Adding Animated Typing Boxes

When you record a movie, Mimic can capture any typing actions that you perform on screen. This typing is animated in the movie output. In other words, each letter of the content is typed as the user watches it. When you record in Automatic mode, you can select whether to add typing box shapes when you perform typing actions. If you select this option, Mimic inserts a typing box object when you type during a recording session. If you disable this option and type during a recording session, the frame in question becomes a full-motion video (FMV) frame. Not only can animated text boxes be added automatically when you record movies, but you can also add them manually when you edit the movie.

How to Add an Animated Typing Box

1. Open the frame.
2. Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:

   • Ribbon Select Home> Objects > Interactive > Typing Box.

   • Local Toolbar In the local toolbar of the Frame Editor, select Objects > Interactive > Typing Box.

   The cursor changes to small crosshairs.

3. Click in the frame and drag the mouse to draw a rectangle where you want the animated typing to display. Release the mouse button when you are finished. An empty typing box appears.
4. Double-click the typing box. The Object Properties window pane opens.
5. Expand the Typing Box section.
6. Complete any of the following fields.
   • Start Text Enter the text (if any) that you want to display in the typing box when it appears in the output. If you do not want any start text, leave this field empty.
   • Typed Text Enter the text that you want to be typed in the box as the frame plays. This text will follow directly after any start text.

7. (Optional) You can make other modifications to the typing box, including the following.

   Modify the Look of the Typing Box

   1. Double-click the typing box. The Object Properties window pane opens.
   2. Expand the sections and make changes to the typing box properties (e.g., background color, border, font, animation effects, curve of rectangle). See Appearance of Frames.

   Increase or Decrease the Typing Speed

   1. Double-click the typing box. The Object Properties window pane opens.
   2. Expand the General section and make the desired adjustments:
      • Time Span If you want the typing box effect to be displayed for a specific period of time, leave the check mark in this box. If you want to disable timing for the effect, click this check box to remove the check mark. Disabling the timing is useful if you want to ensure that the effect continues to display as long as the frame does.
      • Start The time at which the typing box effect will display when the frame is played. You can manually adjust the start time by clicking and dragging the effect bar to the desired location in the Timeline.

      • Duration The number of seconds you want the typing box effect to last. You can manually adjust the duration of the effect by clicking and dragging either end of the effect bar to increase or decrease the size.

        Note If you increase the duration of the typing box, be aware that the timing of the frame must also be long enough to accommodate it.

        Note Increasing the duration of the typing box applies to how long the object exists. Text—regardless of if the text is long or short—will be spaced to fit this duration. Keep this in mind to ensure that the typing object can be read easily.

   Move or Resize the Typing Box

   • To move the entire typing box, click the box and drag it to the new location.
   • To resize the typing box, click any of the points (i.e., small circles) around the edge of the box and drag it to adjust its size.
8. Click to save your work.