Quick answer: Sequencer has no built-in track for on-screen UMG widgets, so pick one of these:
- Free, any version: add an Event track that calls Blueprint to Create Widget, Add to Viewport and Play Animation on the widget’s own UMG animation.
- Free, widget in the 3D world: put the UI on a Widget Component in the level and keyframe the actor.
- Keyframe the widget directly in Sequencer: use a plugin that adds a UMG widget track you can scrub and keyframe.
Why this is awkward
Sequencer animates things in the level: actors, cameras, lights. A normal UMG widget isn’t in the level. It’s drawn on top of the screen by the player’s viewport. So you can’t drag a widget into a Level Sequence like you can a mesh.
| Method | Scrub in Sequencer | Keyframe widget properties | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Event track + UMG animation | No, plays at runtime | Inside the widget’s own animation | Free |
| Widget Component | Yes | Only the actor’s transform | Free |
| UMG Cinematics plugin | Yes | Opacity and transform; PRO adds inner widget properties | Paid |
Method 1: Event track and a UMG animation
- In your Widget Blueprint, create the animation in the Animations panel (for example
TitleIn). - In the Level Sequence, click + Track > Event. Open the Director Blueprint from the event key.
- In the event: Create Widget (your widget) > Add to Viewport > Play Animation (
TitleIn). - Add a second event at the end that calls Remove from Parent.
The downside: you only see the result in Play mode or a render, not while scrubbing. See how to use the Level Sequence Director for the Director setup.
Method 2: Widget Component in the level
- Create an empty actor and add a Widget Component with your widget.
- Set Space to Screen for an overlay, or World for a sign in the scene.
- Drag the actor into the Level Sequence and keyframe its transform or visibility.
You can scrub it, but you can’t keyframe the text, colours or images inside the widget.
Rendering with Movie Render Queue
Widgets added to the viewport don’t appear in Movie Render Queue renders by default. Add the UI Renderer setting to your render job, as shown in rendering UI widgets with Movie Render Queue.
FAQ
Can I use Sequencer’s own UMG animation editor? Widget Blueprints have their own timeline in the Animations panel. That’s separate from Level Sequences, so it can’t be synced by scrubbing.
What about subtitles? The same methods work for text. For a ready-made approach, see creating text overlays and subtitles.
Will this work in a packaged game? The Event track and Widget Component methods work at runtime as well as in renders.