Storyboarding is an essential technique for outlining your ideas and creating a seamless flow for videos, websites, and other creative projects. In this complete guide on how to create a storyboard, we’ll take a deep dive into the art of storyboarding.
In this article we’ll cover:
License these images via Tutatamafilm and Mila Basenko.
What Is a Storyboard?
Storyboard, by definition, is a way of mapping out a sequence using visual references, such as sketches or illustrations, often with accompanying annotations, and is used to organize the flow of a project.
Creating a storyboard is a relatively quick exercise, and can be compared to mind-mapping or brainstorming for creative projects.
Storyboard ideas help you to plan out a sequence for executing a project, saving you time before you start shooting and making post-production easier by acting as a common reference point for all team members.
A storyboard is a way of mapping out a sequence using visual references, such as sketches or illustrations, and is used to organize the flow of a project.
What Types of Projects Need Storyboards?
Often used by videographers and directors to map out the sequence of a video or film, the storyboarding technique can also be used to plan the sequence of other creative projects, such as animations, website journeys, or presentations.
Can I Create a Storyboard if I Can’t Draw?
You sure can! Storyboards are intended to be rough and ready ‘maps’ for projects, rather than a polished product.
Sketching out stick figures, rough annotations, or basic shapes can be just as useful when creating a storyboard as more developed illustrations.
The idea is to simply communicate what goes where, when!
If drawing really isn’t your thing, don’t sweat it, you can use a collage, photos, clip art, or screenshots as alternative types of imagery for storyboarding, or use a storyboard maker to smooth out the process.
How Long Does It Take to Make a Storyboard?
For a simple project, you can create a storyboard in very little time, simply by sketching out a sequence of frames or images on a sheet of paper.
For lengthy video projects or movies, the storyboarding process can take longer, and involve several revisions if a large team is involved.
However, it’s always worth taking the time to perfect your storyboard sequence, as this will save you time when shooting video and in post-production.
License these images via Lina Chekhovich, Tutatamafilm, and Mila Basenko.
How to Create a Storyboard
Learn how to create a storyboard online and in physical form with this guide to how to create a storyboard for a project, including what are the most important elements of a storyboard and a seven step process for creating a storyboard from scratch.
Skip ahead to discover essential tools for storyboard creation, plus software advice and design tips.
Elements of a Storyboard
What are the most important elements of a storyboard?
To identify this, let’s imagine a cartoon strip. From this, you can pick up the flow of the story from a few image snapshots.
Not every detail will be shown in the same manner as a complete movie sequence, but you can still read the sequence of action without feeling interrupted.
A successful storyboard works in a very similar way. The perfect storyboard includes a sufficient number of images that tells the story from start to finish, and includes relevant details about characters, setting, props, and framing.
When mapping out your storyboard sequence with sketches or images, you should also consider factors like scene transitions and the position of the camera, including close-ups, unusual camera angles, or cinematography elements, such as the need for symmetry or overhead angles.
You can clarify each step of your storyboard with written notes or annotations, too.
There are three types of storyboards, each of which suit different projects and purposes:
- Traditional storyboards do look very much like comic book strips, with hand-drawn sketches that mimic the shots of a video. The illustrations can be very simple (think quick sketches or stick men), or look like works of art in themselves.
- Thumbnail storyboards are very detailed, including a higher number of detailed thumbnail images that take the video director through every shot and all of the transitions, making it crystal clear what the final result should look like. The images can be hand-drawn, or use video screenshots from a test video shoot.
- Digital storyboards are created using a storyboard maker or storyboard online software, and allow the creator to use images that are not hand-drawn, such as stock illustrations, stock photos, or screenshots. Digital storyboards are used to create video storyboards, but can also be used to create wireframe sequences for website designs or storyboards for graphic design projects.
The 7 Steps of Storyboarding
The process of how to create a storyboard is simple, involving seven steps to creating a storyboard that effectively communicates your ideas.
Let’s dive in!
1. Decide What You Want to Achieve with the Storyboard
Perhaps you are outsourcing your video creation to a different team, and need a highly detailed thumbnail storyboard to make sure every shot is perfect, or maybe you simply want to map out your rough ideas for a project.
Whether you’re looking to create an extremely detailed storyboard or a rough sequence, at this initial stage it’s a good idea to decide what you want to achieve with the storyboard.
Will storyboarding be an exercise for rough drafting, or act as a sophisticated plan for the entire project going forward?
2. Brainstorm Your Storyboard Ideas
If you’re working in a team, now is the time to bring in your collaborators and colleagues to brainstorm your project ideas collectively.
What do you want to include in the video or design? How will the sequence start, build, and end? Jot down as many notes, doodles, and ideas as you can.
By the end of the brainstorming session, you should have enough material to begin storyboarding.
3. Create a Storyboard Timeline or Pathway
For videos and movies, time is all important, defining how long the entire sequence will be and how that timeline will be broken up into sections and micro-sequences as the film goes on.
At this third stage of the storyboarding process, define the timeline for your story, giving your storyboard a definite length of time in which it will cover.
For web projects, creating a timeline is equally important, though it’s likely to be a much quicker sequence than for video.
For example, a UX designer might want to split a two-minute online shopping experience into sections, involving landing on the homepage, browsing products, adding a product to the cart, and checking out.
