Sprite Lab (v0.3.1)

Universal 2D Sprite Sheet & GIF Generator

Sprite Lab is a technical tool designed to optimize the workflow for 3D artists and developers using video generators. It transforms video clips (Blender renders, AI-generated clips, etc.) into Sprite Sheets or Animated GIFs optimized for engines such as Godot, Unity, or GameMaker.

This version 0.3 focuses on visual feedback, high-quality GIF export, and UI polish.

---

Screenshots

1. Main Interface (Initial State)

Clean interface waiting for files to be loaded via Drag & Drop.

2. Editor in Action (Chroma Key)

3. Editor in Action (Cropping)

Real-time preview featuring background removal, automatic grid, and zoom viewer.

4. Results (Sprite Sheet)

Smart Naming: Exported filenames automatically include the cropped frame dimensions (WxH) for quick reference during engine setup.

---

What's New in v0.3

• High-Quality GIF Export: Added support for animated GIF export using an internal dual-pass palette generation for professional color accuracy.
• Enhanced Preview Windows: GIF and Sheet previews now feature proportional scaling and auto-centering, fitting any screen size without distortion.
• Dynamic Precision Cursors: The mouse cursor now changes to a crosshair when using the Crop or Eyedropper tools for better visual feedback.
• Visual Aspect Ratio Link: Replaced the legacy emoji with a custom high-compatibility icon for the resolution link, ensuring consistent UI across all Windows versions.

---

Fix 0.3.1

• Repaired sheet exports bugs

---

Technical Features

• Local Processing: All rendering is performed via FFmpeg on your local machine. The application makes no external connections and collects no user data.
• Eyedropper Chroma Key: Direct on-screen color selection with an adjustable tolerance slider for clean transparencies.
• Zoom Viewer: Free navigation (Panning) and automatic "Fit" mode for precise framing before exporting.
• Bilingual System: Support for dynamic language switching (English/Spanish) across the entire interface.

---

Ethical Use & Purpose

This tool is built for creators. It serves as the ideal bridge for:

1. Blender/Maya Artists who need to export their 3D animations as 2D assets.
2. Developers using generative AI video (Runway, Sora, Grok) to create base characters and integrate them into a game engine.

---

Installation

Binary Releases (Recommended - No Java Required)

Self-contained binary releases are available for Linux and macOS from the GitHub Releases page. These binaries are built with jbundle and include an embedded JVM - no Java installation required!

Linux (amd64):

1. Download SpriteLab-Linux-amd64.tar.gz from the latest release
2. Extract: tar -xzf SpriteLab-Linux-amd64.tar.gz
3. Run: ./run-native.sh or ./SpriteLab

macOS (arm64/Apple Silicon):

1. Download SpriteLab-macOS-arm64.tar.gz from the latest release
2. Extract: tar -xzf SpriteLab-macOS-arm64.tar.gz
3. Run: ./run-native.sh or ./SpriteLab

Both packages include:

• Self-contained SpriteLab binary with embedded JVM (built with jbundle)
• FFmpeg binaries in the bin folder

Alternative Installation (Windows)

For Windows, jbundle support is not yet available. You can use the traditional JAR-based release:

1. Download the .rar file from Itch.io.
2. Extract the contents (Ensure the bin folder containing ffmpeg.exe is in the same directory).
3. Requires Java 21 or higher to be installed
4. Run SpriteLab.exe or java -jar SpriteLab.jar

---

Development (Build)

• Language: Java 21 (JavaFX).
• Dependencies: FFmpeg (Local binaries required in /bin).
• Build Tool: jbundle (creates self-contained binaries with no JVM required).
• License: MIT.

Building from source with jbundle:

jbundle packages your Java application into a self-contained binary with an embedded JVM - no Java installation required to run!

# Install jbundle (requires Rust/Cargo)
git clone https://github.com/avelino/jbundle.git
cd jbundle
# Pin to a specific version for reproducible builds
git checkout f722ab543a57e7fc496656c72198c71efe52e89c
cargo install --path .

# Build self-contained binary (no JVM needed to run!)
cd /path/to/SpriteLab

# For Linux (amd64)
jbundle build --input . --output ./dist/SpriteLab --java-version 21 --target linux-x64 --profile cli

# For macOS ARM64 (Apple Silicon)
jbundle build --input . --output ./dist/SpriteLab --java-version 21 --target macos-aarch64 --profile cli

# Note: Windows is not yet supported by jbundle

# The output binary includes everything needed to run - no Java required!

Alternative: Traditional Maven Build (requires Java 21 to run):

# Build JAR (requires Java 21 to run)
mvn clean package

GitHub Actions & Release Process

The repository includes automated build workflows using jbundle:

• CI Build (.github/workflows/ci-build.yml): Runs on every push/PR to build and test self-contained binaries for Linux and macOS
• Release Builds (.github/workflows/release-builds.yml): Automatically creates distribution packages on GitHub releases

To create a new release:

1. Create a new tag: git tag v0.3.2
2. Push the tag: git push origin v0.3.2
3. Create a GitHub release from the tag
4. The workflow will automatically build and attach:
   • SpriteLab-Linux-amd64.tar.gz (Self-contained Linux binary + FFmpeg - no JVM required!)
   • SpriteLab-macOS-arm64.tar.gz (Self-contained macOS ARM64 binary + FFmpeg - no JVM required!)

Each release package includes:

• Self-contained SpriteLab binary (with embedded JVM)
• FFmpeg binary
• Launch script (run-native.sh)
• README and LICENSE files

About jbundle:

jbundle (https://github.com/avelino/jbundle) is a tool that packages Java applications into self-contained binaries with an embedded JDK. The resulting binaries:

• Run anywhere without requiring Java installation
• Include optimized startup with AppCDS by default
• Support CLI profile for fast startup
• Work across platforms (Linux and macOS currently supported)

Developed by FedeiaTech.