How do I set up a Self-Contained SCORM export?

✍️ Self-Contained SCORM is a beta feature. Access is limited to approved customers, and features may change. To request access, contact your Customer Success Manager.

A Self-Contained SCORM export turns your interactive Synthesia video into one ZIP file that you upload to your LMS. You choose how learners complete the course, how the player behaves, and how the player looks. The tool reads your video's interactivity and sets up the package for you, so you don't need to configure each video by hand.

Before you start

Before you create a Self-Contained SCORM export, make sure you have:

Approved access to the Self-Contained SCORM tool. Contact your Customer Success Manager to request access.
A Synthesia API key. To create a key, see How do I use the Synthesia API.
A generated interactive video. If you just generated the video, wait a few minutes before you import it.

Create a Self-Contained SCORM export

Open the Self-Contained SCORM tool and connect with your Synthesia API key.
Choose your video from the video library.
Select Import to load the video's interactivity.
1. If the tool shows "no branching detected," wait for Synthesia to finish processing the video, and then import the video again.
Choose a Quick-setup preset: Standard or Mandatory / compliance.
Review each section of the export panel and adjust the settings you need. The settings are described in the Export settings section of this article.
Select Preview to test the package in the tool.
Build the package, and then download the ZIP file.
Upload the ZIP file to your LMS as a SCORM package.

💡 The export panel remembers your preferences. Select Reset to defaults in the export panel to go back to the original settings.

Export settings

The export panel groups the Self-Contained SCORM settings into collapsible sections. Each section shows a live summary of your choices.

Completion and tracking

Completion settings control when your LMS marks the course as complete.

Completion rule: Choose Automatically, Watch a percentage, Reach the end or Pass the quiz. A slider sets the completion threshold. Pass the quiz uses the passing score from your quiz in Synthesia. The default passing score is 75%.
Show a Close button: Adds a Close button when the course completes. This setting is off by default.
Require an attestation: Learners check a confirmation box before the course completes. The learner's name and the date are recorded in your LMS.

Playback and integrity

Playback settings control how learners move through the video.

Continuous playback (one timeline): Shows the whole video as one progress bar that learners can scrub. This setting works with linear videos.
Block scrubbing: Locks the timeline so learners can't jump forward or back.
No fast-forward (allow rewind): Learners can rewind and watch again but can't skip ahead past content they haven't reached.
Hold skip until narration ends: Learners can't skip a scene until the narration for that scene finishes.
Exam mode: Hides the visual hint of interactive hotspots on the scenes you choose. Keyboard and screen reader access still work.
Playback speed: Choose one of three options: allow all speeds, from 0.25x to 2x; slow speeds, from 0.25x to 1x; or normal speed with no changes.

Player display

Player display settings control what learners see around the video.

Hide the top banner
Hide the progress line
Pinch-to-zoom on touch devices
Player size: Choose Standard or Larger. Larger fills the width of the LMS frame, so learners are less likely to need full screen.
Faded background glow: Adds a soft, blurred backdrop of the video behind the player, like the look of a Synthesia share page.

Resume

Resume lets learners stop the course, leave the LMS, and continue later from the same point. Resume is on by default.

The package saves the learner's position in the LMS bookmark field: cmi.core.lesson_location in SCORM 1.2 and cmi.location in SCORM 2004.
When the learner returns, a "Welcome back" prompt offers Resume or Start over.

Video quality and file size

ideo quality settings help your package fit within your LMS upload limit.

Quality: Choose Original, 720p, or 480p.
Size estimate: The export panel shows the estimated file size for each quality option before you build the package.

Appearance and branding

Appearance settings match the player to your brand.

Hotspot attention effect: Choose None, Pulse, Glow, Outline, Breathe, or Shimmer. Each option has a live preview tile.
Caption background opacity: Use the slider to set how see-through the caption background is. A live preview shows the result.
Branding: Upload your logo and set three colors: Accent, Progress bar, and Bar background.

LMS reporting

LMS reporting settings control what your LMS receives.

SCORM version: SCORM 1.2 or SCORM 2004 (4th Edition). Both versions report completion, score, pass/fail, and each question result.
Show question text in LMS reports: Uses each question's text as the reporting ID, so your LMS shows the real question instead of q0, q1, or q2. This setting is off by default.

Additional tips

💡 Check the size estimate before you build. Choose 720p or 480p if the estimate for Original is larger than your LMS upload limit.

💡 Use the diagnostics overlay when you contact support. In the exported player, press Ctrl+Alt+D to open the built-in diagnostics overlay. Include the overlay details in your support request.

💬 FAQs

Why does the Self-Contained SCORM tool say "no branching detected"?

The Self-Contained SCORM tool shows "no branching detected" when Synthesia's video data hasn't caught up with a newly generated video. Wait a few minutes for processing to complete, and then import the video again.

Which Quick-setup preset should I choose for a Self-Contained SCORM export?

The Self-Contained SCORM tool offers two presets: Standard and Mandatory / compliance. Choose the preset closest to your training type, and then adjust individual settings in the export panel.

Can learners skip ahead in a Self-Contained SCORM package?

You control skipping in the Playback and integrity section of the export panel. Block scrubbing locks the timeline, and No fast-forward (allow rewind) lets learners rewind but not skip ahead. Hold skip until narration ends stops learners from skipping a scene before the narration finishes.

How do I make a Self-Contained SCORM package smaller?

To make a Self-Contained SCORM package smaller, choose 720p or 480p in the Video quality and file size section. The export panel shows the estimated size for each option before you build the package.

📚 To create your API key, check out How do I use the Synthesia API.

📚 To build quizzes for your package, check out How do I add interactive questions to my Synthesia videos.

📚 For API key scopes and management, visit Developers – Synthesia Docs.