Creating a Custom Scene

Overview

Although the SundaySky Scene Library includes a wide variety of scene templates, there are situations where creating a custom scene is the best solution. Here are some common scenarios where custom scenes come in handy:

• You want to create a completely unique composition tailored to your specific needs.
• A scene template is missing one or more placeholders you want to include. In this case, you can recreate the scene template as a custom scene and add the additional placeholders you need.
• A placeholder in a standard layout isn't positioned where you want it. Here, you can recreate the layout as a custom scene and place the relevant placeholder exactly where it's needed.

Custom scenes provide the flexibility to use any placeholders you like and arrange them freely within the scene. As in a scene template, the placeholders are animated, adding dynamic motion that helps bring your message to life.

Finally, the graphic elements and animations of your selected theme ensure that the custom scene retains the polished look and feel of the other scenes in the video.

Adding a Custom Scene

1.	In the scene line-up, select the scene after which you want to add a custom scene.
2.	Click the plus sign.
3.	Click + Custom scene.
	A custom scene is added to the scene line-up. ▶ Note the blue icon on the scene thumbnail, indicating that this is a custom scene.

Working with a Custom Scene

Adding a Placeholder
Aligning Placeholders
Ordering Placeholders
Working with Multiple Placeholders
Bullets
Notes

Adding a Placeholder

Placeholders are the core elements used to build a custom scene. They define where content appears and how the scene is organized. Depending on the type of content you want to include—text, media, buttons, or a logo—you can choose from different types of placeholders.
High-performing videos typically feature a carefully selected group of placeholders in each scene. As you add placeholders, consider whether all of your content should be in a single scene or if the video would be more engaging by spreading the content across multiple scenes.

To add a placeholder:
1.	On the Scene Actions toolbar, click Add placeholder. ▶ If this is the first placeholder you're adding, you can also click Add placeholder in the center of the scene.
2.	From the Placeholder Library, select the placeholder that you want to add.
	The placeholder is added to the scene. ▶ The initial size and position of the placeholder are defaults based on visual design considerations.
3.	Customize each placeholder using the options available on the toolbar that appears when the placeholder is selected. ▶ The available actions vary depending on the type of placeholder you've added. For detailed guidance on these actions, search the SundaySky Help Center for related articles.
4.	Resize and reposition the placeholder as needed. ▶ Use the mouse or arrow keys to move the placeholder. To move the placeholder in larger increments, press Shift + arrow keys.

Aligning Placeholders

Properly aligning placeholders is key to creating a balanced and visually appealing scene. In a custom scene, you can easily achieve this using both center guides and alignment guides. Below are several examples demonstrating various techniques for aligning placeholders within a scene.

Scene Margins
Each scene includes margins on all four sides. We recommend keeping the placeholders within these margins to ensure the scene looks professional and balanced.

Center Guides
To position a placeholder exactly at the center of the scene, drag it until both the horizontal and vertical center guides appear and intersect. Once you release the mouse, the placeholder will snap into position at the center.

Alignment Guides
To align placeholders with each other, use the alignment guides that appear whenever you drag or resize an element relative to another. These horizontal and vertical guides help you line up placeholders by showing when their edges or centers are aligned. Once you release the mouse, the placeholder snaps into position. Below are two examples showing how alignment guides are used.

Ordering Placeholders

Once you've added multiple placeholders to your scene, you may need to arrange their order to achieve the desired visual effect. Ordering placeholders is especially useful in scenarios such as:

• Creating a composite image by stacking multiple media assets
• Placing a text placeholder on top of a media asset to add information or annotations

To adjust the order of the placeholders, click the Order icon on the toolbar and select one of the following options:

• Bring forward moves the selected placeholder one layer up
• Bring to front positions the selected placeholder above all other placeholders
• Send backward moves the selected placeholder one layer down
• Send to back positions the placeholder behind all other placeholders

Working with Multiple Placeholders

You can select multiple placeholders at once using your mouse, the Shift key, or the Ctrl key. After selecting them, you can move them together as a group, distribute them evenly vertically or horizontally, and apply ordering functions—such as bring forward or send backward—to all of them at once. This helps you arrange your scene more quickly and precisely.

In the following example, the three images are distributed horizontally, creating equal space between them, and then aligned to the bottom of the placeholders.

