Learn how you can embed/link to audio or video files (filmed or software demos) from PDFs created in FM, without the tedious work of inserting the link/file and defining playback properties every time the PDF is updated. With Multimedia Assistant, you use hypertext markers to define access (embed or link) to local/web-based multimedia files in all formats supported by Acrobat/Reader, so that the defined features are automatically present in the PDF file.

1. Multimedia in PDFs with
FrameMaker-to-Acrobat
TimeSavers &
Multimedia Assistant
Shlomo Perets, microtype.com

2. 1 Overview
Enriching docs with multimedia applies to:
■ Software documentation
● User guides ● Reference
● Online help ● Tutorials
■ Hardware documentation
● Installation ● User tutorials
● Service manuals ● Part catalogs
● Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals
(IETM)

3. 2 Why use multimedia?
■ Accommodate different learning styles
(visual demo vs. text-intensive)
■ International audience;
reduces text translation/localization
■ Internet generation
■ Intuitive knowledge transfer to users
■ Processes/products can be difficult to
describe, but easily understood visually

4. 3 Multimedia in tech docs
■ “Show Me” videos
■ Software simulations
■ Interactive tutorials / quizzes
■ Interactive graphics
Sample PDFs are available at
www.microtype.com, Showcase section

5. 4 Media creation
■ Screen recorders (Captivate, Camtasia)
● Editing capabilities
● Support for annotations and highlight
elements; narration; interaction
■ Digital cameras
■ Scientific visualizations
(Maple, Mathematica, MATLAB)
■ Audio / Images

6. 5 Adding multimedia in Acrobat
■ Can add multimedia features to
PDFs in Acrobat
■ But… these feature “disappear”
when you redistill (after updating
FrameMaker source files)
■ It is not practical to re-create features
every time the source file is converted
to PDF

7. 6 FrameMaker & multimedia
■ In all versions, can link to external
files through a hypertext marker:
message openfile file.ext
● Launched in an external application
● No control over movie or its play parameters
■ Starting with FM8, can also embed
SWF movies in PDFs (File > Import > File)
● Playback location in PDF:
“In Document” only

8. 7 FM-to-Acrobat TimeSavers
■ Can create links/bookmarks to
QuickTime/AVI movie files through
hypertext alert markers:
● ~MovieLink ● ~MovieFloatLink
● ~MovieURLLink ● ~MovieBmk
■ Example:
alert ~MovieURLLink (MovieTitle)
(www.microtype.com/sample.mov)

9. 8 Multimedia Assistant
■ TimeSavers extension
■ Can link (local/web-based files)
or embed multimedia files
■ Supports all formats that are supported
by Acrobat/Reader, including:
SWF, MPEG, WMV, AVI, QuickTime,
WAV, AIFF, MP3, JPEG
FLV (Acrobat/Reader 9)

10. 9 Playback location
■ Floating Window
■ In Document
■ Full Screen
■ Hidden (useful for sound-only media)

11. 10 Software demos playback
■ “In Document” and “Full Screen”
typically distort the display of software
demos, as the variable magnification in
Acrobat causes movie resizing
■ For optimal display results:
“Floating Window” at native dimensions
■ If you must use “In Document”:
96 dpi in 100% zoom

12. 11 Floating window parameters
■ Title
■ Close button
■ Positioning (relative to document,
application window, monitor)
■ Location (center, corners)
■ Resizing: no / yes
(preserve / don’t preserve aspect ratio)

13. 12 Related actions & properties
■ Media activated through links,
bookmarks, form fields, page actions
■ Actions include: Play, Stop, Pause,
Resume, Restart
■ Can show movie segments
(specify starting/ending point)
■ Control speed

14. 13 Additional enhancements
■ Activation of media through form fields,
with additional options – Form Assistant
■ Dynamic 3D graphics (hardware) –
3D Assistant