What Feature Parity Really Means for Adobe Captivate
Classic vs. the All-new Captivate—and what should come next
Adobe has been clear about the future of Adobe Captivate: the All-new Adobe Captivate is the future, while Captivate Classic remains available to support existing projects and legacy workflows.
That’s a reasonable strategy. But for experienced developers, the real question isn’t which version is newer—it’s whether moving forward means giving something up. Feature parity matters, but workflow parity matters even more.
And here’s the interesting part: when you look closely, the list of true feature gaps between Classic and the All-new Captivate is now surprisingly short.
The Only Two Genuine Feature Gaps
I know there are lots of little things such as spellcheck or unlocking content from content sections (two of my pet peeves) but if you use a broad brushstroke, there are really only two capabilities that exist in Classic and not yet in the All-new Captivate:
Virtual Reality (VR) Projects
Classic supports VR projects for 360-degree learning experiences. It’s a powerful capability—but also a highly specialized one.
In my own work, I’ve never had a project where VR was required. That doesn’t make it unimportant, but it does put it into context. For many developers, VR is a capability rather than a day-to-day need.
Video Demo (Screen Recording to MP4)
Classic’s Video Demo feature allows you to record a screen interaction and export a clean MP4—useful for watch-only software walkthroughs. I literally used Video Demo to record my early YouTube videos. I switched to Adobe Presenter Video Express and when that product was absorbed into Video Demo, I switched to Techsmith Camtasia for a number of technical reasons. As a result, the absence of Video Demo in the All-new Captivate has never been a blocker for me.
Video Demo Is Likely a Temporary Gap
It’s also important to acknowledge that Video Demo is almost certainly coming.
At the Adobe Learning Summit 2025, Adobe shared a sneak peek of a video-demo-style workflow being developed for the All-new Captivate. While it wasn’t a formal release announcement, it clearly demonstrated that this capability is already in progress.
Based on what was shown—and Adobe’s current release cadence—it’s reasonable to expect Video Demo support to arrive before the end of 2026, if not sooner.
That context matters. It suggests Adobe isn’t abandoning the use case; they’re rebuilding it to align with the new architecture, rather than porting the Classic feature forward unchanged.
Where Parity Is Really Missing: Workflow, Not Features
Once you set VR aside and accept that Video Demo is likely imminent, the parity conversation shifts.
The most meaningful gaps aren’t about what you can build—they’re about visibility, control, and efficiency while building.
1. A Proper Library Panel
Classic’s Library panel remains one of its most practical features:
A complete view of every image, audio file, video, and animation
Usage counts and slide references
Global replace and relink options
In the All-new Captivate, assets exist—but they’re largely invisible once imported. As projects grow, that lack of visibility becomes friction.
A centralized Library panel would immediately improve:
Reusing content
Multimedia optimization
Team collaboration
Long-term maintenance
This isn’t nostalgia. It’s project governance.
2. True Non-Responsive Projects (Without Workarounds)
Right now, creating a fixed-size project in the All-new Captivate requires importing a PowerPoint file first. It works—but it’s a workaround.
There are still valid reasons to choose non-responsive output:
Pixel precise placement of components
Organization doesn’t need responsive
Objects that display for rest of project
Classic lets you decide this at the project level. The All-new Captivate should too.
A simple **project-level option—Responsive or Fixed—**would remove unnecessary friction and make intent explicit.
3. Developer-Level Visibility
The All-new Captivate intentionally simplifies the interface, which is great for new users. But experienced developers often need visibility, not abstraction:
Bring back shared interactions
Streamline reuse of library content
Optional developer-view panels—disabled by default—would preserve simplicity while restoring power when needed.
What Adobe Has Already Signaled Is Coming
What makes this moment encouraging is that Adobe has already demonstrated:
Active development on missing workflows (like Video Demo)
Regular updates focused on stability, performance, and authoring speed
A willingness to rethink features instead of cloning Classic behavior
These signals suggest the remaining gaps aren’t philosophical—they’re iterative.
Classic Project Import: The Missing Bridge
We also know from Adobe Learning Summit 2025 that Adobe is actively working on a feature that allows Classic Captivate projects to be imported into the All-new Captivate.
This may be the most important signal of all.
Migration—not just feature parity—is what ultimately determines whether long-time Captivate developers can move forward with confidence. The ability to bring existing Classic projects into the new authoring environment changes the question from “Should I switch?” to “When does it make sense to switch?”
While no public release date has been announced, based on what was shared and the pace of recent development, it’s reasonable to expect this capability to arrive in time for the Adobe Learning Summit in June 2026.
If and when this feature lands, it does more than close a gap—it removes the single biggest psychological and operational barrier to adoption.
Once Classic projects can move forward:
Legacy content is no longer frozen
Teams can modernize incrementally
New features become additive instead of disruptive
At that point, the parity conversation fundamentally changes.
A Measured Call to Action
This isn’t about rebuilding Classic.
It’s about ensuring that as Captivate moves forward, experienced developers don’t lose clarity, control, or confidence in exchange for speed.
The All-new Captivate already excels at:
Faster layout
Cleaner responsive behavior
A modern UI
AI-assisted workflows
Closing the remaining gaps—asset visibility, project type control, developer-level insight, and project migration—would make the transition not just possible, but compelling.
If parity is the baseline, workflow excellence is the opportunity.
And that’s a conversation worth continuing.
