Timeline Window | Retro Sketch Documentation

The timeline window allows you to view all of your animation tracks and control their order and placement as part of the whole animation. To open the timeline window, select the timeline icon on the left of the current track bar (#1 in the following image).

Open timeline button
The current track

Overview

You will be presented with the timeline window. The timeline window is a listing of all the tracks that make up your project and allows you to change settings on them as well as preview the animation.

The animation preview image
The FPS (preview speed)
Play/pause animation preview

The above controls allow you to preview your animation at a given playback speed. All of the tracks will be stacked on each other from top to bottom.

The transparent green line down the screen in the screenshot is the play head.

Button for adding a new track
The timeline frame ID
List of tracks to modify/select

Creating a new track will place it in the foreground (at the bottom). You can enter into this track by clicking on one of the frame thumbnails (the pictures between the [<] and [>] buttons on the track). You can also click and drag on the numbered timeline to scrub the timeline preview. This will move the green play-head to where your mouse cursor is.

Moving Tracks

You can move a track in the timeline by clicking on either the [<] or [>] buttons. Clicking the [<] button will move the track one frame to the left. Clicking the [>] button will move the track one frame to the right. You can also move a track by right clicking on the track and setting the value for the "Start frame:" input field (matching the time code bar).

You can pan the timeline left/right by holding the shift key, then clicking and dragging within the timeline window.

Rename Tracks

You can rename a timeline track by right clicking on the track and typing in a new name in the "Name:" input field.

Repeat Tracks

You can repeat a track's animation by right clicking on the track and typing in a value for the "Repeat count:" input field. In the screenshots used, the vehicle is actually only 3 frames of animation but has a repeat of 1 (thus 6 frames total).

Sorting Tracks

You can change the order of tracks by right clicking on the track and then clicking either the "^ Move" or "Move v" buttons. This will move the track up or down respectively.