The Timeline in Synthesia gives you precise control over how elements and animations appear in your video scenes. Whether you're working with multiple visuals, layering effects, or refining timing, the Timeline helps you build polished, professional videos.
What is the Timeline?
The Timeline is a visual editing interface designed for complex scenes. It allows you to manage how and when elements like images, text, or avatars appear in your video.
With the Timeline, you can:
Visualize and organize layers
Drag to reorder layers
Rename layers
Group layers for easier editing
Expand and collapse groups
Add and control animations and effects
Stagger effects to match narration
Chain animations together (e.g., one starts when another ends)
Drag to change animation duration (animations only)
Drag to apply delays to animations and effects
Zoom in for fine control
Make precise adjustments to complex scenes
How to Access the Timeline
Open your video project and select a scene.
Click the Timeline tab at the top right corner of the script editor to see a Timeline view of the scene.
From here you can see all the different elements and layers.
Things you can do in the Timeline:
Reorder layers by dragging elements up or down.
Rename elements by double-clicking them, or open the context menu with control-click.
Add animations or Effects by moving the seeker to your desired moment, then hovering and clicking the plus icon to open the animation menu.
Note: As you move from left to right along the top, script sections appear, showing how each Effect is linked to specific words in the script.
Edit existing Effects and animations by dragging them left or right.
Create animation sequences by placing animations back-to-back in the timeline.
Notes:
Animations vs. Effects: You can change animation duration by dragging the edge of the animation bar. Effects are fixed in duration.
Explore more in-depth Timeline controls in the Synthesia Documentation.