As a creative community, we prefer to think of storyboarding as the act of establishing a structure that the entire team can share. A storyboard is a technique for visualizing your video production shot by shot before creating a shot list. A project that begins the pre-production process with the creation of a storyboard is more likely to avoid the mistakes that might occur during production due to misunderstanding.
Additionally, A storyboard might be useful when developing a script, selecting filming locations, or beginning to consider background music. It is a process that aids in the conceptualization and organization of ideas before production, saving you time, effort, and money.
Thankfully, there are several free printable story board templates, storyboard software, storyboard applications, and even templates for storyboarding that make it possible to create your storyboards online. For you, we’ve compiled a comprehensive selection of editable storyboard templates and the finest storyboarding software. Let’s get started.
If you’re interested in learning more about storyboarding in general, keep reading to learn more about what it is and how it may help you.
Along the process, you’ll get to view various storyboard samples and get professional storyboard templates for free.
What is a Storyboard?
Storyboarding is an integral part of the pre-production process. It appears to be a comic strip. Each frame depicts who or what is in the scenario, what should be said, as well as any additional text or visuals on the screen.
It’s a depiction of your writing in visual form. You take narrative sequences, break them down into separate sections, and graphically depict them through drawings. You might also add camera angles, directions, lighting settings, conversations, and any other crucial information that you believe is relevant.
To depict all of the frames, you may use pictures, sketches, drawings, and so on. Again, it all relies on what you want or need it. You could use stick figures or incredibly well-defined and precise illustrations for this.
Custom drawings, screenshots from related videos, or images were taken on-site may all be used to create storyboard panels.
What are the Benefits of Using Storyboard Templates in the Filmmaking or Animation Process?
A storyboarding template or storyboarding software is intended to simplify the process of creating and distributing professional storyboards.
A storyboard is a creative tool that may be used to assist plan video productions or live-action shots. Many filmmakers have vivid images of specific shots in their heads. A blank storyboard template allows you to scribble down your thoughts and imagine how the idea will take shape.
Storyboarding aided creatives in making the shift from newspaper comics and conventional graphics to the era of “moving pictures.” Using pdf storyboard templates, you can:
⦁ Organize Your Ideas
⦁ Plan Out Your Perfect Shots
⦁ Communicate Your Ideas
⦁ Identify Problems
BEST ONLINE STORYBOARDING SOFTWARE IN 2023
1. StudioBinder
StudioBinder is an easy-to-use online storyboard tool. It is durable and simple to use, making it suitable for most creatives. Simply upload photographs to create a storyboard!
Layouts, shot list information, and aspect ratios may all be customized. Your storyboard may also be seen as a widescreen animation, making it excellent for presentations. The storyboard software capabilities of StudioBinder are free to use up to a set number of panels per project and only $29/mo to fully activate. It’s a simple video storyboard template to grasp. It also has shot list software and other features.
Price: Free for 10 panels/board, then $29
2. Storyboard That
This is a storyboard that isn’t designed expressly for the film business, but it will suffice. You construct your own avatars using a web-based interface, and there is no hand sketching required to get started. Storyboards can be created for free, and they’ll be made public.
Price: Starting at $15/mo
3. Toon Boom Storyboard Pro
Toon Boom’s StoryboardPro is a professional online application. The program, designed exclusively for professional storyboard artists, contains animated and live boards with so many hooks and conveniences a real storyboard illustrator might want.
Price: $59/mo; $999 lifetime access
4. Make Storyboard
Make Storyboard is a piece of software that organizes your photographs and sketches. They may be shared and discussed, and it has been seen on a multitude of devices, including mobile phones and tablets.
Price: Free
5. Adobe Photoshop
Consider drawing out your sceneries and layering them on actual photographs if you already have Adobe Photoshop. You may use Photoshop to build a variety of storyboard formats and then use an assembly application to organize and distribute your pictures.
Price: $49 – $239
6. OpenToonz
OpenToonz is a 2D animation software program. You can design drawings in incredible detail and then apply effects afterward if you like. There are no copyright limitations on this program, so now you can use it in whatever you like, even for commercial purposes.
Price: Free
7. Procreate
It’s a strange name for a fantastic program. Procreate is a smartphone app for drawing, painting, and illustration aimed at creative professionals. It offers 136 brushes with 50 adjustable properties, as well as continuous auto-save.
Price: $10
8. Shot Designer
Shot Designer tries to bring together Camera Diagrams, Shot Lists, and Storyboards to provide you with a complete grasp of camera blocking. Simple Walk To and Track To commands may be used to animate figures and cameras. You can create complex tracking shots as well.
Price: Free (Offers In-App Purchases)
9. Clip Studio Paint
Illustrators and comic artists commonly utilize Clip Studio Paint as a graphic design program. You may do some serious drawings, then color and customize them to your liking. You may then use the program to put these illustrations together.
Price: $49 – $219
10. StoryBoardPro
Another web-based alternative that does not need any drawing or sketching abilities is StoryBoardPro. You may create a scenario by adding comments to specific frames and importing films, images, and audio.
Price: Free
11. StoryBoard Fountain
One of the younger participants in this sector is StoryBoard Fountain. This online software features a contemporary user experience and focuses on converting scripts into images using drawings (using your mouse or Wacom pen). This beta version has a nice design, is open-source, and is freeware.
Price: Free
12. ShotPro (iOS)
ShotPro is an iPad app that allows you to quickly construct storyboards or pre-visualizations. When you add a structural sensor to your storyboard, you may scan real-world items, locations, and characters to import as 3D objects. That’s really cool.
Price: $39
13. Canva
FREE STORYBOARD TEMPLATES 2023
How to Create Storyboards by hand?
When your storyboards would not be seen by anybody, printing has your own storyboard template, and sketching it by hand is sometimes the best solution.
Even simple stick figures might help you visualize and design a scenario with your DP/AD. Recall that shooting boards just demand a basic amount of sketching ability. Since it’s all about the framing, action, camera movement, and direction.
These are editable storyboard templates that you may use for free. There are portrait and landscape variants available, with up to 16 panels per page and 5 storyboard format including (PDF, PSD, PPT, WORD, AI). If you wish to print or draw your storyboard template by hand, this is the option for you.
Download Printable Storyboard Template PDF Layouts and more.
FILM STORYBOARD TEMPLATE EXAMPLES FOR STUDENTS
Whether you’re not from the visual arts but want to work in one, you should be aware of storyboards. It is a really handy tool that may assist you in getting the most out of your creativity.
It may be utilized in films, animations, and video games, among other things. It may also be utilized as a very useful technique in web design.
So, to help you grasp it better, here’s a collection of some of our favorite storyboarding examples:
Movie Storyboard Examples
1. Tomorrow Never Dies (2007)
2. Gladiator (2000)
3. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Animation Storyboard Examples
1. Up (2009)
2. Tom & Jerry Storyboard
Game Storyboard Examples
1. Uncharted 3
2. BioShock Infinite
Closing Thoughts
Planning is crucial when creating a video for your business. Although creating a storyboard for your film may appear to be an extra step, it will make production much quicker and you save a bunch of time. We also looked at a variety of storyboard samples.
Now that you understand what storyboarding is, how it’s used, and how many media and filmmakers be using it, you’ll be more prepared than ever to handle any video or visual project.
When are you planning to begin creating your video storyboard? Let us know what you think.
