The Timeline in Nodespell is a node with a built-in multi-track editor. You place video, image and audio clips on tracks, trim and arrange them frame-accurately, mix the sound, and render one video. The render feeds the Timeline node’s Video output, so the cut can continue through the rest of your graph.
Add a Timeline and open the editor
Section titled “Add a Timeline and open the editor”- In Graph, press
Tabto open the Tab menu, search for Timeline, and add it. - Connect the outputs you want to edit, such as generated videos, images or audio, to the Timeline node’s Assets input. The input accepts many connections.
- Right-click the node and choose Edit Timeline, or select it and open the Design panel. The editor opens there.
A new Timeline starts with one video track (Video 1), one audio track (Audio 1), a 1920×1080 sequence at 30 fps, snapping on, and linked audio on.
The editor needs a current desktop browser. If required browser features are missing, it shows Timeline editor needs a modern desktop browser and asks you to switch to an up-to-date Chromium- or Firefox-based desktop browser.
What is in the Timeline editor?
Section titled “What is in the Timeline editor?”| Area | What it does |
|---|---|
| Top bar | Sequence summary (size, frame rate, length), preview status, Render, and the side panel toggle |
| Viewer | Plays the sequence, with transport controls, preview volume and Focus for a larger viewer |
| Media tab | Everything connected to the Assets input, ready to drag onto a track |
| Properties tab | Settings for the selected clip or track, or the sequence when nothing is selected |
| Toolbar | Tools, snapping, linked audio, split, delete, zoom, Mixer and View |
| Tracks | Video and audio tracks with headers and clips |
| Mixer | One strip per audio track plus Master |
Add clips to tracks
Section titled “Add clips to tracks”Open the Media tab. Each item shows where it came from and whether it is already used.
- Drag an item onto a track, or use Add to timeline.
- Add all to timeline places every item; Add unused places only items not yet on the timeline.
- Filter the list with All, Video, Audio or Not used.
- You can also drag Assets from the Asset Manager into the Media area; they are added to the node’s Assets input.
Tracks are type-locked. Video and image clips go on video tracks; audio clips go on audio tracks, and a video’s sound can go on an audio track. An image clip starts five seconds long. Another Timeline’s output appears as Nested, and a Compositor’s output appears as Comp.
When a connected node produces a new take, the Media item shows Changed upstream. Choose Update to new version to swap the clips to the new take; trims and effects stay as they are.
Arrange, trim and split clips
Section titled “Arrange, trim and split clips”| Tool or action | Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Select | A |
Drag a clip to move it, drag an edge to trim, double-click to edit properties |
| Blade | B |
Click a clip to cut it at that point |
| Trim | T |
Drag an edge to ripple; drag inside a clip to slip its footage |
| Split at playhead | S |
Cuts the selected clips at the playhead |
| Delete / Ripple delete | Delete / Shift+Delete |
Removes clips; ripple delete also closes the space |
| Duplicate | Cmd/Ctrl+D |
Copies the selection |
| Disable clip | D |
Turns a clip off without removing it |
| Close gap | none | Removes an empty gap between clips (select the gap marker) |
Right-click a clip for more: Detach audio or Link audio, Replace with selected media, Update to new version, Reload from source, Turn off effects, Reset effects, Edit properties and Set range to selection.
Snap (Snapping on / Snapping off) aligns edits to clip edges and the playhead. Move audio with video keeps a video clip and its linked audio together. Edits always land on whole frames of the sequence frame rate.
Set the sequence size, frame rate and length
Section titled “Set the sequence size, frame rate and length”Select the sequence summary in the top bar, or deselect everything and open Properties.
| Setting | Options |
|---|---|
| Preset | 1080p 1920×1080, 720p 1280×720, 4K 3840×2160, 9:16 1080×1920, 1:1 1080×1080, Custom |
| Size | Width and height, 16 to 16,384 px |
| Frame rate | 24, 25, 30, 50 or 60 fps, or Custom (1 to 240) |
| Length | Follows the clips: the sequence ends where the last clip ends |
| Default framing | Fit or Fill for clips whose shape differs from the sequence |
Adjust clips and tracks
Section titled “Adjust clips and tracks”Select a clip and open Properties. Video clips have Framing (Fit, Fill, Custom), Opacity, Position, Scale, Rotation, Anchor, crop, and a composite Mode (Normal, Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Add). Audio clips have Gain, Fade In and Fade Out.
To add a track, right-click an empty part of the timeline and choose Add video track or Add audio track, or drop a clip into the new-track area. Track headers let you rename a track (double-click), change its color, lock it, mute or solo it, turn it on or off, and delete it. Select a track header to edit effects for every clip on that track.
Mix audio
Section titled “Mix audio”Select Mixer in the toolbar. Each audio track gets a strip with level, pan, mute and solo, plus Equalizer and Dynamics (a compressor followed by a limiter). The Master strip controls the whole mix.
Preview playback
Section titled “Preview playback”| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Space |
Play / pause |
J / K / L |
Reverse / stop / forward; hold K and tap J or L to step a frame |
Left / Right |
Back or forward one frame |
Shift+Left / Shift+Right |
Back or forward one second |
Up / Down |
Previous or next cut |
Home / End |
Go to start or end |
I / O / Alt+X |
Set range start / set range end / clear range |
F / Shift+F |
Fit timeline to selection or range / fit track height |
? |
Show all Timeline shortcuts |
Shortcuts work while the timeline has focus. The loop button cycles Loop range, Loop all and No loop. The preview chip reports Preview ready, preparation progress or dropped frames, and sets preview Quality to Full, Half, Quarter or Eighth.
Render the Timeline into the graph
Section titled “Render the Timeline into the graph”- Select Render in the top bar.
- Choose a preset: Custom, Timeline (current size and fps), Preview (720p WEBM), MP4, High or Social (1080p MP4).
- Set Range to Whole timeline or Range, and the file Name.
- Open More settings for Container (WEBM or MP4), bitrate, resolution, frame rate and audio options.
- Select Render. Cancel at any time from the progress window.
The finished render feeds the node’s Video output. The Render popover then shows Up to date or Out of date, and offers Download. Details of every setting are in Export finished media.
Frequently asked questions
Section titled “Frequently asked questions”Why is MP4 unavailable when I render a Timeline?
Section titled “Why is MP4 unavailable when I render a Timeline?”Nodespell renders in your browser, and MP4 needs H.264 and AAC encoding support. When the browser lacks it, MP4 shows as unsupported and WEBM is used.
Does the Timeline output update automatically when I edit?
Section titled “Does the Timeline output update automatically when I edit?”No. The Video output keeps the last render until you select Render again. The popover marks it Out of date when the edit has changed.
Can I put a still image on the Timeline?
Section titled “Can I put a still image on the Timeline?”Yes. Image clips go on video tracks and start five seconds long; trim them like any other clip.
Can I put audio clips on a video track?
Section titled “Can I put audio clips on a video track?”No. Tracks are type-locked: audio clips stay on audio tracks.
Related
Section titled “Related”- Video editing outside the Timeline: single-purpose video nodes such as Trim Video and Join Video
- Export finished media: render settings and downloads
- Connections: wire the rendered video onward
- Takes: how new takes reach the Timeline
- Add a soundtrack to a clip: a worked Timeline example