10 Best Free Tools To Create Unique Storyboard Template: Everything You Should Know Storyboard

A storyboard is a visual organizer for plotting out a tale. Storyboards are an effective method to graphically convey information; the linear orientation of the cells is ideal for telling stories, describing processes, and displaying the passage of time.

Storyboards are a collection of sequential drawings that convey a narrative. The author may concentrate on each cell individually without interruption by dividing a narrative into linear, bite-sized pieces.

Depending on who you ask, the father of current day storyboards is either Howard Hughes, with his 1930 picture Hell's Angels, or Walt Disney, with his 1933 animated feature Three Little Pigs.

Gone with the Wind was the first live-action picture to be fully sketched out on storyboards before going into production in 1939. The initial storyboards depicted tales that were fragmented.

Each chapter of the narrative was written on a card or piece of paper and pinned to the board in sequence. Collaborators may then discuss and modify the narrative by looking at one section at a time, double-checking that it makes sense, and planning the production.

When modifications are made, instead of recreating a large-scale picture, a single card may be reordered, redone, or even eliminated. It saves a lot of time and money to be able to make simple adjustments ahead of time!

Uses Of Storyboard

The usage of storyboards has increased during the past 80 years. Storyboards are used by ad agencies for commercials, directors for plays, and artists for comics, and they are based on the origins of animation and filmmaking.

Storyboards have also made their way into the corporate sector, where they are used to simulate how consumers would react to new goods. Whether at work, school or at home, we all need to prepare for something.

Even if it's in a very basic form, storyboarding your intended result may help you anticipate problems, ensure your strategy is solid, and/or share ideas with others. Storyboards have many applications in the entertainment industry, business, and education. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started!

Why You Need a Storyboard

Film And Entertainment Industry

The film is the pinnacle of visual storytelling. Storyboards were originally utilized for this purpose in the 1930s, and they still function just as well (if not better) today.

You may better plan out your camera angles, location, props, performers, and effects, and be more diligent throughout production, by storyboarding before shooting. Storyboarding ahead of time ensures that your script is logical and enables you to address mistakes before they become too costly to repair.

These are a few examples of cinematic productions that might benefit tremendously from storyboarding.

• business.
• show on television (with or without commercial breaks).
• Video with instructions
• Feature-length films
• Films by Independents
• Videos from YouTube and Vimeo

Business

People are fascinated by tales. People are drawn to tales, and they tend to retain information better when it is wrapped up in one. It's sometimes preferable to present instances from other people's lives rather than ones that are too near to home.

Instead of saying things like, "When your supervisor comes to you and says you aren't doing a good job..." provide instances utilizing fictional characters. We forget that individuals have diverse views, backgrounds, prejudices, and other factors that may obscure thinking or influence how someone thinks.

Rather than spending time discussing or explaining things, we often need a method to show what we mean. Meetings will be a lot more effective if everyone has the same image and is on the same page.

Education

Many areas of education benefit from the use of storyboards and other visual organizers. A teacher's work is relaying knowledge to pupils, who must then demonstrate mastery of topics. Teachers create stories, explain procedures, and arrange material, in addition to certain pupils being stronger visual learners.

• Make a story plan or an original creation.
• Write a summary of a text.
• Make an educational comic.
• Learn some new words.
• With a presentation, you may demonstrate your knowledge.
• Investigate several scenarios.
• Analyze historical personalities or characters.
• Make a timetable.

What Does A Storyboard Look Like

A storyboard's structure, layout, and orientation may all be different. Some storyboards are arranged vertically, while others are arranged horizontally. Description spaces may be seen above, below, or on either side of the shot, picture box in certain cases.

All storyboards and templates, regardless of style, include many of the same essential components for organizing and planning a filmmaking production, including:

How to make a storyboard for a video in 6 steps | Video Marketing How To

Shot Image:

There's usually an empty box where you may draw or put a picture of what's in the frame. The camera angle, props, set decorating, outdoor setting components, and character emotions, actions, and clothing may all be shown.

Sequence Title

If your storyboard is made up of many pages of panels, you may put the title of the sequence the panels depict at the top of each page. To clearly define the objective of the series of shots, use a title that conveys the importance of a character or the main narrative point the sequence covers.

Scene And Shot Number

Many storyboard designs include a line or an empty area near each shot box where you may put the scene and shot number. For example, to indicate that the panel represents scene 5 shot 6, you could type "5.6."

External/Interior Indication

Indicate whether the shot is exterior (EXT.) or inside (INT.) so you and your colleagues can choose the right location. Include this information on the same line as the scene/shot number, in the shot description, or above the shot picture box.

Shot Explanation

Most designs offer a few lines or blank space where you may put more information about the shot. Shot type and camera instructions, speech, action lines, sound effects, and directorial comments regarding characters are all common items in this area.

Additional features, such as animation direction, overlaid text, editing transitions, and frame count, may be included in certain storyboard designs.

Page Number

Number each page of your storyboard, both physically and digitally, to help you keep the sequences straight.

You can discover the structure, style, and orientation that works best for your creative process since there are numerous pre-made template choices and even the ability to create your own storyboard template.

How To Create A Storyboard Template

If you can't locate the appropriate pre-made template, you can make your own. Making your own template may take longer at first, but it enables you to include room for all of the components you need, particularly those that aren't usually included, in the most efficient manner possible.

