Definition: In animation, a timeline refers to the breakdown of frames sequenced over time. Timelines are used in both digital and traditional animation, but are often portrayed differently between the two (for example, dope sheets / x sheets are often more useful in maintaining timelines in traditional animation).
The most common portrayal of a timeline is a linear timeline, which follows a linear forward progression straight from beginning to end. The linear timeline will mark out time in various increments, depending on the length of the animation and the user's preferences. Some timelines document increments in seconds, others in minutes. Typically the timelines will also display individual frames, segmented off by the number of frames per second (fps).
