Forum Discussion
Timeline preview is SLOW and jumpy
Has anyone experienced the slow timeline preview when using the play button in the timeline pane (bottom left)? I have like 4 objects in my slide and it takes 5 seconds for the preview to play.
65 Replies
Timeline preview is awfully slow on SL2. It take 9 seconds to start playing! A real loss of time.
It's actually faster to Preview the slide (Ctrl F12) : 4 seconds! Unbelievable!
Such a long way from realtime scrubbing (absolute n°1 on my wishlist).
I just installed 2.7 -- first time Storyline user -- and am going through some Lynda.com training. I'm watching the instructor click the play button on the timeline and it responds immediately. I'm using his exercise files and it takes at least 5 seconds from the time I click the play button until the slide plays. The only difference is that I upgraded his files which are 2 to my 2.7. After reading through the comments here I'm at least glad to know it's not a system issue on my end.
And I agree, it's faster to preview the slide.
Maybe he clipped out the delay? I know I've done that in the past when creating training on software that sometimes needs time to think.
That's a great point Cheryl. I hadn't thought of that.
Hi Becky,
You mentioned the files were 2 and then upgraded to 2.7 - do you mean that they were the 2nd update of Storyline 2 or just Storyline 2 in general? As you can see this thread dates back a bit further, but you'll want to ensure you're using the latest update of Storyline (it sounds like you are) and working on a local drive and at least meeting the minimum system requirements here.
Also, if regular preview is working well for you - you may want to continue utilizing that, as a interim step.
Hi Ashley,
I didn't specifically mean the second update. The title of the tutorial is "Up and Running with Articulate Storyline 2" and the date is March 19, 2015. That might help identify which update of 2 he is working on. I'm working off my C: drive and meet the system requirements, so it seems like something else is going on.
When you say to use the regular preview as an interim step, does that mean a fix is underway for a future update/patch?
Thank you!
Hi Becky,
We're always looking at ways to improve the functionality and experience - and I know this has been one item shared. I can't say for certain that there will be a change in future versions or updates, so that's what I meant in regards to a current workaround.
We'll let you know if there is any other information to share.
Sorry to insist but even with the recommended settings preview in SL 2.7 is so slow it's useless.
Slide Preview is OK for a quick overview but you have to use Timeline Preview to finely place your elements.
Please, just TRY and you'll see what we ALL mean!
BTW Becky, welcome here and please consider a feature request for realtime scrubbing as discussed here
Pierre, thanks for the welcome. :) Sorry to hear you too are still experiencing this issue. I'll take a look at your realtime scrubbing request.
(STORYLINE 2 - Update 7...)
I am a videographer by trade and come from a Captivate / Camtasia eLearning background. I'm impressed with the ease of use and power of Storyline2. However, a 5+ second delay to check the timing of elements is not acceptable. Click play... Play. If this software (especially at this price-point$$$) is for creatives, don't grind the creative process to a halt. (Sorry Ashley, I know you're just the messenger)
Work around... Use the Cue Marker feature (press C key while watching/listening to establish baseline Cue/Action points on the timeline. You can easily slide them to visually assist in timing out your actions.
Benefit... You won't punch your expensive display (as often) waiting for the 50th Five Second preview delay.
Not to worry David, I don't take it personally. I appreciate you sharing an additional idea here with others though to help them in the meantime.
Hi Ashley,
What do you call "meantime"? This thread is already two years old!
What can we expect, honestly?
Sluggish preview + no timeline scrubbing. I wonder if SL team has ever tried itself to sync elements on a slide and feel the chore it is.
I agree. I have been doing a lot of audio/animated video syncing lately and it drives me bonkers. I often have to do full slide preview 5-10 times before getting the timing acceptable.
I have programs at both ends of the price spectrum (Adobe After Effects, which I do many of my animations in, and Tumult Hype) and both manage mostly seamless preview, and when they need to pre-buffer there is a visual indicator of the part being rendered that also gives an indication of render speed. SL2 just sits there. At first I figured that the button just wasn't working, it was so slow! And I have a very well-specced machine with 16GB RAM!
Hi Pierre,
I don't have an official timeline, so I can't say for certain - and our team has tested this, so we certainly understand the pain and frustration. Once we do have any additional information to share, we will update threads such as this one.
Preview speed is really slow even without animation, sound and video. It takes four seconds already.
