Add your art and sounds

Which files work, how PixelStory decides what each one is, and how to fix it.

Files you can use

Images: PNG, WebP and GIF (animated GIFs play by themselves), up to 5 MB each. Aseprite files (.aseprite / .ase) and sprite sheets with Aseprite or TexturePacker JSON keep their animations.
Sounds: MP3, WAV and OGG, up to 15 MB and 30 minutes each.
Video backgrounds: MP4 (H.264) and WebM, up to 24 MB and 5 minutes.

What each file becomes

PixelStory guesses each file's job from its name and size, and you can change it under Used as when you select it in the Cast panel.

Large images (640 × 360 or bigger) and names with background, bg, room, street or town become backgrounds.
Names with dialog, textbox or box become the dialogue box; portrait, face or avatar become portraits and are paired with the character of the same name.
Names with foreground, fg or overlay are drawn in front of everyone. Cut-outs named like fence, counter, bushes, table, railing, -front or -mid stand in the scene so characters can walk behind them.
Names with prop, item, barrel, crate or sign become props; effect, fx or sparkle become effects. Everything else becomes a character.
Sounds: step or foot → footsteps; typ, blip or beep → typing; music, bgm, theme or loop (or anything longer than 20 seconds) → music; wind, rain, crowd or birds → ambience; voice → a recorded line; anything else → a sound effect.

Tip Drop “mike.png”, “mike-run.gif” and “mike-happy.png” together and the extra files become Mike's run animation and happy expression instead of new characters.

Built-in sound effects

No sounds of your own? Add a Sound beat and pick one of the built-in effects: knocks, doors, a doorbell, a phone, hits, thuds, whooshes, splashes, an explosion, thunder, a heartbeat, coins, fanfares, magic and more. They're made by PixelStory and free to use anywhere — videos, games, commercial work.

Sprite sheets

Select the character and press Animation frames… to tell PixelStory how the sheet is laid out (columns, rows, frame rate, and which rows are walking in each direction). The setup is saved with the upload, so adding the same sheet to another scene keeps it.

Your library

Everything you upload is kept in your library. Press Library in the Cast panel to add earlier uploads or built-in art packs to the current scene without uploading again.

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