Need some help? Please take a look at the list of frequently asked questions below. If you didn't find the answer to your question, write us an e-mail to support@podreel.com
Q: What does Podreel do?
A: Podreel allows you to create the so called enhanced podcasts by taking your audio podcast file (currently, AAC and M4A formats are supported) and adding chapter table, URLs and pictures to it at desired positions in time.
Q: Are MP3 files supported?
A: MP3 files are not directly supported at this moment. You can easily create an AAC version of your file using iTunes - simply add the file to your media library, then right-click it and choose Create AAC version. After the conversion is done, drag-and-drop the file from iTunes back to the desktop or a desired location. If you see Create MP3 version instead, you will need to change the preferred format in preferences, check http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1550 for more information.
Q: What is podcast?
A: Podcast is periodical recording, much like a radio show, available for download and later listening at a convenient time either on a PC or on the go. Naturally, it's a play of words pod and broadcast, and podcasts are deliberately created in a such a way as to be easily available for consumption on your iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch or iPad.
Q: How do I start?
A: You can start by launching Podreel and loading your audio file by pressing the Attach audio file toolbar button or menu item. If you do not have the audio file yet, you can start working on the content of the enhanced podcast and attach the audio file at a later time. In the latter case, a message will be shown when the file is saved, notifying you that the file does not yet contain audio.
Q: How can I create chapters?
A: When launched, Podreel shows you one row to begin with, starting at 00:00. To create your first chapter, double click the Chapter field and fill it in. To add a new chapter, press the "+" button in the toolbar. This will insert a new chapter at the same position as the current one, or after the last one if no rows are highlighted. The chapters are sorted by time, so, if you need to move a chapter above or below, double click the time field and change it by moving the cursor with the cursor keys on the keyboard or using mouse. You can change a number by entering the new value from the keyboard or by clicking the arrow buttons to the right of the text field using mouse.
In iTunes, chapter title is shown by clicking the LED field that displays the name of the podcast being played. On the iPhone, you can press the contents button which goes right next to the title of the podcast on the top, which will bring the chapter list and allows you to jump to a desired chapter.
Q: When you say you can add pictures, is this the same as the cover art?
A: No. The cover art is assigned to the whole file, pictures in the enhanced podcasts are shown and changed as you listen to the audio.
Q: How to attach pictures?
A: To attach a picture, double click the Picture field and select a picture file you want to use. If you want to replace a picture, just double click the field again. To remove a picture, right click the field and choose Remove. When pictures are inserted, they are automatically converted to the optimal resolution for enhanced podcast. This resolution can be changed by going to Preferences (in the Edit menu), where an option is given to resize to 300x300 (the resolution recommended previously before the Retina display was introduced), 600x600 (currently recommended) or to leave the size as is so you can control it on the file-by-file basis.
Q: What are URLs and how to set them?
A: In addition to pictures and chapters, a hyperlink can be shown at a desired position. It is shown across the picture while being played on iTunes and by tapping the picture while the file is played on the iPhone (prior to iOS4, URLs were not shown on the iPhone). The link is clickable and leads to opening it in the browser. This functionality allows you to refer to a product or detailed description of something as you describe it in the podcast.
By default, the title of the URL will be the same as the title of the corresponding chapter, however, it can be changed by double clicking the URL field and filling in the field below the URL field.
Q: Is it required to always have the chapter, picture and URL or can they be used separately?
A: You can fill in only the fields you need. You can have a chapter list without pictures or URLS, or only pictures without chapters, or only URLs, or any combinations of the above. Just leave the field empty (for pictures, right click the picture field and choose Remove if you want to remove a previously selected picture) and it will be excluded from the resulting enhanced podcast file.