to the front, click on that window. Window elements will be highlighted to indicate that they are selected.
Menu options offer many useful functions for creating presentations and managing workflow. Menu options can open, hide, or expand windows; alter presentation attributes; some have associated keyboard commands.
There are a variety of keyboard commands within Fluition that offer quick access to commonly used features. Some keyboard commands are associated with menu options and others are unique to their context. Keyboard commands are listed beside their menu counterparts.
The various Windows within Fluition offer control over all the elements of a SMIL presentation created with Fluition. The different windows and their basic functions are briefly described here. Each widow is further elaborated on in a dedicated Chapter in this manual.
The Fluition QuickStart Window is launched when you open Fluition and is an excellent place to start to get familiar with Fluition. The Fluition QuickStart Window gives you access to the Fluition templates and lets you see a sample SMIL presentation as well as how it was created. The QuickStart Window in Fluition for Windows will also walk you through the creation of your first presentation. Fluition for Macintosh will take you through a tour of Fluition. If at any time you wish to view the Fluition QuickStart Window choose Fluition QuickStart Window under the Help menu option.
The Options Window contains options that affect the use of Fluition. The Options Window is opened in Fluition for Windows by choosing View>Options or for Macintosh by choosing Edit>Preferences. For Macintosh users it is important to choose your player in the Options Window in order to Preview your presentation. Fluition for Windows comes with an internal Preview Window that will allow you to preview your presentation using RealPlayer.
The Tools Palette displays the various tools that are available for the creation of the presentation. The Tools Palette offers quick access to the options available for the creation of various presentation elements such as drawing a Region or an Anchor, selecting and modifying the size of a Region or Anchor, showing or hiding Fluition Windows, and previewing the presentation.
The Presentation Window is the first step to creating a presentation with Fluition and displays the information such as the Name, Title, Color, Size and Author of the presentation. A background image can also be inserted using the Presentation Layout Window. The Presentation Layout Window is where your presentation is given a file name and saved to your media folder before you begin designing your presentation.
The Presentation Layout Window is automatically opened when you start a new presentation, and can be modified at any time after by choosing the menu option Presentation > Modify Layout.
The Design Layout Window graphically displays the layout of your presentation. In this window you will draw your Regions and add your media. Modifying your design at any time is easily achieved by using the various tools from the Tools Palette or modifying from the information within the Fluition Windows.
The Regions Window displays information about the various Regions within the presentation. The Regions Window contains many functions for altering the layout aspects of a presentation. The Regions Window will appear with a new presentation and can be shown or hidden using the Windows menu option or the Regions icon on the Tools Palette.
The Clip Library Window contains the information about the clips contained within the presentation. Clips are added using the Clip Library once you have created your Regions. The clip Library gives you complete control over the attributes of the media you are adding to your presentation.
The Anchor Window contains the information about the Anchors contained within the presentation. Anchors are "hotspots" that you can draw within media files. The Anchor Window is opened or closed by clicking on the Anchor Window icon on the Tools Palette or by choosing Windows menu option.
The Group Window contains the information about the Groups used for playback of clips within the presentation. The Grouping aspect handles the sequencing of media and Regions and is unique to Fluition. For a basic presentation, Regions are placed in a parallel group so that they all play at the same time, and media files are placed in a sequential group so that when multiple clips are placed in a Region, they will play one after another. For more advanced presentations you may want to control the Grouping aspect more precisely.
A presentation can be previewed by clicking the Preview button on the Tools Palette or selecting the Preview option under the Presentation menu. The Player your presentation will be previewed in is determined by the option you have added to Player Location in the Options window under the View menu for Windows or the Preferences window under the Edit menu option for Macintosh.
Fluition for Windows has an internal Preview Window based on the RealPlayer ActiveX control. If no player is chosen in the Options, your presentation will be previewed using the Fluition internal Preview Window.
The Clip Sequencer Window graphically displays information about the clips contained within a presentation based on the clip selected in the clip library. Only the clips contained within the same Region are displayed.
The TextStream Builder Window is a text editor that has additional features that allow for the creation of TextStream (RealText, .rt) files. The TextStream Builder Window is opened using the Extras menu option.
The Series Producer allows you to easily create a series of presentations from an existing presentation that you have already created. The Series Producer is opened using the Extras menu option.
The Ram File Creator allows you to create a .ram file for linking to your final presentation once it has been uploaded to a streaming server. The .ram file will be linked to within your web page or email and will launch your presentation. The RAM File Creator is located under the Extras menu option.
The SMIL Code Window displays the actual code that is created for your presentation. The SMIL code Window will appear when you choose Build SMIL Code under the Presentation menu option. You may also choose the option View Code After Save in the Options window to allow you to view the code every time you save your presentation.
Note: Fluition also adds a line of SMIL code to the presentation to identify the file as being created by Fluition. This line does not affect the presentation in any way except to make it easier to open within Fluition.