1 The idea
Timing is how many frames a move takes (at 24 fps, 12 frames = half a second). Spacing is how far the object travels on each of those frames. Same start, same end, very different feel.
Animators draw a spacing chart: a line with one tick per frame. Close ticks = slow, wide ticks = fast. In comp you read onion skin or a Transform’s motion path the same way.
2 Hands-on
Task: set the timing and spacing so your chart matches the target chart
Count the target’s gaps first, then see which end its ticks bunch up at
3 Deep dive
Timing carries weight and mood
Light, small things move in a few frames; big, heavy things take many. A huge, distant smoke plume must move slowly; too fast and it reads as a tiny puff near the lens.
At 24 fps: 2 frames = 0.083 s (a flash), 12 frames = 0.5 s (a quick gesture), 48 frames = 2 s (a slow move).
| Frames @24 | Seconds | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | 0.04–0.08 | muzzle flash, lightning |
| 6 | 0.25 | a spark flick |
| 12 | 0.5 | a brisk card slide |
| 48+ | 2+ | a large distant plume rising |
How to read a spacing chart
Each tick is one frame’s position; the thick ticks at the ends are keys. Count the gaps to get the timing; see where ticks bunch up to get the spacing (the same reading as M1’s onion-skin dots). Bunched at the end = slow end; at the start = slow start; at both = slow both.
- 1Count gaps = timing
- 2Find bunching = spacing
- 3Set keys + interpolation
- 4Compare onion skin
On ones, on twos
“On ones” means a new image every frame; “on twos” means a new image every second frame. Hand-drawn work often uses twos, but in comp an element moving on twos over a plate moving on ones stutters visibly against it.
Always judge an element that came in on twos against the plate, at speed.
4 In real work
In Nuke
- Transform: key the position, then read the motion path in the Viewer as your spacing chart.
- Dope Sheet: slide keys to change the timing without touching values (see M1).
- TimeOffset: shift a whole element earlier or later in time.
- FrameHold: hold a single frame, for checks or freezes.
Common mistakes → the fix
- ✗ Fixing “too slow” by changing the interpolation alone✓ If the whole move is slow, fix the timing (frame count) first, then shape the spacing.
- ✗ Giving every size of object the same timing✓ Big, distant things take more frames; small, close things fewer.
- ✗ Judging timing by stepping frame by frame✓ Timing must be judged at real speed, from cache or a flipbook.
Before you send the shot
- The main move’s frame count suits its weight and size
- Spacing starts and ends as intended (at rest or moving)
- No element on twos over a plate on ones by accident
- Watched at real speed
5 Check yourself
Same distance, but cut from 24 frames to 12. What changes?
🔒 Answer the question above and this card opens
1. A chart has 9 ticks (including both keys). How many frames does the move take?
2. A huge distant smoke plume looks like a tiny puff. Most likely cause?
Where the numbers come from: Spacing patterns use simple curves: even = linear, slow start = u², slow end = 1 − (1 − u)², slow both = 3u² − 2u³. Teaching curves, not any app’s presets. Slow end and slow both are the same curves as M1’s ease out and ease in-out; slow start is ease in.