Animatic Video Sequencer
A free Blender add-on that imports images into the Video Sequencer as an animatic
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A free Blender add-on that imports images into the Video Sequencer as an animatic
Last updated
Was this helpful?
This add-on for Blender will import a directory full of images and place them in the Video Sequence Editor timeline based on the numbers in the filename. The number in the file name is expected to be the frame position in the timeline. Each image will be made visible until the next frame is reached in the timeline.
This add-on is a companion tool that works with the Render Markers add-on or the Render Markers function of the .
Quickly add a directory of images to the Video Sequencer.
Each image holds until a new frame number is loaded.
Option to add a text strip with the image name.
Change scene frame rate by reading a text file loaded with the images.
Change scene resolution by reading a text file loaded with the images.
Blender 2.8 or higher
File names need four to six digits for numbering each file. Examples:
f_0001.png
frame.0001.png
f_12345.jpg
frames123456.png
Supported file formats are: BMP, EXR, PNG, JPG, TIF, TIFF, TARGA, TGA
In Blender's Edit menu, select "Preferences..." and then choose the Add-ons tab. Press the "Install..." button and select this zip file. Select the checkbox next to the Animatic Video Sequencer.
Select Video Editing when starting Blender or pick the Blender Video Editing workspace.
In the Video Sequencer window and the Add menu, select "Images as Animatic".
Choose a directory of images. (No need to select any files.)
Press the button, "Images as Animatic".
After the add-on is started from the Add menu, a Blender File View window will open. On the right side of the window there should be a panel of options. If they are not visible, press the gear icon in the upper right part of the window. Detailed descriptions for each setting are below.
Relative Path is a normal Blender option that tells Blender how to look for files. It is recommended to leave it on. Blender can look for files relative to where the blend file is saved. This makes it easier to transport the blend file to another computer.
Channel is a normal Blender option that tells Blender where to put the sequence of images. Channel 1 is typically reserved for audio. If a channel already has a sequence in it, The next higher channel will be used. Since each image loads in as a separate element, some elements may fit in channel 2, while others use channel 3 or the next higher available slot.
When this option is on, a sequence will start at the time cursor. Normally, the image file name determines where the images get placed. An example file named, "picture_0001.png" will get placed at frame 1 and stay visible until the next file is found. If the first image is named, "picture_0012.png", it will get placed at frame 12. Turning on the option "Start at Time Cursor" and putting the time cursor at frame 100 will cause the frames to get added at that point as if it were the frame 1 position.
The length of time that the last frame is visible, can be set to any positive number. By setting it to zero, it will set to be visible as an average time of all of the frames before it. If every frame before it stayed visible for 10 frames, then the last frame would stay visible for ten frames.
The scene end frame can be changed to increase if the series of images lasts longer than the current setting.
This option will only work if there is an FPS.txt file in the same directory. See below for the specifics of the file.
This option will only work if there is an FPS.txt file in the same directory. See below for the specifics of the file.
A small file in the same directory as the images can be (optionally) used to change the scene frame rate and/or resolution. It needs to be named "FPS.txt" and it is not case sensitive. The text file needs three specific lines for it to work. The FPS: line will set the frame rate. The other two lines RES_X: and RES_Y: wil set the scene resolution. A sample file looks like the following:
NOTE The settings in the file will only be used if the options are selected at load time.
The Add Strip Labels option will add a text effect on top of each image strip with the name of the file. The text will appear in the render. The settings for controlling the text can be found in the preferences. See below for details.
The import options can be preset in the add-on preferences. The Documentation button will link to this page. The "Report a Bug" button will link to the GitHub issues page for this add-on. The Instructions tab will switch the display to a short list of instructions for using this add-on.
The Add Strip Labels option will add a text effect on top of each image strip with the name of the file. The text effect is added when the images are loaded. The position settings are different than the Blender settings. Text will never be off or half off the screen with the add-on settings. Once the text is created, it can be adjusted in the properties panel for each strip.
Using this option will include the file extension with the name of the image file.
This is the font size. It has a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 1000.
The color of the text and alpha level
If enabled, the color of the shadow with alpha level. There is no setting for shadow offset. (Blender does not offer it.)
This option is only available with Blender versions 2.9 and later. If enabled, this will draw a filled box behind the text. The color and alpha level can be chosen.
This option is only available with Blender versions 2.9 and later. If Background Box is enabled, the margin is the space between the edge of the box and the text. The box can never be smaller than the text.
This is different than the Blender setting for Alignment X. This works with the Edge Offset X setting of this add-on. The anchor is the side of the screen that the Edge Offset X value will use. Left will start from the left edge of the screen. Center will NOT use any Edge Offset X values. Right will start from the right side of the screen.
This is different than the Blender setting for Location X. It uses a percentage between 0% and 50% which works from the Anchor X point unless Center is selected.
This is different than the Blender setting for Alignment Y. This works with the Edge Offset Y setting of this add-on. The anchor is the side of the screen that the Edge Offset Y value will use. Top will start from the top edge of the screen. Center will NOT use any Edge Offset Y values. Bottom will start from the bottom side of the screen.
This is different than the Blender setting for Location Y. It uses a percentage between 0% and 50% which works from the Anchor Y point unless Center is selected.
