INTRODUCTION

In this blog, I will talk about one aspect of managing fluid box fields in the context of using Captivate assets. I once wrote about filling  buttons with pictures. Thi topic is in some aspects similar, but now we will look at fluid boxes.

TEMPLATES

Before I start, let me talk a bit about the templates provided by the Adobe Captivate team. They can be used as they are, but in reality, the cases in which you can use them without introducing any changes are rare. And for sure,  the templates are, indeed, manageable. Those of Captivate users who have never used templates are encouraged to give them a try.

If you have never tried the pre-defined templates, your starting point is to click the icon as shown below.

You can toggle between projects and slides. As you will see, there are a few projects and many slides to choose from. They are worth trying, so you are encouraged to play with them.

FLUID BOX ELEMENTS AND BACKGROUNDS

You will notice that the projects from the “Assets” have some particular pictures in the background. If you click on the fluid box field, you can’t do anything with them. Try yourself. Even if you remove all the elements inserted into a particular fluid box the background seems untouchable. So how to manage them and why aren’t they available after a simple click into the fluid box field?
Well, let’s look at what happens with the elements inserted into a fluid box.
If you drag the graphic items into a fluid box ( from the library or from the chosen folder.) you have direct access to the picture after a click. You can unlock it from a fluid box, click it, delete and so on.

But if you want to use one picture as a background and the other on top of it, it doesn’t work. Graphic elements inserted into fluid boxes are positioned vertically or horizontally, but not on top of each other. And now we will look at how to dig into the background and manage it.

BACKGROUND WORK

How to apply your own background pictures? Click on the fluid box you want to fill with a picture, next click on the “image” drop-down menu and choose the bottom option – “image fill”.

Now, click on the “fill” box and you will see a panel where you can go to the desired folder and choose the picture you want to use as a background.

Next, you can position the picture with a couple of options from another drop-down menu called “tile type”.

And that’s basically how it works. If you have ever wondered how to place one picture above another in fluid boxes, here is a solution.

SUMMARY

Inserting a graphic element directly into a fluid box does not let you create backgrounds. If you want to create one, use the method of filling the fluid box with a picture using the “field” area in the properties panel. Then you can place some other graphic elements or text fields above.