ActivePresenter

ActivePresenter is 3-in-1 eLearning authoring, screencasting,^[1] and video editing software for Microsoft Windows and macOS, which is developed by Atomi Systems, Inc. With this app, users can:

• Design interactive courses.
• Build interactive software simulations.
• Develop assessments and educational games.
• Create or record videos.
• Convert existing PowerPoint presentations to eLearning courses.

ActivePresenter

Developer(s)	Atomi Systems
Initial release	2008; 15 years ago (2008)
Stable release	9.0.7 / March 15, 2023; 5 months ago (2023-03-15)^[2]
Written in	C++
Operating system	Microsoft Windows, macOS
Available in	Deutsch, English, 日本語, Español, Français, Italiano, Polski, Português, Русский, Tiếng Việt, 中文
Type	Screen Recorder, eLearning Authoring Tool, and Video Editor
License	Proprietary software Free Edition: Freeware Standard, Pro Edition: Commercial
Website	atomisystems.com

Features

eLearning Authoring Tool

One of the three main features of ActivePresenter is to design interactive eLearning courses.^[3] It provides users with 13 question templates namely True/False, Multiple Choice, Drag-n-Drop, etc. ActivePresenter supports exporting eLearning courses as SCORM (SCORM 1.2, SCORM 2004) or xAPI packages so that users can upload to an LMS, for example, Moodle.

Apart from the interactive output format, users can export projects to non-interactive ones. It can be images, documents (PDF, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel), Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and videos (AVI, MP4, WMV, WebM). Additionally, ActivePresenter allows importing Microsoft PowerPoint presentations to the project, then exporting to one of its output formats though lacking some animations and effects as well as converting between several video formats indirectly.

Screen Recorder

Also, ActivePresenter is a screen recorder.^[4] It has 2 recording modes: Record Video^[5] and Record Software Simulation.^[6]

• Record Video: Users will get a slide containing a full-motion video.
• Record Software Simulation: It captures all actions on the screen and then converts them into a slide-based project including image slides (mouse click, keystroke) and video slides (mouse scroll, drag-n-drop).

Video Editor

Besides, ActivePresenter provides users with multiple audio/video editing tools^[7] from basic to advanced. After screencasting, users can edit the recorded video with only one tool.

History

ActivePresenter has been developed by Atomi Systems Inc. since 2007. Version 1.0 was released in October 2008 and became available in the online market six months later with three editions, including a free-of-charge edition.^[8]

For more than 10 years of development, ActivePresenter has continuously improved and implemented multiple new features.

History of major version updates:

• ActivePresenter 3: Improve the old version and add many new features, especially relating to design eLeaning courses such as 7 question types, 6 even types, etc.
• ActivePresenter 4: Enhance question editing functionalities and start supporting drag-n-drop interaction and question. Also, support export projects to HTML5 simulation, improve video exporting properties, support lines, arrows, shape types, and more.
• ActivePresenter 5: Improve user interface and Properties pane.
• ActivePresenter 6: Enhance HTML5 output, support exporting projects as xAPI, etc.
• ActivePresenter 7: Support responsive design, themes & templates, advanced audio/video effects, add more transition & animation effects, etc. Regarding eLearning editing features, it supports variables, conditional actions & advanced interactions, shuffling question answers, etc.
• ActivePresenter 8: Enhance user interface and support dark mode. Plus, add 2 new question types: Fill-in-blank and hotspot, support import questions from GIFT and CSV files, import PowerPoint slides, etc.
• ActivePresenter 9: ^[9] Add dropdown(s) questions, support 3D models, tables and many chart types, add 2 new interactions: slider and dropdown. Plus, support crop image/video feature and click sequence timeline.

Additionally, each major version has many minor updates.

Editions

Three editions are available at different prices, each having the capabilities of lower ones, plus added features. The features of the various editions are compared in a table on the ActivePresenter website.^[10]

Free Edition

This edition is free of charge (freeware).^[11]. It includes all features as the paid edition, but it is only used for trial and non-commercial purposes.

Standard Edition

This edition focuses on users who want to create videos or export the project to media and document outputs.^[12]

Pro Edition

This edition has added features to design eLearning courses. It supports 13 question templates, importing questions from CSV or GIFT files, and exporting projects to HTML5 files, SCORM (1.2 and 2004), or xAPI packages. Besides, it supports creating responsive projects that can run well on devices with different viewports.^[13]

See also

• Screencast
• Comparison of screencasting software

References

1. "6 Best Tools to Create & Edit Screencast Video on Windows/MacOS". November 2019.
2. "Download - Atomi Systems, Inc". atomisystems.com.
3. "6 Best Authoring Tools for eLearning 2022". 23 August 2019.
4. "7 Awesome Free Screen Recording Tools for 2022". 26 November 2021.
5. "Record Video Demonstrations with ActivePresenter 8". 7 February 2020.
6. "Record Software Simulations with ActivePresenter 8". 7 February 2020.
7. "7 Highly-recommended Video Editors for PC Free Download". 8 April 2022.
8. "ActivePresenter goes online - Atomi Systems, Inc". atomisystems.com. 29 April 2009.
9. https://atomisystems.com/news/new-features-in-activepresenter-9/
10. "ActivePresenter Feature Comparison - Atomi Systems, Inc". atomisystems.com.
11. "Free Edition".
12. "ActivePresenter Standard Edition".
13. "ActivePresenter Pro Edition".

External links

• Official website
• MakeUseOf review of ActivePresenter