Split a background into parallax layers

Last updated: October 20, 2026

Turn one side-scroller background into depth layers that scroll at their own speeds, with what each layer hides filled in.

Before you start

  • Use a wide, side-on scene with clear depth: a sky, distant shapes, a middle ground and a foreground. A scene with no depth to speak of splits into layers that barely differ.
  • The split takes the scene as it is. To crop or edit it first, save the edited scene as a copy and split the copy.
  • Each layer but the nearest is filled in by a run of the model you pick. See Creative Units for how runs are charged.

Steps

  1. Open the background full-size from the board.

  2. Under Tools, choose Split image into parallax layers. The default model is an eraser, which fills in behind each layer from the scenery around it.

  3. Under Depth layers, pick how many layers you want, from 2 to 6, then select Preview depth. The scene is tinted one colour per layer, and the bar below it shows how much of the scene sits at each depth, from Far to Near.

  4. If something lands in the wrong layer, drag the cut lines along the bar until it moves into the right one. Cut at the gaps puts them back where the scene's own depth splits.

  5. Turn on Loop left to right if the background repeats as the camera moves, so every layer tiles with its own edges.

  6. Select Split into parallax layers. The viewer stays open while the layers are cut and filled in.

Result

The split joins the scene's versions in the viewer as one layered file (PSD), farthest layer at the bottom. Scroll plays the layers the way a side-scroller's camera pans across them, each at its own speed:

Layers shows the stack, each layer named for its place in the scene (four layers are Sky, Far, Middle and Near). Each layer's scroll speed is recorded on the file, under Parallax layers in its details.

Production tips

  • Take it into your engine in one step. Select Download as... and, under Parallax layers, choose Godot 4 (a Parallax2D scene that scrolls the layers), Unity (each layer as a sprite with its .meta, and the scroll factors in parallax.json) or Layers + JSON. Every layer is exported at the background's full size, so they line up when placed at one point, and the zip's README has the import steps.
  • Plan the scene for the split. Ask for distinct planes when you generate the background (a hazy horizon, a middle band, dark foreground silhouettes) and keep the view side-on. Characters and props in the foreground belong on their own layers in the game, not baked into the background.
  • Pick the fill for the art. The default eraser continues the scenery around each hole. An inpainting model can be told what lies behind instead: pick one in the model picker and describe the scenery in the prompt. Left empty, it is asked to continue the surroundings.
  • Decide on looping before you split. A looping split joins the scene's side edges before it cuts, so every layer repeats with no seam. A split that doesn't loop can't be made to loop afterwards; split again with the switch on.
  • Tune the speeds in the engine. The recorded scroll speeds follow each layer's depth in the scene. They are a starting point: adjust them in the engine to suit the camera and the game's pace.

If something goes wrong

  • Part of the scene is in the wrong layer. Preview the depth again and move the cut lines so the part falls in the band you want, then split again.
  • A layer shows a ghost of something nearer. The fill repainted what it should have removed. Split again with the default eraser, or with an inpainting model and a prompt that describes the scenery behind.
  • The split is refused because the scene was edited. The split takes the scene as it is. Save the edited scene as a copy and split the copy.
  • The layers show a seam where the background repeats. The split didn't loop. Turn on Loop left to right and split again.

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