Loop, zoom and duration
The timeline ruler
The ruler
| Gesture | What it does |
|---|---|
| Click or drag | moves the playhead (and scrubs the animation) |
| ⇧ + drag | draws the loop: a yellow band |
| Click the band | turns the loop on or off (off is gray) |
| Drag one end of the band | lengthens or shortens it |
| Drag the band | moves it |
| Click outside the band | removes the loop and moves the playhead |
The loop
With the loop on, playback repeats inside the band until you stop it: from the playhead if it is inside, otherwise from the start of the band. The loop belongs to the view: it is not an undo step and it is not saved.
Duration
| Gesture | What it does |
|---|---|
| Drag the end handle | lengthens or shortens the timeline only; the bars stay; never before the end of the last tween |
| ⌥ + drag the end handle | scales everything proportionally: duration and every tween |
| Click the end handle | moves the playhead to the end |
Zoom
The slider in the header and ⌘ + scroll wheel on the track change the pixels per second; the ruler picks the label step on its own. As long as the track is shorter than the panel, it does not scroll. Zoom belongs to the view.