By defining the ideal timeline (and making this as speedy as possible), the web designer maximizes the chances of a successful consumer experience.
4. Box Up Your Storyboard
Most storyboards are made up of a sequence of boxes, indicating the sequence of shots or frames for a video, or stages in a pathway for web design.
You can split a sheet of paper into around six to nine boxes, allowing room below or around each box to add annotations and details about shot duration, angle, transition, and audio.
You can begin with a storyboard template to help you create a storyboard with neatly arranged boxes.
5. Start Sketching Your Storyboard Sequence!
Once you have the structure of your storyboard in place, it’s time to unleash your storyboarding creativity!
Begin with the opening shot or step of your sequence, sketching out characters and settings loosely with pencil, before building up the full sequence across all of the boxes.
Once you’re happy with the sequence, you can go over the illustrations in pen, and bring in optional color, too.
As we’ve already touched upon, if drawing’s not your thing, you can always use stock graphics or screenshots to create your storyboard images.
6. Annotate Your Storyboard
Once you’ve filled your storyboard with images (however basic), you can annotate your storyboard with helpful notes to fully explain what you want to achieve from each step in the sequence.
This can be particularly useful when you want to put across information that might not be clear from the sketch alone, such as time of day, lighting, color filters, or audio.
Remember that storyboards are meant to be genuinely useful, and not a polished product in themselves, so helpful notes will always be welcome.
7. Go Back to the Drawing (Story) Board
Storyboards are designed to help you map out ideas and sequences, so it’s only natural that you might want to change or add to your storyboard once you’ve shown the sequence to other team members.
With this in mind, a digital storyboard can be useful for allowing quick editing of your storyboard, or you can digitize your sketches to create a more easily-edited storyboard that other collaborators can add to.
Tools and Tips for Creating a Storyboard
Find the right tools for how to create a storyboard with these software tips and storyboard templates.
We’ll also share some common storyboard mistakes to avoid, to help you get started on the right foot with mapping out your ideas.
The Best Storyboard Software
Find the perfect storyboard maker with these apps and software programs, designed to help you create digital storyboards quickly and seamlessly:
Best for Easy Storyboard Creation: Canva
Intuitive to use and featuring plenty of basic storyboard templates to get you started, online app Canva is a good place to start for storyboarding beginners.
Best for FREE Storyboard Creation: Shutterstock Create
Use one of the stylish collage templates on free online app Shutterstock Create to build a quick and easy storyboard for Instagram video sequences or social media projects.
Best for Advanced Storyboard Creation: Adobe InDesign
This publishing software app allows you to build comprehensive storyboard documents across a high number of pages, for producing shareable PDF documents online or printable storyboard books.
Best for Storyboard Collaboration: Miro
Easily build and share your storyboards using Miro‘s online software. This is also a great choice for graphic designers and web designers looking to create flowcharts and wireframes that go beyond a simple box sequence.
Best for Sophisticated Video Shot Storyboarding: Milanote
If you want to include highly specific guidance for video production, Milanote offers advanced storyboarding capabilities, with detailed annotations and an easy-to-rearrange interface for reorganizing your frames as you work.
Best AI-Powered Storyboarding Tool: Storyboarder
The new tool on the storyboarding block, Storyboarder promises to speed up the storyboarding process with the power of AI-generated content.
You can also use the tool to write scripts, from which it will generate a sleek-looking storyboard with high-definition imagery.
Storyboard Templates and Examples
You can begin your storyboarding journey with a storyboard template, that includes ready-prepared frames for you to drop your images into.
Below, you’ll find a few handy storyboard templates, as well as some storyboard examples to inspire your own storyboard ideas.
Storyboard styles can range from sketchy, hand-drawn images to cartoons or AI imagery. It’s really up to you which style you like best, and to choose a style that suits the type of project you’re working on.
Storyboarding Mistakes to Avoid
When creating a storyboard, it’s unlikely you’ll make many mistakes. After all, a storyboard is intended to be a rough ‘map’ of a project sequence, rather than a polished product.
However, there are some common storyboarding mistakes that are best avoided, including:
- Avoid creating a storyboard that can’t be easily revised or edited. Hand-drawn storyboards are best created with the potential of needing revision in mind, so don’t spend too much time perfecting the drawings, or details like color and texture, as this may need to be changed once you’ve consulted with your team.
- Avoid using storyboard ideas as the absolute unchangeable plan for your project. While storyboards are meant to make the video production process easier, there will inevitably be things that come up on shooting day that either divert from or add to your original storyboard, potentially for the better! So to avoid being completely shut off to any further creative innovation, choose to see your storyboard as a helpful guide rather than a set-in-stone plan.
- Don’t throw away your storyboard after the project wraps up! Many storyboards are works of art in themselves, and deserve to be preserved. They give a fascinating insight into the project creation process, so make sure to store them safely or display them proudly!
Conclusion: Storyboard Your Way to Creative Success
Storyboarding is not only a useful tool for brainstorming and managing projects, it is also a hugely enjoyable creative exercise!
Once you start storyboarding, they can be truly addictive, as well as helpful for envisioning your projects before you put in excessive time and energy on shooting day.
Looking for more storyboarding guidance and video production tips? Make these helpful tutorials and articles your next read:
License these cover images via Tutatamafilm and Mila Basenko.
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