Programming Tip - Extracting images to put in your eLearning module
I have had situations in which I can’t easily get the image I need for my eLearning module, for example, if I am working off of a PDF file that the client provided, and it has an image that is relevant to the flow of the eLearning module, and the client isn’t able to provide the stand alone image file maybe because they don’t have it, I need to find a work around to extract that image and put it in the eLearning module.
For the most part, Adobe Acrobat will allow me to export that image with a decent quality, but I have had times when, for some reason, I can’t just export it and used, which then becomes a problem. So, how have I circumvented those issues?
Well, if the image is not too complex, maybe a chart or a simple vector graphic, I can try to replicate it either directly in Storyline or in Adobe Illustrator, but then this workaround becomes more challenging if it’s not only one image or if the image is too complex to replicate.
The other workaround is to get a screenshot and then edit it to isolate the image that I need to put into the eLearning module; for this, there are two ways to do it:
Use the “Print Screen” key from your keyboard: This will take a screenshot of your entire screen which will have a good quality and the resolution will be equal to your display’s resolution. Then you can edit it in Adobe Photoshop or directly in Storyline (check this tutorial created by one of our amazing programmers on how to edit images in Storyline: https://youtu.be/d8WN9KY3r4Q).
You can also use the snipping tool included in windows: This has an advantage and it is that you can draw a rectangle over the desired area in your screen, and then you will get a screenshot of that region. This will then put it into the minimalistic editor of the snipping tool, you can either save it to a file or copy and paste it directly into Storyline. However, this last approach (copying and pasting) poses a problem when you want to edit it later in Photoshop, because when you paste the graphic, it is created as an .emf file, which is a valid image file but can’t be edited in Photoshop, so you would need to first export it and then convert it to a PNG or JPEG file to then be able to edit it.
I hope this simple tip goes a long way in improving your eLearning module development workflow!
