Distribute objects in the Timeline in Motion

Use the Distribute Layers command to instantly arrange objects one after the other, or to stagger objects by consistent time intervals. A uniform offset or overlap between objects makes it easy to create sequential animations, such as keyframed or behavior-based transitions, slide shows, and more—without having to manually position objects in the Timeline or Inspector.

Tip: When you distribute objects, the original duration of each object is preserved. It’s recommended that you trim the objects before using the Distribute Layers command.

Distribute objects in the Timeline

  1. In the Layers list or Timeline in Motion, select at least two supported objects.

    Timeline showing five selected layers

    To distribute groups and leave all objects within the groups in their original position, select only the group objects.

  2. Do either of the following:

    • Choose Mark > Distribute Layers.

    • Press Option-Shift-backslash (\).

      The Distribute Layers window in Motion

      Note: If you select supported and unsupported objects, only the supported objects will be distributed. If all of the selected objects aren’t supported, the Distribute Layers item isn’t available in the Mark menu.

      Thumbnail images in the Distribute Layers window provide visual indictors of the different distribution options. The distribution of the selected objects is shown in a live preview in the Timeline. Changes aren’t applied until you click the Distribute button.

  3. In the Distribute Layers window, select one of the following:

    • Sequence Layers: Distributes the objects one after the other in the Timeline, with no overlap (in layer order).

      The first object remains at its initial time position.

      Timeline showing selected layers positioned one after the other.

    • Offset Layers By: Evenly staggers the objects in the Timeline, with each object’s In point positioned a specific number of frames after the previous object’s In Point. You set the frame interval in the adjacent value field. When the value is 10, for example, the first object (in layer order) remains at its initial time position, the second object begins 10 frames later, and so on. To change the interval, click the up arrow or down arrow.

      Timeline showing selected layers with their In points offset by 10 frames

    • Overlap Layers By: Evenly staggers the objects in the Timeline, with each object’s Out point positioned a specific number of frames before the previous object’s outpoint. You set the frame interval in the adjacent value field. When the value is 10, for example, the first object (in layer order) remains at its initial time position, the second object begins 10 frames before the previous object’s Out point, and so on. To change the interval, click the up arrow or down arrow.

      Note: To create a consistent gap between the selected objects, enter a negative value in the field.

      Timeline showing selected layers with their Out points overlapped by 10 frames

    Tip: Drag up or down in the value field to change the amount in larger increments.

  4. To reverse the order of the distribution, click the Layer Order pop-up menu, then choose an option:

    • Bottom to Top: Distributes the objects from bottom-most to top-most (in layer order).

    • Top to Bottom: Distributes the objects from top-most to bottom-most (in layer order).

      The top-most object remains at its original position in the Timeline, and the other layers move to new positions based on layer order.

      Timeline images showing offset selected layers. In the left image, Layer Order is set to Bottom to Top (layers are offset from the bottom-most object in the layer stack); in the right image, Layer Order is set to Top to Bottom (layers are offset from the top-most object in the layer stack).

  5. Click Distribute.

Any applied filters, behaviors, keyframes, or audio remain attached to the distributed objects. Behaviors, filters, or audio can’t be distributed independently of their parent layer or group. You can also use the Distribute Layers command for audio tracks in the Audio Timeline.

Download this guide: PDF

Morty Proxy This is a proxified and sanitized view of the page, visit original site.
Helpful?
Character limit: 250
Maximum character limit is 250.
Thanks for your feedback.
Morty Proxy This is a proxified and sanitized view of the page, visit original site.