Inserting Videos

How to Embed a Video

1. In the XML Editor, place your cursor where you want to insert the movie.
2. Select Insert > Multimedia, then choose either Flash Movie, Windows Media Player, Quicktime Movie, HTML5 Movie, or YouTube/Vimeo.
3. Select the General tab.

4. Select a movie file to insert. You can do this in various ways.

   Selecting a File in the Project

   1. To select a movie file already in the project, select Multimedia in project.

   2. Find and choose the file. Use the buttons in the local toolbar to view all files in a list, view files in their folder structure, etc.

      	Shows all of the files in the project in a list below. Click the button again to switch to a folder tree view. You can click the File, Type, or Path column headers to sort the list alphabetically by that column data.
      	Shows or hides the folders that the files are stored in.
      	Shows or hides the files. If you click this button when the Show Folders button is selected, the area splits into two. The folder is shown on the left side, and the files and subfolders within it are shown on the right.
      	If the Show Files button is the only one selected, you can click this button to move up one folder level.
      	Lets you filter the kinds of files shown below. Depending on the task you are performing, this field may already be populated with the most appropriate file type(s).

   3. (Optional) To select a movie file outside of the project, click . To select a movie file that you recently inserted somewhere in your project, click the down arrow in the field next to and select the file from the list.

      Note If you select a movie file outside the project, that file is then copied and placed inside the project. The movie file is stored in the Resources > Multimedia folder of the Content Explorer.

   Selecting a YouTube or Vimeo File From the Web

   1. To select a movie file on the web, select Multimedia from Web.

   2. In the field, enter the location of the movie file you want to use in your project.

   Example In the following example, we are linking to a YouTube video.

   

   Note You can only add YouTube and Vimeo files from the web.

   Note When you insert a YouTube or Vimeo movie (using the Insert > Multimedia option), these movies are not stored in your Resources > Multimedia folder like other movie types, because Flare references them from the web.

   Note You can set YouTube videos to have a specific start time. For example, you might want the video to begin playing not from its beginning, but rather 1 minute and 30 seconds into the movie. To do this, add the time you want the video to start to the end of the URL using the format t=(time in minutes and seconds). For example:

   Copy

   https://youtu.be/SI6PHhxHNNA?t=1m30s

   The easiest way to do this is to open the video in YouTube, click the Share button, enter the start time, and copy the URL given.

   

5. (Optional) If you want to apply a specific style class to the movie, you can select it from the Style Class field.

   Example You have created in your stylesheet a class of the object style called "BigMargin" (i.e., object.BigMargin) and you have set the margin for all sides of that class to 1 inch. Rather than using the default parent object style when you insert the movie, you select object.BigMargin from the Style Class drop-down. As a result, 1 inch of space is added around the movie in the output.

6. (Optional) In the Screen Tip field, you can type a phrase that will appear when the end user hovers over the movie link in the output.

   If you want to insert a variable in a field, you can click . The variable will appear as syntax in the field, but in the output the variable definition will be shown.

7. (Optional) In the Alternate Text field, you can type alternate text to display when the movie is not available, such as when a disabled individual is using a screen reader.

8. (Optional) Select the Advanced tab and complete the options as necessary. The options shown depend on the type of movie file you are inserting.

   Flash Options

   • Quality Select the quality of the video, from "Low" up to "Best."

     • Low Favors playback speed over appearance and never uses anti-aliasing.
     • Auto Low Emphasizes speed at first but improves appearance whenever possible. Playback begins with anti-aliasing turned off. If the Flash Player detects that the processor can handle it, anti-aliasing is turned on.
     • Auto High Emphasizes playback speed and appearance equally at first but sacrifices appearance for playback speed if necessary. Playback begins with anti-aliasing turned on. If the actual frame rate drops below the specified frame rate, anti-aliasing is turned off to improve playback speed. Use this setting to emulate the View > Antialias setting in Flash.
     • Medium Applies some anti-aliasing and does not smooth bitmaps. It produces a better quality than the Low setting, but lower quality than the High setting.
     • High Favors appearance over playback speed and always applies anti-aliasing. If the movie does not contain animation, bitmaps are smoothed; if the movie has animation, bitmaps are not smoothed.
     • Best Provides the best display quality and does not consider playback speed. All output is anti-aliased and all bitmaps are smoothed.

