Abstract Ultrafast time-resolved x-ray scattering (TRXS) from a photoexcited molecular ensemble measures a distribution S(Q, τ) of the x-ray momentum transfer Q and pump-probe delay τ in which all modes of motion induced by the excitation overlap. Frequency-resolved x-ray scattering (FRXS) based on S ̃ ( Q , ω ) separates each oscillation and dissociation channel in the TRXS data, enabling measurements of vibrational frequencies and phases, and dissociation velocities and time shifts. Here we extend FRXS analysis to study early-time accelerations as well. We show how these appear as diffuse scattering patterns with characteristic phase evolution in FXRS and we develop a set of transformations that isolate individual channels to measure the early-time accelerated motion. This procedure is used to analyze diatomic iodine x-ray scattering data with multiple dissociations, and the ability of this technique to characterize early-time accelerations of one dissociation channel even in the presence of another dissociation is demonstrated.