> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.intangible.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.intangible.ai/compose/timeline.md). # Timeline Cut the animatic. The Sequence Timeline lays your shots end to end as an edit – set durations, reorder, scrub the assembled cut. Keyframes live on the scene timeline – one per scene. The Scene Timeline tab drills into per-object keyframe tracks for the active shot (its time window into the scene timeline). The Sequence Timeline is the level above: it lays out every shot end-to-end as an edit, in the order you'll deliver. Scrub through to play the assembled cut. ![Scene Timeline tab active at the bottom of Compose mode, showing per-object animation tracks for the active scene with shot rows and time-based keyframe layout](https://1179478100-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSWrjIqlgVAblx6vHGJiM%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-53b7c135979cceeff372a5d213cc27aac48d8541%2Fscene-timeline-01.png?alt=media) ## What it does Composing individual shots is half the work. Putting them into an edit – this shot first, that one second, this one cut to length – is the other half. The Sequence Timeline gives you a project-wide view of all your shots as a single horizontal strip, with their durations and ordering manipulable directly. ## How to access it The Compose-mode bottom panel has three tabs: * **Storyboard** – default. Shots laid out as cards in their authored order, each card showing the shot's key frame. See [Storyboard view](/compose/storyboard-view.md). * **Sequence** – the assembled-cut view. Shots laid out as time-bound segments along a horizontal axis, with each segment's duration to scale. * **Scene Timeline** – the per-scene track view. Rows for each animated object in the active scene, with keyframes laid out along time. See [Animation](/compose/animation.md) for what gets a track. Click **Sequence** to switch to the assembled-cut view documented on this page. ## How to use it Make sure the **Sequence** tab is active in the Compose-mode bottom panel (see above). The horizontal axis represents time; each shot occupies a segment of that axis sized to its duration. Shots play back-to-back with no gaps. Drag, resize, reorder. 1. **Reorder shots.** Drag a shot segment along the axis to move it earlier or later in the sequence. 2. **Resize shots.** Drag the right edge of a shot segment to extend or shorten its duration. The shot's time window into the scene timeline scales with the duration – an animation extended to twice its length plays at half speed unless you also move the keyframes. 3. **Scrub the playhead.** Drag the vertical playhead line. The viewport plays back the assembled sequence – cutting between shots' camera and animation states as the playhead crosses each segment. 4. **Loop the playback.** Turn looping on and playback repeats instead of stopping. 5. **Set a playback range.** A blue bar runs along the timeline ruler with a grip at each end. Drag a grip inward to bound the stretch that plays. With looping on, the loop runs inside the range. ## Working on one shot with its neighbours in view The Scene Timeline shows the active shot as a highlighted bar. The shots either side of it appear as dimmed bars on a second row, so you can see where the current shot sits in the cut without leaving it. Tracks run below the bar, one per animated object, each carrying its keyframes. ![The Scene Timeline with the active shot highlighted and neighbouring shots dimmed beside it](https://1179478100-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSWrjIqlgVAblx6vHGJiM%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-1511b72a4b5937bfc25231683fe00c812058ad65%2Ftimeline-neighbour-shots-01.png?alt=media) ## Resize a shot by dragging Drag the right edge of a shot to change how long it runs. The duration readout updates as you drag, in both the Sequence tab and the Scene Timeline. ![Dragging a shot's edge in the Sequence tab, with the duration readout changing](https://1179478100-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSWrjIqlgVAblx6vHGJiM%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-11270a1d0a33cf557f34c7b152a61529cf99a907%2Ftimeline-resize-shot-01.gif?alt=media) ![The playback range bar along the timeline ruler, with a grip at each end, and the loop control active](https://1179478100-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSWrjIqlgVAblx6vHGJiM%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-cbabdae3182e9040744f591baca57be2269e9d0a%2Fplayback-range-01.png?alt=media) Looping is the ⟲ control in the transport row, labelled **Loop playback**. It turns purple when it is on. ![The Loop playback control in the Sequence transport row](https://1179478100-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FSWrjIqlgVAblx6vHGJiM%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-f4272359299d70801c54df9aeb83cf14b6606eee%2Ftimeline-loop-01.png?alt=media) ## Sequence scope A sequence is scoped to a single scene. Shots in the Sequence tab come from the active scene and play back-to-back. Cross-scene playback – stitching scenes together for a multi-location cut – happens in [Publish mode](/publish/publish-tab.md), not in the Sequence Timeline. ## Scene length Set a scene length by typing a time and the scene resizes to that duration – useful when the edit has to land on an exact number. ## Selecting keyframes Picking off keyframes one at a time gets slow once a move spans several of them. Keyframes support multi-selection, and a selection can be copied and pasted. Keyframe tracks themselves live in the Scene Timeline tab; see [Animation](/compose/animation.md). * **Select several keyframes.** A selection can hold more than one keyframe. * **Marquee select.** Drag a marquee to select keyframes. Hold `Shift` while you marquee to add those keyframes to the current selection, `Alt` to remove them from it. * **Copy and paste.** A selection of keyframes can be copied and pasted. ## Where the sequence is used * **Presentation mode** plays the sequence end-to-end as a fullscreen presentation. See [Presentation mode](/publish/presentation-mode.md). * **Export Video** renders the sequence as a single output file. See [Export video](/publish/export-video.md). * **Scene to video** bundles all shots from a single scene into a single video output, respecting their order in the sequence. See [Scene to video](/publish/scene-to-video.md). ## Common mistakes * **Resizing a shot without scaling its animation.** Extending a shot's duration doesn't automatically stretch the animation; the keyframes stay at their original positions on the scene timeline. The result is the animation completing in its original window and the camera holding for the rest. To scale animation, adjust keyframe positions in the Scene Timeline tab. * **Sequencing without naming.** A timeline of "shot-1" through "shot-12" is unmanageable past five shots. Name shots descriptively in [Shot details](/compose/shot-details.md) before you sequence. ## Limits and known issues * **No cross-shot transitions.** All shot-to-shot junctions render as hard cuts. No dissolve, cross-fade, or wipe options are exposed. Transitions are downstream editorial work. * **No audio mixing in the sequence.** Audio is not mixed at the per-shot or sequence level. Audio assembly is downstream work. ## Related * [Shots](/compose/shots.md) * [Storyboard view](/compose/storyboard-view.md) * [Animation](/compose/animation.md) * [Presentation mode](/publish/presentation-mode.md) * [Export video](/publish/export-video.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. 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