Library of arrows which may be drug into any panel and edited.

Then you enter the Drawing Workspace. You draw in the upper left box and you can view the surrounding panels in the ribbon along the bottom. The panel to the right has a number of tabs allowing you to import a script (in .TXT format), add notes, work with or build a library of elements, pick colors and adjust the pen qualities.

On the project I used as an example in this article, I had a quick turnaround to get a large sequence completed for a pre-production meeting. I only meant, and had only agreed, to have the rough boards done. The speed of the software allowed me to add partial color to the boards in virtually no extra time. Plus, I was able to lay in an audio scratch track and edit the boards into a quick animatic in almost no time all. This allowed me to deliver much more for my client.

One of the elements of drawing on paper that I don't like is writing dialogue and notes. My handwriting is terrible and it's time consuming. Even cutting and pasting scripts into Photoshop takes longer than I would like. Storyboard Pro has made it fast and easy. You can import a script, open a tab with the script and drag and drop dialogue and notes directly to each panel. When you move panels around, all the notes and text stay with that panel.

You can also customize and build a library if you have need to reuse certain elements over and over. Much like Flash, these assets and quick to use and fully editable.

The software comes with a set of library elements in the template tab. There are not nearly enough sample images of any element (like people and props) to make a real storyboard, but it's a good example of what you can set up. Storyboard artists will not make use of the program's existing libraries... with one exception. There is a really nice collection of directional arrows, which can be drug into any panel.

Animatic timing is simple. Just drag the edge of the panel to lengthen or shorten a shot.

Flash animators will be happy to know that Storyboard Pro can connect most any existing vector library directly into the software.

Editing the timing of the panels and shots is virtually identical to working in Adobe Premiere. Simply drag the side of a panel to lengthen or shorten a shot. As you change the length of a panel, a time code appears telling you the start position, end position and duration of the panel. Audio files can also be edited quickly.

The click and drag functionality for shot repositioning is of huge benefit. I've never seen a better system. You can quickly drag a shot to a new position and it will re-number accordingly. You can also quickly combine panels to create a single shot or remove connected panels from a shot to make separate shots.

Multiple panels to represent a shot is quick and easy. Notice the gray border around connecting panels, which represent a single shot.

For those not familiar with shot breakdowns, each shot in a production may take more than one illustration to represent it. It may take, for instance, three panels or individual drawings, to represent one shot.

Export to PDF has a number of pre-defined formats. While those elements may be fine for some users, I found the size restrictions, placement of text and logos very limiting. Better customization will be available in the next release.

Scanned background imported into Storyboard Pro. The characters were sketched on another layer.

Those of you who have already started a project on paper are not out of luck. It is quick and easy to import scans into Storyboard Pro. Rather than redraw an existing background into this sample board, I imported a scan of the background, which my layout artist, Willie Castro, has drawn.

Much like drawing in Photoshop, the true speed of this software is obvious when you properly take advantage of drawing on layers. This allows you to keep your characters separate from foreground and background images. You can move, rotate and skew any vector layer, or any portion of a vector layer.

Unlike Photoshop, you can color behind the lines on any layer. Click on the Draw Behind box and anything you add to a layer will go under the other existing elements on that layer. However, it all acts as one layer when editing.