Hey fellow doodlers!

Video is a powerful tool for engaging audiences and conveying messages effectively. Research shows that viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to just 10% when reading text. It’s no surprise that 91% of businesses now use video as part of their marketing strategy. From education to brand awareness and sales, video content dominates because it delivers information quickly and keeps viewers hooked.

But not just any video will do. Attention spans are shrinking, and audiences have become more selective about what they watch. Studies show that people decide within the first 3 seconds if they will continue watching a video or move on. That means the first few moments need to be engaging, fast-paced, and visually interesting. If it fails to capture attention instantly, the audience is gone.

This is where whiteboard animation stands out. Unlike traditional videos that rely on static images or talking heads, whiteboard animation draws the viewer into the story—literally. The hand moving across the screen, sketching out ideas, creates a sense of anticipation. As each element takes shape, it keeps the audience engaged while making complex ideas easier to understand and remember.

Whiteboard videos are incredibly effective for explaining difficult concepts. Studies show that explainer videos improve comprehension and recall compared to text-based content. That’s why they are widely used in education, marketing, and corporate training. They simplify information while keeping the audience entertained, making them a valuable tool for breaking down complex topics.

With Doodly, creating professional whiteboard animations is easy, even with no drawing experience. The software includes a variety of built-in assets—characters, props, text styles—and also allows you to import custom graphics. Depending on the type of image, Doodly applies different animation styles, including custom drawing paths, to give your visuals a smooth, hand-drawn effect.

In today’s article, we’ll explore how to animate imported graphics in Doodly, giving your videos a polished, hand-drawn look. From PNGs and JPEGs to SVGs, we’ll cover the best techniques to bring your graphics to life and ensure your whiteboard animations leave a lasting impact.

Doodly comes with a library of built-in characters, props, and text elements, making it easy to create whiteboard animations. But sometimes, you need to use your own images—like logos, custom illustrations, or specific graphics that fit your brand. Importing custom graphics allows you to personalize your videos and maintain consistency in your content.

​Doodly recognizes this need, which is why it lets you bring in your own graphics and control how they animate. Once an image is uploaded, it is animated based on the file type or image type. Understanding the available animation styles will help you achieve the best results. Let’s break down the options in Doodly.

By default, Doodly applies a random scribble effect to imported images. This means the software generates a zigzag, up-and-down hand motion that does not follow the drawing path of the imported image. While this may not be ideal for detailed graphics, there are cases where this animation style can be useful.

If you want full control over how your image is drawn, you can create a custom drawing path. This feature is what makes Doodly stand out, giving you the ability to dictate exactly how the hand moves across your image.

Instead of relying on a generic scribble effect, you can manually define each stroke, ensuring a smooth and logical animation that matches the natural flow of your design.

This is especially useful for detailed illustrations, logos, or branded graphics where precision matters. By carefully mapping out the drawing sequence, you can make even the most complex images look as if they were hand-drawn from scratch.

How to create a custom drawing path:

In some cases, a different approach to revealing an image may be more effective. In these situations, a fade animation can be the perfect solution. Rather than simulating a drawing motion, this style gradually brings the image into view, creating a clean and professional look.

Fade animations work particularly well in certain scenarios:

By choosing fade animations for these types of visuals, you maintain a high-quality, professional presentation that aligns with your project’s tone and purpose.

Unlike PNG and JPG files, which are static images, SVG files (Scalable Vector Graphics) store drawing path data. This means they contain built-in instructions on how they were originally drawn, allowing Doodly to animate them more naturally.

​When you import an SVG file, Doodly tries to detect these paths and follows them to create a drawing effect. However, the stroke order may not always be logical.

How to adjust SVG animations:

Each of these animation styles has its own advantages depending on the type of image you’re working with. In the next section, we’ll go over how to fine-tune your custom drawing paths to make your animations look as natural as possible.

Now that you know the different animation styles Doodly applies to imported graphics, it's time to take full control over how your images are drawn. The default scribble effect can work for some cases, but if you want your animation to look natural, creating custom drawing paths is the way to go.

By manually defining the order and movement of strokes, you can ensure your graphic is revealed in a way that mimics actual hand-drawn motion. This section will guide you through the process of mapping out drawing paths, fixing common animation mistakes, and fine-tuning your results for the best effect.

Doodly allows you to create custom drawing paths giving you control over how the hand moves across your imported graphic. Instead of relying on an automatic scribble, you can manually define the order in which different parts of your image are drawn.

How to create a custom drawing path:

One common issue when creating drawing paths is overlapping strokes that cause parts of the image to appear in an unnatural order. If paths are drawn in the wrong sequence, elements might be revealed too soon or awkwardly.

How to avoid overlapping mistakes:

By structuring your paths carefully, you can make sure the hand follows a realistic and natural drawing motion.

Once you’ve set up your custom paths, the final step is to test and adjust your animation to get the best results.

Key things to check before finalizing:

Taking the time to refine your animation ensures that your imported graphics look just as polished as Doodly’s built-in assets. In the next section, we’ll look at how colored images require special attention and how you can create the best drawing paths for them.

Applying drawing paths to colored images is similar to working with black-and-white or simple images. However, when dealing with colored elements, you need to take extra care in order to maintain precision. Colored images don’t have separate layers for each color, which means it’s easy to accidentally reveal the wrong section too early.

To get the best results, follow these guidelines:

1. Start with the Outline

2. Reveal Larger Color Areas Gradually

3. Plan Your Path Order

4. Adjust Paths for Accuracy

By following these steps, you can achieve precise, professional-looking animations for your colored images. The key is to approach it methodically and think about how the image would be drawn by hand, section by section. As you gain experience, you’ll become more comfortable creating natural, smooth animations that showcase your imported graphics in the best possible way.

To see these steps in action, check out the 3-minute video walkthrough embedded below. This demonstration will help you master the techniques for adding draw paths to colored images.