How to make a timeline chart

I'm not into making charts myself, because unless they are simplistic, charts tend to confuse me, not enlighten me, meaning the more complex they are. Apparently, there are some sites online you can do this for free, and that some of them appear to walk you through the process. Just go to Google and type in----- free timeline chart maker -----for example. Why have to pay for a program such as Corel PSP when there are freeware apps that can make charts, when there are sites online that apparently allow you to make charts for free?

Granted, these free online making charts might have a limitation to what one can do. And if one wants to do something beyond what the free version can do, one might have to upgrade to a paid account. Which then means one is able to make the charts more complex, which then means most of the rest of us will be unable to follow what the charts are trying to convey.

Take Douggg's chart in post #22. Nothing hard to follow about that chart in particular. But start adding layers and layers of graphics below that, arrows going this way, arrows going that way, and the next thing you know, while the chart might look impressive, it's next to impossible to follow unless you're the one that made it, or that you possess some of the same chart making expertise as the one that initially made it does.

I don't really have an issue with charts such as in post # 22. It's when one starts adding all these graphics below that, is when I then start seeing these timeline charts becoming an issue since I'm unable to follow what the chart is trying to convey over all.

Douggg said:

eclipsenow, you use any of those programs and the steps contained in the video(s0 and replicate this chart.... Not being proficient in making timelines, you don't recognize the severe limitations of those programs. I can replicate anything done with any of those programs with Corel panint shop pro, but the reverse is not true. The problem is that you don't know what you are talking about.

Make an effort to educate yourself and start making some timelines of Daniel 9's 70th week as you view it.



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45 minutes with Microsoft Paint.

daq said:

45 minutes with Microsoft Paint.

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Seriously - the other day I thought EVEN PAINT could do it. I was wondering when someone would use paint!

Douggg said:

The results are not the same, as far as appearance goes.
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For graphic design, I would say any application capable of vector graphics can do the job nicely. I prefer to use Xara Designer Pro myself.

Douggg said:

As I understand it (I could be wrong) but isn't the advantage of vector graphics is that the objects don't loose their resolution when the are enlarge?

I have not heard of Xara Designer Pro. Does it work on the principle of layers ?

I just glanced at their web site, and it appears as a person has to sign up for an annual subscription to use it ?

That's okay though because if you can afford it and it works good for you - great.

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Yes, the advantage of vector graphics is scalability without losing resolution.

Xara Designer Pro does use layers. Yes, they converted to a "subscription update" model, which means you have to pay the same price you would pay for the upgrade (as it was before subscription) to have access to updates for a year.

You can skip a year or two, or more, and then come back and upgrade again. Unless there are new features I want, I don't typically upgrade every year.

I've been using Xara Designer Pro as my graphic design software of choice since 2008.

Douggg said:

It looks like you made a mistake on your chart (mark 15:33 for 6th hour and then mark 15:33 again for 9th hour).

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I made a mistake concerning Mark 15:33?

Mark 15:33 KJV
33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

Douggg said:

Can you change the size of the arrow heads ?

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Those are not actually arrows but something I drew a long time ago for charts. The size can be changed but that would cause blurring, (I can redraw them larger or smaller fairly quickly). However there are different sorts of arrows that can be used in MS Paint and they can be any size a person would want to use.

Douggg said:

Did you save your chart in a format that you can go back and edit it, that you can fix mistakes or make changes without having to recreate the entire chart?

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Yes, of course, and in fact the only reason it took as long as it did is because, although I like the font I chose, I don't like the way some of the letters are spaced, so after placing the words close to where I wanted them, when I moved them into a more precise position, I altered the spacing manually between some of the letters in the words that appeared to be too far apart compared to the rest of the text. If I had chosen a different font it would have been much faster.

Douggg said:

btw, why did you divide the 7 years up into hours, instead of years ?

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Who says the final shabua must absolutely be seven years? That week is not in the same construct as the other sixty-nine shabuim. There are twelve yom-hours in the civil calendar day, (Numbers 7), but there are only seven yamim-hours in the sacred calendar yom-day, which is expounded not only in the Torah but in the prophets, the prayer times and oblations, and of course Genesis 1:1 -> 2:4.

There is a whole new kingdom embedded in the scripture text that one cannot afford to miss. Every single day has a Shabbat hour within it, the final hour of the sacred calendar day: for every single day has a shabua-week of hours in it, which is the sacred calendar day.

Day can be somewhat misleading in the text of Genesis 1:5. The reader would do much better to study the text and simply read yom as yom in the whole creation account: for yom is light, and not necessarily daylight, and Elohim Himself says so right there in Genesis 1:5 where He calls the light, Yom. And when He does this, there is obviously not yet any mention of a greater light, or a lesser light, or stars, which are made in the fourth Yom.

Freth said:

Yes, the advantage of vector graphics is scalability without losing resolution.

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I know it's probably not as good as paid - but it could still be really good for lay people.
Have you ever tried Draw Freely | Inkscape ? It's the Open Source world's alternative to Adobe Illustrator, just as Gimp is meant to be the alternative to Photoshop (but really doesn't compare without all the CYMK print functions of Photoshop.)

eclipsenow said:

I know it's probably not as good as paid - but it could still be really good for lay people.
Have you ever tried Draw Freely | Inkscape ? It's the Open Source world's alternative to Adobe Illustrator, just as Gimp is meant to be the alternative to Photoshop (but really doesn't compare without all the CYMK print functions of Photoshop.)

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I have tried Inkscape. If I didn't already own Xara, that is what I would be using.

Freth said:

I have tried Inkscape. If I didn't already own Xara, that is what I would be using.

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Awesome news! I love hearing about an Open Source project that is up there. As your copy of Xara starts to become obsolete, Inkscape will continue to evolve - for free forever. Do you think in a few years you might switch? My wife is obsessed with Photoshop and so we just pay the $76 Aussie / month Adobe Creative Suite for Indesign, Photoshop, Illustrator (and something else but I've forgotten.) But that's so much money annually. We claim it on tax of course. GIMP doesn't do many things my lady requires Photoshop to do - not yet anyway. But it's slowly evolving. Maybe one day.

eclipsenow said:

Awesome news! I love hearing about an Open Source project that is up there. As your copy of Xara starts to become obsolete, Inkscape will continue to evolve - for free forever. Do you think in a few years you might switch? My wife is obsessed with Photoshop and so we just pay the $76 Aussie / month Adobe Creative Suite for Indesign, Photoshop, Illustrator (and something else but I've forgotten.) But that's so much money annually. We claim it on tax of course. GIMP doesn't do many things my lady requires Photoshop to do - not yet anyway. But it's slowly evolving. Maybe one day.

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It's a similar situation with Inkscape, in that it doesn't have the capabilities Xara does, so I doubt I'll be adopting it anytime soon. If/when I decide to move to Linux full time (I'm not planning on upgrading to Windows 11), then I will reassess the software at that time.

As a Professional your opinion on what they should be developing next would matter. I'd love for you to write a short top 5 or top 10wish list to them to prod them along a bit.