Adobe Captivate

Pros

I have been using Adobe Captivate since the mid-2000s. Each release has brought new and innovative features that allow me to continue to impress my clients. Features like virtual reality and interactive video make Adobe Captivate the industry leader in eLearning Authoring tools

Cons

A complicated piece of software means that the learning curve is steep but the reward is that in return it does so much.

Pros

Having used many products for developing e-learning, Captivate is among the top-tier development programs but has a high cost to entry. The platform is powerful and has a lot of nuances that allow for digging deep into options for developing truly custom courses and user experiences.

Cons

While you can dig deeply into advanced interactions, data reporting, etc, the learning curve is immense to begin to understand elements such as advanced actions, keywords, etc. Variables become buried and are not as easy to manipulate as in Articulate Storyline, but they are buried for very good reason in that you can actually do more in Captivate than with its rival program with such features. If I am to further nitpick, I am not excited by the filmstrip display for slide storyline. This is a feature I love in Articulate's e-learning in that non-linear branching is highly encouraged whereas the linear filmstrip does little to entice users to develop complex learning opportunities, reinforcing the linear death by slides commonly seen in virtual learning.

Pros

Easy to segment video into pieces. Imagine using Power Point slides but each slide contains video/sound. Much easier to manage than other tools that record straight through. You can record each segment, apply graphic elements as desired. It integrated easily with other Adobe audio products for enhanced audio editing. Captivate does include limited audio editing tools, just enough to be handy.

Cons

I found the application would crash every now and then. Nothing I could not work around, but strange to have to experience that in today's world.

Pros

Mainly what I like about this software is the distribution of controls, since they are simple and intuitive, I can access a wide variety of controls and at the same time maximize my workspace. Another quite useful detail that I found excellent is that you can import and extract PowerPoint slides. Generally the tools are easy to use so there are not many drawbacks, besides the fact that you can use widgets to improve your presentation. It is very useful.

Cons

At the beginning it can be a little difficult to understand how it works, however by knowing each tool thoroughly, it is totally simple. The price is a bit high, however the tool is quite good.

Pros

Adobe Captivate allows you to author amazing and beautiful coursework if you don't mind spending a little extra time to learn some coding. The product is fairly intuitive and it has a lot of capabilities. It's a very deep and robust product.

Cons

To really get the best out of Captivate, you do need to spend quite a lot of time learning about creating variables, some beginner coding, and occasionally some javascript. You can make the program do whatever you want, but it takes a lot of patience and, sometimes, some wonky workarounds.