Storyboard 1.5 by ToonBoom
Posted by LisaHill - 28/04/09 at 03:04 pm
Subject Matter: Animation, Media, Script writing, Storytelling
GradesMiddle School & Up, Business
Paperless Storytelling
Let’s say you have a story for a great movie script, game back story, or television series? At school, what if you wanted to produce your own movie (history documentary, drama, or sports), or develop a play, but it’s hard to visualize ideas in a script without pictures?
Or what if you have a children’s story burning inside, and want to bring it to life?
Story boarding has always been a valuable tool to present stories in sequenced panels. Yet there are always changes required to drawn storyboard scenes, or the dialogue isn’t quite right. Welcome to Storyboard by ToonBoom. Storyboard by ToonBoom offers an intuitive, paper-free program to take your creation and run with it. Digital storytelling comes alive with Storyboard.
Free the Mind
Storyboard downloaded easily onto my Mac computer, and is also available on PCs. Storyboard is a flexible, vector-based program with layer-based panel displays. The interface is very similar to other drawing programs and fairly intuitive to understand.
Once the program is installed and the Welcome screen opens, select the directory, plus type in the file name and title. Note that the file can’t be created without a title, so fill in this box. Choose the resolution (NTSC appears to be the default). Printed and video tutorials were available directly on the Welcome screen. Also note any previously created Storyboard files are identified under the Recent Storyboards box.
Easy To Use and Powerful
I recommend reviewing the user-friendly videos and PDF tutorials before engaging in Storyboard. Storyboard has a well designed interface and intuitive drawing tools, but take the time to learn how to use these tools before creating a storyboard script. There are many cool features, and it’s wise to understand how to insert dialogue, action notes, template scenes, layering etc. into the storyboard panels.
Functional Tool Bars
Storyboard opens up with a drawing area, tool bars, thumbnail screen or “shot”, and caption fields. On the left side of the tool bar are the drawing tools and layering features. The top tool bar contains file functions (save, cut, new files, etc), workspace icons, along with Panel, Camera and Transition tools. Users can also select Panel, Storyboard, Library,Pen and Text features.
There are four work spaces: Drawing, Viewing, Horizontal and Vertical. Note the “eye” button above the tool icons, which provides a pop-up window identifying each tool’s function. Nice feature.
Nailing the Story
Before you start drawing, ToonBoom recommends you develop and write the script. This advice makes sense, since as you develop your dialogue visual scenes emerge as the story builds, and helps identify where actors or avatars are engaged, the various climaxes, plus the story ending.
Once the script is complete, just import, or drag content into the appropriate Panel box. I had an old script on a Word Doc, so I highlighted a dialogue section, dragged it from my word doc, and dropped it into the Dialogue box. Piece of cake. Panels can be created with constant reference to script.
ToonBoom gives users the option to draw their own the scenes, import images, or reuse images in the Library. At the bottom of the interface screen, Storyboard displays thumbnails of completed scenes, so it’s easy to observe scene sequence. I attached my Wacom Bamboo Fun tablet, and doodled away. The drawing tools were easy-to-use and responsive. Storyboard supports SGI, TGA, YUV, PSD, PNG, JPG image formats.
Camera Angles
If different scenes require various camera angles, this feature can be installed in panels. Start and end positions can be moved, tightened or widened, and rotated.
Extras
In the Library, ToonBoom provides various Templates (action, characters, FXs, props and sets). Fancy a beach scene, or need props? These available templates save drawing time.
Files can also be exported as PDF files, eliminating printing and bulk mailing costs.
Support
Online, click on the eLearning button associated with Storyboard. ToonBoom offers a wide variety of support material found under Tips & Tricks, Tutorials, Templates, and Documentation. It really is simple to download Storyboard, review the tutorials, read the Getting Started and User Guide PDFs, and start your own storyboard.
I highlighted the main features of Storyboard, but there are many other neat tricks to explore with Storyboard. Download a free PLE license and give it a try.
Systems Requirement: Mac OS X 10.4; Windows XP and Tablet PC; Intel processor with 512 MB – 1 GB RAM, 500 MB available hard disk space; 1280 x 1024 resolution monitor; Wacom drawing tablet optional
Contact: ToonBoom.com
Cost: $249.00
