Object states, animation, video and sound in Layout by Zaweba
Layout by Zaweba adds object states switched by buttons, an Animation panel for fixed EPUB and HTML, and video and sound with a poster frame.
Some documents are meant to be read on a screen and nowhere else. A digital magazine, an interactive children's book, a product guide that shows each colour option at the tap of a button. Layout by Zaweba has tools for these: multi-state objects, an Animation panel, and video and sound placed on the page.
Multi-state objects
An object can have several states, each a different version of the same area. A product photo might have one state per colour; a map might have a state per region; a quiz might have a question state and an answer state.
Only the showing state prints, so the printed version of the document shows one sensible choice, not all of them stacked. In interactive PDFs, states become optional content. In PDF, EPUB and HTML, buttons switch between states, so a reader taps "Blue" and sees the blue version.
That makes one design serve both print and screen. A catalogue spread can show the default colour in print and every colour on screen, from the same page.
The Animation panel
The Animation panel adds movement for fixed layout EPUB and HTML. You choose motions, triggers and timing. A heading can slide in when the page opens, a picture can fade up when tapped, a sequence of items can appear one after another.
A browser preview lets you see the animation running before you export, which is the only real way to judge timing.
Animation belongs in fixed layout EPUB and HTML because those keep elements where you placed them. In a reflowable e-book there is no fixed page for things to move on.
Video and sound
Video and sound can be placed with a poster, the picture shown before playback starts. In EPUB and HTML they play in a built in player. In an interactive PDF they go in as an attachment.
Use them for a recipe book with a short technique video, a language guide with spoken phrases, a museum guide with audio commentary, or a portfolio with a showreel.
Choose the poster well. It is what readers see first, so it should stand on its own as a picture.
Designing for the format you're exporting
Know where each feature works. States switch with buttons in PDF, EPUB and HTML. Animation is for fixed EPUB and HTML. Video and sound play in EPUB and HTML, and arrive as attachments in interactive PDF. Plan around the outputs your readers will actually use.
Keep the print version in mind. The showing state is what prints, so make sure it makes sense alone.
Use restraint. A page where everything moves is tiring. Animate the one thing that deserves attention.
Mistakes people make with interactive extras
Expecting animation in a print PDF or a reflowable EPUB is the main one. It needs fixed layout EPUB or HTML.
Leaving the wrong state showing at export puts the wrong version into print.
Long animations delay the reader. Keep timing brisk and check it in the preview.
Large video files make a document heavy to download. Keep clips short and to the point.
One document, print and screen
These tools sit on top of an ordinary layout. The same document prints cleanly, with its showing states, and exports to screen formats where states switch, things move and media plays. Build the print version well first, then add the screen extras where they help.