   • Scale When you insert an embedded movie, a square container represents the area where the video will be displayed. Just like a regular image, you can resize the container either by using the settings on the Size tab or by clicking the clicking and dragging the icon in the lower-right corner of the container. The settings in this field determine how the video is displayed in the area represented by the square container.

     • Default (Show All) Makes the entire movie visible in the specified area without distortion, while maintaining the original aspect ratio of the movie. Borders may appear on two sides of the movie.
     • No border Scales the movie to fill the specified area, without distortion but possibly with some cropping, while maintaining the original aspect ratio of the movie.
     • Exact fit Makes the entire movie visible in the specified area without trying to preserve the original aspect ratio. Distortion may occur.
   • Alignment Select where you want the video to be displayed within the container area (e.g., Left, Right, Bottom, Bottom Right).
   • Auto Play Select this option if you want the video to automatically begin playing when the topic displays. Otherwise, the user must click the Play button to start the movie.
   • Loop Select this option if you want the movie to play repeatedly.
   • Show Menu Select this option if you want to display the full menu, allowing the user a variety of options to enhance or control playback. If you do not select this option, the menu contains only the Settings option and the About Flash option.
   • Enable SWLiveConnect Select this option to specify whether the browser should start Java when loading the Flash Player for the first time.

   Windows Media Options

   • Player Controls Select an option for displaying the player controls (e.g., Play, Pause, Volume).

     • Full Displays all of the available player controls.
     • None Does not display any player controls.
     • Mini Displays only some of the player controls (Play, Pause, Stop, Mute, Volume).
     • Invisible Hides the movie entirely, while still playing the audio. If you select this option, you might want to resize the container square in your topic so that it does not take up so much space in the output. The user will simply see blank space where the container exists.
   • Auto Start Select this option if you want the video to automatically begin playing when the topic displays. Otherwise, the user must click the Play button to start the movie.
   • Full Screen Select this option to display the movie using the entire screen.
   • Stretch to Fit Select this option to automatically resize the movie so that it exactly matches the size of the container area.
   • Play Count Enter the number of times you want the video to repeat.
   • Audio Select options for the sound (mute, volume level, balance).

   QuickTime and HTML5 Options

   • Scale When you insert an embedded movie, a square container represents the area where the video will be displayed. Just like a regular image, you can resize the container either by using the settings on the Size tab or by clicking and dragging the icon in the lower-right corner of the container. The settings in this field determine how the video is displayed in the area represented by the square container.

     • To Fit Automatically resizes the movie so that it exactly matches the size of the container area.
     • Aspect Automatically resizes the movie so that it exactly matches the size of the container area. However, the image is not stretched, but rather kept in its original proportion. For example, the width of the movie might be increased to match the width of the container area, but extra empty space might be shown above and below the movie in order to compensate for the height of the container area.
     • Value Enter the value that you want to increase the display of the movie. If you select 2, the movie will be twice as large as 1, and so on.
   • Show Controls Select this option to show the player controls (e.g., Play, Pause). 
   • Auto Play Select this option if you want the video to automatically begin playing when the topic displays. Otherwise, the user must click the Play button to start the movie.
   • Loop Select this option if you want the movie to play repeatedly.
   • Audio Select the volume level for the movie.

   YouTube Options

   • Auto Hide Select this option if you want to hide the video's title and player controls bar when the movie begins playing.
   • Auto Play Select this option if you want the video to automatically begin playing when the topic displays. Otherwise, the user must click the Play button to start the movie.
   • Full Screen Select this option if you want to allow users to play the video in full-screen mode.
   • Show Related Videos Select this option if you want to show similar, suggested videos when the movie stops playing.
   • Annotations Select this option if you want to show annotations from the video owner when viewing the movie.
     • On Enables annotations from the video owner.
     • Off Disables annotations from the video owner.

