History & time

The distance in time

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Format (important)
Preview doesn't change the file

You'll download 1920×1080, 3.5 s, with no background (.mov).

Time Scale Animation — Years Between Dates

Puts two or three dates to scale and measures the years in between. It's the template for the fact that doesn't land until you see it: Cleopatra lived closer to the first iPhone than to the building of the pyramids. The number in the gaps counts up as it draws.

  • 16:9
  • 9:16
  • 1:1
  • Transparent background
  • Full HD
  • 12 editable fields

What you can change

  • Kicker
  • Title
  • Dates (oldest to newest)
  • Gap between items (frames)
  • Starts on frame
  • Main color
  • Secondary color
  • Size
  • Background
  • Base background color
  • Background strength
  • Background drifts slowly

Plus the typeface and an optional letter outline, in every template.

Time Scale Animation — Years Between Dates: a frame of the animation
A frame of the animation with its sample text. Scroll up to edit it live.

How to use it in your editor

Export it without background and put it on a track above your clip: the animation plays over your video.

  • CapCut

    1. Export «without background»: you get a .mov with transparency.
    2. On desktop, drag it to a track above your clip. On the phone, use Overlay → Add overlay.
    3. If your app shows a black background, export «with your clip» instead and import the MP4 as your video.

  • Premiere Pro

    1. File → Import the .mov.
    2. Drag it to V2, above your footage on V1.
    3. The transparency is kept: move, scale or trim it like any clip.

  • DaVinci Resolve

    1. Import the .mov into the Media Pool.
    2. Place it on Video 2, above your clip.
    3. If you see black instead of your clip: right-click → Clip Attributes → Alpha Mode: Premultiplied.

  • Final Cut Pro

    1. Import the .mov.
    2. Connect it above the primary storyline (shortcut Q).
    3. Final Cut reads the transparency on its own.

Questions

Do I need After Effects or a plugin?
No. You edit «The distance in time» right here in your browser: type your text, choose colors and format, watch the live preview and export a video file that works in any editor.
What file do I get?
Either a ProRes 4444 .mov with a transparent background, to place over your footage, or an MP4 with your own clip behind it. In 1920×1080 (16:9), 1080×1920 (9:16) or 1080×1080 (1:1); 2× (4K) is optional and costs double credits.
Is it free?
Editing and previewing are free and need no account. To export you sign in with Google; during the open beta, new accounts get export credits at no cost.

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