# Use the timeline

The timeline lays the video out left to right, with a lane for each kind of change. Drag the playhead to scrub, and zoom the timeline with + and −.

Where to find it: Video editor › Pro › Timeline

In Simple the timeline is the footage and its zooms, with **Split**, **Cut** and **Add** over them. Covers, speed changes and callouts get a row each once the video has one. Switch to **Pro** for every lane.

## Lanes

Under the footage, each kind of change has a lane in its own colour: zooms, moves, crops, covers, speed changes, camera layouts, callouts, captions, and music and sounds. A lane with nothing on it is not shown.

- Click a lane’s name to fold it to a slim strip, and click again to open it.
- The timeline’s **⋯** menu can **Fold all lanes** or **Unfold all lanes**, and brings back a lane you switched off.
- Press **+** beside **Tracks** to add a track, or **+** on the toolbar to add something at the playhead.

## Getting around

- `Space`: Play or pause
- `← →`: Step one frame
- `+ − 0`: Zoom the timeline in, out, or back to fit

- Drag the ruler or the playhead to scrub. The preview follows as you drag.
- Hold `⌘` and scroll over the timeline to zoom about the pointer. A plain scroll pans.
- The toolbar also has **Back 5 seconds** and **Forward 5 seconds**.
- The speed chip on the toolbar says how fast the video plays at the playhead.

## Adding at the playhead

Press **+** on the toolbar to add any of these where the playhead is:

- **Zoom**, **Motion** and **Crop**
- **Hide something** and **Speed change**
- **Layout change**, on takes with a camera
- A callout: text, an arrow or a box
- **Music or a sound**, and **Another video or an image**

## Read next

- [Play, loop and watch full screen](https://pointercam.com/help/playback-and-loop)
- [Trim, split and cut out mistakes](https://pointercam.com/help/trim-and-split)
- [Add a zoom by hand](https://pointercam.com/help/add-a-zoom)
- [Keyboard shortcuts](https://pointercam.com/help/keyboard-shortcuts)

Source: https://pointercam.com/help/timeline-basics