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How to make sprite target specific color in animation

💡 Struggling with color detection in animations? Need help with sprite targeting? 🚀 Get Help Now

AH

AnimationHelper92

Posted on July 24, 2025 • Intermediate

🎨 Need help with color targeting in animation

Hey everyone! I’m working on a vector animation project and I need a sprite to move to or target a specific color instead of another sprite. I want something like this:

go to color: [#ff6666] :: motion

Is there a way to make a sprite automatically detect and move to a specific color on the stage? The animation is in vector format and I’m looking for an efficient solution! 🤔

CS

ColorSense_Expert

Replied 45 minutes later • ⭐ Best Answer

Great question @AnimationHelper92! While Scratch doesn’t have a direct “go to color” block, there are several effective approaches for color targeting in animations:

🎯 Color Detection Flow

Here’s how color detection and targeting works:

flowchart TD A[🚀 Start Animation] --> B[Create Color Detector Sprite] B --> C[Set Detector Size to 1x1 pixel] C --> D[🔍 Scanning Loop] D --> E[Move to Next Position] E --> F{Touching Target Color?} F -->|No| G[Continue Scanning] F -->|Yes| H[📍 Record Position] G --> I{Scanned All Area?} I -->|No| E I -->|Yes| J[No Color Found] H --> K[🎯 Move Main Sprite] K --> L[Play Animation] L --> M[✅ Animation Complete] J --> N[❌ Color Not Found] style A fill:#e1f5fe style H fill:#e8f5e8 style K fill:#fff3e0 style M fill:#f3e5f5 style N fill:#ffebee

🔧 Method 1: Coordinate-Based Approach (Recommended)

For vector animations, the most efficient method is to pre-define coordinates where your target colors appear:

    when flag clicked
// Define color positions as lists
set [Red Positions v] to [100, 150, -50, 200]
set [Color Index v] to [1]

// Move to specific color position
define go to color (color name)
if <(color name) = [red]> then
go to x: (item (Color Index) of [Red Positions v]) y: (item ((Color Index) + [1]) of [Red Positions v])
change [Color Index v] by [2]
end

🔍 Method 2: Smart Color Detection

Create a small detector sprite for dynamic color finding:

    // Color detector sprite (1x1 pixel size)
when flag clicked
set [Target Color v] to [#ff6666]
set [Found X v] to [0]
set [Found Y v] to [0]
set [Color Found v] to [false]

// Scan for color in specific area
repeat until <(Color Found) = [true]>
change x by [5]
if <(x position) > [240]> then
set x to [-240]
change y by [5]
end
if <touching color [#ff6666] ?> then
set [Found X v] to (x position)
set [Found Y v] to (y position)
set [Color Found v] to [true]
broadcast [color found v]
end
end

🎬 Method 3: Animation-Specific Solution

For vector animations with known color positions:

    // Main animation sprite
when I receive [start animation v]
set [animation frame v] to [1]

repeat until <(animation frame) > [10]>
// Define color positions for each frame
if <(animation frame) = [1]> then
go to x: [100] y: [50]  // Red color position in frame 1
end
if <(animation frame) = [2]> then
go to x: [120] y: [75]  // Red color position in frame 2
end
// Continue for all frames...

wait [0.1] seconds
change [animation frame v] by [1]
end

🚀 Advanced Technique: Color Mapping

Create a color map for complex animations:

    // Create color coordinate mapping
define create color map
add [red:100,50] to [Color Map v]
add [blue:200,100] to [Color Map v]
add [green:-50,150] to [Color Map v]

// Find color coordinates
define find color (target color)
set [map index v] to [1]
repeat (length of [Color Map v])
if <(item (map index) of [Color Map v]) contains (target color)> then
set [color coords v] to (item (map index) of [Color Map v])
// Parse coordinates from string
set [target x v] to (letter [5] through [7] of (color coords))
set [target y v] to (letter [9] through [11] of (color coords))
go to x: (target x) y: (target y)
end
change [map index v] by [1]
end

💡 Pro Tips for Vector Animations

  • Pre-plan positions: Since vector animations are predictable, map out color positions beforehand
  • Use costume switching: Change costumes to show different color layouts
  • Optimize scanning: Only scan areas where colors are likely to appear
  • Cache results: Store found positions to avoid re-scanning

The coordinate-based approach works best for animations since the color positions are usually known in advance! 🎯

AH

AnimationHelper92

Replied 1 hour later

@ColorSense_Expert This is incredibly helpful! 🙌 The coordinate-based approach makes perfect sense for my vector animation.

I was overthinking it - since I know where the colors will be in each frame, I can just map them out beforehand. Much more efficient than trying to scan every pixel!

VD

VectorDev_Sarah

Replied 2 hours later

For vector animations, you can also use costume switching to your advantage! 🎨

    // Switch costumes to show different color layouts
when I receive [next frame v]
next costume
// Each costume has colors in different positions
if <(costume number) = [1]> then
go to x: [100] y: [50]  // Red position in costume 1
else
if <(costume number) = [2]> then
go to x: [150] y: [75]  // Red position in costume 2
end
end

This way you can visually see where colors are in each frame and code accordingly!

VB

Vibelf_Community

Pinned Message • Moderator

🎨 Master Advanced Animation Techniques

Excellent discussion on color targeting! For those looking to create even more sophisticated animations, our community can help with:

  • 🎬 Complex animation sequences
  • 🌈 Multi-color detection systems
  • 🎯 Precise sprite positioning
  • ⚡ Performance optimization

📚 Related Topics

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