The timeline – Adobe Flash Professional CC 2014 v.13.0 User Manual
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The Timeline
About the Timeline
Change the appearance of the Timeline
Resize the Timeline
Move the playhead
About the Timeline
The Timeline organizes and controls a document’s content over time in layers and frames. Like films, Flash Professional documents divide lengths
of time into frames. Layers are like multiple film strips stacked on top of one another, each containing a different image that appears on the Stage.
The major components of the Timeline are layers, frames, and the playhead.
Layers in a document are listed in a column on the left side of the Timeline. Frames contained in each layer appear in a row to the right of the
layer name. The Timeline header at the top of the Timeline indicates frame numbers. The playhead indicates the current frame displayed on the
Stage. As a document plays, the playhead moves from left to right through the Timeline.
The Timeline status displayed at the bottom of the Timeline indicates the selected frame number, the current frame rate, and the elapsed time to
the current frame.
Note: When an animation is played, the actual frame rate is displayed; this may differ from the document’s frame rate setting if the computer
can’t calculate and display the animation quickly enough.
Parts of the Timeline
A. Playhead B. Empty keyframe C. Timeline header D. Guide layer icon E. Frame View pop-up menu F. Frame-by-frame
animation G. Tweened animation H. Center Frame button I. Onion-skinning buttons J. Current Frame indicator K. Frame Rate
indicator L. Elapsed Time indicator
The Timeline shows where animation occurs in a document, including frame-by-frame animation, tweened animation, and motion paths.
Controls in the layers section of the Timeline let you hide, show, lock, or unlock layers, as well as display layer contents as outlines. You can drag
Timeline frames to a new location on the same layer or to a different layer.
Change the appearance of the Timeline
By default, the Timeline appears below the main document window. To change its position, detach the Timeline from the document window and
float it in its own window or dock it to any other panel you choose. You can also hide the Timeline.
To change the number of layers and frames that are visible, resize the Timeline. To view additional layers when the Timeline contains more layers
than can be displayed, use the scroll bars on the right side of the Timeline.
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