You can even use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe Illustrator, which you presumably already have on your computer. Using these applications, you may make your own storyboard template:

Select An Orientation For The Page, Slide, Or Artboard

Almost every plan may benefit from a vertical orientation. Horizontal/landscape storyboards may be utilized for both image-focused and image-and-descriptive-text storyboards.

Draw Two, Four, Six, Or Eight Empty Boxes Aligned In One Or Two Columns

The number of boxes and columns you use is determined by the size of the pictures and the amount of descriptive text you wish to include. Consider restricting each page to two or four boxes if you wish to add more descriptive components or bigger frames.

You may add more boxes on each page if you're more focused on the images that move the narrative ahead.

Add Empty Space Or Lines For Description

Leaving blank space enables you to create descriptions in a more flexible manner. You may also add lines to your template to make it seem more professional.

Include Numbering And Titling Indications

Make sure to provide room in each shot box panel for the sequence title, scene/shot number, exterior/interior indicator, camera orientation, and any features you'd want to include in your template. These designations guarantee that your storyboards always include all of the essential information and are consistent across all pages of a single narrative.

You may repeat this single-page template as many times as necessary to create a complete sequence of panels to define your visual narrative.

When you're ready to utilize your template, open the PDF version of the Word or PowerPoint template, or the JPEG version of an Illustrator-created template, and start typing.

You may also create a new file from either kind of template and fill it in using that application. Alternatively, if you want to work with your hands, print off your template and start sketching. Remember to utilize a storyboard template as a guide when converting your script into a captivating visual narrative.

Compose frames with a clear sense of character motivation and action in mind. Then, to create the most engaging scenes and sequences for your viewers, share this tool with other filmmakers on your project.

10 Storyboard Software Tools To Make Your Presentation Stand Out

The following are some of the most effective storyboard software programs available today:

Canva

Canva is a free storyboard software application that gives you a lot of choices if you don't want to create your own images. Its extensive template library and millions of stock pictures enable you to build a narrative without having to start from scratch, saving you time and effort.

It's also excellent for collaboration since many users may view the same project at the same time, and the final result can be simply emailed or exported as a PDF file.

Storyboards in Canva Are Amazing!

Storyboarder

Storyboarder is similarly free, but it's geared for creators who want to make their own storyboards.

Its clean and easy interface provides all of the tools you'll need to create a professional-looking and cohesive storyboard, and it also works nicely with Photoshop, enabling you to fine-tune your work before it's finished.

Studiobinder

This online storyboard program is great for creating presentations since it allows you to see your whole project as a full-screen slideshow. It's also extremely simple and quick to use, allowing for a lot of flexibility with very little work. It's free for the first 10 panels on a board, then $29 a month to unlock all of them.

StudioBinder | Free Storyboard Creator

Frameforge Storyboard Studio

FrameForge is a tool that may be used by people of all ability levels, from beginners to professionals.

It is available in two versions: core and pro, with the core version catering to people with little sketching and animation skills and the pro version catering to high-end video projects and professional usage, enabling users to fine-tune every aspect. The basic edition costs $299.95, while the pro version costs $599.

FrameForge 4 | Room Builder | Storyboard Software

Moviestorm

Using a detailed step-by-step tutorial, this software application enables you to build complete 3D characters from scratch. Then you can use them to build and frame a whole scene, replete with objects, sounds, and music.

Its characteristics make it ideal for a variety of applications, including short animations, presentations, training videos, and more.

Humanity May Sink - ALETHEIA (Storyboard by MOVIESTORM) [2017]

Powerproduction Software

Depending on your skill level and the nature of your project, PowerProduction Software may provide a variety of experiences. With import possibilities for characters, animations, props, locations, and more, it may be a wonderful tool for the casual designer, but it can also appeal to experts.

You may purchase Storyboard Quick for $190 or the more professional-oriented Storyboard Artist Studio for nearly $900, depending on your needs.

PowerProduction Software StoryBoard Quick

Storyboard Pro

Storyboard Pro is a free, fast, and easy way to create storyboards while on the move. It's completely web-based, so anybody can use it from anywhere, and its template library is ideal for people who don't have any sketching or drawing abilities.

Videos, music, and images may also be imported. Storyboard Composer is a program that allows you to create storyboards.

STORYBOARD PRO - Part 1: Get started (StoryBoardPro)

Storyboard Composer

This software application only works with existing movies and pictures, making it a great tool for people who don't want to create or sketch their own visuals. It's only accessible on iOS and provides simple methods to create and animate shots from current material. The cost is $15.

Storyboard Composer

Storyboard That

This may assist you in creating animated films even if you have no prior drawing or sketching expertise. Its many characters and décor templates assist you in getting started, and its online interface allows you to continue working from any location.

Its free edition has all of the features, but all of the storyboards you make are public.

How to Use Storyboard That

Prolost Boardo

Because this application is best suited for adding effects and animations to existing pictures, you'll need to either locate them online or create them yourself using another program.

However, its functionality is excellent, allowing you to quickly mix pictures and drawings, animate them, and export them in video format. It has a starting price of $30.

Using Boords for storyboarding

About The Authors

Steve Martins- I am a certified graphic designer and I earned my bachelor’s degree in Communication Design. I worked with many brands like Uniqlo and Huawei but also independent smaller Barcelonian brands like Caravelle and Madrid’s Hola Coffee and I have completed over 2000 projects in the last 5 years.