In the help documentation of your software product, it’s essential to clearly explain how the application works and provide users with step-by-step instructions they can follow to complete their tasks. To enhance the usability and comprehension of your documentation, you can use visuals such as screenshots and diagrams that will complement the documentation texts and improve the presentation of the content.
For example, if you need to explain how to use a specific feature of the software, you could include a screenshot of the relevant user interface and provide special annotations. This would help the user understand the text and follow the instructions more easily, making it easier to complete the task. By doing so, you would efficiently communicate the information to the application users.
And while creating a high-quality help file may seem like a challenging task, you can benefit from using the latest help authoring tools. These tools allow you to write and update texts, capture screenshots, and annotate images, greatly simplifying the documentation process.
Help Authoring Tool With Image Editing Capabilities
Writing help documentation in a multi-format help authoring tool like HelpSmith, you can take advantage of the integrated image editor that is available within the product. As a technical writer, you can use the image tool to create a new screenshot, apply the crop tool, if needed, and add annotations to any image in your help project.
Let’s say you are working on a help topic that describes the user interface of the Mouse Properties window allowing the user to select the mouse pointer speed, visibility options, and other settings. Of course, you should first explain how the user can access these mouse settings, and then provide step-by-step instructions for common tasks, such as changing the mouse pointer speed.
Apparently, if you add a screenshot of the mouse properties window, the user will easily recognize the interface, and will complete their task with ease. Moreover, if you also highlight the UI elements mentioned in the documentation, most users will be able to understand what is required to do even without reading the texts.
In HelpSmith, you can add the following types of annotations to any screenshot in your help documentation:
- Text labels – allow you to add texts to an image.
- Shapes – allow you to highlight controls using a rectangle, circle, and other shapes.
- Numbering – allows you to add numbers for the elements, linking them to the texts of step-by-step instructions.
- Arrows – allows you to use customizable arrows to point the users specific elements shown on the screenshot.
- Control annotations – allows you to add special annotations for controls which can be exported into the topic. This feature allows you to provide a more detailed explanation of the UI elements in the topic.
It is a good idea to integrate the help file with the application, so users can easily find the information they need. In this case, the user can quickly access the appropriate topic related to the screen or window they are currently working with. And if the user can easily get the help topic which clearly communicates the information with the visuals, they will be able to understand the instructions and functions of the application even if they are not very technically savvy.
By the way, these advantages can also be utilized by technical specialists who need to respond to recurring user questions. As users may have varying technical backgrounds, it is not always feasible to efficiently convey instructions solely through text.
Using the Image Tool in the HelpSmith Help Authoring Tool
The Image Tool available in the HelpSmith help authoring tool can be utilized in several ways. While writing documentation in the built-in text editor, you can capture and insert a new screenshot, edit existing screenshots and images contained in the topic, add various annotations to images as mentioned above. It is also possible to use control annotations to prepare the topic draft for UI documentation, add clickable hotspots, and even insert a mouse cursor to a screenshot, if needed.
Here are the main features of the Image Tool that can help you make your documentation more user-friendly and easier to understand for the application users.
Inserting a New Screenshot Into a Topic
When writing a help topic, you can use the Create Screenshot command to capture an individual window or the entire screen, and insert the screenshot into the topic.
In the toolbar, go to the tab, and click Create Screenshot.
In the Image Tool, click the Capture Window button. Move the mouse cursor over the window or selective area that you want to capture. Press and hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard and then left-click on the window with the mouse.
In the latest updates of the help authoring tool, when you click the Create Screenshot button, it opens the Image Tool and automatically activates the Capture-by-Mouse mode. However, if needed, you can also use the Image Tool’s Capture-by-Timer mode, which will take a screenshot after a specified time delay.
Adding and Editing Customizable Screenshot Annotations
The image editor available in the help authoring tool allows you to add and edit screenshot annotations at any time. You can add annotations when capturing a new screenshot as explained above, or edit annotations on any image contained in a topic later. To open an image for editing with the Image Tool, simply hover the mouse over the image, and then click the Edit Image button that appears in the top-left corner.
Adding an Annotation to the Image: Shape, Arrow, Text, Balloon, etc.
When editing an image in the HelpSmith’s Image Tool, you can add various annotations to the image:
In the Image Tool, on the Annotations tab, select the annotation that you need (for example, Balloon). In the annotation properties dialog, specify the text, font, size, etc.
Click OK.
As you can see on the image above, you can use the Favorites tab to save your preferred settings for the annotation object for future use. On the same tab, you can define the default style of the balloon or another annotation type. In this case, the default style will be used when you add the same type of annotation next time. Also, the default style will be displayed in the gallery on the Annotations tab in the Ribbon for your convenience.
Editing Annotations on Existing Images
As we have already said, HelpSmith allows you to edit annotations for any images in your help project. Technically, this is possible because the help authoring tool stores the initial image file and the annotation objects separately. The final images are generated when your project is compiled into specific documentation formats, such as browser-based Web Help system, Windows .CHM file, PDF document, etc.
Additional Features of the HelpSmith’s Image Tool
Apart from the ability to create screenshots and annotation images, the Image Tool available in the help authoring product allows you to generate a topic describing the user interface of your application. This is possible by exporting special objects named “control annotations” directly into the topic. Also, in the Image Tool, you can add clickable regions (named “hotspots”) to an image. Hotspots can work as a link to another topic in your help system or to an external web page.
If necessary, when creating a screenshot, you can capture the mouse cursor. Or, add the mouse cursor to an image from a file manually.
It should be said that the annotated images and screenshots can be used not only in a help system, but can also be exported for use on the application’s website, in articles, blog posts, and other related materials.
Publishing Help Documentation for Your Application
The help authoring tool allows you to export your help project into any formats, meaning that you can create documentation including a web help system, .CHM help file, Adobe PDF, Word, and Markdown files. If you need to supply documentation in several formats, you can use batch compilation mode to quickly generate documentation in all of these formats. This is possible thanks to the multi-format approach behind the documentation software.
To demonstrate the results of our work, we have compiled the documentation as a browser-based web-help system.
Since a web help system is technically a collection of HTML files, it can be published on any website which is using any content management system, so the application users will be able to access the help documentation on any platform with a regular browser. And with the responsive layout, it is fully compatible with both desktop and mobile devices.
It’s worth noting that HelpSmith’s ability to work with images makes it an incredible help authoring tool for software developers, technical writers, and other professionals who need to create documentation and communicate complex technical topics to end users.
Summary
With the powerful capabilities of the HelpSmith help authoring tool (available for download on its website), including not only a feature-rich word processor, but also the ability to create screenshots and annotate images, technical writers can convey information to users with varying levels of technical knowledge in the most efficient way possible. This approach to creating documentation can be applied both in the help files supplied with software products and in other materials produced by technical specialists. The HelpSmith’s image editing capabilities can ultimately simplify the help authoring process and communication with product users.
Featured image created using DALL·E by OpenAI.