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The entire timeline is showing. The Group and Color Solid layers show in the timline, but the mask layers do not. If I click on a mask layer the outline appears in the Viewer. How do I find the layers missing from the timeline?
Hi Marmer 128
Those layers have zero duration in the project/ they are zero frames in duration. That is what I can see in the image. Select the layers, then go to the end of the project and use the keyboard common 'O' set that outpoint. That should solve this for issue for you.
Hi Marmer 128
Those layers have zero duration in the project/ they are zero frames in duration. That is what I can see in the image. Select the layers, then go to the end of the project and use the keyboard common 'O' set that outpoint. That should solve this for issue for you.
OMG of course. Thank you. I'll document my journey of confusion so people can see what's going through a beginner's mind:
It may have been a combination of user error and a bug. Notice in this new screenshot that I placed the playhead (using 'Go To Start') at the beginning of the timeline and clicked 'O'. There are clearly defined grey rectangles that represent the layers. I cannot make the layers in the timeline any smaller. In my previous screenshot there's not even a sliver of the layers showing. Do you think I encountered a bug or is there something I am not understanding?
Exactly what rowie302 said, except you can't actually have an element that is zero frame, all layers have a min length of 1 frame, what most likely happened is the layers got offset to a part of the timeline you can't see (outside the duration of the project). I would expand on what rowie302 said. If you go to the end , and hit use the keyboard shortcut 'o', if the object is to the right of the visible timeline, you will just create a single frame long layer at the end. In situations like this I would go to the first frame and with the layer selected, use the keyboard shortcut 'I' to set the in point, and then go to the last frame and use the 'O' shortcut to set the out point.
You may have also accidentally set up a single frame, if you want, it never hurts to go to the first/last frame and zoom in to see where the issue is. Depending on the zoom level of the timeline, single frames can effectively disappear.
Hi,
I've had exactly the same situation before, many times, where a layer somehow shows not even 1 frame in the timeline. I never consider it a bug, it is just a state that can happen after some combination of steps and I have never put my finger on what exactly has to happen for that to occur. Someone out there might know, but for me, it is of zero significance because resetting the out point is the immediate solution. I don't consider it a bug, just a quirk of operation. If resetting the outpoint stopped working in that situation, then I would see it as a bug and a concern.
But I don't mean to discourage you from asking - because yes, there are some frustrating bugs in Motion that can really be showstoppers, and that you will discover over time,...we'll be here to help with workarounds as you encounter them so please don't hesitate to raise any issue.
Thank you for the thoughtful answers. Reading and writing about Motion in a forum is really helpful for the learning process. Every little thing slows me down right now, but I plan on asking many more questions. I look forward to your replies.
Generally speaking, if you can easily reproduce the issue, it's a bug. I would still point out, that with the timeline it is REALLY EASY to create a layer with a single frame duration and have it not be visible based on the zoom level. For instance, I have a 27 inch display, if I create a 1000 frame project with the Broadcast 1080 preset, scale my document slightly and set the start/end to frame one, the layer looks empty. It's not until you zoom in that you see it is not. If you are on a smaller screen this is even more likely to happen, just because of screen real-estate.
Additionally, i've had times where I change the duration of the project (shorten) or drag a layer with a trimmed effect/behavior so it is outside the duration and had the layer element "disappear". I'd always start by checking these things. In a case like this.
As rowie302 said, then come here. Share your issue, give lots of details so people can try to reproduce or help you figure out the issue. (That's why we are all here 😀). If you can get others to reproduce*, then you may have a bug, and your can send in Feedback with the details.
*fwiw inconsistent reproducibility does not mean there is not a bug, it could just be REALLY hard to reproduce.
cheers!
Why are some layers greyed out and missing in the timeline?
