> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ozu.studio/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Tracks

> The Timeline's five track types — Primary Video, Alternate Frames, Dialogue, Music, and Effects — and how clips move between them.

The Timeline is a stack of **tracks**. Each track holds a specific kind of content, and each clip sits on a specific track. Understanding the five types is how you understand the editor.

## The five tracks

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Primary Video">
    Your storyboard frames, in beat order. This is the spine of the animatic — one clip per hero beat, auto-populated from the connected Storyboard Node.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Alternate Frames">
    A secondary video lane for overlays, cutaways, and alternate takes. Frames placed here play *on top of* the Primary Video track at the same playhead position.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Dialogue">
    Voiceover and dialogue clips. Each approved take from the Audio Node lands here, aligned to the beat it belongs to.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Music">
    The score. One continuous music clip from the Song Node, spanning the scene or the sections you choose.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Effects">
    Transitions, color grades, and keyframe animations — overlays on the video tracks, not standalone clips.
  </Card>
</Columns>

## Primary Video

The Primary Video track is automatic. When a Storyboard Node is connected, the Timeline creates one clip per beat, in beat order, using each beat's estimated duration as the initial clip length.

Clips on this track carry the beat's `Scene.Shot.Beat` tag, so you can always see where you are structurally. They're draggable, trimmable, and deletable like any other clip — but they're tied to a source frame. Regenerating that frame in the Storyboard Node updates the clip in place.

## Alternate Frames

The Alternate Frames track is for the cutaways, inserts, and alternate takes that every edit needs.

**Two ways to populate it:**

* **Manually drag a frame** from the Asset Library onto the Alternate Frames track.
* **Promote a secondary beat** from the Storyboard Node. Secondary beats (inserted under a parent beat) auto-route to this track when the Timeline populates.

When a clip is present on Alternate Frames at the same playhead time as a Primary Video clip, the Alternate Frames clip **overlays** the primary. That's how cutaways work.

## Dialogue

The Dialogue track holds voiceover from the Audio Node. Each dialogue line is its own clip — approve a take in the Audio Node and it auto-syncs into the Timeline, aligned to the beat the line belongs to.

Clips on the Dialogue track are draggable. Move a line to retime delivery, or split a line across multiple beats. [More on the Audio Node →](/user/audio-and-music/audio-node/)

## Music

The Music track holds a single score asset from the Song Node — either AI-generated or uploaded. Music clips are usually long (the full scene or the full animatic) and sit beneath everything else.

You can trim the music clip to start at a specific moment, adjust volume, and set a fade in or out. [More on the Song Node →](/user/audio-and-music/song-node/)

## Effects

Effects aren't independent clips — they're properties you add to video clips. They include:

* **Transitions** between clips (fade, dissolve, wipe, cut)
* **Color grades** (per-clip tint and global presets)
* **Keyframe animations** (pan, zoom, rotation)

Select a clip, open the Inspector, and apply effects from there. [More on color and effects →](/user/timeline/color-and-effects/)

## Auto-inserted vs. manually-edited clips

The Timeline distinguishes between two states:

<Note>
  **Auto-insert mode (default)**

  When the Timeline hasn't been edited yet, new beats from upstream — including secondary beats added in the Storyboard Node — automatically appear on the correct track in the correct position. The Timeline treats itself as a live reflection of the pipeline.
</Note>

<Warning>
  **Manual-edit mode**

  Once you manually edit the timeline — drag a clip, trim a duration, change a transition — the Timeline stops auto-inserting new secondary beats. They instead land in an **Unplaced Bin** in the Asset Bin, waiting for you to drag them onto a track.

  This prevents new upstream beats from disrupting an edit you've already fine-tuned. You regain full control over what goes where.
</Warning>

To reset to auto-insert mode, clear the timeline and let it re-populate from the connected storyboard.

## Re-ordering and sync

Clips on the same track can be dragged to reorder or reposition. Clips on different tracks stay aligned by their `startTime` — move a Primary Video clip and the Dialogue/Music underneath don't follow. If you want them to move together, select both (shift-click) and drag.

The playhead shows what's currently rendering; use the preview monitor to verify sync after a move.

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Timeline Editor Overview" href="/user/timeline/editor-overview">
    The overall shape of the editor — Preview, Inspector, and track stack.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Playback Controls" href="/user/timeline/playback-controls">
    JKL shuttle, snap grid, and in/out points for auditioning edits.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Color and Effects" href="/user/timeline/color-and-effects">
    Transitions, grades, and keyframe animations on video clips.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Captions and Markers" href="/user/timeline/captions-and-markers">
    Subtitle track and named timecode bookmarks.
  </Card>
</Columns>

## FAQ

**Can I add more than five tracks?**
No. The five track types are fixed. Within the video tracks you stack Alternate Frames over Primary Video for overlays; within audio you have separate Dialogue and Music lanes for each purpose.

**What happens to a clip if I delete its source asset?**
The clip is removed from the Timeline the next time it repopulates. Existing edits on other clips are preserved.

**Can one beat appear on multiple tracks?**
A Primary Video clip is tied to one beat, one track. But you can drag the same beat's frame from the Asset Library onto the Alternate Frames track as an overlay — that's useful for split screens or picture-in-picture.

**Why did my new secondary beat go to the Unplaced Bin instead of the timeline?**
Because you've already manually edited the timeline. Auto-insert is disabled for that Timeline. Drag the bin clip onto the track where you want it.

**Do tracks render in a specific order?**
Yes. Top to bottom: Alternate Frames over Primary Video (video layer), then Dialogue and Music (audio mix). Effects apply to whichever video clip they're attached to.

**Can I rename a track?**
No. Track names are fixed — the labels describe purpose, not content. But each individual clip on a track has its own label (inherited from the source beat, dialogue line, or file).