App Guide

Shikishi.app is a digital group card app built around the idea of "movement." Just add your messages and photos to create an animated shikishi.

Get Started in 3 Steps

1. Download the App
   Search for "Shikishi.app" on the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android) and install it for free.
2. Agree to the Terms
   When you first open the app, agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy shown.
3. Learn the Screens
   The first time you open each tab, short tips highlight the buttons one by one. Tap to continue, or tap "Skip" to close them.

The Four Tabs

• Anniversary: Register birthdays and anniversaries and get reminders.
• View: Scan QR codes, show the QR codes you purchased, and open saved shikishi.
• Create: Create a shikishi (Create Together / Create Shikishi / In Progress).
• Account: Coins, account settings, and app settings such as cloud sync, notifications, and language.

*You can open this guide anytime from the Account tab > Support > "How to Use."

Creating an account lets you make, save, share, and purchase shikishi.

Creating an Account / Logging In

You can sign up from "Log In / Sign Up" when you first open the app, or from the Account tab > "Account Settings." There are two ways to sign up:

• Sign up with email: Enter your email address and a password (6 characters or more).
• Sign up with Apple / Google: Sign up or log in instantly with "Sign in with Apple" or "Sign in with Google."

*If you forget your password, use "Forgot Password" on the login screen to send a reset email.

What You Can Do in Account Settings

Open the Account tab > "Account Settings." The "User Information" section at the top shows your account name, email address, user ID, and coin balance. Below it, "Account Management" lets you make the following changes.

Changing Your Account Name

Tap "Change Account Name." Your account name is what's shown to collaborators when you use Create Together.

Changing Your Email Address

Tap "Change Email Address," then enter your current password and new email address. A confirmation email will be sent to the new address — open the link inside it, then log in with your new email address.

*If you don't receive the email, please check your spam folder.
*Your email address won't change until you open the link and complete the process.

Changing Your Password

Tap "Change Password," then enter your current password and a new password. After changing it, log in again with your new password.

Changing Your Birth Date & Gender

Tap "Change Birth Date & Gender." If you set your birth date, you'll receive bonus coins on your birthday.

*Your birth date cannot be changed for one year after you set it.

Deleting Your Account

Tap "Delete Account." You'll need to enter your password (or re-authenticate if you signed up with Apple or Google) to verify your identity.

Coins are used to purchase shikishi. Your balance appears at the top of the Account tab, along with "Buy Coins" and "History."

Buying Coins

1. Open "Buy Coins."
2. Select a coin pack, and adjust the quantity if you need more.
3. Tap the purchase button and complete the payment through the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android). Coins are added once the purchase is complete.

*A 10% bonus in service coins is added when you purchase.
*Purchased coins don't expire and cannot be refunded or exchanged for cash.
*The number of coins required is shown on screen and depends on the shikishi template and the AI model you select.
*If your coins fall short at checkout, we'll prompt you to purchase the shortfall. The payment is completed once you finish that purchase in the store.

Ways to Get Coins

• Buying coins (bonus coins included)
• Signup bonus when you create an account
• Birthday gift (requires your birth date to be set)
• Coins sent by members in Create Together

*Limited-time coins have an expiration date. They are shown separately from regular coins on the Account tab.

Sending Coins

Members participating in Create Together can send coins to the purchaser (the leader) using "Send Coins to Leader" at the bottom of the shikishi editing screen. Enter the number of coins you'd like to send and submit.

*Only regular coins can be sent. Limited-time coins cannot be sent.

Checking Your History

Open "History" to review purchases, usage, bonuses, and coins you've sent or received.

Buttons on the Create Tab

• Create Together: Join here if a leader sent you an invite code.
• Create Shikishi: AI creates an original shikishi for you (see "Creating an Original Shikishi with AI" below).
• In Progress: Open a shikishi you saved partway through.

What You Fill In on the Editing Screen

• Content fields: Messages, images, videos, and audio, depending on the shikishi.
• Recipient (required): The name of the person receiving the shikishi, including any honorific. It's used in the opening animation and on the postcard.
• View Lock Settings (required): A "Question" and its "Answer (Password)" that viewers must answer to open the shikishi. Choosing something only the recipient knows adds to the surprise.

*The total size of the content you've inserted is shown at the bottom of the screen. If it exceeds the limit, you won't be able to add more or save, so keep an eye on image and video sizes.

The "…" Menu on the Editing Screen

From the "…" menu in the top right of the editing screen, you can:

• Edit with AI: Describe changes in words to revise a shikishi that AI created.
• View Sample: Check what the finished shikishi will look like.
• Create Together: Start creating together with others.
• Preview: See your actual content in motion.
• Save: Save your progress to finish later.

Resuming an In-Progress Shikishi

You can view, edit, or delete saved shikishi anytime from the Create tab > "In Progress."

This feature lets AI generate a one-of-a-kind shikishi for you. Get started from the Create tab > "Create Shikishi."

How It Works

1. Prompt: Under "What kind of shikishi would you like?", describe the recipient, the occasion, and the mood, colors, and effects you'd like. Tap a sample prompt to drop it into the field and edit it freely. If you're not sure where to start, open "Writing tips."
2. Assets: Add messages, images, videos, and audio, grouped together as "sets." Items grouped in one set are placed together in the same section (images up to 5MB, videos up to 20MB, audio up to 10MB).
3. Confirm: Review your content and tap generate.
4. Generate: This takes about 30 seconds to a minute. Generation continues even if you close the app, and you'll get a notification when it's done.

Finishing It Up

Use the "…" menu at the top right of the preview and the buttons below it:

• Edit with AI: Describe what you'd like changed, such as "make the background a bit darker."
• Edit items: Adjust your messages and other content by hand.
• Revert to previous version: Go back to the version before your last revision. No coins are used, since nothing is regenerated.
• Regenerate: Create it again from the same input.

