How to change the duration (speed) of an object's movement

How to change the duration (speed) of an object's movement

When you add movement to an object in Powtoon Studio, the object travels between two points on the stage. The duration of that movement — set on the timeline — determines how fast or slowly the object moves. This article explains how to adjust that duration.

How movement duration works

The speed of an object's movement is controlled by how long the movement lasts on the timeline, not by a separate speed setting.

• Short duration = the object moves fast.
• Long duration = the object moves slowly.

The default movement duration is 1.5 seconds. You can increase or decrease this, within the following limits:

• Minimum duration: 0.5 seconds
• Maximum duration: equal to the object's total display duration on the timeline

In the example below, a character is displayed on the slide from 1 second to 9 seconds. Its movement duration is set to the default 1.5 seconds, meaning the movement runs from 1 second to 2.5 seconds on the timeline.

Understanding the timeline areas

When you select a moving object, two distinct areas appear on the timeline:

• Dark blue area: defines the duration of the object's movement (how long it travels between the two points).
• Light blue area: defines the duration of the object's display on the slide (how long it is visible).

You adjust movement duration by dragging the handles of the dark blue area. The light blue area controls visibility, not movement speed.

Change the duration of an object's movement

1. On the stage, select the object whose movement you want to adjust.
2. Look at the timeline. Locate the dark blue area associated with that object — this represents the movement duration.
3. Drag the right handle of the dark blue area to set when the movement ends.
   ► To change when the movement begins instead, drag the left handle of the dark blue area.

The movement duration updates immediately. The object will now move faster or slower depending on whether you shortened or lengthened the dark blue area.

In the example below, the character enters the scene at 2 seconds, begins moving at 4 seconds, and the movement lasts 3 seconds. The character leaves the scene at 9 seconds.

Notes

1. Movement duration cannot be shorter than 0.5 seconds or longer than the object's total display duration on the timeline.
2. Dragging the dark blue area's handles does not affect when the object appears or disappears — only the light blue area controls that.
3. The default movement duration for any newly added movement is 1.5 seconds.