Importing and Exporting PNG Sequences Using Templater

[Jeff]

As of the recently released 2.9.6 update, Templater can both import and export PNG file sequences for use with your video project! However, this can be a bit tricky as there are a few extra steps involved in working with PNG sequences instead of standard video or still image file types.

Importing

To import a PNG sequence into your project using Templater, you’ll want to specify the file location in your data source of the first PNG in the sequence. Then, simply add a # to the beginning of the file path. For example:

#/footage/filename00000.png

Templater should then import the sequence and swap it out with the designated layer in your project. When Templater imports a sequence, it sets the sequence’s frame rate to match the currently mapped layer source rate, so keep that in mind when setting things up.

Exporting

A few extra steps are required to correctly render a project file as a PNG sequence using Templater. By default, a file rendered as a PNG sequence will have the frame number appended to the end of the file name, i.e.:

filename.png00000, filename.png00001, filename.png00002, etc.

In order to designate where in the filename the frame number should be added, we’ll need to use the output column. First, add a column named output to your data source. Next, add a filename with a set of brackets with five # signs to designate where the frame numbering should be added. For example:

filename[#####] would result in filename00001.png

or

[#####]filename would result in 00001filename.png

Hopefully that should clarify the process for working with PNG sequences, but if you have any other questions, please just let us know!