Adding multimedia to your publication is as easy as adding URL, Email and Page overlays - quite literally, as the same overlay system is used to place the content on to the page.
- Upload Your Multimedia
- Stream Multimedia from YouTube/Remote Server
- Trigger Visibility of Content (Show/Hide)
First of all we must upload the multimedia to the publication so that we are able to select it when placing the overlay (you can skip this step if streaming content is being added - more on that later).
To upload your file(s), click Files in the top right menu to go to the Files section:
The Files section allows you to view any files that have been uploaded to this particular publication, including the PDF file(s).
Click on Upload File in the top right and select the file that you wish to upload to the system (As a reminder, see Optimise Your Files before you upload).
Now that the files have been optimised and uploaded, they are ready to be placed onto the page using the Overlay Editor (see Adding Overlays if you are not familiar with this tool).
Below you will see that an overlay has been created on the page by using keyboard shortcut "C", dragging a box around the area we wish to link to reveal the menu in the image below:
- Delete (trash icon in the top-right) allows you to remove the overlay you are working with, as well as raise and lower. This allows you to place multiple overlays without the wrong one covering or hiding.
- Source File is where you will pick the file that you have uploaded to the digital publication from the Manage Files section. The alternative is to Stream a file in, such as a YouTube video or remotely hosted content by using the overlay type "URL Content Overlay" listed on the top toolbar.
- Options that allows you to do such things as maintain the aspect ratio of the content, automatically play when viewed, and embed when saving the offline version are available if you use overlay types Video, Image and Audio Content Overlays also located on the top toolbar.
The above sections are a brief overview and we thoroughly recommend experimenting with the various overlay types and options for each overlay to familiarise yourself with the system and get the best from your content.
Stream Content
To stream content, select the URL Content Overlay tool from the toolbar (cloud and play button icon), draw out your overlay box as usual and in the Source URL section of the menu that appears simply place the URL of the content into the URL field. Note - you will need a direct line to the content and not a redirect.
Trigger Content
Sometimes there simply is not enough space on a page for extra multimedia content or publishers prefer to keep the content hidden until triggered by the user. In this instance, we can easily use the Overlay Editor to have a button or area trigger the visibility of your multimedia onto the page.
To trigger a multimedia file via a button on the page, you must first place the button on the page as an overlay. This can be in any format under the Content overlay type, and typically a flash file or image (jpeg or PNG) is used:
Above we have used a "Watch trailer" button as our trigger. You can also see that Use content aspect ratio is ticked.
Unload when hidden and Embed content offline - these are not essential but useful.
Next we need to place the content on the page that we wish to trigger. In the above image you will see the video still "what if?" - this is a Video Content Overlay and your uploaded MP4 video file (see "Uploading Multimedia") selected in the "Source File" box.
When the multimedia is placed on the page, we select the "Watch trailer" overlay and select the "Trigger Visibility of Other Content" tick-box followed by selecting the video file in the "Triggered Overlay" dropdown box below it.
Tick Trigger visibility of other content, then select the content you wish for the button to enable (in this instance the video file).
You can also use Alternate State Enabled to display an alternate trigger button such as a stop button if you wish.
Remember you do not need to save every single page once you have finished working on them. Use the keyboard shortcuts CTRL + < or > to move left/right through your document pages adding further enhancements. Once you're happy with the edits, CTRL + S will save the entire project. When you're ready to check your work regenerate a preview link via the Publish screen.
Note: we recommend saving every 20 minutes or so if you are working on a large project to ensure the 30 minute security logout does not affect your workflow. The good news is if you do forget to save and see a prompt "Your session expired" - simply go to your main edition tab (the Overlay Editor opens in a new tab window), refresh your screen to login back in then come back to the Overlay Editor tab you should have left open. Hit OK on the prompt and then try to save again. Your work is stored in local cache meaning you will not lose your overlays!
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