There are 4 types of images we can import into FlipBook. There are backgrounds,cels, overlays and movies.

Backgrounds are typically painted in full color on paper. They are always opaque and they always go in the back or on the bottom if you think of stacking up the images.

Cels are the line drawings that the animators draw to create the characters and objects that move to create the illusion of life. Traditionally they were always painted in solid colors but computer programs now make it possible for cels to be painted in full color too.

Overlays are also painted in full color but they are painted on transparent material to allow the background and other things to show through. These should be 32-bit images – with an alpha channel – to determine which part(s) of the image should be transparent.

Movies are like backgrounds but instead of one image holding through the entire scene, every frame can be different. They are usually full color and they go into the last or bottom level.

Each type of image needs to be imported differently to make sure you get the results you want. So there are four different videos on how to import images.

This first part of this video shows quickly how to import a background.

Background images should be full color, 24-bit images but they can also be grayscale. Each image in the xsheet is automatically held so you do not have to copy and paste the background image into every frame.

To import an image into the background highlight the square in the xsheet that is frame one in the background level. Then click on File > Import > Stills.

Backgrounds can be bigger than the frame to allow you to pan and zoom on them. To do this besure you don’t turn the Scale To Fit option on.