When you're happy with it, tap "Edit content" to move on to the editing screen, set the recipient and view lock, and proceed to purchase.

*Your work is saved to "In Progress," so you can leave the screen and pick up where you left off.

Free Allowance and Coins

AI generation is free up to 50 coins' worth per month. Once you've used up the free quota, each generation uses coins. Your remaining free quota and the coin cost are shown at the top of the AI creation screen.

*You can choose an AI model. Some models are excluded from the free allowance and always use coins, even if you have free generations left (this is noted on screen).
*You can also finish an AI-generated shikishi together with others using Create Together.

What AI Can't Do

• It can't add sound effects.
• It can't retouch your photos (though you can specify how they're arranged and framed).
• Designs are made for a phone's portrait screen (landscape layouts aren't available).

This feature lets multiple people edit a single shikishi together — perfect for a group card. There's a "leader," who purchases the shikishi, and "members," who contribute alongside them.

Leader (the Purchaser)

1. Create a shikishi from the Create tab > "Create Shikishi" and open the editing screen.
2. Tap "…" in the top right, then select "Create Together."
3. Share the 20-character invite code that appears with the people you're creating with (you can also tap "Copy").

*The "Note" on the editing screen is visible to members (only the leader can edit it).

Members (Participants)

1. Open the Create tab > "Create Together."
2. Enter the 20-character code shared by the leader.
3. Tap "Become a Member" to join in and start editing the shikishi together.

How Members' Contributions Are Applied

What a member enters and saves is sent to the leader as a "suggestion." The leader reviews them from "View Suggestions" on the editing screen and taps "Apply This Suggestion" to add it to the shikishi.

*So that two people don't edit the same field at once, "Another user is editing" is shown while someone else has it open.
*The leader can see the list of members and remove or block them if needed.
*If you come across inappropriate content, you can report it.

Creating an AI Shikishi Together

You can also start "Create Together" from the Assets step of AI creation. Members can add messages and photos as assets, and the leader runs the generation.

Sending Coins to the Leader

Members can send coins to the leader who purchases the shikishi using "Send Coins to Leader" at the bottom of the editing screen.

Once your shikishi is ready, tap "Purchase & Finalize" on the editing screen to proceed to checkout.

1. Enter Your Information

First, choose whether you'd like a physical "postcard" with the QR code delivered to you. (Postcard delivery is available in Japan only, and the option appears only when the app's display language is set to Japanese.)

• No Postcard: Just tap "Proceed to Payment" (only the QR code will be issued).
• With Postcard: Enter your name, quantity, shipping address, and delivery option (express or registered mail), then tap "Proceed to Payment."

2. Payment

Review your order details and total. Payment is split depending on what you ordered:

• Shikishi (digital): Paid with coins. If your coins fall short, we'll prompt you to purchase the shortfall at checkout.
• Shipping & print (postcard orders): Paid by card.

*The number of coins required is shown on screen and depends on the shikishi template and the AI model you select.
*Card payments accept credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay (iPhone), and Google Pay (Android). Payments are securely processed by Stripe.

3. After Payment

Once payment is complete, your QR code is issued. You can view and save it from the View tab > "Purchased." If you ordered a postcard, printing and shipping will begin, and it typically arrives within 3–5 business days.

The View tab has three buttons: "Camera," "Purchased," and "Saved Shikishi."

Viewing via QR Code

1. Open "Camera" on the View tab to launch the camera.
2. Scan the QR code you were sent (you can also scan from a saved photo using "From Image").
3. If a view lock is set, answer the question with its password to open the shikishi.

Viewing and Saving Your Own QR Code

Go to the View tab > "Purchased" to see a list of shikishi you've purchased. Select one to display its QR code, then use "…" in the top right to rename it or save the QR code image. Choose "Save Original QR Image" to save a specially designed version of the QR code.

Downloading a Shikishi to Your Device

While viewing a shikishi, tap "…" in the top right, then "Download" to save it to your device. Downloaded shikishi can be viewed anytime from the View tab > "Saved Shikishi."

Register birthdays and anniversaries to get a reminder ahead of time so you never forget. It's a handy way to prepare a shikishi for someone special.

Registering an Anniversary

1. Open the Anniversary tab and tap the "+" button in the bottom right.
2. Enter a name, date, and type (birthday, wedding anniversary, anniversary, or other). You can also set an emoji and a note.
3. Choose when you'd like to be notified (same day, 1 day before, 3 days before, 1 week before, 2 weeks before, or 1 month before), pick a notification time, and save.

Your saved anniversaries appear in the list marked "Today," "Tomorrow," or "in X days."

*Notification permission on your device is required to receive alerts.
*If you set your birth date when creating your account, you'll receive bonus coins on your birthday.

Backing Up a Shikishi to the Cloud

Saving a downloaded shikishi to the cloud lets you restore it later, such as when switching devices.

1. Turn on sync: On the Account tab, under App Settings, turn on "iCloud Sync" ("Google Drive Sync" on Android).
2. Upload: Go to the View tab > "Saved Shikishi" and choose "Upload to iCloud" ("Upload to Google Drive" on Android).
3. Restore: On the same screen, choose "Restore from iCloud" ("Restore from Google Drive" on Android) and select the shikishi you want back.

• iPhone: Backs up to iCloud. Sign in to your Apple ID and turn on iCloud Drive in your device's Settings app.
• Android: Backs up to Google Drive. A Google account must be added on your device.

*Only shikishi you've downloaded to your device are backed up.
*After you save a shikishi, the app may offer to turn on cloud sync for you.