Time Offset
Evaluate everything upstream at a different point in time.
What it does
Time Offset re-evaluates everything upstream at a different frame, then feeds that shifted result into the graph as if it arrived on schedule. Offset sets how many frames forward or backward to reach: positive looks into the future, negative into the past. It can be driven procedurally rather than set to a fixed number.
Because the whole upstream chain is re-evaluated at the new frame, this works on animated images, moving shapes, points, and any other animated value, not only numbers.
When to use it
Echo or trail effects: offset a copy of an animated input by a few frames and blend it with the original.
Previewing how something will look several frames from now, or looked several frames ago, without moving the playhead.
A looping or ping-ponging time source for a cycle: a large offset paired with Wrap or Mirror mode and a frame range.
An animated offset: a number or an Expression wired into Offset.
| Parameter | Type | Default |
|---|---|---|
input | Any | — |
offset | OneOf([Number]) | — |
clamp_mode | String | "Clamp" |
range | Vec2 | (0, 100) |
Gotchas
Offsets smaller than half a frame are treated as zero. The node passes through without re-evaluating upstream at all, so procedural jitter under that threshold shifts nothing.
Range applies only to Wrap and Mirror mode, and appears only once one of those is picked. In Clamp mode the shifted frame is held at the start of the timeline, with nothing to configure.
Offset accepts a wire, so the shift itself can be animated, for example ramped up over time to slide from live to several seconds behind.
Worked example
Add a Time Offset and wire your animated image or shape into Input.
Set Offset to a negative number (for example -6) to pull in a slightly earlier frame, for a trailing echo layered under the live result.
If you want the shifted time to loop instead of holding still at the ends, set Clamp Mode to Wrap or Mirror and set Range to your animation's start and end frame.
Blend the Time Offset output with the unshifted original to build up a trail or echo effect.