Session Files

Session files save and restore your complete project state, preserving all artwork, animations, settings, and palettes for later editing.

Overview

Info

Session files are the recommended way to save your work for future editing. They preserve everything - not just the artwork.

A session file contains:

All animation frames
Canvas settings (size, background)
Tool configurations
Color palettes (custom and recent)
Character palettes
Typography settings
UI state (zoom, pan)

Saving a Session

Manual Save

Click Export in the toolbar

Select Session from the format dropdown

Configure settings (optional)

Click Export to download

Quick Save

Ctrl/Cmd+S - Opens save dialog
Previous filename remembered for convenience

Loading a Session

Click Import in the toolbar

Select your .json session file

Project loads with all settings restored

Warning

Loading a session replaces your current work. Save your current project first if needed.

Session Settings

Include Metadata

Embeds project information:

Project name
Description
Creation date
App version
Export date

File Structure

Session files use JSON format:

json

{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "metadata": {
    "name": "My Project",
    "createdAt": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
    "appVersion": "2.0.0"
  },
  "animation": {
    "frames": [...],
    "currentFrameIndex": 0,
    "frameRate": 12,
    "looping": true
  },
  "canvas": {
    "width": 80,
    "height": 24,
    "backgroundColor": "#1a1a1a",
    "showGrid": true
  },
  "tools": {
    "activeTool": "pencil",
    "selectedColor": "#ffffff",
    "selectedBgColor": "#000000",
    "selectedCharacter": "@"
  },
  "typography": {
    "fontSize": 14,
    "characterSpacing": 0,
    "lineSpacing": 0
  },
  "ui": {
    "zoom": 1,
    "panOffset": { "x": 0, "y": 0 },
    "theme": "dark"
  },
  "palettes": {...},
  "characterPalettes": {...}
}

What Gets Saved

Animation Data

Data	Saved
All frames	✅
Frame order	✅
Frame durations	✅
Current frame position	✅
Frame rate	✅
Loop setting	✅

Canvas State

Data	Saved
Canvas dimensions	✅
Background color	✅
Grid visibility	✅
All cell content	✅
Cell colors	✅
Cell backgrounds	✅

Tool Settings

Data	Saved
Active tool	✅
Selected color	✅
Selected background	✅
Selected character	✅
Tool-specific settings	✅

Palettes

Data	Saved
Custom color palettes	✅
Recent colors	✅
Active palette	✅
Character palettes	✅
Character mapping settings	✅

Use Cases

Work in Progress

Save your work to continue later:

Export as Session when stopping work

Close the browser safely

Import the session next time

Continue exactly where you left off

Backup Before Changes

Create a checkpoint before major edits:

Export current state as Session

Make your experimental changes

If needed, import the backup to restore

Version Control

Save multiple versions:

project-v1.json
project-v2.json
project-final.json

Template Creation

Create reusable starting points:

Set up canvas size, colors, palettes
Save as session
Import as starting point for new projects

Workflow Integration

Recommended Save Schedule

Every 15 minutes during active work
Before major changes (effects, deletions)
At milestones (animation complete, ready for export)
Before closing the browser

Naming Convention

Suggested format: projectname-YYYY-MM-DD-version.json

Example: logo-animation-2024-01-15-v2.json

Session vs Other Exports

Feature	Session	JSON	Image/Video
Editable	✅	❌	❌
All frames	✅	✅	Single/Video
Tool settings	✅	❌	❌
Palettes	✅	❌	❌
Colors	✅	✅	✅
Re-importable	✅	Partial	❌

Tips

File Management

Keep sessions organized in project folders
Use descriptive filenames
Delete outdated versions periodically

Large Projects

Session files can be large with many frames
Consider periodic cleanup of unused frames
Complex animations = larger files

Session files can be shared for:

Collaboration (others can continue your work)
Templates (starting points for others)
Backup storage (cloud drives, USB)

Info

Session files are JSON, so they can be version-controlled with Git if desired.

Troubleshooting

Session Won't Load

Verify file is valid JSON
Check file isn't corrupted
Try opening in a text editor to inspect
Ensure correct file extension (.json)

Missing Data After Load

All saved data should restore
If palettes missing, check version compatibility
Recent colors may not transfer across versions

Large File Size

Normal sizes by project size:

Simple art: 10-50 KB
Medium animation: 100-500 KB
Complex project: 1-5 MB

If much larger:

Check frame count
Consider removing unused frames
Simplify if possible