Insert and Delete Time

The Insert/Delete Time operation shifts cues in bulk by inserting or removing a time range at a point on a Timeline. Use it to add gaps for new sections, remove dead time, or shift content for schedule changes without repositioning every cue.

Accessing the Dialog

To open the Insert/Delete Time dialog:

  1. Activate the Timeline window.
  2. Go to Timeline → Insert/Delete Time.

The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Shift+T.

The operation is not available when the Timeline is locked.

Parameters

The dialog presents three controls:

Time

The amount of time to insert or delete. Enter a positive value to insert time (push cues forward), or a negative value to delete time (pull cues backward).

The operation is applied at the current playhead position.

Adjust Duration of Cues

When enabled, cues that span the insertion or deletion point (start before it, end after it) have their durations adjusted for the time change. This option is on by default. Without it, only the start times of cues after the point shift, and spanning cues keep their duration.

Adjust Position of Tween Points

When enabled, tween point positions within affected cues shift to keep their relative timing. This option requires Adjust Duration of Cues and applies only to cues whose duration changed.

Insertion Behavior (Positive Time)

When you insert time:

  • Cues starting after the insertion point shift forward by the specified amount.
  • Cues spanning the insertion point have their duration extended by the amount if Adjust Duration of Cues is enabled.
  • Cues ending before the insertion point are not affected.
  • Tween points after the insertion point within adjusted cues shift forward if Adjust Position of Tween Points is enabled.

The result is a gap at the insertion point, with subsequent content pushed later.

Deletion Behavior (Negative Time)

When you delete time:

  • Cues entirely within the deleted range are removed from the Timeline.
  • Cues starting after the deleted range shift backward. If shifting would place a cue before the deletion point, the cue is pinned to the deletion point and its duration shortened.
  • Cues spanning the deletion point have their duration reduced if Adjust Duration of Cues is enabled, clamped so the end does not go below the deletion point.
  • Tween points after the deletion point shift backward. A tween point that would land at or before the deletion point is removed.

Deletion can remove cues that fall entirely within the deleted range. This operation is undoable, but you should verify the result carefully.

Effect on Tween Points

When Adjust Position of Tween Points is enabled, the operation processes generic, scale, position, and Art-Net tween curves on affected cues. Each tween point's time is recalculated relative to the new cue start.

Fade placeholders are not affected. They derive from the cue's fade-in and fade-out settings, not independent time positions.

Use Cases

Adding a new section mid-show: Position the playhead where the new section should begin, insert the desired amount of time, and then add new cues into the created gap.

Removing dead time: If a section of the timeline has an unnecessary pause, position the playhead at the start of the dead time and delete the exact amount of empty time to pull subsequent content closer.

Accommodating schedule changes: If a speaker segment is extended or shortened, insert or delete time at the transition point to shift all downstream content without manually moving each cue.

Global timeline restructuring: Use insert/delete time in combination with the duration adjustment option to smoothly reshape the timing of a complex timeline while maintaining the relative structure of effects and animations.

After performing an insert or delete operation, preview the affected region of the timeline to verify that cue overlaps, gaps, and tween animations look correct. While the operation handles most cases automatically, complex arrangements with overlapping cues or tightly timed cross-fades may benefit from manual fine-tuning.

Previous Next