(Disclosure: BeeDocs, maker of Easy Timeline is a sponsor of MacSparky.com. I’ve used (and paid for) BeeDocs’ products long before they started sponsoring the website.)

I’ve always been a fan of BeeDocs Timeline 3D. As a lawyer, I find its powerful timeline tools useful and often take advantage of Timeline 3D to quickly create professional looking timelines for use in the “day job.”

Put simply, I’m a believer in BeeDocs and their products. I’ve even switched some lawyer friends to Macs solely based on my Timeline 3D timelines. One legitimate problem for potential Timeline 3D users is, however, its price, $65. I think the price is right, especially considering how often I use the software. However, if you are just making a few timelines, $65 can be steep. Users spoke and the gang at BeeDocs listened.

BeeDocs now publishes, through the Mac App store, Easy Timeline, $20. Easy Timeline is a simple to use timeline application.

In addition to offering a lower cost alternative, Easy Timeline also gets a BeeDocs timeline product in the Mac App store and all the user convenience that comes with that: easy installation, no license key, multiple installations.

Creating timelines with Easy Timeline is a snap. The app ships with several color schemes and layouts you can choose among when creating a new timeline. (You can also change the look after you start building your timeline)

Creating new timeline entries is intuitive. Click the New Entry button and start filling in data. You can drag and drop multimedia on timeline entries, including images, movies, and audio. The date formatting is flexible from within the timeline.

As you add additional entries the page automatically adjusts itself to fit your data. I used to spend hours building timelines in complicated excel and graphics apps before discovering BeeDocs products. When the timeline is complete you can share it as a PDF file or display the timeline from inside the app. Easy Timeline includes Timeline 3D’s three dimensional display mode. This lets you use the arrow keys to move forward and backward on a timeline in three dimensions. It looks fantastic for audiences (and juries).

Differences with Timeline 3d

The more expensive Timeline 3D, $65, includes a lot more import and export options. Timeline 3D, imports events from many other applications, including iCal, Aperture, iPhoto, OmniFocus, Basecamp, and Skitch. Timeline 3D also publishes timelines to websites, YouTube, Keynote, and HD video with advanced rendering features such as motion blur and audio soundtracks.

Both Timeline 3D and Easy Timeline have the same data format so you can move timelines between both products.

Summary

Put simply, Easy Timeline takes a lot of hard work out of making timelines and creates a final product simply not possible without many hours of time with more complicated software. If you’ve been holding off on BeeDocs timeline products, now is the time to get in.