Guides
Timeline and scenes
Understand how scenes, segments, and the timeline work across templates — including Social chat and Minecraft.
The timeline is the backbone of every Vidquel project. It shows chronological order, duration, and which assets play when. Most templates use scenes; Social chat uses segments.
Scenes vs segments
Scenes are the default unit: a block of narration, visuals, and subtitles with a defined duration. Segments are unique to Social chat — they represent individual messages in a thread.
- Scenes — script, voiceover, media, subtitles, transitions.
- Segments — message text, sender, timestamp styling, sound packs; no TTS.
- Both appear in the left-hand list and scrubber, but editing panels differ.
Social chat uses segments
Social chat projects do not use scenes in the traditional sense. If you expect narration per scene, switch to a Freestyle or Cinematic template instead.
Timeline scrubber
The scrubber below the preview shows total project duration. Click anywhere to jump; drag the playhead to fine-check transitions and subtitle timing.
- Colored blocks map to scenes or segments in order.
- Hover a block to see its label and duration.
- Total duration displays in the header — it updates when you adjust sliders.
Scene structure
A typical short-form project has 4–8 scenes: hook, context, body beats, and CTA. Templates may insert intro cards or branded outros automatically.
- Hook — first 3 seconds; highest drop-off risk.
- Setup — why the viewer should care.
- Body — one idea per scene when possible.
- CTA — subscribe, link, or next video tease.
Scene duration and pacing
Shorter scenes feel native on TikTok and Reels. Longer scenes suit YouTube explainers. Balance average scene length against your total target duration.
Tip
If one scene runs much longer than others, viewers may skip. Split dense narration into two scenes with a visual change between them.
Social chat timeline
Each segment is a chat message. Timing is driven by message order and sound pack cues, not voiceover length. You will not see a voice waveform — instead, notification sounds mark beats.
- Edit message copy and sender name per segment.
- Assign sound packs for sends, receives, and typing indicators.
- Reorder segments to change the conversation flow.
- No subtitle burn-in for message text — text is part of the layout.
Minecraft timeline
Minecraft projects timeline dialogue between hosts. Each scene usually maps to one speaker line — left or right host — with the layout panel controlling who is on screen.
- Alternate speakers for rhythm; long monologues may need multiple scenes.
- Block-themed transitions align with scene boundaries.
- Background and character slots are per scene in the layout panel.
Dual-host dialogue
Assign lines in the script panel with the correct host prefix from your selected duo. Match the layout to the active speaker. Preview dialogue handoffs — hard cuts are common between host swaps.
Reordering and dependencies
Reordering updates the timeline immediately. Narration text moves with scenes; Vidquel does not re-record until you explicitly regenerate voice for changed scripts.
Important
After major reorders, replay the full timeline. Transitions at new boundaries may need a different style if pacing changed.
Transitions on the timeline
Transition icons appear between blocks on the scrubber in supported templates. Click a boundary to change style — Freestyle and Minecraft offer different libraries.
- Freestyle — crossfade, slide, zoom, cut.
- Minecraft — block wipe, character cut, camera push.
- Social chat — minimal transitions; segment appearance is often instant.
Total duration and credits
Total timeline duration feeds into credit estimates at export. Extending multiple scenes increases render cost. The header shows approximate duration as you edit.
Tip
Trim dead air at the end of scenes before export. Even one second per scene adds up across a six-scene video.
Multi-select and bulk actions
Some templates support selecting multiple scenes for bulk delete or duplicate. Social chat segment lists support multi-select for reordering batches of messages.
From timeline to export
When the timeline plays cleanly start to finish, save the project and open Export. The exported MP4 reflects the current scene order, durations, and transitions exactly as previewed.