Frequently Asked Questions

Creative production comes with plenty of questions, especially when technical requirements affect what can be built, how long it will take, and what assets are needed. This chapter brings together clear answers to the questions Creative Studio receives most often. It covers common topics including open files, image quality, banner resizing, GIFs, minimum media investments, AI-generated concepts, usage rights, 3D production and client feedback. Use it as a practical reference when preparing briefs, managing client expectations or explaining why certain production requirements and limitations exist.

What are Open Files?

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QUICK ANSWER

WHAT SHOULD I SEND?
WHAT YOU WANT TO CREATE FILES TO SEND US

A template banner

.PSD | .PSB | .AI | .EPS | .FIG files, including font files
A custom rich media banner with animated elements .PSD | .PSB | .AI | .EPS | .FIG files, including font files
A custom rich media banner with video elements .PSD | .PSB | .AI | .EPS | .FIG files, including font files AND .MP4 | .MOV files, or YouTube link
A custom rich media banner with video elements that need to be edited .PSD | .PSB | .AI | .EPS | .FIG files, including font files AND .AEP files
A custom rich media banner with custom animation .PSD | .PSB | .AI | .EPS | .FIG files, including font files

Need more detail? Read the explanations below👇

DEFINITION

Open Files (also called working files or source files) are the original, editable documents created by a designer using specific creative software. 

They are organised into layers, with different parts of the design kept separate. For example, the background, product, logo and text may each sit on their own layer.

This allows Creative Studio to open the artwork and move, resize, replace or edit each part individually.

OPEN FILE TYPES

The correct Open File format depends on whether we are working with a static design or a video.

🖼️ STATIC DESIGNS (TEMPLATE BANNERS + CUSTOM RICH MEDIA)
FILE TYPE CREATED IN

.PSD

 Adobe Photoshop
.PSB Adobe Photoshop
.AI Adobe Illustrator
.EPS Adobe Illustrator
.FIG Figma

These files can contain separate, editable layers for elements such as the background, product, logo and text.

🎬 VIDEO DESIGNS
FILE TYPE CREATED IN
.AEP Adobe After Effects

⚠️ Do not send .AEP files for static banner executions.

We only need an .AEP file when we must edit the original video, for example:

An .MP4 or .MOV file can only be used exactly as supplied. We cannot change its dimensions, playback time or content.

❌ FILES WE CAN'T USE FOR EDITS
FILE TYPE WHY WE CAN'T USE IT
.PNG It's a flat image without editable layers
.JPG / .JPEG It's a flat image without editable layers
.MOV It is an exported final video, not the editable video project
.MP4 It is an exported final video, not the editable video project
.CDR It is a proprietary CorelDRAW format that we don't support

⚠️ IMPORTANT EXCEPTION

A .PNG or .JPG can still be used as one element inside a larger Open File. For example, a layered Photoshop file might contain:

The .PNG or .JPG is only one part of the design. Because the overall .PSD, .AI or .FIG file remains layered, we can still edit and adapt the complete banner.

Simple rule: A .PNG or .JPG can be an element inside an Open File, but it is not an Open File by itself.

*Static images can also be animated.

FONT FILES

If the creative assets have any text, we also need to have font files included in the Open Files. 

We do also need the original font files when we do image resizes for banners.

Think of it like opening a file on your computer that uses fonts that you don't have installed - your computer can't display the original font because it doesn't exist on your system. If a computer does not have the specific font installed, the design software will substitute a default font. This ruins the layout, changes line breaks, and alters the visual style.

Without the original font, we have two options: 

An Open File is incomplete if its fonts or linked assets are missing.

ANIMATING STATIC ELEMENTS

We can use layered static Open Files (.PSD, .AI or .FIG) to create a new animations. Because the design elements are separate, we can animate the logo, text, product, background or other elements individually.

Exported videos cannot be reanimated. A .MOV or .MP4 is a completed, exported video. Its original elements and animation settings are no longer separate, so we cannot take it apart and reanimate them.

ANIMATION TYPES

An animation is movement created by a developer, or by an animator.

Creative Studio produces animation in two different ways. The right approach depends on whether we are adding movement to existing design elements or creating new animated content.

1. ADDING MOVEMENT TO EXISTING ELEMENTS

Our developers can animate the separate layers supplied in a static Open File. For example, they can make an existing:

The elements already exist. The developer is adding movement to them using code.

Think of this as moving existing pieces around the screen.

2. CREATING NEW ANIMATED CONTENT

Some concepts require movement or visual content that does not already exist in the supplied design. For example:

This work must be created by an animator or 3D artist. It requires specialist animation software, additional production time and a separate editable project file.

Think of this as creating a new moving performance that didn't exist before, not simply moving existing pieces.

ANIMATION TYPE WHAT NEEDS TO BE EXECUTED CREATED BY
Movement added to existing elements Layered static assets that already exist Developer
New animation production New movement, angles, effects or scenes that still need to be created Animator and / or 3D artist

Both developers and animators create movement. The difference is whether we are animating visual elements that already exist, or first need to create new visual content.

VIDEO

Unlike animation, video refers to completed footage supplied by the client. It is treated as a fixed asset rather than something we can recreate or reanimate. 

We treat this footage as a finished visual asset. We can use it within a creative execution, but we cannot create additional footage or change what was originally filmed.

✅ WHAT WE CAN DO

Depending on the supplied file and the request, we may be able to:

❌ WHAT WE CAN'T DO

Simple rule: We can adjust how the supplied video is used, but we cannot change what happens inside the footage.

WATCH OUR VIDEO TUTORIAL

⚠️ 3D projects have their own separate, additional asset requirements. Read the 3D-modelling specific Help Page here.

Why do we need Open Files?

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SEPARATE ELEMENTS

In an Open File, these elements remain separate:

This means we can move, resize, replace or edit one element without changing everything else.

WHY WE NEED SEPARATE LAYERS

To resize your banners for different ratios, we need to physically move the individual design elements independently within the full image itself; we cannot simply stretch a 300×250 banner into a 970×250 banner (as an example - this principle applies to all sizes); it would look like this:

WHAT IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE

What it's meant to look like.png

WHAT IT ENDS UP LOOKING LIKE

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See this in action here.

This is important because proper resizing requires us to work with individual elements independently to:

When we only receive a flattened image (.JPG, .PNG, etc), none of these elements exist separately anymore - to us, the entire banner becomes a single picture.

Imagine it like receiving a photo of a loaf of bread and being asked to change the flour - the flour is already baked into the bread; they’re no longer separate elements that can be changed.

The same applies here. Without layered source files, we cannot accurately isolate products, logos, text, backgrounds, buttons, or other creative elements.

Why we need Open Files.png

⚠️ 3D projects have their own separate, additional asset requirements. Read the 3D-modelling specific Help Page here.

*Read more about what Open Files are here.