Timeline 3D: Tips and Tricks

Stuff we’ve learned through our own experience and from our customers

Planning Your Timeline

  • Instead of trying to fit all of your information onto one timeline, focus on choosing information that helps the viewer understand cause and effect relationships. Often less is more.

  • Use event rows to contrast different versions of a sequence of events.

  • Use links to attach supplemental information such as Keynote presentations, websites, or other timeline documents.

Layout Tips

  • If your timeline is too wide, try using a taller paper size. For example, switch from a landscape page orientation to a portrait orientation. By giving your chart more vertical space, your chart may need much less horizontal space.

  • Combine events in crowded regions of your timeline using notes.

  • Use the tick marks in the lower scroll bar. Areas of the timeline with a dense group of events are where you want to focus on size optimizations.

Working Quickly

  • Learn and use command key shortcuts. Learn a new one each day that you use Timeline 3D and you will get your work done faster. Start with the shortcuts that all Mac OS X applications use such as Command-C for copy.

  • Use Bulk Edit Mode when you need to enter lots of data quickly. Bulk Edit Mode is faster because chart layout is disabled when you are in this mode.

Color Tips

  • Color can be semi-transparent or completely transparent. When you have an image background, try adjusting the opacity of the row shading.

  • Try using the same color for more than one element. For example, use the same color for the Date Line and Background, or the same color for Event Text and Row Shading.

  • There are some great color ideas at kuler.adobe.com