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Timeline & Playback

Master timeline navigation and playback controls.

Timeline Overview

The timeline shows all your beats in sequence at the bottom of the screen.

Visual indicators:

  • Blue highlight - Selected beat(s)
  • Green highlight - Current beat (at playhead position)
  • Grey - Unselected beats
  • Playhead - Red vertical line showing current time

Playback Controls

Basic Playback

ControlAction
SpacebarPlay / Pause
HomeJump to start
EndJump to end
Click timelineJump to that time

JKL Editing (Pro Workflow)

Borrowed from professional editing software:

  • J - Play backward
  • K - Pause
  • L - Play forward

Advanced:

  • Press J or L multiple times for faster playback (2x, 3x, 4x)
  • Each press increases speed: 1x → 2x → 3x → 4x → 1x
  • Speed resets when changing direction or pausing
  • Current speed displays in the bottom-right corner

Timeline Display

Beat Blocks

Each beat appears as a block on the timeline:

  • Width = Duration of the beat
  • Color = Matches node color
  • Label = Beat title (if space allows)

Timecode Display

Shows current time in format: MM:SS:FF

  • MM - Minutes
  • SS - Seconds
  • FF - Frames (based on project FPS)

Example: 01:30:12 = 1 minute, 30 seconds, 12 frames


Output Window During Playback

As the timeline plays:

  • Image updates to show current beat's frame
  • Script scrolls to show current beat's text
  • Beat highlight follows playhead

Timeline Tips

Quick Preview

Press Spacebar anytime to preview from current position.

Jump to Beat

Click any beat in timeline to jump directly to it.

Smooth Scrubbing

Click and drag the playhead to scrub through your storyboard.


Next Steps

Released under the MIT License.