TimeLine

An object's position in the Timeline determines when an object becomes visible in the scene at runtime. TimeLine Properties allows you to specify when the object appears, how it appears and how long it is displayed for.

Depending on the selected object being worked on, the TimeLine's appearance will adapt to shown the options available that can be set for the relevant object. Please note carefully also that for objects with Events, each individual event will have its own Timeline to enable you to precisely control the appearance and behaviour of the event and the particular objects and actions making up that event.

Playhead

The Playhead is a red vertical line with a red rectangle at the top, and is displayed in the timeline. The Playhead indicates the location of the movie within the Timeline. You can drag the playhead with your mouse to the left or the right, and as you do, you are advancing the play of the movie in the canvas area. Alternatively, you can click the green arrow above the Timeline to automatically "play" the movie, and watch the playhead advance automatically. There are also "beginning" and "end" icons on either side of the play button, that when clicked, automatically advances the playhead to the beginning or the end of the scene. The playhead is an extremely effective tool for going to a precise location within a movie.

Timeline "Tracks"

You can have an unlimited number of "tracks" in your Timeline. A track is a horizontal location that runs from time zero to some time in the future, and it is in these tracks that objects will exist. For example, if you want an image to display for 3 seconds, starting 1 second into a theme, then that image will be displayed in a track on the Timeline, and it's length will be from the 1 second point to the 4 second point. The object will therefore be displayed for 3 seconds(see Preferences|Defaults). If you then want another object to display after the first object disappears, then you can place this object in the same track, after the first object. However, you can also display the new object in a second track, below the first track. You would do this if for example, you want the second object to display before the first object has vanished. In other words, objects can "overlap", and you can achieve this by placing them in separate tracks.

The track that an object is in has no bearing on the resulting movie. Therefore, it is often good practice to limit the number of tracks in use, as otherwise you could end up with a Timeline that is difficult to navigate.... having to often scroll up and down more than would otherwise be necessary. An easy way to limit the number of required tracks is to use the Float feature.

Timeline Options

1. Float: An easy way to condense your objects into the least number of required tracks in the Timeline, is to use the Float feature. Simply Right-Click anywhere in the Timeline, and click the Float option. Doing so will automatically condense the objects into the least number of tracks required. Another way to access the Float feature is to click the Options icon just above the Timeline, and select Float from the drop-down menu.
2. Magnetic Ride (Snap-to Timeline): If you have more than one object in a given scene, and if it's important to you that the an object starts exactly after another object ends, then you should turn on Magnetic Ride. Simply select Magnetic Ride from the options drop down menu (or select it by right-clicking in the Timeline). Then when you click on an object in the Timeline to drag it into the position you want, you'll notice that it "snaps" into position as you drag it near another object. This is a handy feature to help position objects in the Timeline exactly where you want them.
3. Split: Another option is the Split feature. Split allows you to split a scene into two separate scenes. To split a scene, simply position the playhead in the location where you wish to split the scene. Then select the Split option from the options menu (or by right clicking the Timeline and selecting Split). The result will be two separate scenes that must be edited separately.
4. Merge: Although not an option in the Timeline options, Merging two or more scenes into one scene is essentially the opposite of Splitting scenes, so we'll explain it here. To merge multiple scenes into one scene, you need to go to the all-scenes view by clicking on your movie title in the left margin. Select teh scenes you wish to merge by holding down CTRL and clicking the individual scenes (or by drag-selecting all scenes to be merged). Then, right click any of the selected scenes, and click Merge. The result will be that all selected scenes will be merged into one long scene.
5. Equalize Scenes: Located in the options menu, use "equalize scenes" to apply the time for the current scene to all scenes that make up the movie.

