Affinity Publisher - viewing learning videos

[chasm]

Hi All,

The challenge I face with learning new software is when I watch a YT video online or download it and watch offline the text and images appear tiny. I have a 15" screen laptop (PC running Windows 10) not a large 32" screen to watch these videos. I try to view them in VLC Media Player and although that can enlarge the video it doesn't enlarge the content as recorded in the video.

So, when an instructor directs you to a tab to click or some other place on the video's landscape as a 15" screen viewer you can't see where either cursor is of even read the words on the Home screen of Publisher.

Has anyone learned Publisher using a smaller laptop screen?

I don't work in a design firm environment so I don't have access to large screens.

It's challenging to replicate the steps discussed on a learning video when you can't see what the instructor is referencing.

Could there be a site where learning videos appear large enough to be viewed on small screens?

I appreciate your constructive suggestions.

Thank you!

 

 

[R C-R]

What happens if you click the last icon on the right in the bottom row of icons of the YT video, the one that looks like a square with gaps on all 4 sides?

That should expand the video to full screen size, regardless of the size of the screen. Of course, it won't get any bigger than that, so if your screen is 15" that is as large as it will get.

[Ron P.]

Adding to what R C-R posted, check the Quality of the video. That's accessed through the cog icon, immediately right of the CC. That affects the sharpness, how clear the video appears. The 720p and higher quality settings are considered High-Def, and will make things crisper. The caveat is, you need to have a faster broad-band connection to avoid constant video buffering.

[Pšenda]

13 hours ago, chasm said:

so I don't have access to large screens.

I watch tutorial videos on smart TV. Large screen, high resolution, and on a laptop I can immediately repeat and try what I just see it on the TV screen.

[chasm]

Thank you all for your thoughts/suggestions. It's been suggested to me that YT content creators create their learning videos on bigger screens (larger than a laptop screen) so  learning on a 15" laptop screen becomes challenging. Even when I choose the Full Screen mode (empty square) the text on screen appears tiny (pls. see attached)

My TVs are way old so they don't have an HDMI port I could connect the laptop to them t o get a big screen affect.

[v_kyr]

4 minutes ago, chasm said:

My TVs are way old so they don't have an HDMI port I could connect the laptop to them t o get a big screen affect.

Do yourself a favor and a personal xmas gift, buy yourself some bigger external monitor with a 28"-34" display, common monitor models aren't expensive nowadays!

[chasm]

I've love one but I'm afraid I have no budget for that so I'm trying to learn with what I have. Thanks.

[R C-R]

28 minutes ago, chasm said:

Even when I choose the Full Screen mode (empty square) the text on screen appears tiny (pls. see attached)

What browser are you using to watch the YT videos? Have you tried using a different one to see if that makes any difference?

[Ron P.]

I appreciate your dilemma with the smaller laptop screen. However I just fired up my ancient Compaq laptop. It's running Win Vista, and does have a 15" screen. I can not upgrade to Win 10 because the system just does not meet the specs. In fact it doesn't meet the specs for being able to run the most current version of Firefox.

That said, I did go to Youtube and viewed a tutorial. Running at the 720p quality settings was slightly difficult, when I bumped it to 1080, I had no problem reading the menus on the presenter's screen capture. I'm no spring chicken, I need bi-focals, really could use tri-focals. I do think being able to view the video tutorials is possible on a 15" screen. Yes, it's not near as nice as viewing them on my desktop, which is using a 27" monitor.

[chasm]

Hi Ron, Thanks so much for your help. I use Firefox (older version) and bring up this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l-tx4yKk0E

I don't see where you can choose 1080p. I can select View > Zoom and keep zooming in but that lust enlarges the video not the content  in it. Hence, the words File, Edit remain tiny and unclear on my Dell 15" laptop screen. I opened that downloaded video in VLC Media Player as I watch most learning videos there offline and I don't see how you can select 1080p in there either. I can increase the ratio so it increases the size of the video but it doesn't make the words in it any larger.

Thank you again for your troubleshooting.

