What is a Pre-Fire Time?

Pre-Fire is the short delay between when an igniter fires and when the lift charge actually ignites. Think of it as the “fuse time” before the shell begins its flight.

In IGNITE Show Designer, the Pre-Fire column makes sure your show stays in sync. When you set a cue, the software automatically subtracts the Pre-Fire from the Event Time, so the firework lights early enough for the effect to burst in the sky right on schedule.

For example, if you want a shell to burst at 00:30s and its Pre-Fire is 2 seconds, the system will fire it at 00:28s so that it lights, lifts, and bursts exactly when you planned.

Tip:

If a firework has both Pre-Fire and Lift Time, the two are added together before being subtracted from the Event Time.
Example: Pre-Fire = 0.5s and Lift Time = 2.5s → the firework will trigger 3s early.

Why don't I see Pre-Fire in my Show Designer?

Pre-Fire Time is an optional column that can be toggled on and off from your Preferences. To enable the Pre-Fire Time column, click on Preferences from the menu on the left side of Show Designer.

Once the Preferences window opens, select the Events tab and uncheck Remove Pre-Fire Time Column.

Your show will automatically save, and you will see a Pre-Fire column added to your existing columns.

Tip:

Pre-Fire Time values won’t auto-populate after this change. To add them, highlight the rows that need them and click Insert into event row (next to the firework name in My Fireworks).

If a Pre-Fire Time causes the firing time to shift earlier than your show allows, the Event Time will highlight in yellow and a Warning will appear in the top-right corner. This is just a heads-up—it won’t prevent your show from exporting. Be sure to double-check your timings and adjust if needed to keep everything running smoothly.

What is a Default Pre-Fire Time?

Default Pre-Fire times can be set for all of your effects, regardless of the Pre-Fire times set in your My Fireworks catalog. To adjust the default time click on Preferences from the menu on the left side of Show Designer and navigate to the Events Tab.

Check off the Add Pre-Fire box and select the desired Pre-Fire time from the dropdown.

Tip:

Changing the Default Pre-Fire Time won’t update events you’ve already added. You’ll need to adjust those manually. Any new events will automatically use the new Default Pre-Fire Time.

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