SpriteStudio 7.4 Released!

We are thrilled to announce the release of SpriteStudio 7.4. In addition to the usual improvements and bug fixes, this new version brings 3 major features that will improve your workflow when creating 2D animations: the direct import of Photoshop layers as cells within the tool, bookmarks to navigate the interface more quickly, and new cell map optimization functions.

PSD file import

With the previous versions of SpriteStudio, importing a PSD file was done through the external PSDtoSS6 utility, which then required you to manually add the cell map and animation files you generated to your SpriteStudio project.

Now, the PSD Import command of the Project menu will automatically add these files to the standard folders in your current project (you can also decide to create a brand-new project, of course).

 

All the options that were included in PSDtoSS6 are still available, allowing you to tweak the import process as you wish.

Bookmarks

When projects get bigger, navigating between the different assets can become cumbersome and time-consuming.
This new feature allows you to register animations, parts, cells, and keys as bookmarks by dropping them on the top bar of the main window.

They will appear as buttons you can later click on to instantly jump back to these assets while creating your animation.
Once the bookmarks are created, you can rename them and organize them into folders.

Cell map optimization

Three options have been added to the Cell Map Optimization: the removal of unnecessary transparent areas, the merging of cells with exact pixel matches, and the resizing of solid color cells to 1×1 pixels.

These new options will be particularly effective when importing sprite sheets containing cells spaced at regular intervals. They are also available in the settings of individual cell maps.

If you are not using SpriteStudio yet, you can get the free Starter license that will give you access to all the features needed to create your 2D animations for your games! Also, don’t forget to check out this post for the basics!