FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Short answers about GreatSprites, the service that turns one picture into game-ready sprite animations.

What is GreatSprites?

GreatSprites is a web service that turns one picture into game-ready sprite animations: characters, objects and living backgrounds. You download a small runtime and your animation files and play them in your own game. We make animations; we do not build games or advise on game design.

Which game engines does it work with?

The runtime is built for PixiJS v8 with the WebGL renderer. Adapters for other web engines are planned. For other engines, a classic frame export is planned as well.

How long does one animation take?

In our October 2026 measurement, 22 to 41 seconds from your picture to a finished, checked animation, with several made at once. Your plan decides how many of yours are made at the same time.

What kind of picture works best?

A clean, finished illustration of one subject with clear edges and some room around it to move. Cartoon and painted styles work well. For a living background, a picture composed for your game's layout, with the things that should move clearly visible.

Why does every clip start and end on my picture?

So that any clip can follow any other and the static picture can take over at any moment without a visible jump. In a slot, the animated symbol and the reel symbol are the same picture at rest.

How much memory does an animation use?

It depends mostly on how large the sprite is drawn, then on how long it is. Every animation shows its phone and desktop GPU memory and download before you make it, and every project shows its total against a recommended budget of about 32 MB of GPU memory and 15 MB of download on a phone.

Do the animations call your servers when my game runs?

No. You host the runtime and the files with your game. Nothing is fetched from us at run time.

What happens on a device that cannot play them?

The still picture is shown and your game carries on. The runtime needs a GPU-compressed texture format, which practically every current phone and desktop browser has.

How does pricing work?

Credits pay for each animation you make (1 credit = $0.01; a Standard clip of up to 1.5 seconds is 125 credits, up to 3 seconds 185). Your plan (Indie $99 a month with 5,000 credits included, Pro $249 with 10,000) unlocks qualities, tools such as the API and review links, and how many animations are made at once. More credits come in packs (1,000 credits = $10). Preview, moments, budgets and export are free.

What are the free tests?

Two Standard animations on your own pictures, no card. You can export them and try them in your own build for evaluation; they are not for a shipped game. Starting any plan turns them commercial with one click, at no credit cost.

Do I pay for an animation that comes out wrong?

Every animation is checked automatically: it must start on your picture, return to it and leave no stray colour at its edges. One that fails is made again before you see it, and you never pay for a failure. If you simply want a different take, "Try again" is a new animation.

Who owns the animations?

You own your pictures and the animations made from them. On a paid plan you may use them commercially in your games with the GreatSprites runtime licence. Final terms are published before launch.

What happens to my pictures?

They are used to make your animations and nothing else. We do not publish your art, and we never use it in our own marketing without your written permission.

Is there an API?

Yes, on the Pro plan and up: REST and MCP for pipelines and AI agents, with webhooks. A free sandbox key lets you wire your pipeline against a sample animation before you pay.

Is there a referral programme?

Yes. Share your link: the studio you invite gets bonus credits with its first payment, and you get credits once that payment has settled.