Bullets

Working with Bullets

Bullets are a placeholder type you can add to a custom scene. A bullet is a pair of an icon and text that you edit together as a single unit. Because a bullet often introduces a distinct point in your narration, it pairs naturally with animation cues: you can add a cue for each bullet so it enters exactly when the narration mentions it.

Two bullet types are available in the placeholder library:

• Horizontal bullet — the icon and text are arranged side by side.
• Vertical bullet — the icon and text are arranged one above the other.

Note: A bullet is a single item, not a bullet list. To build a list, add multiple bullet placeholders. The icon is only displayed when the bullet has text; if the text is empty, the whole bullet is not shown.

Adding and Arranging Bullets

1. Open a custom scene and open the placeholder library.
2. Add a Horizontal bullet or Vertical bullet placeholder. Add as many bullets as you need.
3. Position the bullets on the scene. To align several bullets at once, multi-select them and use the distribute option to space them evenly.
4. (Optional) Copy an existing bullet and paste it to create another with the same settings.

Although each bullet is a separate placeholder, multi-select lets you arrange them together.

Editing a Bullet

1. Select the bullet. The icon controls and the text formatting controls are both available.
2. Click Edit to open the combined dialog for the icon and the text together.
3. Adjust the icon size using one of the four available sizes, and align the icon within its area if the icon is not square.

Bullets use smart text: when the text in one bullet needs more room, the text size adjusts across the bullets so they stay consistent. Enlarging a bullet gives its text more space to grow.

Personalizing a Bullet

Because the icon and text form a single unit, personalization applies to them together. When you use Message by Audience on a bullet, each variation includes both the icon and the text, and the fallback applies to both.

Reusing Bullets from Pre-made Scenes

In a pre-made scene, an icon and its text are separate placeholders. When you copy from a pre-made scene and paste into a custom scene, they are coupled into a single bullet, so the pair is easier to manage and time.

Note: When you copy a bullet, the icon size may come in slightly smaller than the original as the platform matches the closest available size. You can increase or decrease the size afterward.

Notes

1.	A button uses the text and colors defined in the video's brand configuration.
2.	By default, the logo is displayed at the size most commonly used in the scene templates selected for the video and is positioned in the upper left corner of the scene.
3.	The Distribute option is available only when you select more than two placeholders.

Features Not Supported in Custom Scenes

While most editing features are available when creating a custom scene, there are a few exceptions. Below is a list of the features that are currently not supported.

FAQ

1.	Can a scene template be converted into a custom scene? Currently, this capability is not supported.
2.	Can I add an avatar to a custom scene? Yes. Both stock and custom avatars can be added to a custom scene. However, unlike placeholders, avatars cannot be layered behind placeholders. They will always appear on top.
3.	I added a custom scene, but now I want to change my video's theme to Lite (which isn't supported with custom scenes). How can I do this? To change your video's theme to Lite, you'll first need to delete any custom scenes. Once they're removed, you'll be able to select the Lite theme. Before deleting a custom scene, you may want to first recreate its content using a scene template whose placeholders best suit the content included in the scene.
4.	Can I duplicate a custom scene to another video in my account? No. Like standard scenes, custom scenes can only be duplicated within the same video. They cannot be copied to other videos. As a workaround, you can create a video containing your custom scenes and use it as a master template. When you want to reuse those scenes, simply duplicate the master video and keep only the scenes you need for the new video.
5.	I know that in a custom scene, I need to use a text placeholder to position text over a media asset since text overlays aren't supported. What are the advantages and drawbacks of this method? Advantage: A text placeholder is animated according to the video's theme, allowing your text to appear with motion. Drawback: A text placeholder is not linked to the media asset beneath it. If you move the media asset, the text does not move with it. You'll need to manually reposition the text placeholder to maintain its placement.
6.	Since adding a bullet placeholder to a custom scene isn't currently supported, is there a workaround? Yes, here's a workaround you can use: a. Add a media placeholder and use it to display the bullet symbol (e.g., circle, arrow, or custom image). b. Resize the media placeholder to the desired size. c. Add a text placeholder (heading or sub heading) next to the media placeholder to display the text. d. Duplicate the media and text placeholders as needed for the list items. e. Select all the media placeholders and align them to the left. f. Select all the text placeholders and align them also to the left.