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Flip book

Optical toy

Definition

A flip book, flipbook, flicker book, or kineograph is a booklet with a series of images that very gradually change from one page to the next, so that when the pages are viewed in quick succession, the images appear to animate by simulating motion or some other change. Often, flip books are illustrated books for children, but may also be geared toward adults and employ a series of photographs rather than drawings. Flip books are not always separate books, but may appear as an added feature in ordinary books or magazines, frequently using the page corners. Software packages and websites are also available that convert digital video files into custom-made flip books.

How this term shows up in flipbook work

If you spend time publishing flipbooks, you will run into Flip book in one of three places: in the export settings of your design tool, in a compliance or accessibility audit, or in a conversation with an integrator. Knowing the term well enough to recognise it in those moments saves a meeting. The full Wikipedia article, linked below, goes much deeper into the history and the standards bodies behind it — we keep this glossary short on purpose so it stays useful as a quick reference.

Where to go next

Source: “Flip book” on Wikipedia. Text reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Snapshot fetched 22 May 2026.