What is the Timeline feature?
Timeline is Artivive's animation and sequencing feature. It lets you bring your layers to life directly inside the Artivive Editor, moving, rotating, scaling, transforming and timing them without any coding or external software. Instead of a static overlay, your artwork can play as a living, timed scene.
You can animate any type of asset inside Artivive, including images and 2D elements, videos, sounds, text, 3D objects, and whole groups of layers. The short tutorial below walks through the essentials, and this guide covers everything step by step.
How do I access the Timeline?
- Go to the Artivive Editor.
- Click Create an artwork on the homepage.
- Add your trigger image. This is the image the Artivive app recognizes when scanned.
- Add your layers. Upload your own files or choose from the Element Library.
- Open the Timeline by clicking the button at the bottom center of your screen.
How does it work?
The Timeline lets you add and organize Actions that define how your layers move or behave over time. You'll find all the available Actions on the right side of the Timeline:
- Move To - move a layer to a new position
- Rotate To - rotate a layer by a chosen amount
- Scale By - scale a layer up or down
- Transform To - move, rotate and scale in one single action
- Show / Hide - make layers appear or disappear at specific times
To add an action, click on it or drag and drop it onto the timeline. By default, actions are not linked to any layer, shown as an orange icon. To connect an action to a layer, select it, then use the Layer to Affect dropdown on the left.
1Adjusting your animation
When you select an action:
- The connected layer will be outlined in blue, showing you which layer you're animating.
- A dotted line and blue display will appear, indicating the end position of your layer (the animation's path).
You can drag this blue display to adjust the final position, just like moving layers in the editor. Change the length of the action bar in the timeline to adjust speed:
- Shorter bar means faster animation
- Longer bar means slower animation
2Speed Curve
The Speed Curve defines how an animation changes speed over time, whether it moves smoothly or mechanically. Common curve types include:
- Linear - moves at a constant speed
- Ease In - starts slow, then accelerates
- Elastic - moves past the target and bounces back before stopping
Experiment with different curves to achieve natural-looking movements.
3Timeline Duration
At the top of the Timeline you'll find Duration. This sets the total length of your animation loop. For example, setting the duration to 10 seconds means your animation will loop every 10 seconds.
Layers not connected to any action (for example, a 20-second video) will play independently and won't be affected by the timeline duration.
4Combining and layering actions
You can add multiple actions to the same layer. When multiple actions affect the same property (like position), the one that ends later or sits on top in the timeline takes priority.
Use this to combine or transition between movements creatively. For example, combine Move To with Rotate To to make an object spin as it moves. The Transform To action lets you move, rotate and scale simultaneously, perfect for dynamic, natural motions.
5The Show Action
The Show Action controls visibility. It behaves like other actions but has no duration, as it triggers a specific event at a set moment. You can use it to:
- Show or hide any layer
- Trigger effects, sounds or videos at specific times
This allows you to time animations precisely. For example, you can create a fireworks sequence where visual and sound effects appear together at just the right moment.
6Animating groups
You can animate entire groups of elements. To do this:
- Create a group (click on Create then Group layer).
- Drag and drop the elements you want to move together.
- Apply actions to the group.
All elements inside will follow the same motion and timing, and any new layers added later will automatically adopt the group's animation.
7Why use Timeline?
With Timeline, you can now:
- Animate, sequence and synchronize your layers
- Control timing and transitions
- Create complex, cinematic AR scenes
- Design interactive storytelling experiences, all inside the Artivive Editor
- No coding, no external tools, just pure creativity in motion