How to build a timeline

1 Create the timeline

Launch the app, tap the ‘+’ button in the bottom-right-hand corner and select ‘Create Timeline’. Choose a name then tap ‘Create’. You’ll see a two-paned window appear. Start by choosing ‘Configure> Screen Theme’ to choose a suitable theme – we like Earthy or Zoology.

2 Add first event

Tap ‘+’ to add your first slide, then tap ‘Add Media’. You can choose a photograph, video or PDF that is stored on your iPad, or tap ‘Browse…’ to access a file from any cloud storage that you’ve connected to your iPad. Tap a file to add it.

3 Enter event details

Give your slide a suitable title, then attach a date to it. This doesn’t have to be exact – just follow the correct format (25 Dec 1917, or Nov 1918, for example). If your event spans a period of time, you can enter start and end dates. Select ‘Custom Date Label’ to display a custom date.

4 Add a caption and a category

Tap ‘Notes’ to attach a caption to your media, allowing you to add some explanatory text. The ‘Color’, ‘Tags’ and ‘URL’ fields are optional – you can use the coloured labels and tags to assign certain categories to the slide, and the URL field to create a hyperlink to a website.

5 Add more events

Once your first slide is in, move on to the next. Note that events don’t have to be added in sequence – Timeline 3D automatically sorts them chronologically according to the date of each slide. Tap a slide to select it, then tap ‘Edit’ in the top-right-hand corner to make any changes.

6 Play the timeline

To see how your timeline is developing, tap the play button at the bottom. This reveals how the presentation will look when you display it to others. Tap underneath the timeline to bring up the controls – it starts in 2D, but switches to 3D when you select an event.

7 Other playback tips

The ‘<’ and ‘>’ buttons let you move between your timeline one slide at a time; alternatively tap ‘2D’ to go back to the overview, and tap a slide to jump to that event. Shortcuts on the right of the navigation bar provide access to links (if attached) and a full-size version of the image.

8 Sharing your timeline

You can share your timeline for free if other people install their own copy of Timeline 3D: tap the share button on the main timeline screen and choose ‘Export Document’. The file will be zipped up, and you can then email it or save it to cloud storage to transfer to your recipient.