How to add hotspots to a Kaltura video

Kaltura recently added a feature that allows you to add "hotspots" to your media items. These hotspots are in-video links to either external web resources (such as an article or a reading in your course site) or other parts of the video, and can be useful for better connecting your individual Kaltura videos with your broader course content. In-video hotspots allow your students to jump to another point in the video, which may be especially helpful for longer videos where it would benefit your students to be able to hop between video sections or topics.

Accessing your Kaltura video's editor

1. Navigate to My Media.
   
2. Scroll through your videos to locate the video you would like to add hotspots to. Then, click the video's title.
   
3. On the video's info page, click the Actions button in the lower-right of the video screen.
   
4. On the menu that appears, select Edit to access the Edit screen for your video.
   
5. Click the Launch Editor button near the bottom right of the video screen. This will start the Kaltura video editor. Learn more about the Kaltura video editor.
   

Inserting hotspots into your video

You can use the Kaltura video editor to place hotspots into your video.
 

1. Click the hotspots icon on the left of the screen.
   
2. You will see the hotspot editor screen and the timeline:
   1. The + Add Hotspot button.
   2. The video preview pane.
   3. The timeline, which will allow you to select a point in your video for editing. You can click around the timeline and make the video preview jump around to that point in the video. The blue line cursor will display what point in the video you are viewing, and the blue flag on top of it indicates the time in the video in minutes, seconds, and hundredths of a second (mm:ss:hs). The slide on the top right of the timeline will allow you to zoom the timeline in and out for more precision in where you place your cursor. You can also play the video and then pause it once you have reached the point where you want to add a hotspot.
      
3. To add a hotspot to your video, click the +Add Hotspot button once you have reached the desired point on your video timeline.
   
4. Look at the video preview pane: You will see the new hotspot itself (arrow in image below) and the hotspot menu, where you can change basic aspects of how the hotspot displays and functions.
   
   You can click and drag the hotspot around the screen, and the hotspot menu will move out of the way to accommodate it.
   
5. Fill out the hotspot menu according to the type of hotspot you want to use: link out to a web resource, or jump to another spot in the video.
   1. Hotspot that links out to another web resource
      1. In the Text field type in some text describing your hotspot.
      2. For the Go to field, select the URL button. This allows you to link out to a web-page, which can be another resource in your Canvas site, or an external site like YouTube or Wikipedia.
      3. In the Link to field paste the web-link for the hotspot.
      4. The Advanced Settings link will open up the full set of tools and options you have for your hotspot's display. Learn more about advanced settings.
      5. Go to next step.
   2. Hotspot that jumps to another point in the video.
      1. In the Text field type in some text describing your hotspot.
      2. For the Go to field, select Time in this video.
      3. Enter a time in minutes and seconds (mm:ss) in the Time field and the hotspot will allow the viewer to jump to that spot.
      4. The Advanced Settings link will open up the full set of tools and options you have for your hotspot's display. Learn more about advanced settings.
      5. Go to next step.
6. If you wish, re-size the hotspot to make it larger using the small white boxes on the side of the hotspot to adjust its size.
   
7. When you're finished editing the hotspot, click the Done button.
   
8. You can add additional hotspots if you so desire. When you are finished adding additional hotspots, click the Save button in the upper right of the Kaltura video editor to save all your changes.
   
9. When you are finished editing the video in general (remember to save your changes as you go), click the Exit button in the bottom-left of the editor screen.
   
10. You will be asked whether or not you want to exit the video editor. Click I'm Sure to leave the editor, or click Cancel if you have changes that need to be saved first.
    

Using advanced settings with hotspots

Kaltura's video editor provides a few extra options for adjusting the look and other aspects of your hotspots.

To access these more advanced features, click Advanced Settings in the hotspot menu.

This will open up an expanded menu of settings on the left side of the video editor. The first few options will be the same as the initial hotspot options. Scroll down to look at the different style and timing options in the Advanced Settings menu.

The options under Style deal with text display options:

1. Text Color & Stylewill allow you select the color of the hotspot's text, as well as whether you want the text to be bold, thin, or normal style.
2. Text Size will determine the size of the text in the hotspot. You can either enter an exact size or use the slider.
3. Roundness will control how rounded the hotspot area is with either a number or the slider.
4. Background color will change the color of the hotspot background.
5. Position will determine where the hotspot is on the video screen.
6. Size will determine the width and height of the hotspot.

The options under Timeline will allow you to control how long the hotspot appears on the video screen.

1. Start Time will determine when the hotspot will appear during the course of the video in minutes and seconds (mm:ss).
2. End Time will determine when the hotspot disappears in minutes and seconds (mm:ss).

Remember, when you are finished editing the hotspot, always click the Done button on the top-right of the Advanced Settings menu.

Additional Resources

Kaltura's hotspot information