> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mago.studio/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Timeline and tracks # Timeline & Tracks [← Global Timeline](/guide/workspaces/global-timeline) · [User Guide](/guide/overview) · [Next: Viewport & comparison →](/guide/viewport-and-comparison) *** The timeline is the right-side panel showing every render in the current shot. It's the unit of work organization at the shot level. A render track with side buttons, badges, and 3-dot menu annotated. ## Why vertical? Most video tools use horizontal timelines because video is read left to right. Mago's timeline is **vertical** because AI rendering is iteration-heavy: you produce many versions of the *same* shot, stacked, rather than many shots in sequence. Vertical orientation gives more room to stack iterations. ## Frame controls At the top of the timeline: * Current frame number — displayed and editable (click to type a specific frame). * Previous / next frame buttons for precise navigation. * **Range selector** — start and end frame fields, plus a visual blue bar on the ruler. * Play button. * Second markers on the ruler. ## Range selector The range selector defines which portion of the source video gets rendered. **Generate** renders only this range; **Generate Full Clip** ignores the range and renders everything. Recommended ranges: * **Initial test:** 80–150 frames — enough to see motion and verify the look without spending many credits. * **Refinement:** 150–240 frames — verify temporal consistency. * **Full render:** the whole clip, once settings are dialed in. ## Source track Always at the top, marked with a yellow camera icon. The original uploaded video. **Cannot be deleted** — the source is owned by the shot, not by a render. ## Render tracks Render tracks stack below the source. Each represents one render and includes: * **Starting thumbnail** — first-frame preview. * **Timeline thumbnails** — a strip of preview frames spanning the rendered range. * **Download button (MP4)** — one-click MP4. * **3-dot menu** — download options and delete. * **Star rating** — three-star quality marker for tracking favorites. * **Track name** — rename by double-clicking. * **Badges** — model name, frame range, resolution, timestamp, ControlNet (if applicable). ## Track side buttons Three buttons on the left edge of each render track: | Button | Function | | ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Pin to Global Preview** | Marks this track as the shot's representative in the [Global Timeline](/guide/workspaces/global-timeline). One pin per shot. | | **Reuse Settings** | Loads the track's settings into the Settings panel — the quickest way to iterate with small tweaks. | | **Edit this Render** | Uses this track as the input video for the next render. The foundation of the [multi-pass workflow](/guide/workflows-recipes#recipe-multi-pass-pipeline). | ## 3-dot menu options | Option | Effect | | -------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Download PNG** | Per-frame PNG export, zipped. | | **Download with info** | MP4 with a settings overlay. Useful for production review. | | **Download EXR** | EXR 16-bit sequence. Only if EXR was enabled in Advanced settings during render. For [VFX pipelines](/guide/export-and-compositing#exr-for-vfx-pipelines). | | **Download as video and images** | A single ZIP with video, frames, and settings. | | **Delete** | Remove the track. | ## Comparison Click one track, then hold **Ctrl/Cmd** and click another to activate the comparison view (see [Viewport & comparison](/guide/viewport-and-comparison)). Up to four tracks can be compared at once. You can also activate comparison via the view-mode buttons at the top of the viewport. ## Mask track visibility In the Mask workspace, the timeline shows only mask tracks — this avoids clutter when working on specialized tasks. ## Iterated tracks A track produced by clicking **Edit this Render** on a previous track is an **iterated track**. It uses the previous render as input rather than the source video. This is how multi-pass effects are built — see the [recipes](/guide/workflows-recipes). *** [← Global Timeline](/guide/workspaces/global-timeline) · [User Guide](/guide/overview) · [Next: Viewport & comparison →](/guide/viewport-and-comparison)