April 19th, 2026

From Prompt to Animated Character, Step by Step

How to take a character from a one-line prompt to a full animation set, step by step.

From Prompt to Animated Character, Step by Step

From Prompt to Animated Character, Step by Step

One prompt in, a full animation set out. Here's the flow in /characters.

Character creator overview

What you need

A SpriteCook account. That's it.

Step 1: Write a prompt

Head to the Character Creator. Short prompts work best. A few that land cleanly:

  • A forest ranger hero
  • A cyberpunk swordswoman
  • A tiny druid with a staff

Prompt step

Step 2: Pick a perspective

Pick the view you're building for.

Platformer perspective
Platformer
Isometric perspective
Isometric
Top-down perspective
Top-Down

Perspective step

Pick the one that matches your game. Switching later means redoing the character, so get this right up front.

Step 3: Review and revise

You'll get a larger preview and a revision panel. Keep the current sprite and ask for changes like heavier armor, round shield, colder palette, or cleaner silhouette.

Review and revise

Step 4: Pick an animation set

Each perspective comes with a default motion group. Toggle extras on or off. The credit cost shows before you generate, so you can start small for a prototype.

Animation set

Step 5: Generate and export

Motions come in one card at a time. Preview at true size, then export when the set looks right.

Results and export

Here's the finished character cycling through idle, walk, run, jump, and attack:

Idle Walk Run Jump Attack

Going smaller

Making 16x16 or 32x32 sprites has its own tricks (checkerboard reference, Nano Banana Pro). The tiny pixel art guide covers that.

Open /characters and give it a go. Stuck or want to share what you made? Hang out in the SpriteCook Discord.

Got questions? Building something?

Drop into the Discord. People post WIPs, share prompts that actually worked, and help each other debug weird outputs. We're in there daily too.

Join the Discord