Timeline
Updated: 05/08/2025
The Timeline area is used to manage and edit assets and motion along a time axis to create animation and video compositions.
This page describes the operations related to the Timeline.
Layer List Basic Operations
Right-click operations
| Copy | Copy the selected layer. |
| Paste | Paste the copied layer. |
| Duplicate | Duplicate the selected layer. |
| Delete | Delete the selected layer. |
| New Layer ▶ | You can create “Text,” “Shapes,” “Solid,” “Timecode,” and “Pattern” layers from ▶. |
| Add Track | Add a new track. |
| Last Frame | From ▶, you can select “Set to current playback position” or “Adjust to last layer.” Set to current playback position: The position of the playback head (green bar) on the Timeline is set to the last frame. Adjust to last layer: Match the last frame to the layer with the largest number of frames among all layers. |
| Arrange ▶ | You can change the overlay order of layers from ▶. |
| Reflect ▶ | “Reflect Horizontally” and “Reflect Vertically” can be applied to the selected layer from ▶. |
| Lock | Lock the selected layer. |
Dope Sheet
The Dope Sheet is used for managing keyframes, adjusting timing, etc. to understand overall keyframes.
How to set the keys
Animations can be created by inserting keys on the Timeline.
How to add keys from the layer list
Click “∨” to the left of the layer to display the property group.
You can set a key by clicking on the clock symbol next to the property.
In addition, keys can be added by clicking on the ◇ to the right of the label.
By changing the numerical values, you can also fine-adjust the motion of the model.
Keys can also be set using the same operation in the Curve Editor.
Curve editor
Switch the Timeline from the Dope Sheet to the Curve Editor by clicking the graph icon button on the Timeline toolbar.
The Curve Editor allows you to adjust the smoothness and speed of motion between keyframes.
Use it to create more advanced animation.
Curve type
- (1) Linear
- After selecting keys, click the “Linear” button. When this curve type is applied, the keys are connected by a straight line.
Animation is constant and variable, with linear motion. - (2) Step
- After selecting keys, click the “Step” button.
When this curve type is applied, the keys are connected by a horizontal straight line according to the keyframe value.
The animation moves so that the previous and next pictures change in an instant. - (3) Inverse step
- After selecting keys, click the “Inverse step” button.
When this curve type is applied, the keys are connected by a horizontal straight line according to the value of the latter keyframe.
The animation moves so that the previous and next pictures change in an instant. - (4) Bezier
- After selecting a key, click the “Bezier” button to display the yellow “Bezier Handle” on the key.
Grab the rounded edge and move it up, down, left, or right to freely edit the shape of the curve.
Bounding Box
This box is used to select multiple keyframes together in the Curve Editor and to move or adjust them all at once.
By selecting an area to surround multiple keyframes, a box automatically appears to allow efficient keyframe editing.
Operation method
- Open the Curve Editor and drag the mouse around the keyframe you wish to select.
- After dragging, the enclosed keyframes are selected and the bounding box appears.
- When clicking within the bounding box to drag, all selected keyframes can be moved or scaled at once.
[Movement]
When the cursor is placed near the center of the bounding box, the cursor changes to a “cross icon.” Click and drag in this state to move the entire bounding box.
[Zoom In/Zoom Out]
Drag the four corners or the center of an edge of the bounding box to enlarge or shrink part of the curve.
- Pressing the Delete key while the keyframes are selected deletes all selected keyframes.
Cut Function
Click the scissors icon on the Timeline toolbar to switch to the cut tool.
Assets, such as videos, audio, and Live2D models, can be edited in detail on the Timeline by splitting the materials into arbitrary lengths, cutting out only the necessary portions, and deleting the unnecessary portions.
Separation of audio and images in video files
Separate audio and images from a video and edit them as independent tracks.
Separate tracks are created by right-clicking on a video layer in the layer list or on the Timeline and selecting “Separate video and audio.”
Differences from Cubism
- Animation and video production using Live2D models and assets
- Easy operation in your browser as long as you have a nizima account
- Even beginners can easily and casually use it without any technical knowledge
- Easy output of short videos, promotional videos, and videos for SNS