---
title: "Timing and spacing"
description: "Lesson 4.1 of Creator Terminal's lesson films (Motion principles): Give the same move a different feel by changing its duration and the gaps between frames."
canonical: "https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/timing-spacing/"
last_updated: 2026-10-27
---

# Timing and spacing

> Lesson 4.1 of Creator Terminal's lesson films (Motion principles): Give the same move a different feel by changing its duration and the gaps between frames.

- The film (1:48): https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/media/4.1-timing-spacing/0d864824bb99/4.1-timing-spacing.mp4
- Vertical cut: https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/media/4.1-timing-spacing/ea4b291a9b04/4.1-timing-spacing-vertical.mp4
- Captions: https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/media/4.1-timing-spacing/dc38015832dd/4.1-timing-spacing.vtt
- The page: https://terminal.lottiefiles.com/timing-spacing/

## In this lesson

### A quick move (0:06)

Let's feel the original move in Creator Terminal. Press zero, click the circle, then space. Half a second feels brisk and light. Timing is how long the move takes. Press space to pause.

### Give it time (0:22)

Let's slow the crossing. Drag the final key to one and a half seconds. The keys are further apart in time. Same journey, longer duration.

### A slower move (0:33)

Let's compare that slower crossing. Press zero, then space. The circle feels more deliberate, perhaps heavier. Duration suggests weight; it doesn't decide it alone. Press space to pause.

### Read the gaps (0:48)

Let's read the speed along the path. Press zero. Each dot marks one frame. Equal gaps mean equal distances each frame, a steady speed. This is spacing.

### Change the spacing (1:01)

Let's soften the stop. Click the first key, then Out. That's ease out, slowing into place. Press Escape, then zero. Along the path, the dots bunch near the finish. Less distance each frame means less speed.

### Feel the arrival (1:18)

Let's feel that gentler arrival. Press zero, then space. Watch it slow into place. Same duration, different spacing. Press space to pause, then zero.

### Choose the feeling (1:31)

Choose duration for the character of the move, then spacing for how it gathers or loses speed. Watch the motion, not just the curve.