Making MapleStory Music Video Scenes

Plan your shots before you build

Write a simple shot list against your song: one line per shot with the map, the characters, whether it is a still or animated, and any dialogue. Most MMV shots fall into a few types, and each has an export that suits it:

Establishing shot

A wide view of a map. Export it as a still and let the video editor pan or zoom across it.

Character moment

Characters posed in a scene, often with a chat balloon. A still is usually enough; change the expression or dialogue for the next shot.

Action shot

A walk cycle, an attack, or a skill effect. Export the animation frames and assemble them in the video editor.

Build your cast once and reuse it

1. Create each character in an empty scene, with name tags if you want them. The character guide covers outfits and colors.
2. Rename each layer with a double-click on its Layer Panel row so you can tell the cast apart.
3. Save with File > Save Project and rename the download to something like "cast.bsproj".
4. When you start a new scene, use File > Import Project to drop the cast into it. Import adds layers without removing anything that is already there.

Import also brings in the cast file's background color and zoom, and it starts a fresh Undo history, so import the cast first and build the scene around it. Layers > Clone Layer (Ctrl + C) duplicates a character when you need a crowd or a second outfit for the same person.

Build each scene as its own project

• Load the location with Window > Maple Maps, then move the map group so the part you want sits in the export area. Building Scenes with Maple Maps explains how.
• Lock the map group so clicks select characters, not tiles.
• Add chat balloons and expressions for the shot (chat balloons and custom faces).
• Hide anything that should not be in a given shot. Hidden layers are left out of Whole Scene exports, so one scene can produce several shots.
• Save the project after every scene. The editor has no autosave, and a saved scene lets you re-export a shot when you change your mind.

Exporting still shots

File > Save PNG Image > Whole Scene captures the full shot. It trims transparent edges, so a shot with a map behind it comes out at the full capture size, while a shot of characters on an empty canvas is cropped tight.

For more movement in the edit, export the pieces separately. Hide the characters and export the background with Whole Scene, then select each character and use Save PNG Image > Selected Image, which gives a transparent cut-out. In the video editor you can slide the background slowly while the characters drift a little faster, which adds depth without any animation. Each download has a fixed name, so rename files as they arrive, for example "shot04_background.png".

Exporting animated shots

BannedStory exports animation one layer at a time, so animated shots are assembled from parts. There are three ways to get the frames out:

Sprite sheets (best quality)

Select a character and choose File > Save Sprite Sheet > Normal Sprite Sheet (Ctrl + G). The ZIP holds a transparent PNG for every frame of each standard pose, with all frames of a pose at the same size, so they line up as an image sequence. The included data.xml lists each frame's delay in milliseconds. For expressions, Sprite Sheet with Face Expressions exports every face frame for each body pose in its own folders.

GIF (quickest)

File > Save Animation > As GIF gives one looping file for the selected layer's current pose. GIF transparency is all-or-nothing, so edges can show a rim of the background color. Pick a background color close to what will be behind the GIF in your video, or answer No to the transparency question and use the GIF on a matching solid color.

Frame by frame (for whole-scene moments)

1. Untick Animate on every layer so nothing moves on its own.
2. Set each layer's frame box to the frame you want, then export Whole Scene.
3. Step the frames forward, nudge characters if they should travel, and export again. Rename each file as it arrives ("frame001.png", "frame002.png").
4. Keep a map or picture behind the action that fills the capture area. Otherwise trimming makes each frame a slightly different size and the sequence will jitter.

Layers > Clone Layer Frames helps here too: it creates one layer per frame of the current pose, stacked in the same spot, so you can show them one at a time.

Matching game timing to video frames

Game frames have their own delays, while video runs at a fixed frame rate. To convert, multiply the delay in milliseconds by your frame rate and divide by 1,000. At 30 frames per second, a 500 ms frame lasts 15 video frames and a 180 ms frame lasts 5.4, so alternate between 5 and 6.

Two real examples from the v83 assets: "Walking 1" has four frames of 180 ms each, and "Standing 1" has three frames of 500 ms. GIF, SWF, and sprite sheet exports play standing and alert poses back and forth (frames 0, 1, 2, 1, 0), as the original BannedStory did, which gives a natural breathing loop. More about states and frames is in Animating Characters.

Checklist before you open the video editor

• Every scene is saved as a project, and the cast file is backed up.
• Stills with a full-frame background were exported with the same window setup, so they share one size.
• Files are renamed by shot number and sorted into folders, one per shot.
• Animated parts are exported as sprite sheets or numbered frames, with their delays noted.
• Characters meant to move separately from the background are exported as transparent cut-outs.

Then the rest is up to you and your song. If you hit rough edges in BannedStory along the way, such as an export that fails or an item that looks wrong, tell us on the community tracker or with Help > Report a Bug... in the editor.