   • Modest Branding Select this option if you want to remove the YouTube branding from the player controls.

   • Show Info Select this option if you want to show the title bar on the top of the video.
   • Progress Bar Color Select the color you want to use for the player's progress bar.

     • White Displays a white progress bar.

     • Red Displays a red progress bar.

   • Controls Select the display option for the player controls (i.e., play, pause, full-screen, settings).

     • On (Always) Displays player controls at all times.
     • On (Only during playback) Displays player controls only during video playback.

     • Off Disables player controls.

   • Theme Select a color theme for the player controls.
     • Light Displays a light gray player control bar.
     • Dark Displays a black player control bar.

     Note Some advanced features may not work in all web browsers.

     Note Setting the Progress Bar option to White overrides the Modest Branding option, so you will always see the YouTube logo when you play your videos.

     Note If you disable the player controls, users will only be able to play and pause the video. They will not be able to adjust the volume, view or adjust the progress bar, change video settings, or open the video in full-screen mode.

     Vimeo Options

     • Auto Pause Select this option if you want the video to automatically pause when another Vimeo video in the topic is played. Otherwise, the user must click the Pause button to pause the movie.
     • Auto Play Select this option if you want the video to automatically begin playing when the topic displays. Otherwise, the user must click the Play button to start the movie.
     • Loop Select this option if you want the movie to play repeatedly.
     • Byline Select this option if you want to display the video owner's name on the movie.
     • Portrait Select this option if you want display the video owner's portrait on the movie.
     • Title Select this option if you want display the title on the video.
     • Controls Color If you want change the color of the player controls, click and select a color.

   Note Some advanced features may not work in all web browsers.

   Note Vimeo's advanced features are not available in Microsoft HTML Help and Eclipse Help outputs.

   Note If the owner of the video is a Vimeo Pro or Vimeo Plus member, some of these settings may be overridden by that member's preferences. For example, an owner of a video may not allow you to remove the title and byline, so you will still see this information on the video even if you chose not to display it in the Flare output.

   Note You cannot remove the Vimeo Staff Picks badge from a video.

9. (Optional) Select the Size tab and complete the options as necessary to resize the container area where the movie will be displayed. As an alternative, you can click and drag the icon in the lower-right corner of the container.

   To Set a Precise Width and/or Height

   In the Width and/or Height field of the Size section, provide the settings. First you need to select Length in the top drop-down list. You can then enter a value in the lower-left area and choose from several different units of measurement (points, pixels, centimeters, etc.) in the lower-right area. See Units of Measurement.

   To Set the Minimum Width and/or Height

   If the original object is smaller than the minimum width or height that is set, it will be enlarged so that it reaches the minimum value. If the original object is larger than the minimum width or height, it will not be resized.

   In the Width and/or Height field of the Minimum Size section, provide the settings. First you need to select Length in the top drop-down list. You can then enter a value in the lower-left area and choose from several different units of measurement (points, pixels, centimeters, etc.) in the lower-right area.

   To Set the Maximum Width and/or Height

   If the original object is larger than the maximum width or height that is set, it will be reduced in size so that it is no greater than the maximum value. If the original object is smaller than the maximum width or height, it will not be resized.

   In the Width and/or Height field of the Maximum Size section, provide the settings. First you need to select Length in the top drop-down list. You can then enter a value in the lower-left area and choose from several different units of measurement (points, pixels, centimeters, etc.) in the lower-right area.

   Note When resizing objects, you can ensure the aspect ratio is maintained. For example, if you want certain objects to be resized so that each is exactly 3 inches high, you can make sure the width of each object is adjusted accordingly to stay in proportion. To do this, first set the height at 3 inches. You would not set the width property at all. In the same way, if you were to specify an exact width, you could maintain the aspect ratio by not setting the height.

10. (Optional) Select the Position tab and complete the options as necessary to determine how the movie is positioned in the topic.

