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luxog
luxog
Participant
April 1, 2018
Answered

How to scroll through the timeline

  • April 1, 2018
  • 2 replies
  • 15302 views

Hi,

I'm new to After Effects and I can't seem to figure out how to scroll through the timeline.

I've tried multiple solutions, like the hand tool and the alt+wheel, but they all don't work.

Please help.

Thanks,

Max

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Rick Gerard

If you are new start here: Basic AE

After Effects is NOT a real-time video editor, it is a compositing and motion graphics application designed to create shots and short sequences that you cannot create in an NLE. 

You generally grab the CTI (current time indicator) and drag it.  This is called scrubbing and it is NOT realtime and previews may be degraded until you let the frames render. Movin through the timeline does not depend on the tools. The tools are only for working in the Composition or Layer panels.

With the Timeline or the Composition Panel selected Ctrl/Cmnd + right arrow moves one frame to the right increasing the time by one frame, holding down the shift key moves 10 frames at a time. Changing to the left arrow moves back in time.

The space bar starts a ram preview. The length of the ram preview depends on the system resources and what is going on in your comp.

If you just start jumping into YouTube tutorials and do not spend some serious time studying the UI and standard principals of compositing and animation you will be endlessly frustrated and turn down dead-end streets that get you nowhere fast. Make sure you vet your trainers. There are more bad tutorials on YouTube that teach ineffective and inefficient workflows than there are good ones because the AE community is filling up with enthusiastic amateurs that do not really know what they are doing yet.

If you have a few bucks, invest in Total Training or some Lynda.com AE courses and pick up any book by my friends Chris and Trish Meyers so you can figure out the incredibly complex task of creating visual effects in a reasonab le amount of time.

2 replies

UrbanToledoGang
UrbanToledoGang
Participating Frequently
September 19, 2020

I feel what he's trying to ask is if instead of taking your hand off of the mouse to hit ctrl+arrow (on PC) you could instead use the scroll wheel to move to the next frame. This would be helpful in animation or mask adjustment (which is what I would love this feature for). Still don't think it's a good idea? Look no further than AE's own Mocha AE that now comes standard - they have this very feature. Now if only Adobe would integrate that in to their own workflow there would be at least two people happy.

    H
    hikaru00007
    Inspiring
    June 13, 2023

    welcome to da club, they knew it, and they postponed it, if sometimes in the future RND team runs out of idea of what's to give in the next version launch, then they use that as 'new feature'. hahahahaha...

      R
      Community Expert
      Rick GerardCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
      Community Expert
      April 1, 2018

      If you are new start here: Basic AE

      After Effects is NOT a real-time video editor, it is a compositing and motion graphics application designed to create shots and short sequences that you cannot create in an NLE. 

      You generally grab the CTI (current time indicator) and drag it.  This is called scrubbing and it is NOT realtime and previews may be degraded until you let the frames render. Movin through the timeline does not depend on the tools. The tools are only for working in the Composition or Layer panels.

      With the Timeline or the Composition Panel selected Ctrl/Cmnd + right arrow moves one frame to the right increasing the time by one frame, holding down the shift key moves 10 frames at a time. Changing to the left arrow moves back in time.

      The space bar starts a ram preview. The length of the ram preview depends on the system resources and what is going on in your comp.

      If you just start jumping into YouTube tutorials and do not spend some serious time studying the UI and standard principals of compositing and animation you will be endlessly frustrated and turn down dead-end streets that get you nowhere fast. Make sure you vet your trainers. There are more bad tutorials on YouTube that teach ineffective and inefficient workflows than there are good ones because the AE community is filling up with enthusiastic amateurs that do not really know what they are doing yet.

      If you have a few bucks, invest in Total Training or some Lynda.com AE courses and pick up any book by my friends Chris and Trish Meyers so you can figure out the incredibly complex task of creating visual effects in a reasonab le amount of time.

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