Screencasts, animated infographics and web sliders are the real strength of HelpXplain. You can create them quickly and easily in exactly the same way that you work on static images. The only difference is that you place multiple objects on the canvas and then define how you want the animation to move between them by zooming and panning the virtual video camera over the surface of the canvas, and fading elements in and out of view as it does so.

Use the automated aids for making screencasts and web sliders

This chapter describes how to edit your own custom animated Xplains. If you want to make a HowTo screencast or a web slider it's easier to use the automated aids described in the Using HelpXplain chapter.

Editing the individual elements in the slides of your animations

The individual elements in your animations are the same graphics, shapes and so on that you use in static images. Before you start trying to create animations, see the Editing Images and Elements chapter to learn about these elements and how to manipulate and edit them.

Understanding how HelpXplain animations work

All the contents of a HelpXplain project are stored in a single large page that you edit in the workspace. The contents are divided up into rectangles called "slides", that are usually all exactly the same size. When the animated Xplain "plays", the view zooms in on each slide so that it fills the browser window, and then moves between the slides in the order you define.

animated_overview

The content of each slide can be static or animated:

Static and Animated Content

Static: All the elements you add to a slide are simply part of a single image and appear together with the slide.

Animated: Individual elements can appear or be hidden after a delay, or move in a variety of ways.