---
title: "Play, scrub and preview"
description: "Lesson 1.2 of Creator Terminal's lesson films (The studio): Play an animation, scrub the ruler, step a frame at a time, and watch it in Preview."
canonical: "https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/play-scrub/"
last_updated: 2026-10-27
---

# Play, scrub and preview

> Lesson 1.2 of Creator Terminal's lesson films (The studio): Play an animation, scrub the ruler, step a frame at a time, and watch it in Preview.

- The film (1:24): https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/media/1.2-play-scrub/8069c63e62ab/1.2-play-scrub.mp4
- Vertical cut: https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/media/1.2-play-scrub/a01e7ffa4813/1.2-play-scrub-vertical.mp4
- Captions: https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/media/1.2-play-scrub/a9eeb98ba15d/1.2-play-scrub.vtt
- The page: https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/play-scrub/

## In this lesson

### Play it (0:08)

Our ball is already animated. Let's watch its bounce. Press zero for the first frame, then space to play. Watch it bounce. Press space again to pause.

### Scrub the ruler (0:20)

Let's find the landing. Now drag along the ruler above the Timeline. This is scrubbing. The playhead follows your pointer, and the stage shows that moment.

### One frame (0:32)

To inspect the landing closely, press H to go back one frame, then L to go forward again. Use them without Shift. Here's the moment the ball lands.

### Back to start (0:43)

Let's return to the beginning. Press zero for the first frame. The ball is back, and the time beneath the stage is zero again.

### Open Preview (0:52)

To watch without distractions, press backtick to open Preview. The animation plays on its own, without the panels. Press space to pause.

### Scrub in Preview (1:02)

Let's inspect the movement here, too. Drag back across the picture to scrub. There's no ruler to aim for.

### Back to editing (1:11)

Ready to carry on editing? Press escape to return to the studio.