Xsheet

An Xsheet, short for exposure sheet, is a planning document used in animation and related film production to organize frame-by-frame timing. Traditionally drawn on paper and used in cel animation, the Xsheet records the exact frame numbers, the action or pose to be drawn, and the corresponding timing cues for dialogue, music, and sound effects. It also catalogs camera moves, effects, and notes from the director or editor. By translating a storyboard or script into a sequence of frames and cues, the Xsheet ensures that animation, lip-sync, sound, and music stay synchronized across the production.

With digital tools, the Xsheet has become a software view called the dope sheet or exposure sheet, often integrated with a timeline. Columns may include frames, layers, keys, speech, timing marks, and notes. In modern studios, the Xsheet serves as a communication bridge among animators, voice actors, editors, and composers, allowing changes in timing to propagate through the production pipeline. While the term is sometimes used interchangeably with exposure sheet or dope sheet, the core concept remains: plan and verify the timing of every frame and cue before rendering final animation.