This tutorial shows the basic 6 steps required to create rich and informative multi-layered timelines.
There is also a more advanced tutorial which uses a structured blank template to create a personal history timeline   Create multi-layered Timeline Tutorial.

Select your time units:
The timeline software has a number of different time units ranging from millions of years BC through to a few minutes.
There are even Distance and Step options should you find a need for them.

Create your timeline Events:
Create Events to be shown on the timeline - if required, Events can text & images saved to them.
Create as many Events as you require (many, 100s if required), in any order.

Showing Timeline:
With Events added the timeline can be displayed.
For simple timelines the 'Show All' button will displayed all Events within the database.

Adjust the timeline display:
Adjust the layout using drag ‘ N’ drop to achieve the ideal layout.
Event detail is accessed by clicking on Events.

Using Multi-layered timelines:
As the timeline grows, it becomes difficult to show everything all the time.
It's now time to divide the timeline into a number of 'Views' and create a multi-layered timeline.
As you start to create 'Views' you should will need to adjust the concept of the timeline - you now don't need to show everything all the time.
Read more about Views

Creating Views:
The first step towards creating a multi-layered timeline is to create the Views you want.
From the View Organise...link open the dialogue box and select'New'
The Edit / Inspect View dialogue box is now shown. From here you can select the search criteria used to create each View.
The easiest View to create is a Group View - just select a single Group from the Groups list (use the check box to select)
For more advanced Views you can use any of the normal search criteria: Groups, time and / or by individual Keywords.

Views and the display area
With one or more Views created the behaviour of the timeline display area will change slightly.
Events can now appear in one or more Views; so the same event can appear at the top of the screen in one View and at the bottom of the screen in a second View.
Views and the onscreen layout changes need to be saved for each View.
This easiest way to save changes to a View is by the Update From Display link (within the View Edit/Inspect area).
Edit your View as required; layout, title, blowaway etc when the View is correct just click the Update From Screen link - the onscreen layout is saved.
Note: Ensure that the display matches the View you are editing i.e. the View highlighted in the View drop down list matches the View you are editing

Home View
Once a number of Views have been created, the Home View will now need to be considered.
The Home View criteria is 'show all events'. Now that you have created Views you no longer need the Home View to show all events.
The Home View can be edited in 2 ways:
1. Edited via the Edit View dialogue box - set criteria for the Home View in the same way as you edit other Views.
2. Leave the Home View set to 'show all events' and remove unwanted events via Blowaway.

There are two advantages for using the blowaway to clear unwanted events from your Home View.
A - all new events will appear in the Home View and editing errors can be easily corrected. For example, if all your Views were Group Views and a event was created and not added to a Group it would never be shown.
B - When events have been Blownaway, they can easily be reinstated. This means events can be brought in and out of the Home View without having to completely edit the View.