Special Slider (full motion recordings only)

For full-motion recordings, there will be a special slider appearing just above the Timeline on the the far right. This slider is useful when you have very long scenes and want to quickly scroll to the left or right toget to the desired location. Simpyl drag this special slider, and you'll see the playhead move and the scene scroll left and right as necessary. You can also advance the special slider by clicking the left and right arrows to the right of the slider. To the left of the special slider are two icons, a Follow Cursor icon and a Follow Changes icon. These are explained below:

1. Follow Cursor icon: The Follow Cursor icon, when clicked, means that the special slider will scroll the movie by "cursor motions". The easiest way to illustrate this, is to select the Follow Cursor icon and click the left/right arrows to the right of the special slider. notice that the slider advances to the next "cursor motion" in the movie.
2. Follow Changes icon: Th Follow Changes icon, when clicked, means that the special slider will scroll the movie by "changes". The easiest way to illustrate this, is to select the Follow Changes icon and click the left/right arrows to the right of the special slider. notice that the slider advances to the next "change" in the movie.

Zoom In/Zoom Out

At the far right of the Timeline, there are two icons: a PLUS ('+') icon and a MINUS ('-') icon. These icons allow you to zoom the Timeline in and out, or in other words, to change the timing scale so that you can see more or less of the Timeline on your screen.g on each object.

Cursor Lock

At the far right of the Timeline, just below the Zoom In/Zoom Out icons, is a LOCK icon. If the Lock is turned on (pressed), then you cannot move any cursor motion in the Timeline or in the canvas.

Add Mark

Above the Timeline and near the left side (but to the right of the green play button) there is another PLUS ('+') icon. This is the "Add Mark" icon, and when clicked, will add a Mark to the Timeline in the location where the playhead is. A Mark will be displayed as a small number at the very bottom of the timline. You can add as many marks to a scene as you like. Marks are useful to identify locations within a scene/movie that can be tied to actions. More on Marks here.

Selecting Multiple Objects in Timeline

If you want to select multiple objects in the Timeline, perhaps because you want to move them all at the same time and by the same amount of time, you can do so simply by holding CTRL and clicking on each object.

DELETING a selection in the Timeline

Deleting a selection in the Timeline will delete that entire section, and everything in it. For example, it will delete any objects that existed in that section. To delete a selection within the Timeline, follow these instructions. Position the playhead at the beginning of the area you wish to delete, hold down the CTRL key and drag the playhead from this position to the end of the selection you wish to delete. When you do this, two new icons will appear above the Timeline, one of which is the DELETE icon (a red X). Simply click the DELETE icon and the entire selected area in the Timeline will be deleted.

Note: Take care when deleting a section of your Timeline, as this action cannot be undone.

ERASING a selection in the Timeline

Erasing a selection in the Timeline will only delete the changes in the selected area, but will keep the timing. Unlike deleting (above), erasing will not resize and/or delete any objects or cursors. To erase a selection within the Timeline, follow these instructions. Position the playhead at the beginning of the area you wish to erase, hold down the CTRL key and drag the playhead from this position to the end of the selection you wish to delete. When you do this, two new icons will appear above the Timeline, one of which is the ERASE icon (looks like a white eraser). Simply click the ERASE icon and the entire selected area in the Timeline will be erased.

Note: Take care when erasing a section of your Timeline, as this action cannot be undone.

Transitions

1. Transition In is used to determine how Objects and Scenes appear within the movie. This property is not available for Cursor motion objects, Animated Texts, Rectangle, Ellipse, Edit Zone, Button, Click Zone and Animations. When you click the Transition In panel, the Transition In wizard appears. Select from the list of effects on the left of the wizard and view its effect in the preview window of the wizard. When you select an effect other than (none), you can specify the duration of the effect as the object phases into the scene.
2. Time displays how long an object or scene is visible during runtime.
   To adjust Time for Objects, click the edge of relevant object within the Timeline and drag to extend or decrease.
   To adjust Time for Scenes, click on the end line and drag to increase or decrease.
3. Transition Out is used to determine how an object exits the scene at runtime. This property is not available for Cursor's motion name, Animated Texts, Rectangle, Ellipse, Edit Zone, Button, Click Zone and Animations. When you click the Transition Out panel, the Transition Out wizard appears. Select from the list of effects to the right of the wizard and view its effect in the preview window of the wizard. When you select an effect other than (none), you can specify the duration of the effect as the object phases into the scene.