A simple suggestion to improve TVP for illustration

[neonnoodle]

I have a room set up for digital illustration/painting. What would be nice would be a switch/button/hotkey whose function is "Show/Hide Timeline" but which would LEAVE the layers part of the Timeline panel. That way I could have a layers panel as in other digital painting software, without having to mess around with the animation timeline that I'm not currently using.

From an interface standpoint it seems like this would be easy to implement, because it would simply truncate part of the Layers panel the same way that the Sound/Notes buttons do.

[NathanOtano]

Maybe you can use the vertical timeline? I think It's designed for it.

However I don't know if there is a shortcut to switch between the vertical and horizontal timeline. If not, it's a good feature request
But anyway the setting is independent of the room you're using, so you just have to set your room.

I personally use the timeline even for my design processe, to have different versions/different pages on each layer and be able to mix everything up/down, with a layer of references etc. So for me it's a lot more handy than photoshop.

[Elodie]

You can indeed use the vertical mode in the preferences, but if you also use the right drawer, it can be uncomfortable. I'd rather advise to unpin the timeline and resize it to display layers only, without frames.

@Nathan : there is not shortcut for the vertical timeline, since it's a preference. That's also why it cannot be added as a shortcut.

[D.T. Nethery]

I'd rather advise to unpin the timeline and resize it to display layers only, without frames.

I just had this conversation with a student who was asking about: "using TVPaint for illustration , but with the timeline out of the way and layers set up more like PS", so I showed him how to set up one of the Rooms like this :

(click to see image larger)

Then it can be easily switched back to one of the other Rooms view that has "normal" display of Layers and Timeline set up for Animation.

One thing I'll mention re: "unpin the timeline" , this isn't always apparent to the new user how to do this. (that is, to "unpin" the timeline)

[neonnoodle]

OK great! I never really understood how the Vertical Timeline worked before. I don't usually use the Right Drawer, so this works perfectly. Thanks!

[Elodie]

One thing I'll mention re: "unpin the timeline" , this isn't always apparent to the new user how to do this. (that is, to "unpin" the timeline)

Iwish I could send a pictures, but I wrote the above message on my phone

[bluecarrot]

So how can we unpin the timeline? Thanks!

[meslin]

In my opinion, this is a situation that could be improved simply by adjusting the word choices. Instead of "large" and "vertical" timelines, they should be called "Wide" and "Tall." The word "large" implies a general increase of scale, which isn't true, and "vertical" implies a different orientation, which also is not true. "Wide" and "tall" are simpler to understand and more accurate.

[Elodie]

So how can we unpin the timeline? Thanks!

Just doubl click on the top of the timeline to unpin it

[bluecarrot]

Thanks Elodie!

[D.T. Nethery]

So how can we unpin the timeline? Thanks!

Just double click on the top of the timeline to unpin it

But for the person who doesn't come here to the forum and happen to read this discussion , how do they know there is any such option as "unpin the timeline" by double-clicking on it ?

In the User Manual a search for "unpin timeline" or "unpin" turns up no results.

Where it is described in passing is here: http://www.tvpaint.com/doc/tvp11/index. ... exceptions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

which refers to "floating timeline" :

"To change the fixed window into the floating window, double click on the window's title bar."

"To change the floating window into the fixed window, click on the pin in the top right corner of the timeline window."