How to add objects to the timeline in Powtoon Studio

How to add objects to the timeline in Powtoon Studio

Every scene in your Powtoon is built from objects — characters, props, images, and shapes — placed on the stage. Once an object is on the stage, you use the timeline to control how long it appears during playback. This article explains how to add a single object to the timeline and how to time multiple objects on the same slide.

Prerequisite: You must be working in Create mode to add objects to the timeline. If you are in Preview mode, switch to Create mode before following the steps below.

Note: Each time interval supports a maximum of 48 objects.

In this article

• Adding a single object to the timeline
• Adding multiple objects to the timeline

Adding a single object to the timeline

To add a single object to the timeline and set how long it appears on the slide, follow these steps.

1. From the Powtoon library panel on the right side of Powtoon Studio, select the object you want to add to the slide. The object appears on the stage and a corresponding tag is added to the timeline automatically.
2. Check where the object has been placed on the timeline:
   • ► The object is inserted at the position where the playhead is currently sitting. After the object is added, the playhead moves forward by half a second.
   • ► The object's duration is shown as a turquoise bar on the timeline. For example, if the playhead was at 1 second when you added the object, the turquoise bar begins at 1 second and extends to the default end time.
3. To change when the object appears and disappears, adjust its duration bar:
   1. Drag the left edge of the turquoise bar to set the object's start time.
   2. Drag the right edge of the turquoise bar to set the object's end time.

   For example, dragging the left edge to 3 seconds and the right edge to 7 seconds means the object is visible from 3 seconds to 7 seconds in the scene.

Note: The steps above use characters as the example object, but the same process applies to all object types — props, images, and shapes — in your Powtoon.

Adding multiple objects to the timeline

Most slides include more than one object. When you add multiple objects, you need to set the timing for each one individually so the scene plays back correctly.

1. From the Powtoon library panel on the right side of Powtoon Studio, select each object you want to add to the slide. Each object appears on the stage and gets its own tag on the timeline.
2. Select the first object you want to time:
   • ► Click the object on the stage or its tag on the timeline. The tag and its current duration bar are highlighted.
   • ► Drag the left edge of the highlighted duration bar to the desired start time.
   • ► Drag the right edge of the highlighted duration bar to the desired end time.

   For example, setting the left edge to 4 seconds and the right edge to 7 seconds means that object is visible from 4 to 7 seconds.

3. Repeat step 2 for each remaining object on the slide. Before adjusting any object's timing, confirm that its tag is highlighted on the timeline — this confirms you are editing the correct object.

Example outcome: If you time two characters so that one plays from 3 to 7 seconds and the other plays from 6 to 10 seconds, both characters appear on the slide together from 6 to 7 seconds. Overlapping duration bars on the timeline indicate that objects are visible at the same time.

Notes:

1. Always confirm the correct object is selected before dragging its duration bar. The selected object's tag is highlighted on the timeline; unselected objects' tags appear dimmed.
2. You can add a maximum of 48 objects to each time interval on the timeline.