 

Quote

 

 

[chasm]

Hi RC-R  I'm using an older venison of Firefox as the newer versions don't work well with some of the add-ons I need.

Thank you.

[walt.farrell]

5 minutes ago, chasm said:

I don't see where you can choose 1080p.

It's in Settings:

[chasm]

Hi Walt, Thank up. But, 1080 just makes the picture larger but not the content n the video as you cam see in this screen capture.

thank you.

 

[Ron P.]

Sadly, the only way to enlarge the content in a video is to use a larger monitor/screen. Using the better quality, such as 1080p, just makes things more crisp and clear, instead of blurry.

[Alfred]

29 minutes ago, chasm said:

1080 just makes the picture larger but not the content

When you say ‘content’ are you perhaps referring to the subtitles? If so, click where it says ‘Subtitles/CC (1)’ and then click on the ‘Options’ link in the next pane: this lets you choose to make the text display at up to four times the default font size.

Edit: Never mind! I can see from the screenshots that you’ve managed to enlarge the captions. Can’t you enlarge the rest of the content by using the screen magnifier that’s built into Windows?

 

[chasm]

Hi Alfred, The screen magnifier just enlarges the screen not the words in the video. Thus, the words File, Edit do not become any larger or clearer and in fact become more blurry as you do enlarge the video with the magnifier.

As a person once shared, all these training videos are created with big screens and saved as such with the assumption everyone has a large screen, not a 15" laptop screen.

A question for everyone on this thread? How large a screen is large enough to easily see words in a YT training video?

Is a 21" screen sufficient?  Or would one need at least a 27" or even a 32" screen?

Thank you.

[R C-R]

55 minutes ago, chasm said:

But, 1080 just makes the picture larger but not the content n the video as you cam see in this screen capture.

It is hard to tell from that capture but it looks to me like the video is being displayed at the full width of the screen -- IOW, that all the content in the APub workspace window is there & is as large as it can be & still show all of its content at the same time on the screen.

To make any of it larger, I think you would need to zoom in on the video, but that would make some of its content invisible because it would be offscreen.

[chasm]

I think this is a matter that you can't really watch these training videos on your 15 in. laptop screen.

I surmise they're created on large screens and intended for larger screen viewing. I see that watching  feature films on a non-large screen. The content appears large and clear on a 42" screen at the dentist's office but you can't read what the note says being held by an actor on a size-challenged TV screen.

Maybe I can get my dentist to keep the office open so I can watch APub training videos!

What size screen do you watch YouTube and/or training videos on?

Thanks.

[R C-R]

4 hours ago, chasm said:

I think this is a matter that you can't really watch these training videos on your 15 in. laptop screen.

At the largest available size they should be no different from what you see on your 15" screen when using the apps. If you can't read the text in the video, the same would be true when using the app.

[chasm]

Well, I've posted what I see when it's 1080p on this 15 in. laptop so I'm not sure how others can see the words like Fle, Edit in a large view.

[R C-R]

12 minutes ago, chasm said:

Well, I've posted what I see when it's 1080p on this 15 in. laptop so I'm not sure how others can see the words like Fle, Edit in a large view.

Can you see them any better when you use the Affinity app itself instead of viewing it in the VT video?

[chasm]

Are you asking if i can play a YT tutorial in the A-Pub program?

I wasn't aware you could watch a video in A-pub, a graphics program.

 

 

[R C-R]

5 minutes ago, chasm said:

Are you asking if i can play a YT tutorial in the A-Pub program?

No. I am asking if text items like File, Edit, & so on are any easier for you to read on your screen when you have the Affinity app open & are trying to use those text items when you are using the app to create anything.

[chasm]

Yes, I can see them well in Apub.

But, trying to learn how to use A-Pub via YT tutorials will be problematic since I can't see the words in these videos.

 

[Pšenda]

9 hours ago, R C-R said:

Can you see them any better when you use the Affinity app itself instead of viewing it in the VT video?

This is perhaps obvious, the text in the application will always remain legible - it is text. But when you compress a video that captures a large screen into a small screen, some pixels are lost and readability is lost.