Timing Overlays in a Template: When to Show and the Preview Timeline
How overlay templates decide when each layer appears on videos of any length: the When to show options, the preview timeline, previewing on a real video, and the base media placeholder.
The Problem a Template Has to Solve
A normal composition has a fixed length, so "show the logo from 0:05 to 0:20" means something. An overlay template does not: it will be applied to a 40-second clip and a two-hour archive alike. So a template describes timing relative to the video it lands on, and the editor previews that description against a stand-in of a length you choose, or against a real video from your library.
This guide covers the three pieces: the When to show setting on each overlay, the preview timeline, and the base media placeholder.
When to Show
Select any overlay in a template and the side panel shows When to show. The options:
Throughout the entire video. Visible from the first frame to the last. The default for new overlays, and right for logos and frames.
During the intro. Visible from the start for the length you set. Title cards, episode names, "starting soon" text.
During the outro. Visible for the last N seconds of the video, whatever its length. Subscribe reminders, end cards, credits.
At a specific time. Starts at a fixed time and lasts for the length you set. A sponsor card at 5:00, a lower third at 0:30.
Periodically. Visible for N seconds, hidden for M seconds, repeating until the video ends, with an optional start offset. A recurring "follow us" bug or a Now Playing that surfaces every few minutes.
Use absolute timeline (advanced). Ignores the video's length and uses the overlay's fixed position on the timeline. Rarely what you want in a template; it exists for compositions that are converted into templates.
When you change the option, the playhead jumps to where the overlay now appears, so the canvas shows the result immediately.
The Preview Timeline
The timeline under the canvas shows the template as if applied to a video of a chosen length. The header reads Preview as 2 minutes by default; switch it to 30 seconds, 10 minutes, or 1 hour to see how your timing stretches or shrinks.
Every overlay is drawn from its When to show setting:
When to show | On the timeline |
|---|---|
Throughout | A bar across the whole item |
During the intro | A band at the start |
During the outro | A band at the end |
At a specific time | A bar at that time |
Periodically | A bar from the offset to the end, showing the repeating windows |
The ruler is real time on the preview item, so a 15-second outro on a two-minute preview sits at 1:45 to 2:00. The numbers are a preview: the same template on a one-hour video puts that outro at 59:45.
Dragging to change timing
Drag the free edge of a bar and the When to show setting updates:
Drag the end of an intro band to change how long the intro lasts.
Drag the start of an outro band to change how long the outro lasts.
Drag an at a specific time bar to move it, or either edge to change its length.
Drag the start of a periodic bar to change its start offset. Its on and off lengths are set in the panel.
Edges that follow the video are locked and have no handle: the start of an intro, the end of an outro, both ends of a throughout overlay. They move with the video, not with you.
Dragging never changes the template's fixed frame numbers. It changes the When to show setting, which is the only timing a template carries into playback.
Preview on a Real Video
A synthetic length answers "does the timing work at two minutes?" A real video answers "does this template look right on this footage?" To use one:
Open the Preview as menu in the timeline header and choose Choose a video..., or select the base media and click Preview with a video in the side panel, or double-click the base media on the canvas.
Pick a video from your library.
The header changes to Preview with <video name> · length. The base media plays that file with its audio, the timeline takes the video's real length, and every overlay resolves against it exactly as it will at playback.
To change the video, use Change video in the base media panel or the header menu. To go back to a synthetic length, pick any length from the menu or click Stop.
The preview video is editor state only. It is never saved with the template, and applying the template to a playlist does not use it. It is remembered in the page address (?preview=), so reloading, or sending a colleague the link, opens the same preview.
The Base Media Placeholder
The base media placeholder marks where the playlist item appears. Add one from the Base media panel in the left toolbar. Almost every template has exactly one, usually full-canvas, with overlays layered on top.
On the canvas it is a translucent stage with a dashed outline and a label such as Base media · whole item, so the layers beneath it remain visible. Its timing is almost always "throughout the entire video".
A second base media
A second placeholder shows the same video again. That is intentional for a picture-in-picture layout, and a mistake otherwise. Because two full-canvas placeholders look identical stacked on the canvas, the editor makes the second one obvious:
On the canvas it is drawn in red with the badge 2nd base media · same item, audio muted at render.
On the timeline its row carries a red Second base media warning.
The base media panel's button changes to Add another base media (picture-in-picture) once one exists.
At playback the second copy's audio is muted, so a duplicate cannot double the sound of your video. If you did not mean to add it, select the red one and delete it.
Tips
Keep the timeline open. It is the only place where stacked layers are visible as separate rows. If the canvas shows one box and the timeline shows two bars, you have a duplicate.
Preview at two lengths. Check a short and a long preview before saving. Intros and outros should look right on both; "at a specific time" overlays may fall off the end of short videos, which the editor shows as a sliver at the very end.
Prefer intro, outro, and periodic over fixed times. They adapt to any length. Fixed times are for content you know is consistent, such as a sponsor slot in a show with a set rundown.
Use a real video from the playlist you will apply the template to. Sizing, letterboxing, and audio levels are then exactly what viewers get.
Common Questions
Why does the timeline say 2 minutes when my videos are an hour long? It is a preview length, not your video's length. Switch it to 1 hour, or pick a real video, and the timeline follows.
I chose "During the outro" and the overlay disappeared from the canvas. It moved to the end of the preview item. The playhead jumps there when you change the setting; if you scrubbed back to the start, scrub to the end or click the overlay's bar on the timeline.
Can I drag the start of an intro? No. An intro starts when the video starts. Drag its end to change how long it lasts.
Does the preview video get saved? No. It is only for you while editing, and it is remembered in the page link.
Do these settings apply outside templates? Compositions used as playlist items keep their fixed timeline. When to show and the preview length only appear in the template editor.