Super Comic Builder
From Bitstrips Help
This page contains detailed instructions on how to use the Super Comic Builder.
Click here for instructions for the Easy Comic Builder.
Contents |
Creating a layout
In the Super Builder you can create highly customized layouts for your strips. There are a few different ways to do it.
Your starting point is the green Layout Tab above your strip. From there, you can:
Enter number of panels numerically: Simply type in a number, hit 'enter', and your strip will automatically generate a layout with the requested number of panels.
- Note: if you change from a higher number of panels to a lower number, some panels will be deleted. ie - if you've made a strip with 8 panels, then switch to 5 panels - the last 3 panels will be deleted!
Or, choose a template: click on one of the 3 most basic strip templates to set up your strip that way.
You can also manually adjust your layout at any time. Click and drag on any of the borders between panels to resize the panels. Dragging left or right on the right edge of the strip will adjust the overall width of your strip. Dragging up or down on the bottom edge will change the height of your strip.
There are also controls in the lower right to add or delete panels, or rows. The first button deletes whichever panel is currently selected. The second button adds a panel to the right of the currently selected panel. The third button adds a row to your strip (if it currently only has one row), or removes the currently selected row (if there are already two).
Changing base colors
There are some basic color controls in the green Layout Tab above your strip.
Click on any of the color boxes to set colors for your strip's Border, or the Sky and Ground inside your panels.
Click the small arrow to match or unmatch the Sky and Ground colors.
Click the checkbox before you pick a color to apply the color to all the panels in your strip.
Using the art library
The Art Library is where you can find all the bits and pieces you need to construct your strip.
Click on the Red Tab at the top of the builder to open up the Library.
On the left, you can choose from a variety of 'Collections' to browse.
Collections can contain any kind of art object: characters, scenes, props, furniture or effects.
On the right, you'll see a selection of objects that go with the currently selected collection.
Click on the tabs above the library to view different types of objects.
To add an object to your strip, just click on it and drag it into a panel.
Moving Characters around
To position your character within a panel, simply click on the character and drag them around.
By default, dragging up or down moves your character further from or closer to the 'camera'.
The further away a character is, the smaller they will appear.
If you want to lift a character off the ground, click on the 'unlock from ground' button:
When unlocked from the ground, dragging a character up or down will move them up or down, instead of near or far.
The shadow under the character shows where they are relative to the ground plane.
If your character has been unlocked from the ground, and you want to move them near or far, click the ground-lock button again to re-lock them to the ground; then drag down or up to move near or far.
Using Word Bubbles
To add dialogue or other text to your strip, click on the yellow tab labeled 'text bubbles' at the top of the builder.
- Click and drag the type of text bubble you want into any panel.
- Click on the text inside the bubble to edit the text.
- Click on the edge of the bubble and drag it around to reposition it.
- Click and drag on the tip of the pointer to aim it at the speaking character.
The controls on the left of the Text Bubbles Tab help you modify the look of your bubble.
- You can change the size of the text, or set it to bold.
- To make very large text, keep clicking the "larger" icon.
- To make smaller text, keep clicking the "smaller" icon.
Note: italic text is currently not functioning. (except sometimes it works)
Click the 'Bubble Color' box to change the color of your text bubble.
- To make text white, make the bubble color very dark. This will work even with the "No Border" Bubble
- You can't change the color of the text. (yet)
Moving Props around
Moving props is just like moving characters - except that by default, props are unlocked from the ground.
This means that by default, dragging up or down moves a prop up or down.
The shadow under the prop shows where it is relative to the ground plane.
If you want to move a prop near or far, click the ground-lock button to lock it to the ground; then drag down or up to move it near or far.
Using Scenes
One of the types of objects you can drag and drop into your strip from the Art Library is a Scene.
Scenes are pre-built templates that can contain anything from simple backgrounds to detailed environments.
You can build your own scenes using the Scene Builder, or try out your friends' scenes by checking the 'Friends Stuff' collection in the Art Library.
By default, all the elements of a scene are locked at first. If an object is locked, it can't be moved. This is useful for extremely detailed scenes containing lots of precisely positioned objects. A selected object has a red highlight if it's locked.
If you want to move an element of a scene, you can unlock it by clicking the lock/unlock button below your strip.
You can lock anything down using the same button at any time, if you don't want to move it by accident.
If you drag a new scene into a panel that already contains another scene, the old scene will be replaced with the new one. If there are elements of the old scene that you want to keep, be sure to unlock them before you drag the new scene in. Unlocked objects will remain in place when new scenes are dragged in.
Moving the camera
You can adjust the composition of any panel in your strip by manipulating the Camera.
There are 3 ways to move the camera:
1. Panning - this is the default setting. If you click anywhere inside a panel, other than on an object, dragging up, down, left or right will reposition the camera accordingly.
2. Zooming - click the 'zoom' button to change the camera controls. With zoom selected, dragging up or down anywhere in the panel (other than on an object) will zoom the camera in and out.
3. Angle - clicking the 'angle' button will enable you to fine-tune your composition by raising or lowering the horizon line. By dragging up or down, you can change the composition from a high-angle shot (in which you can see more of the floor, and things that are separated by depth seem further apart) to a low-angle shot.
* special tip - to really see the angle feature in action, try loading up a panel with lots of objects at different depths. then play around with the camera angle function to get a sense of the simulated 3D space!
Copying and pasting
You can make your strips faster than ever by using the copy and paste tools.
With any object selected, click the 'copy' button to copy it. Then, select the panel you want to paste the object into, and click the 'paste' button.
You can also delete any object by clicking the 'delete' button.
If you click anywhere inside a panel other than on an object, you can copy the entire panel. Click on a new panel and hit paste to make a duplicate of the first panel. This can really speed up the creation of your strip, when all or several of your panels share the exact same layout.
Clicking the delete button with a panel selected will clear the contents of that panel.
Saving your strip
To save a strip, click on the red SAVE button.
In the Comic Builder, the save button is on the right
In the Super Builder, the save button is on the lower-right
Publishing your strip
Editing strips
To edit a strip, click on the pencil icon in the lower-right bar below the strip. If it's greyed-out, it means you don't have permission to edit the strip.
When editing a strip, the old version still remains when you save - if you're happy with the edit, delete the old bitstrip.
