I created a tool that creates flipbooks for you

josef · November 18, 2019, 9:57am

15.12.2024
Hello everybody, I rebuilt the app from the ground up, made it open source and added a few new features and enhancements.
Through out the years, roughly 800 people have downloaded the app. I believe this is the post that gave it the most traction. Thank you so much!

Here’s the new Gumroad link:

And here’s the repo:

2019
Hello,
I was trying to find an app that would take your image frames and generated a complete flipbook for you in the matter of seconds because I hate the tediousness of setting them up manually.

Sadly I couldn’t find such app so I wrote my own in Java.

Let me introduce you to my flipbook maker called Frame Surgeon!

Load in your frames
Select a destination for the export (may be done just once!).
Set the desired dimensions of the flipbook you want to be made (may be done just once!).
Set a name for your new flipbook (you want to do this each export unless you wish to overwrite).
Choose a format (may be done just once!)
Hit Create!
Delete ALL

(workflow loop)
8. Load new frames
9. Set a name for your new flipbook.
6. Hit Create!
(workflow loop)

Tutorial link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2GsB7Sx6Dk

Please let me know your feedback, any concerns, suggestions or if anything like this already exists.
I’m going afk at the moment of posting this but I’ll get back and answer any questions.

DOWNLOAD HERE (link edited to Gumroad link):

PS: I wasn’t able to - for the love of all gods - implement a progress bar (This is my first app ever.) But give it up to a minute, you should be able to tell by the “Create” button. It shouldn’t get stuck, so if you see the button is pressed it’s working.

Thanks
I hope this lil tool will save yall some time.

LudeosShaft · November 20, 2019, 10:00am

Hey fellow artist!
Don’t mean to offend - but have you heard of GlueIt?

josef · November 20, 2019, 11:42am

Hi and thanks.
Yeah ive found out about it like a day after ive posted this and it’s ok. It may be the only one besides mine? Google is empty.

However im already working on resizing options, solid color removal and animated gif export and still keeping it all “set once and repeate” for the speed of work.
Edit:also mine is in java so any os can run it

Partikel · November 20, 2019, 1:00pm

You should check out Slate. https://www.facedownfx.com/ It does exactly this and a bunch more. Maybe it could give you some ideas.

SubaRasheed · November 20, 2019, 3:48pm

Wow! He removed the watermark for the personal use version. I can’t recommend this app enough.

josef · November 20, 2019, 4:11pm

Oh wow.
Yeah looks like mine’s just a Lidl version of that.
Still can’t use it on Linux native and I haven’t tested it yet through wine but I’ve seen a video.

Though I think my program is and will be developed under a different mindset of having to do tons of stuff very quick. For things not just if you want to make flipbooks or sprite sheets but also if you want to just resize 100 photos or make background transparent. Or having decided all your textures need to be scaled down by half. That kind of stuff.

With as least amount of click as possible.
Thanks for the reply.

Hovl · November 20, 2019, 7:03pm

But your can be used for .tga
GlueIT and ON SQUARE can’t do the same

josemorval · November 21, 2019, 1:54pm

Little weird but I usually use ffmpeg to make the spritesheets

ffmpeg -y -i %4d.png -filter_complex “scale=-1:512,tile=8x4” spritesheet.png

alex.underhill · November 21, 2019, 5:10pm

Keep it up!
My first iteration was also java based IIRC, biggest hurdle I hit was loading & saving all the different file types for images as well as their variants which was super difficult when various file types support various bit depths and options.
Let me know if I can ever be of any help.

josef · November 25, 2019, 10:50pm

Hello again, here’s an update!

You can now:

convert images
downscale images (set once for any action(flipbooks, conversion, gifs))
create animated gifs

I also renamed it to Frame Wrench, since it’s more than just flipbooks now.

Though I’m quite confident in this but please, let me know of any bugs asap.
No progress bar because I just tried everything but I’m clearly missing something. It not work .

Next plan is for the far far future:
.vtf (valve texture format) support which means writing my own readers and writers of the format for java. Would be handy having before Alyx comes out with Source2 but I need more time.

Thank you!

DOWNLOAD:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ktwu35Y7f8RgYbD-3Q_K0vKhyY8urvxR/view?usp=sharing

DMs:
https://twitter.com/gameDevJosef

josef · March 3, 2020, 5:29pm

I’ve decided to put the app on Gumroad for convenience reasons, so you’ll always find the latest version there.

Feel free not to pay anything
(link also edited into the 1st post in this thread)