Tips and Tools for Creating Spritesheet Animations
This is just a suggestion and not a definitive guide, but it will provide strategies to consider and pitfalls to avoid.
Plan Your Sprites or Animations
Determine the size and dimensions of each sprite, as well as the number of frames needed for the animation.
Keep Sprite Dimensions Consistent
This will make it easier to align and position the sprites in your game.
Optimize the Size of Each Individual Sprite
Eliminate any unnecessary transparent space around the sprite to reduce the overall file size of the sprite sheet.
Divide Your Sprite Sheet into a Grid
Each cell in the grid should have equal dimensions, making it easier to extract individual sprites later.
Consider Leaving Spacing Between Sprites
This helps prevent bleeding or artifacts between adjacent sprites when rendering in the animation engine.
Arrange Your Sprites Logically
This is especially important for animations. Ensure that frames are ordered correctly from start to finish.
Optimize Rendering Performance
Use power-of-two dimensions for your sprite sheet, such as 256x256 or 512x512, for better performance.
Keep a Document Detailing Sprite Positions
This will help you reference the correct sprite or frame when implementing the animation.
Test in Your Framework
Scroll down for more information on how to preview and test spritesheet animations.
Templates & Guidelines
Figma
After Effect
Animate
Illustrator
Please click here if you are looking for a spritesheet library that is flexible and easy to setup.
List of methods to control your animation: play, pause, reverse, restart, set fps, jump between the frames, trigger animation on complete, set autostart, loop your animation, set timer and more...
How to test your animation?
Please upload your spritesheet or paste url once uploaded to a server
Basic set up
To record animtion please hit Shift + Command + 5 on Mac or Windows Key + Alt + R on Windows, alternatively you can use Snipping Tool.