Move image sequence in time

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hello I'm using Copernicus to composite a foreground over a background and I want to delay the foreground image sequence start by some frames. So in the "File" Node, I tried :
Video timing = start frame, video start frame = $FSTART+10
Video timing = frame number, video frame = $F+10
Both do not work. I also tried to click on the "reload image" button.
I didn't find any node to shift time, like in the old Image network.
Any clue?
Thanks
GZ
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To apply the Video Timing with image sequences, you need to use <F>instead of $Ffor referring to the frame number in the File Name.
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Thanks but it doesn't work...
In File name, I tried :
D:/path/file.$F4.png
D:/path/file.F4.png
D:/path/file.<F>.png
D:/path/file.<F>4.png
Then I try to delay the sequence with video timing and it does nothing.

EDIT : I'm not sure I can confirm the following:
What's weird is that it does accept a syntax that's buggy on purpose, so I also tried :
D:/path/file.HAHA4.png
and each time I press "reload image" button and each time the frames are displayed.


My guess is : this parameter pane is buggy?
Edited by Grendizer - Oct. 9, 2025 13:20:50
Houdini gamboler
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The equivalent of $F4 is <F4>
D:/path/file.<F4>.png
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agreed. Video Timing and Video Start Frame functionality seems broken. Pretty easy to test. You should be able to just enter a number in Video Start Frame but doing so seems to have no effect.
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Wow, what jlait said worked!
But yes, I think the file node is partly broken because it should accept the usual syntax $F4
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I sent an email to support. But since then I found something even weirder :
When I use <F4> instead of $F4, frame by frame playback doesn't behave the same. If I use <F4> and go to the next frame continuously, one frame every 2 frames is skipped!
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sidefx support wrote back to me that those parameters are intended only for video files, not image sequences. But that seems like a really odd limitation.
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Ahhh yeah, in Copernicus there’s no direct “shift time” like old Image nodes easiest way is to use a Time Offset or Sequence Loader node and add your frame offset there, should push your sequence by however many frames you want.
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sidefx support wrote back to me that those parameters are intended only for video files, not image sequences. But that seems like a really odd limitation.
this is understandable, since $F directly expands in the filename, while <F> is a token that the node understands and can alter

$F however still works for sequences so you can always use something like this to shift your sequence
path/file.`padzero(4, $F - 10)`.png
which can still be useful for more complex expressions, rather than just a simple offset which <F> with video timing parameters can handle
Tomas Slancik
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Framestore, NY
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