    Float

    Use this field to specify where to place the element on the page.

    • None Does not place the element in a specific location.
    • Left Positions the element on the left side of the page frame, allowing you to type text to the right of the element.
    • Right Positions the element on the right side of the page frame, allowing you to type text to the left of the element.
    • Center of Column Positions the element in the center of the column on the page.
    • Outside Left Margin Positions the element beyond the left margin of the topic text.
    • Outside Right Margin Positions the element beyond the right margin of the topic text.
    • Outside Frame Positions the element outside of the page frame.
    • Outside Frame, Top Align Positions the element outside of the page frame, as well as aligning it with the top of the frame.
    • Left of Frame Positions the element to the left of the page frame.
    • Right of Frame Positions the element to the right of the page frame.
    • Center of Frame Positions the element both vertically and horizontally in the middle of the page frame.

    Clear

    Use this field to position an element so that it is "clear" of an adjacent element. For example, let's say you have already inserted an element and applied the float left property to it. If you then insert another element immediately after the first element, you want to make sure that the second element doesn't rest next to the first one. Instead, you want the second element to be placed completely below the first one. Therefore, you can apply a clear property to the second element.

    • None Does not apply the clear property to the element.
    • Left Side The element will be placed below the bottom outer edge of a previous element that is floating left.
    • Right Side The element will be placed below the bottom outer edge of a previous element that is floating right.
    • Both Sides The element will be placed below the previous one, whether floating left or right.

    Vertical Alignment

    Use this field to adjust where the item is positioned vertically.

    • Baseline The baseline of the box will be aligned with the baseline of the parent box.
    • Text Top The top of the box will be aligned with the top of the parent element's font.
    • Text Bottom The bottom of the box will be aligned with the bottom of the line box.
    • Top The top of the box will be aligned with the top of the line box.
    • Middle The vertical midpoint of the box will be aligned with the baseline of the parent box, plus half the x-height of the parent.
    • Bottom The bottom of the box will be aligned with the bottom of the line box.
11. (Optional) Select the Borders & Margins tab if you want to specify margins, padding, or borders around the movie.

    Margin

    Click in any of the individual fields (Left, Right, Top, Bottom) to specify the settings for the margins around the object. If you click the down arrow to the right of all the fields, the settings will be applied to all of the margin fields.

    Padding

    Click in any of the individual fields (Left, Right, Top, Bottom) to specify the settings for the padding. In the left side of the field, enter a number for the amount of padding. In the right side of the field, select a unit of measurement (e.g., point, pixel, centimeter) for the number you entered. See Units of Measurement. If you click the down arrow to the right of all the fields, the settings will be applied to all of the padding fields. When you click that down arrow, a small popup displays.

    Borders

    1. Click in any of the individual fields (Left, Right, Top, Bottom) to specify the settings for the border. If you click the down arrow to the right of all the fields, the settings will be applied to all of the border fields.

       When you click that down arrow or in one of the individual fields, a small popup displays.

    2. Use the lower-left area of the popup to enter a number for the border thickness.
    3. Use the lower-middle area to select a unit of measurement (e.g., point, pixel, centimeter) for the number you entered. See Units of Measurement.
    4. Use the upper-right area to select a color for the border.
    5. Use the lower-right area to select a line type (e.g., solid, double, dashed) for the border.
    6. Click OK.

    

12. (Optional) Select the Background tab if you want to add background settings to a movie interface.

    To Set a Color for the Background

    In the Color field, click the down arrow and select a color from the popup. For advanced color options, select More Colors and use the fields in the Color Picker dialog.

    To Add an Image to the Background

    1. Next to the Image field, click the Browse button. The Insert Image dialog opens.
    2. Select an image file to insert and click OK.
    3. If you want the background image to repeat, select one of the options from the Repeat field. You can also set the image position horizontally and vertically by using the X and Y fields.
13. Click OK. The movie is added to the topic, represented by a gray square or rectangle, which is the area where the video will be shown in the output.
14. Click to save your work.