October 28, 2017
The Tools in My Toolbox
Comments
(8)
October 28, 2017
The Tools in My Toolbox
I'm the IT guy for a software company in Kingston, TN but the scope of my job extends into eLearning Development and Customer Service. I've been working with Adobe Captivate since 2016. I love solving problems myself and other users encounter in Captivate and pushing the software to "find out what it can do". I'm currently working on my Master's Degree in Information Technology Management.
Newbie 13 posts
Followers: 20 people
(8)

When I’m watching tutorials on YouTube, Udemy or somewhere else I often find myself asking the question “what tool did they use to do that?” For example, If I’m watching a Captivate tutorial and the presenter starts inserting images or custom buttons I want to know what they used to create them. Did they use Photoshop? Illustrator? Did they use Word (yes, really, Word)? Or, heaven forbid, Paint (not the snazzy new 3D version either). So, considering this, I decided to start my Adobe blogging adventure by listing the tools I use. I’ll be updating this list periodically as I add new tools to my toolbox.

Captivate

  • I started with the trial version of Captivate 9 and then got a licensed version of Captivate 2017 when it was released.

Adobe Creative Cloud

  • I recently acquired the Adobe Apps in the Creative Cloud package including Photoshop, Illustrator, Animate, and Muse. I’m currently learning to use these tools and integrating them into my workflow.

Microsoft Office

  • This past spring I switched from Open Office to Office 365 (we use office 365 at work and switching just makes my workflow simpler). Before Open Office I used Office 2010 and, while it did everything I needed it to do I switched to Open Office when Microsoft ended mainstream support for Office 2010 a couple of years ago Quick hint – if Microsoft, Apple, or whoever end of lifes a product and is no longer release security updates it’s time to upgrade or find another tool.

Scrivener

  • This is my go-to writing app. I love Scrivener. I use Scrivener to flesh out scripts for YouTube videos that I might one day record (these usually turn into how to/reference articles that I end up storing on my harddrive and not posting anywhere but the writing process helps ingrain the information).

Scapple

  • Scapple is a mindmapping tool made by the same folks that make Scrivener. I use Scapple to make a visual representation of how a course will be laid out when I create it in Captivate.

Notepad++

  • I have Visual Studio 2017 but I use Notepad++ most of the time. It loads faster than Visual Studio and the interface is nice and clean. I typically write my Javascipt in Notepad++ and then copy and paste into Captivate unless the Javascript is only a couple of lines long.

Puretext

  • Nifty tool for grabbing text and removing formatting.

Firefox Developer Edition

  • I don’t use this browser for my daily surfing but I do use it when I’m previewing content I’ve created in Captivate or elsewhere.

Inkscape

  • I learned to use Inkscape sometime ago and still use it quite a bit even though I have Illustrator. I expect I will eventually make a complete switch to Illustrator but I’m still learning to use it and if I need to make an image quickly I use Inkscape. This is the tool I’ve used for making buttons in the past.

 

8 Comments
2018-05-13 12:54:35
2018-05-13 12:54:35

I have added an additional tool to my toolbox since posting this blog. I have been using Code Writer by Actipro Software LLC for some of my JavaScript authoring. Notepad++ is still by go to tool but the more I work with Code Writer the more I like it.

Like
(1)
2017-12-04 15:58:40
2017-12-04 15:58:40

I am using OneNote more and more in my production process. Love Basecamp for project management and review cycles, but in environment that it is not available. OneNote for tracking of email conversations, my interest board, screen clips. Mindmap software, used iMindmap, I think it is a little slow. I am currently looking at other options.

Like
2017-11-29 19:29:18
2017-11-29 19:29:18

I love opensource and have my favorites.

GIMP – 2D image editing
Blender – 3D image rendering and animation
Audacity – Audio
Sublime Text – Multi-language programming
Corona SDK – Android / iOS development
WhatColor – to help with the colorblindness 🙂

Like
(2)
>
Jeremy Shimmerman
's comment
2017-12-26 14:07:45
2017-12-26 14:07:45
>
Jeremy Shimmerman
's comment

I love GIMP and Audacity. I began using these before ACC licensing and they are very easy to use.

Like
>
Jeremy Shimmerman
's comment
2018-03-03 15:42:00
2018-03-03 15:42:00
>
Jeremy Shimmerman
's comment

I’m big on open source stuff too but I’m not a fan of Gimp, of course that may be because I haven’t spent a lot of time on it. I do link Blender (even though I am artistically challenged) and Audacity. I’ve heard good things about Sublime but I don’t code on my Mac so I’ve never used it and I have mixed feelings about Corona SDK. I use Unity 3D for app development when I have time but right now ALL of my time is consumed with building eLearning courses in Captivate.

Like
2017-11-17 10:50:25
2017-11-17 10:50:25

Congratulations Chris Guider on reaching Guide level! Thanks to all your wonderful contributions to this community!
You are entitled for complementary Captavite2017 and PVX2017 Serial Number.

We have send you a mail, please respond to the mail.

Like
2017-10-30 12:37:19
2017-10-30 12:37:19

I attended a fantastic session at DevLearn where she demonstrated how to edit images using powerpoint. For quick edits, it was really great to see all that can be done. I also use Camtasia and Snagit almost daily for image/video creation. Great beginning list; thanks for sharing!

Like
(1)
>
Lita Bledsoe
's comment
2018-03-03 15:36:01
2018-03-03 15:36:01
>
Lita Bledsoe
's comment

I’ve heard good things about Camtasia but I haven’t had a chance to play with it very much but, at the same time, I haven’t really needed to. If I need to record my screen while I’m working (or maybe making a video tutorial) I usually open another instance of Captivate and use the screen recording feature within it/

Like
Add Comment