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After effects - Change timeline to seconds

Community Beginner ,
Mar 02, 2017 Mar 02, 2017

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Hi,

Im just starting into After effects, while trying a few tutorials i have noticed my timeline goes 00001,00002,00003 etc, whereas the tutorials i am following timelines go 1s,2s,3s etc. How do i change mine. I know its probably a simple process but iv tried everything.

I have attached 2 pics to show what i mean incase I'm not clear.

Thanks in advance!!

http://imgur.com/a/OGyjd

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

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correct answers 2 Correct answers

Community Expert , Mar 02, 2017 Mar 02, 2017

Hold down the Ctrl/Cmnd key and click on the time indicator in the timeline to switch the time display from Frames to Timecode.

Screen Shot 2017-03-02 at 2.32.40 PM.png

You can also set your preferences to display both time and timecode in the timeline.

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Community Expert , Mar 03, 2017 Mar 03, 2017

You had your composition set to frames.

Your composition is 1000 frames long.

If you want the has marks on the time line to show up as 1s, 2s, 3,s then you need to zoom in on the timeline. Please take a minute and study the timeline UI in the help files. There are a lot of useful things that you will learn.

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LEGEND ,
Mar 02, 2017 Mar 02, 2017

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You have to make the change in the Project Settings.  Go File>Project Settings.

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 02, 2017 Mar 02, 2017

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Hi Dave, Iv tried project settings and playing around with the time display style, but the only change that seems to happen is the timeline changes to frames instead of 00001.

What settings in project settings do you suggest?

Thanks!

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LEGEND ,
Mar 02, 2017 Mar 02, 2017

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Please upload your images to the forum directly. Imgur is blocked where I work.

I suspect, just from the description, that your comp is very, very short - shorter than you think. So, could we also see a shot of your composition settings?

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Community Expert ,
Mar 02, 2017 Mar 02, 2017

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Hold down the Ctrl/Cmnd key and click on the time indicator in the timeline to switch the time display from Frames to Timecode.

Screen Shot 2017-03-02 at 2.32.40 PM.png

You can also set your preferences to display both time and timecode in the timeline.

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 03, 2017 Mar 03, 2017

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HI Rick, thanks for responding. I have tried that, it will switch to frames then it will switch back to 0001. it still won't allow me to have the time 1s,2s,3s etc.

Thanks!

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 03, 2017 Mar 03, 2017

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How you tryed Restore standard view to defualt?

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 03, 2017 Mar 03, 2017

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CTRL-ALT-SHIFT when after effects started up solved the problem.

Thanks for your help, much appreciated!!

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Community Expert ,
Mar 03, 2017 Mar 03, 2017

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You had your composition set to frames.

Your composition is 1000 frames long.

If you want the has marks on the time line to show up as 1s, 2s, 3,s then you need to zoom in on the timeline. Please take a minute and study the timeline UI in the help files. There are a lot of useful things that you will learn.

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New Here ,
Jun 14, 2017 Jun 14, 2017

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I still can't figure this out. I zoom in on the timeline only to see the same scale markers 01f, etc.

Not sure I want to reboot and hold down command option shift (is that the Mac equivalent?)

I haven't tried restore standard view because I'm not sure the F isn't standard view.

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LEGEND ,
Jun 14, 2017 Jun 14, 2017

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Can we see a screenshot of your interface?

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New Here ,
Jan 31, 2021 Jan 31, 2021

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Thank you
It is working!

 

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Explorer ,
Aug 14, 2023 Aug 14, 2023

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andrander_0-1692079456883.png

I get that piece of crap on the right. Stupid adobe can't make ANYTHING right

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Community Beginner ,
Mar 03, 2017 Mar 03, 2017

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Thanks Szalam, i have attached the pic of my timeline, my project settings and composition settings. Hopefully this helps!Screen Shot 2017-03-03 at 10.03.53.pngScreen Shot 2017-03-03 at 10.04.11.png

milliseconds screenshot.png

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New Here ,
Jun 19, 2018 Jun 19, 2018

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Hi! I just had the same problem and none of the answers helped me, so I started to explore AE, and what helped me solve everything was going to "File",  "Project settings (Ctrl+Alt+Shft+K)" then on "Time display style" and clicking "TimeCode" Hope this helps!

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New Here ,
Aug 11, 2018 Aug 11, 2018

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Thank you SofiVirula!!!!!  This was my problem...now solved!!! thanks so much.  I had "frames" selected, although it used to be seconds and I don't know how it got changed as I had never been in project settings before!  Thanks again!

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LEGEND ,
Aug 13, 2018 Aug 13, 2018

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You can change the time display by CMD+clicking on Mac or Ctrl+Clicking on PC on the timecode display. It'll change between the various options without you going into the project settings. Very handy feature and I use it a lot, but if someone hits it accidentally, it can get confusing fast!

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Explorer ,
Feb 04, 2020 Feb 04, 2020

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Not if the file is already displaying frames, the only two options are two different notations for the amount of frames.

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Explorer ,
Aug 12, 2022 Aug 12, 2022

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Hello i still problem, i change in second mold in timeline, but still see frames after max zoom. I try everything but stil don`t work. 

Krum5C77_0-1660308496979.png

 

 

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Community Expert ,
Aug 12, 2022 Aug 12, 2022

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Krum5C77, your entire comp is only one second long. That is why you only see frames. Open the composition settings and change the composition length to 5 or 10 seconds, and you will see frames and seconds if the Timeline is set to display Timecode.

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New Here ,
Jan 02, 2024 Jan 02, 2024

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LATEST

i tried that it didnt work..

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Community Beginner ,
May 18, 2018 May 18, 2018

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I am having the same issues, I have followed all the advice in the previous posts to change it to seconds but it is not working for me. I have un installed and re installed after effects, reset my preferences and still, it shows up in frames, any ideas? there is also something else that is strange I create a 10 second composition but when I scroll to the end it stops at 09:30 and won't go to the full 10:00 second mark. if I force it by typing it in in the timeline the composition disappears.

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LEGEND ,
May 18, 2018 May 18, 2018

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Well, that's weird.

I'll guess your footage is 29.97 or 30 fps.  It should have ended at 09:29!  Because video starts at frame ZERO.  Just as 0-9 are ten digits, 00:00 - 09:29 is ten seconds.  So scrutinize your stuff and figure out what you did wrong.

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Community Beginner ,
May 18, 2018 May 18, 2018

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I was using 30 Fps for the project I am trying to do (it's a basic tutorial). I am not sure what I could have changed to cause the issue I reset all preferences to default and reinstalled after effects but I still have the same issues. Thank you for the info though, I now understand why it ends at 9:30 and not 10:00 I am just getting started in after effects.

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Community Expert ,
May 18, 2018 May 18, 2018

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If your composition is 24 fps and your comp length is 9:30 then the last frame starts at 9:23. The length of the comp is 9:30 but the last frame starts at 9:23. Newbies always think their comp is one frame short when they go to the last frame, but it isn't. The CTI always starts at the beginning of the last frame. If your comp was 1 fps and 10 seconds long then the last frame would start at 9 seconds and end at 10. Park the CTI at the start of the last frame and the time would read 9 seconds. Move the CTI to the next frame and the comp would be over and the time would be 10 seconds. There's nothing wrong with AE, there's just something wrong with the way you are looking at the timeline.

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