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Director Timeline

Director Timeline · screenshot coming soon

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What this node does

Director Timeline is a browser-side Compose stage. The node body is a Vue timeline panel: set frame rate, drag clip lengths, place upstream images on segments, and optionally lay an audio track. It does not export a final MP4—it outputs COMFYTV_TIMELINE JSON (frameRate, durationFrames, segments[], audioSegments[], etc.) for downstream Timeline Render to encode video. Ideal after Shot Images, Image Picker picks, or Load Image assets arranged into a sequence.

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When to use it

  • Lay out storyboard frames from Shot Images with per-shot timing.
  • Add BGM to concept stills (audio from Speech/Music Stage or Load Audio).
  • Tweak in/out frames before Render without re-running image generation.
  • Multi-shot narrative: up to 24 images autogrow slots for segment binding.

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How it works (why ComfyTV is designed this way)

  • No ▶ Run: Panel edits live into hidden timeline_data—instant Compose like Crop.
  • Snapshots: Timeline JSON saves with the project; Timeline Render Run reads the current snapshot.
  • images socket: Autogrow up to 24 COMFYTV_IMAGE slots—you drag them onto segments in the UI; wiring alone doesn’t auto-fill the timeline.
  • COMFYTV_TIMELINE: ComfyTV-specific; only Timeline Render and related stages consume it.

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Types (COMFYTV_* vs native ComfyUI)

Bridge for images/audio: bridges.md

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UI and parameters

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Timeline panel (node body)

  • What: Track UI—frame_rate (default 24 fps), segment in/out, total duration.
  • How: Drag from the images pool onto segments; reorder and resize.
  • Effect: Defines edit structure for Render—no text prompt, timing + assets only.

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timeline_data / frame_rate (hidden)

  • Serialized by the Vue panel; rarely edited on sockets.

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images (autogrow, up to 24)

  • What: Upstream COMFYTV_IMAGE wires.
  • Wire: Shot Images images, Picker outputs, Loaders, etc.
  • Effect: Material pool only—unused slots don’t appear on the timeline until dragged.

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audio (optional)

  • What: Single COMFYTV_AUDIO.
  • Wire: Music Stage, Load Audio, Asset Audio Loader, etc.
  • Effect: Writes audioSegments; mixed on Render (workflow-dependent).

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workflow

  • None on this node—encoding happens on Timeline Render.

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Outputs

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Step by step for beginners

  1. Prepare assets: Run Shot Images or Image Stage + Picker.
  2. Add Director Timeline; wire assets to images (autogrow).
  3. (Optional) Wire BGM to audio.
  4. Set fps in the panel; drag images onto segments; adjust lengths.
  5. Add Timeline Render; wire timeline.
  6. Pick workflow on Timeline Render; ▶ Run for COMFYTV_VIDEO.
This page covers one node only. For end-to-end workflows, multi-stage pipelines, type conversion, and design rationale, see the ComfyTV user guides on GitHub:

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Repository and workflows

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FAQ

Q: Wired images but timeline empty?
A: Drag onto segments in the panel—wiring only fills the pool. Q: vs Timeline Render?
A: Director Timeline edits JSON; Timeline Render encodes video. Layout vs export. Q: No ▶ Run?
A: Normal—instant browser save of timeline_data. Q: Video Loader directly on timeline?
A: Segments expect image sequences—Extract Frame or use the video tool chain first. Q: Load vs generate?
A: Loaders supply assets; Timeline Render generates the final video file. This node arranges only.
  • Timeline Render — consumes timeline → video.
  • Shot Images — common images source.
  • Image Picker — pick frames for the timeline.
  • Load Audio / Music Stage — audio sources.
  • Compare — single-frame A/B, not a timeline tool.