Mac users: Avoid Keynote 09 for Flash
Some questions from blog readers have alerted me to the fact that when Apple “upgraded” Keynote 08 to create Keynote 09, they removed the ability to export slideshows as interactive Flash files. I’ve written a bit on this blog about how great it is that you can export from Keynote to Flash but…now you can’t! So:
- If you currently have Keynote 08, don’t upgrade.
- If you’re new to the Mac, you’ll get iWork 09 by default, which contains the unfortunate Keynote 09. You could buy iWork 08 through eBay or a similar outlet. Current prices appear to be $16-55.
Some posts in discussion forums suggest that you can export Keynote 09 slideshows as QuickTime files and then save those as Flash, but apparently you lose all interactivity, so there’s no point.
Shame on Apple for again removing useful features during an “upgrade.” iMovie recently suffered a similar fate. I don’t understand Apple’s reasoning at all.
Some more complex alternatives could be Adobe Captivate for Mac, which is looking for beta testers, and Techsmith’s Camtasia Studio for Mac, which is scheduled to be released in mid-2009.
on May 11th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
I was one of those used to use the export to Flash feature a lot. I was also upset that export to Flash is missing from Keynote 2009. But it does export interactive quicktime files. i.e. you can create buttons and make it jump around the movie. So in effect it still works the same way but the output format is not Flash.
on May 11th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Thanks for your comment, Preetam. Have you had any trouble using the QuickTime files with learners? For example, I often embed SWF files in HTML pages, and no one has trouble using them because the Flash player is ubiquitous. I’m concerned that if I used QuickTime format, people would have to download a QuickTime player and would, basically, complain or require additional tech support. Am I worrying unnecessarily?
on May 11th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
I think Apple may be separating from Adobe as far as Flash in concerned. The new 3.0 OS for iphone/ipod touch doesn’t even support flash! And when you think about it you have to download a new version of flash every time it updates yeah it might be a hassle but it just looks like Apple is making some interesting and specialized updates for QuickTime. Hopefully the files are smaller than Flash. I don’t think you’re worrying unnecessarily, but it is kind of frustrating. Maybe we’ll get something better than Flash!
on May 12th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
The problem with QuickTime for us is that it is not part of the standard corporate desktop. I neither have it, nor can I get it without jumping through a lot of IT hoops, and even then, the outcome is problematic.
Is there something like YouTube for animations that runs on its own and does not require the installation of a player?
on May 13th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
To create simple, standalone presentations that don’t need a player, Jing or a similar tool is useful (see http://www.jingproject.com/). It gets complicated when we insist on having interactivity that goes beyond controlling the pace of the presentation, such as letting users click on the widget-winder to learn more about it. Since that type of branching is easy to set up in Keynote, it was easy to create interactive Flashes, but…not anymore.
on May 20th, 2009 at 4:57 am
Cathy, I find most people in my regions have iTunes, so the chances are that they have Quicktime player too. I suppose you can include a message that links to the Quicktime download page.
I have been pestering Adobe people for ages to create an easy to use Keynote like Flash authoring tool but they seem to be more interested in higher -end tools like Flex.
If you are using PowerPoint, you can use free tools such as iSpring to convert the ppt file to flash format that retains interactivity. iSpring is a windows only solution though.
on May 21st, 2009 at 8:55 am
Wow! Thanks for the warning. I’m just about to buy a new Mac for more capacity and speed because I’m in the middle of a large elearning project in which many of my pages consist of Keynote to Flash presentations. Course, it has never been perfect in that…
a) most of the transitions don’t work in the conversion, and
b) there is no control bar. [If there is HTML to create an added tool bar under the Flash, I don't know what it is.]
The “b” has caused me to go to more Quicktime than Flash.
on May 21st, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Cathy,
Sad news, but you’ve given me some happy news… Camtasia for the Mac? YaY!
I signed up for the Captivate beta test and hope they choose me.
I love your blog, and you’re in my blogroll!
Preetam… I use Articulate Presenter to output my MS PPT 2007 interactions to Flash. A bit clunky, but it works.
http://www.RidgeViewMedia.com/blog
@jenisecook
on August 4th, 2009 at 10:50 am
It’s sad that they removed it (I have iWork ‘09 and have never used ‘08, so I missed out on the fun), but here are a few workarounds:
If you have Adobe Flash, you can export from Keynote to QuickTime (.mov), import the .mov into Flash, and output to SWF or FLV. I believe even the 30-day trial version of Flash supports this option.
You can also upload the .mov to YouTube, let them convert it (to FLV), and then use the YouTube-generated embed code in your web page (assuming your learners have access to YouTube).
on August 4th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Wheat, thanks for you comment. It sounds like you can get slideshows into Flash that route. My understanding is that if you go the QuickTime route, items on the screen are no longer clickable and you’re reduced to just a Next button. For example, could I put three options on the screen and have the user click the option they want?
on August 4th, 2009 at 11:31 am
I’ll have to test that. My assumption is that the QuickTime export from Keynote would lose all interactivity (except for hyperlinks, which QT supports). I’m assuming that the YouTube upload/conversion process would also lose the interactivity, but I’d have to test that to be sure. You’ve added two things to my to do list.
For branching scenarios, I’d probably use Captivate instead. And I’m really looking forward to the OS X version of that app, as it’s become one of my favorite tools.
on September 24th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
It’s really a shame Apple took out this option. I was going to upgrade to iWork’09 but decide now to stay with ‘08 to be able to make interactive lessons in flash.
A new other and cheap solution for learning management system would be also be appreciated.
on October 4th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
If you are looking for Keynote 08 you may download a trial version here:
http://appldnld.apple.com.edgesuite.net/content.info.apple.com/iWork/Trial/693-6302.20070807.n8rT5/iWork08Trial.dmg