Dear Friends, I am using Bloom version 4.3.4. I am trying to get the sign language tool to work for me but it doesn’t work yet. I realize that I need to select “show experimental features” so I have done that. I realize that under PROJECT INFORMATION, I need to select something other than ‘none’. So I have done that. I realize that my pages in my book need to be sign language pages with the video icon. So I have done that. But my recordings are not working. I see myself in the camera. I click ‘record’ and it appears to video record me. But when I play back the video, I only see a visual of me with my mouth moving. There is no sound. Please advise.
Craig, I would strongly recommend that you get Bloom 4.4, which is currently in beta, and upgrade it to 4.5 as soon as that is released, which should be soon. We’ve done a LOT of work on the sign language tool since 4.3. You can find the latest beta on the downloads page at BloomLibrary.org.
That said, the sign language tool is just that…a tool for recording videos of sign language to help people who are deaf. Therefore, it purposely does not record sound, just movement. So what you’re seeing is the intended behavior.
We realize that there are other possible uses of video for which sound would be helpful, but for now that’s just a possible future enhancement. Feel free to request it or vote for it if someone already has.
Hi John Is Bloom 4.4 still free? I realize I can upgrate to Bloom Beta but that will cost me thousands of dollars. I will upgrated to Bloom 4.4 if it is free. But I have set my settings to automatically update. Why didn’t it automatically upgrade to Bloom 4.4 ?
Please also tell me how to make a Bloom feature request so that the Sign Language Tool will record sound.
Hi Craig, Paul Frank here. Please email me and John Hatton. My address is paul_frank@sil-lead.org. We’ll take this up with you offline.
Bloom 4.4 (and 4.5, including the beta) are free. There may be a charge for enterprise features like sign language, though we’ve made even those free for local communities making things for their own people. That would be something to take up with Paul and John, but we hope not to charge anyone so much that it is an obstacle to literacy work.
“Request a feature” is an option in Bloom’s Help menu (question mark on top right).