Animations in the Workflow Builder

Animations give guests visual instructions, branding, and useful feedback while FMX is waiting for an action to finish. They can welcome a guest, run behind another feature, show that AI is processing, or keep the screen active during a longer workflow.

Animation types

Type	How it behaves	Good uses
Single Animation	Plays one selected image or video	Touch to Start, a countdown, an AI loader, or a payment screen
Random Animation	Chooses from a configured group each time the step is reached	Rotating sponsor messages, poses, or branded interstitials
Timeless Animation	Keeps media running across other workflow activity	Ambient overlays, augmented-reality elements, and screen-recording backgrounds

The built-in blank or transparent animation is also valid media. Use it when the workflow needs an Animation node and its trigger, but no visible artwork should cover the screen.

Add an animation

1. In Foto Master Cloud, open the event and its Workflow Builder.
2. Add the required Animation type to the canvas.
3. Select the node and choose its image, video, built-in media, or animation set.
4. Set its playback and positioning options.
5. Connect its outgoing edge and choose the trigger that should advance the workflow.
6. Save, sync the event to FMX, and test on the booth display.

Use event media with the same aspect ratio as the booth screen. A short, seamless video works best for screens whose duration can vary.

Choose the correct trigger

The trigger belongs to the transition leaving the animation. Common choices include:

• Touch: continue when the guest taps the screen. This is the usual Touch to Start pattern.
• Time: continue after a fixed number of seconds.
• Playback Ended: continue when the selected video finishes.
• Media Saved: keep the animation visible until a capture or generated file is ready.
• AI Processed: wait for all AI work in the current batch to finish.
• Payment: keep the checkout screen visible until payment is approved.

Do not use an arbitrary Time trigger to estimate AI processing. Connect the animation with AI Processed so a fast request can continue immediately and a slow one remains covered by the loader. For several AI services in one experience, see How to Run Multiple AI Services in One FMX Workflow.

Build an AI loading screen

1. Place the AI service or services after the captured source.
2. Add a Single Animation with a clear processing message or branded looping video.
3. Connect the loading animation to the next step with AI Processed.
4. Preview the AI result only after that wait has completed.

The AI Processed transition is the wait or completion gate; it is not an AI service itself. A transparent built-in animation can provide the same wait behavior when you do not want a visible loader, although visible feedback is usually better for guests.

For very long jobs such as Seedance video generation, use a QR handoff so the guest can leave the screen and retrieve the finished result later.

Position a payment QR code

When a Single Animation is used with a Payment trigger, its editor can position the checkout QR code over the animation. Design the background with an uncluttered QR area, then place and size the QR so it has strong contrast and sufficient quiet space.

This applies to Stripe and Shopify QR checkout workflows. The QR is prepared after the guest starts checkout, so use a branded loading state that still looks intentional before the code appears. Test the finished screen with a real phone at the guest's expected distance.

Random and timeless recommendations

• Keep every Random Animation asset similar in duration so the guest journey remains predictable.
• Confirm that text and logos remain readable in every random asset.
• Use Timeless Animation sparingly; foreground media can cover buttons or previews.
• Stop or replace a timeless element before any screen where it should no longer appear.
• For screen recording, run a full test to confirm the timeless layer is included at the intended depth.

Troubleshooting

The animation never advances

Check the outgoing edge. A Touch transition needs a guest tap, Playback Ended needs playable video, AI Processed needs active AI work to complete, and Payment needs an approved checkout. If the trigger does not match the workflow action, the screen will remain open.

AI finishes but the loader remains

Confirm that all AI services in the current batch completed and that the loader's outgoing edge uses AI Processed. One failed or still-running service can keep the batch open; add a tested error route for cloud failures.

The payment QR is hard to scan

Increase its size, use dark QR modules on a light solid area, remove graphics from its quiet zone, and test at full-screen resolution. Avoid moving video immediately behind the code.

Media is blank, stretched, or cropped

Recheck the file, screen aspect ratio, and fit mode. A deliberately blank built-in animation is transparent by design; replace it if visible media was intended.

A timeless animation covers controls

Change its foreground/background placement or use a regular Animation step for that part of the workflow.